Buying a 1999 Mack MR688 Rolloff...first bigger truck for me, what to look out for? HELP is very appreciated!

[darkostoj]

I am in desperate need of a rolloff truck and I'm trying to keep it under 30k.

I came across this 1999 Mack MR688S and thought it might fit the bill.

I would like to be able to pick up 50-75k, and the gentleman selling the truck said its rated for 50k, but 75k is no problem. He didn't seem like the most trustworthy person and somewhat sleazy though.

its got ~250k and 4500 hours on it

He said everything works and its a nice truck, but like I said I don't trust this guy at all.

I did a vin search and found the truck came out of republic services in Maryland and was sold at auction.

Any help on things to look out for is appreciated. I know my way around equipment, but have never had a heavy duty truck like this before.

Thanks!!

[j_martell]

What kind of hoist is on it? If you can find out I bet you could Google the model and find out its capacity. Both ours have data tags on em that give all the important info I bet if it has a winch for the cable it would be a smaller unit. At least that's what it is around here.

[hatcity]

Should be double frame. Check for rust between the rails

republic prolly ran it hard and the got rid of it due to age/ now starting to cost for repairs.

Like j martell said-get the model # on the hoist to see actual capacity

Nice paint job could be hiding some problems

Take it for a ride-engine sounds right, trans shifts right. Then look at it again for oil leaks around engine and rears, and wheel seals

[j_martell]

If it's a hydraulic reeving type(either a 2 or 3 stage telecoping hydraulic cylinder or a single stage with a "double pull" line setup), do what you can to look for leaks on the cable cylinder....tip the rails and watch for oil...the old rd has a couple big scratches in he cylinder and leaks like a bastard if left in just the right spot. Also look for loose or missing hardware on the roll off frame....new guy lost two bolts that hold the bottom of the cable (hoist) cylinder and ended up twisting the expand line off the damn thing...also, look at hinges and pivot points for signs of frequent greasing or lack therof, and cracks at the stops (front of rails) and the hinge plates. Check wear bars on the rail tops and damage on the tails (end of rails that touches the ground, usually a result of dragging). Ah yes, obviously have a good look at the cable and hook, had to replace the on on the rd, got 3 different $amounts for the cost, and I'll just say none were cheap lol. Had mor to say but the kids made me loose my train of thought. I could ramble on and on about roll offs.....try and get some pics of the bed and I will pick thru 'em.....

[j_martell]

I have never had a tape to my rails (universal handling equipment) or the rd (capital disposal equipment), but a small side guess would say the rails are 2" wide by 8"-10" rectangle tube on both with 3/8" ( for sure) wear bars, and both are rated at 48,000lbs (give or take). There are a few apex running around here that might be 2x4" tubing with hydraulic winches for the cable, so I would assume the capacity would be about half....tilt and load trucks up this way are about identical and when chatting with a guy from battlefield, his was rated at only 15,000lbs......damn I love talking roll off lol. Done for now, maybe

[MightyFruit Trucking]

Take it to Mack and have them go through it!!! Trust me what you pay them you will be able to deduct from price because they always find something that needs to be done! But the main thing is to make sure that nothing Major is wrong! Also dont be scared of Going up in Money to find something nice, if its going to save you money in parts, labor and most of all DOWN TIME!!!!!!! I'll tell you when you get something from a 1 owner you most likely can get a maintenance record. And you still have to watch them. But when something has been run through the auction you really don't know what your getting. Take some good pics and post them! And let some of these guys go to work!

[bobo]

no way will you p/u 75k or haul 75k on that truck! I doubt you will be able to lift 50k! My RB tri axle has 26' rails with a live pump(relieve valve turned up) , ive done some dumb lifts with it. 29 ton was the heaviest iv gone down the road with! NO F'n WAY WILL you put those weights on that truck bobo 50K=22.7ton 75k=34.0ton

[j_martell]

kinda what i was thinking......the truck may be able to take it, but i have tried and had to wrestle a few really heavy bins on my gu......22,000kg PAYLOAD in a 40yd can.....shhhhh, i was only 10,000kg over gross. the site and the dump were literally down the street from one another, otherwise i would have left it there......

[David]

Post more pictures and everyone can tell you more.

[KECorbin22]

I move 26 tons one time, I will not try that stupid shit again. Paint is cheap, repairs are not.

[mackman1965]

As far as roll offs go the R or DMs would be a much better application. MRs are better off with rear load or front loaders

[Deere Mack]

Hello and welcome, I've been searching craigslist for a Mack dump and there are a ton of RD and DM roll offs available. I use searchtempest.com, you eneter your zip and search radius to find your item, also its best to use direct results mode, you'll miss out on a truck the other way. I agree with the others, a fresh paint job when you know there are repairs needed on the truck is a big red flag. Good luck!

[Timothy Maikshilo]

I always wonder about places that paint everything one color. You'll see that a lot some a place that just flips trucks. Maybe you could call the company it came from with the vin and find out about it. A local dealer here gets all the used trucks from one container company and the trucks have seen it hard as I would think most big trash company's. An older R with heavy rears would be my # one choice as a roll off.