Mack air ride opinions

[snowman_w900]

I got my 1989 MH cabover in the shop. Currently it has a reyco spring ride suspension on the rear. I'm in the process of rebuilding the old girl, and I'm trying to decide what air ride to go with.

Once I get the truck finished,  I'm gonna use truck for some local work from time to time doing tanker work. I love Neway, but they are getting hard to find in good condition and with hub pilots from a Mack. I'm wanting to update this truck to be a comfortable truck with updated parts, but I still want to keep it with Mack parts or atleast a configuration Mack would have offered if it had been built today.

I'm looking at the following cutoff suspensions:

2001 Mack/ Hendrickson HAS 402 air ride with Eaton 405 rears.

2006 Hendrickson MAXAIR "twisted sister "I've been told it's called on mack rears

Neway (but they aren't off of a Mack) with Rockwell 20-145 rears.

Anyone have any experience with the newer Mack air ride? I'm not gonna be hauling heavy, so I'm more concerned with something with the best ride possible. Any other recommendations are something I'd like to hear if anyone can chime in.

 

Thanks

Edited November 18, 2019 by snowman_w900

[Mack Technician]

Hendrickson HAS will be the most popular for parts and availability. Good a ride as any. Check pads for axle cracks if off a quad.

[snowman_w900]

10 hours ago, Mack Technician said:

Hendrickson HAS will be the most popular for parts and availability. Good a ride as any. Check pads for axle cracks if off a quad.

I appreciate it Mack Technician.  I know it's very similar basically the same suspension international uses on alot of their trucks, so I'm hoping parts are still plentiful.

I'm trying to decide if I want to go back with Mack rears or Eatons.  I use Eaton 404 in my other trucks and have plenty of spares. I've never owned Mack rears and I'm not sure if they are superior to an Eaton hypoid gear style differential or not. 

Its speced with a E6 350 4 valve and Eaton 10 speed with Mack 4:62 I believe.  Not sure how the 350 Mack would do with a set of 3:90 Eatons behind it. 

[Mack Technician]

You mentioned not wanting to haul heavy so you can play around. If it were mine I’d still go online and do some math with a driveline ratio calculator. If you lower your number to 3.90 it’s good insurance to draw out your shift points and top speeds and see if you hit the sweet spots. You want to be sitting at your HP/Torque sweet spot at 55-60 and/or 65-70. 

 

[IH Farms 2]

I have a neway cutoff with mack axles 3.87 gears.  

[Bullheaded]

Who made the Mack 46,000 pound Air Leaf? I had that under my 2000 CH mid rise. I pulled 5 axle walking floor and logs on and off road grossing 140,000 and more and in 4 years never even blew an air bag. It was a really good setup.

I had Eaton rears on that one with 4 way locks, 4.11 ratio and 24.5 rubber. Only complaint I had with the Eaton's was the low unprotected temp sensors on the back of the pots. I was always in axle deep mud so needles to say my diff temp gauges never worked after the first week I went to work, LOL.

[kscarbel2]

24 minutes ago, Bullheaded said:

Who made the Mack 46,000 pound Air Leaf? I had that under my 2000 CH mid rise. I pulled 5 axle walking floor and logs on and off road grossing 140,000 and more and in 4 years never even blew an air bag. It was a really good setup.

I had Eaton rears on that one with 4 way locks, 4.11 ratio and 24.5 rubber. Only complaint I had with the Eaton's was the low unprotected temp sensors on the back of the pots. I was always in axle deep mud so needles to say my diff temp gauges never worked after the first week I went to work, LOL.

Hendrickson