Why Chains So Late

[VintageSmoke]

Been pondering why Mack continued to offer chains in the late '30s and into the '40s. I did a search here but couldn't come up with a search term that brought up a good discussion on it. It seems to be only on the highest capacity trucks. I understand gearing may have been part of it. Maybe an inability to get low enough gearing that the low-powered engines of the day could move the loads (without having so many splitters and range boxes that the cab floor looked like a forest)?  What were the last Macks with chain drive?

[CaptainCrutch]

My guess is the last chain drive Macks were E models. But to be fair, I believe I've seen 50s Kenworths that are chain drive so clearly there was a demand for some reason...

[davehummell]

Don't forget about sterling trucks they used chains.

[j hancock]

The 1950 Mack FT was the last chain drive model to my knowledge.  There was customer demand for the product so they kept getting built.  I think 1951 was the last year for Sterling Trucks to offer chains.

Gear ratio changes were quickly handled with a swap of drive sprockets and adding or removing chain links depending on the job at hand.  Chains were considered the weak link in the drive train.  If a chain broke in severe usage, everything was in the open and could be repaired quickly with an instant diagnosis of the problem.

Here is a 1949 Mack FT.

[mowerman]

well an old timer,,,i buy lawn mower parts off of,,,,told me when the recoil starter came out in 1955... thier was alotta older felles,,that didnt trust them for the longest time,, they were ordering the original wind around spool a number of years after........probably the same concept...lol.bob,