April 28, 1966

[j hancock]

The last B model rolled off the assembly line.  Matt Pfahl is the current owner of the truck.  B57S1284.

[Vladislav]

A very nice fact that such remarkable piece of trucking history has been saved.

[theakerstwo]

I started to work for the mack dealer one year before these trucks went out of production.

[Bullheaded]

What application did that tri-drive get used for? That's a nice truck.

 

And the article echoes a thought I've always said. I don't know why all these manufacturers have to reinvent the wheel every couple years and change everything.

Look how long the W900 and Pete and other classic's lasted and still sold well with no major changes.

 

I bet if there was still an R or DM or Superliner they would still sell.

Or maybe it's just me? I HATE change.

[gxbxc]

I think that if the new Macks ran trouble free they would sell more of them,Who wants to by a new truck and then live a the dealer for weeks at a time while making payments on a truck that is earning $0. And if they only made a true heavy spec truck that was comerically  available  and not just to the armys of the world

[j hancock]

The same person who previously owned the last B also has a sister truck that has a dump body.  I am not sure if they were dumps right along.

[Bullheaded]

14 hours ago, j hancock said:

The same person who previously owned the last B also has a sister truck that has a dump body.  I am not sure if they were dumps right along.

If that were the dump truck I was running right now, I guarantee you I wouldn't hate life as much as I do. That is beautiful.

My dream truck would be that with an 87/88 E6 350 4 valve and a Mack 12 speed.

 

You don't have a bigger pic of that do you?

[j hancock]

1 hour ago, Bullheaded said:

You don't have a bigger pic of that do you?

Sorry, I don't.  There are a couple more pics of the last B and Paul has one of the sister truck that is a little larger in this post.

 

[Bullheaded]

Thanks for that Jim. That's a very interesting truck.

[mackey58]

Beautiful b dump. That and the end of the RD  2 sad days when dependable trucks were  retired

[h67st]

On 4/29/2019 at 9:37 PM, gxbxc said:

I think that if the new Macks ran trouble free they would sell more of them,Who wants to by a new truck and then live a the dealer for weeks at a time while making payments on a truck that is earning $0. And if they only made a true heavy spec truck that was comerically  available  and not just to the armys of the world

I talked to a guy last week who had a 2019 Western Star and he said he's had it in the shop 5 times for warranty issues...he's really fed up.

[Bullheaded]

4 hours ago, h67st said:

I talked to a guy last week who had a 2019 Western Star and he said he's had it in the shop 5 times for warranty issues...he's really fed up.

I know the feeling, LOL You especially gotta love it when a truck can leave the factory with the wrong engine mounts and cooling fan and a visiting Western Star rep at my dealer just happens to walk by and notice it.

 

Or when you have it the first week, head up into the bush to work, far from any dealer or parts places, in a rain storm and the windshield wiper linkages saw through air lines deep inside the dash. I had cuts on my arms from the middle knuckle to my elbows trying to put unions in all the cut air lines. Luckily I carry a pail of brass.

 

[Red Horse]

1 hour ago, Bullheaded said:

I know the feeling, LOL You especially gotta love it when a truck can leave the factory with the wrong engine mounts and cooling fan and a visiting Western Star rep at my dealer just happens to walk by and notice it.

 

Or when you have it the first week, head up into the bush to work, far from any dealer or parts places, in a rain storm and the windshield wiper linkages saw through air lines deep inside the dash. I had cuts on my arms from the middle knuckle to my elbows trying to put unions in all the cut air lines. Luckily I carry a pail of brass.

 

Ouch-so I would guess someone on the line failed to put a key zip tie in place?  did they offer you an explanation at least?  And maybe X hours of free service?

[Bullheaded]

Lots of parts exchanged under warranty. I have a list a mile long. Cracked and mis-matched interior panels, switches in the dash that are warped and don't sit flat on the dash face, paint peeling off, passenger side door cracks around where the look-down mirror is mounted, chrome peeling off the mirrors, satellite radio that loses signal every 20 seconds, frame crossmembers that constantly loosen all the bolts, windshield wiper linkages that fall apart all the time, etc.

And lets not even get into the emission system issues. There was no quality control when they built this truck. I think it was built by disgruntled drug addicts.

 

And we're not talking a cheap fleet spec truck here. It's a fully loaded 4900 with almost every option, all the fanciest stuff they offer. You would think they would have put some pride into building it.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Bullheaded

[Red Horse]

2 minutes ago, Bullheaded said:

Lots of parts exchanged under warranty. I have a list a mile long. Cracked and mis-matched interior panels, switches in the dash that are warped and don't sit flat on the dash face, paint peeling off, passenger side door cracks around where the look-down mirror is mounted, chrome peeling off the mirrors, satellite radio that loses signal every 20 seconds, frame crossmembers that constantly loosen all the bolts, windshield wiper linkages that fall apart all the time, etc.

And lets not even get into the emission system issues. There was no quality control when they built this truck. I think it was built by disgruntled drug addicts.

Hah-well further to this, I'm overseeing a job at my homeowners association tennis courts-ripping up asphalt.  owner/op backs in with a beautiful new WS (4700?).  So I say to guy, "Nice truck-but I hate Freightlner-I'm an old Mack- Ford guy".  He says I'm an old Ford guy too that is what this replaced - we talk some more and I pull up this picture from my I-phone. that I took two years ago--his old truck-Cat powered LT-9000

[TS7]

B model was a good truck, but if you could build a 2019 Mack truck to 1955 or 1966 emission systems (none) you would have a very dependable truck. The E7 would still be around, none better.

[keg1]

On 5/1/2019 at 1:08 PM, Red Horse said:

Hah-well further to this, I'm overseeing a job at my homeowners association tennis courts-ripping up asphalt.  owner/op backs in with a beautiful new WS (4700?).  So I say to guy, "Nice truck-but I hate Freightlner-I'm an old Mack- Ford guy".  He says I'm an old Ford guy too that is what this replaced - we talk some more and I pull up this picture from my I-phone. that I took two years ago--his old truck-Cat powered LT-9000

why would someone replace this.  thats a beauty

[gxbxc]

Last week I saw a dark blue ford go across the intersection where I was stopped and it looked as good as the red one pictured  ,then a day later I saw a rag bag  blue and black ford and had to do a double take to be sure It wasn't the nice one I had seen earlier, both were tri axle dumps .so they are still around.

[Red Horse]

14 hours ago, keg1 said:

why would someone replace this.  thats a beauty

I think the power train was getting a bit tired.  But I hear you-when you listen to the horror stories today with new stuff, I always say, if you have old solid iron, put the money in that and you will be ahead of the game.  In particular old Macks with true Mack power trains.