dmlinton Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 So I set up an RSS feed to let me know about anything Mack being offered on Kijiji here in Ontario. This morning I spied a fully restored B-30 tractor at an asking price of $50,000 CAD ($45,896 USD). It is located near London, Ontario.Nice looking truck but I am more curious about the price tag. Is $50,000 anywhere near a fair price? I am having challenges envisioning how someone could invest that much in a restoration unless there is $10,000 or $15,000 in there for, "Look, it is all ready for you to hit the road and show off". What would the price tag have been on this truck when new in 1955? 1 Quote Best regards, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_martell Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 It's only worth what someone's willing to pay for it.... 1 Quote Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
41chevy Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 It's only worth what someone's willing to pay for it....Very few B30 gassers around and it looks good. But I agree with J_martell, it depends on how bad someone wants it. Paul Quote "OPERTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK" Thomas Edison “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit, what a ride!’” P.T.CHESHIRE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j hancock Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I would speculate that a brand new 1955 B30 would have been around $8,000-$9,000.A new Cadillac of the era was around $6,000-6,500. 1 Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog13407 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 im thinkin 7500-8000 brand new. like they said, all in the eye of the beer holder. front wheels might come off the ground with that one someone has the fifth wheel centered on the rear axle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigdogtrucker Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 You can very easily put that kind of money into a truck,or many times that...Ask the guy's who drop them off at restoration shops and pick them up in a few years 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmlinton Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 im thinkin 7500-8000 brand new. like they said, all in the eye of the beer holder. front wheels might come off the ground with that one someone has the fifth wheel centered on the rear axle.Good catch there, Maddog13407. I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me (they don't work so well anymore). Seems odd that someone would install the fifth wheel incorrectly on any truck never mind a restoration. Quote Best regards, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmlinton Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 You can very easily put that kind of money into a truck,or many times that...Ask the guy's who drop them off at restoration shops and pick them up in a few years Thanks for that, Bigdogtrucker. I'm doing a bit of crash course in old Macks and getting an idea of values is part of that. I have been wanting a '50's era truck for a long time to go along my interest in John Deere crawler's and wheeled ag tractors of that era. I never really expected to get a Mack - figured only a Chev or maybe a Ford would be affordable on my limited budget. I feeling a bit like I've won a lottery ... and that I have some learning to do. 1 Quote Best regards, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Ditchkus Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I have a Truck Blue Book it lists a 1957 Mack B- 30 Model Tractor GCW 35,000 lbs. 330 cu.in. engine weight 7050 lbs. factory price of $5945.00 Joe D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmlinton Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 I have a Truck Blue Book it lists a 1957 Mack B- 30 Model Tractor GCW 35,000 lbs. 330 cu.in. engine weight 7050 lbs. factory price of $5945.00 Joe D.Interesting info, Joe. That cab and chassis weight is very useful as I am having some fun finding a way to get my B-30 home without breaking the bank. If I remove the dump body before moving, the truck will weigh less than the crawler I hauled home with my brother's 7 ton goose neck and my RAM 2500 the other week. I'll just have to make two trips but it's only 60 miles, or so.The loaded weights are getting a bit confusing though. From B-30 specs in the Wiki, it appears that the B-30P would have a GVWR of around 25,000 lbs. My truck has an old sticker on the driver's door reporting Registered GVW at 32,000 lbs, which is just 3,000 lbs less than the GCW of 35,000 lbs you note for the B-30T. I think GVWR and GCW are synonymous, right? Maybe in bygone days, the truck licensing depended only on how much license one was willing to buy without too much regard for the manufacturer's rated capacities? 1 Quote Best regards, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_martell Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 The gvwr is total gross I believe.....tare weight + load.... Your only concern for transport should be the tare...that is, what it weighs unladen.....I only mention this because my tare weight is close to what your talking about on your B, and my granite triaxle roll off HAS to be heavier than a b model dump empty....maybe I mistaken thought....hell, I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again Quote Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j hancock Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I have a Truck Blue Book it lists a 1957 Mack B- 30 Model Tractor GCW 35,000 lbs. 330 cu.in. engine weight 7050 lbs. factory price of $5945.00 Joe D.Good stuff Joe. My "guess" must have had ALL the options!Nothing better than original information, brochures or parts books to get the straight scoop. Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Ditchkus Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 If the truck is a B-30P it was manufactured as a platform chassis single axle straight truck witha GVW of 21-24,000 lbs. The B-30 T is a tractor model with GCW of 35,000lbs. GVW= gross vehicle weight. GCW = gross combined weight of tractor,trailer and load. Joe D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Ditchkus Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I bought a few of these old TruckBlue books for $1.00 apiece. Lots of interesting reading. Jim it does not list any options for the B-30 in 1957 but does in later years. Their were not many options then either. Joe D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog13407 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I dunno just my opinion but it may be restored but the fifth wheel needs fixin if your gonna be towin anything with it, along with the fact it has juice brakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I know my fifth wheel is only a couple inches forward of the rear axle. How far forward should it be? Not that I'll ever put a big load on it, but curious to know where anyone else puts theirs? Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Ditchkus Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Larry 4" ahead of center of axle usually where a 5TH wheel is set on a single axle.Joe D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog13407 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 yup, usually 4-6 inches ahead of center. have seen a few as much as 8-10 inches ahead of centerline, that was on a B model with a 517 front axle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Going from a poor memory, but pretty sure mine is 517 axle. Maybe I'll pull my brackets and redrill them.My trailer is only 3000# on the pin, so I'm light. Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reuhlz Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Larry, it looks like you have a gooseneck ball and not a 5th wheel. I would assume that your ball is mounted much lower to the ground than a 5th wheel would be. This would help you in your case. Just throwing it out there....Drew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmlinton Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Going from a poor memory, but pretty sure mine is 517 axle. Maybe I'll pull my brackets and redrill them.My trailer is only 3000# on the pin, so I'm light.I am definitely not an expert in such matters but I think the acid test in your case would be whether your tractor ever gets light (real easy to steer) on the front end when launching up a steep grade or pushing the limits of your rig's acceleration capability. You are pulling a very light trailer for a B61 so I doubt that it matters in the least where your fifth wheel is as long as it is not behind the drive axle. Quote Best regards, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 My trailer is a fifth wheel. It originally was a goose and I took the plate off the truck and made my own ball hitch. I then switched it over to a pin and put the plate back on. Much easier to hook/unhook.I've actually seen trucks with gooseneck balls mounted behind the fifth wheel plate(giving them the option of either kind of trailer). I'm guess it matters none for overall weight rating and having too little front axle weight. My truck is still 6K lbs on the front axle empty and with no power steering..........it never gets "light" to steer LOL!!!The pin weight is 3K lbs, but the trailer weight is 14K lbs.pushing the limits of your rig's acceleration capability It is apparent you've never driven a stock B model LOL!! Sorry, not poking fun, but there is no real acceleration capability of these trucks. 180 hp is just slow and steady Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmlinton Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 It is apparent you've never driven a stock B model LOL!! Sorry, not poking fun, but there is no real acceleration capability of these trucks. 180 hp is just slow and steady True, never driven a B model. Growing up on the farm, Dad had an Dodge ex-dump truck with a flat head six and four speed (3 speed really because one was bull low). Farmers seemed to end up with these old dump trucks for some reason and always seemed to end up with a teeter totter of sorts in order to get enough platform to carry some kind of load. Later, after my brother and I took over the farm, we had an International Transtar 1800 ... yep, ex-dump truck. It had 5+4 and a gas engine. I know about trying to get these old trucks to move.That ol' Dodge sure instilled a healthy respect for proper load distribution. In the Hills of Northumberland County, Ontario, where I grew up, there is no such thing as level ground - you are either going up grade or down grade. With only a 4 speed trans, there were an aweful lot of grades where you ended up in bull low to get over the top. Shift timing had to be good when going for bull low because you had to be all but stopped to get her to shift. If you ended up stopped, getting moving without the front end threatening to become airborne was quite a sobering experience. I learned to operate the brake and throttle pedals simultaneously with one foot. 1 Quote Best regards, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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