Bullheaded

A freind of mine drives for a big Mack Pinnacle fleet up here pulling 5 axle pneumatic bulk tankers. They have MP8 505's and M-Drives. He told me very little problems. He said earlier ones would need the injectors replaced periodically. He said they'd start to vibrate while pulling and you knew it was injector time. But other than that, they leave them running during sleeper berths and he said no real ongoing issues. Maybe the pulling heavy helps. he said the newest ones are better then the 2009 to 2019's he started on.

I'm afraid the new Granite is just gunna be a Volvo VHD to continue the trend. In todays world of cost cutting and cookie cutter manufacturing, you know they are going to keep the current Mack cab for one model. Unless the MD model is it's saving grace.

Yes, I've always wanted one but haven't got one yet. Missed out on a couple at auction. Massey needed a high horsepower tractor to sell quick to keep up with their competition, so they bought these tractors from Oliver and painted them red. White Motor Corp who ended up owning Oliver also bought Canadian Cockshutt also had a model that used Detroit power. The 1900 with a 4-53 Detroit.

Same here. I drive my pickup twice a week and that's enough for me. Driven enough for my lifetime. LOL

What Mack should have done with the MD is offer an extended or crew cab. Something with a back seat to compete with the others for the RV hauler applications. Especially now considering here in Canada, an new loaded Superduty pickup truck is $120,000. Better off to just buy a medium duty to pull your trailers. Not much more, easier to service and will last a whole lot longer.

Ya, I know. Isn't it sad how everything we know about trucking no longer applies, LOL Remember the days you could diagnose any problem just buy looking at your boost, pyrometer, oil temp and air and fuel restriction gauges. I miss those days.

So I guess the new Granite and Pinnacle will be a Volvo VHD?

With plain jane flat plastic panels and no gauges. Except for the stupid looking cyclops speedo/tach that I absolutely hated in the International HX and Cat trucks. No styling whatsoever. But like you say, don't need that anyway. New breed wouldn't know how to read gauges anyway. They just need their tablets, laptops and headsets mounted somewhere so they can telemarket call while going down the highway.

They have a new feature on the Mack web site where you can split between the old and new Anthem, so you can see how much better the old one looked, LOL

I just don't see it fitting in with what the current Anthem is doing. I just can't picture that thing with wide base steer tires pulling live bottoms, dump trailers, and floats. Not to mention my other gripe.....if I wanted a Volvo, I would just buy a Volvo.

Count me out.

Well, I kinda disagree with some of the comments. I had a 2000 CH, 460 Mack, 18 speed, 4.11 ratio and 24.5 rubber. It grossed 140,000 every day (I have the second place record scaling in a board mill with 167,551 gross) and it pulled it just fine. And I ran with the rest of the rest of the company owned fleet of trucks with C15 475 and Series 60 500's. It's all constant hills ranging from 7 to 12%. They could pass me on the big hills but they didn't disappear on me either. And I beat both the Cat's and Detroit's for fuel mileage on same trips, same days. So I wouldn't say they lacked power or torque. Did pretty good for a 12 litre. Should add, this was a 2000 model year. Wish I still had it.

Don't forget, that is Canadian dollars, but it's still a lot, LOL

Thanks for the info. I just don't like the new "shared with Volvo stuff" As you say, a lot of it has to do with fuel mileage and emissions regulations, but they just don't even look nice. No shape or styling, all flat body panels. And they don't look or feel like trucks any more. Too automotive, way too much electronics and gadgets. But I guess that's what the new generation wants. Just glad I don't have to buy or drive them any more for a living. And they talk about distracted driving, yet all these new auto's and trucks have to have 12 inch tv screens in the middle of the dash that you can scroll through pages of info.....instead of nice simple gauges. The Rawhide was the last nice Mack cab and interior for me.

Yep, I pulled 140,000 pounds daily with this old 88 R Model, 350 four valve, 15 speed. But I was down to 3rd gear on all our 7, 10 to 12% hills in the winter pushing wind and slush. Nowadays everyone has to go 70 MPH, which I believe is part of the problem with all the accidents now. Put a seat cover in a rig with 500 plus h.p. pulling a freight van, with an automatic and a super strong engine brake and they really don't have to know how to drive. And now we see the results.