Oso2

Nice Star.

My understanding is that the AC's were e7's with EGR attached. What sorts of things went wrong with the 04's. Why were the 07's just okay? And how would they compare to a 2017+ mp8?

What about the ac 427's and 460's that came in the Vision until 2007? Or would it be better to find a Pinnacle with an MP8? (assume pre-emissions or deleting isn't an option.)

I've heard not good things about the e7 EGR ASET engines from 2003-07. Can they be made to run well WITHOUT deleting them? Is it worth buying a truck with one? (Assuming that there aren't any pre-'03's available.)

That grille was also used on r600's:

When did Mack introduce this style of grille? Did it completely replace the straight grille?

Really? Volvo makes 750hp loggers that haul 130,000+ lbs in the mountains of northern Scandinavia. How much do you pull with your sissy little American truck? 80,000? P.S. Dirtymilkman - it's not cool to insult women.

That 4-axle setup is popular in Ontario and Quebec. It's (usually) a 72" spread with the front axle steerable and liftable. It has to be 98-118" away from the triaxle. I like the old DM's you found! Most old Macks are from the 90's and have that set back grille.

"If Martin Penwald was real what would he drive today?" Probably a white aero truck.

Sure. But how expensive is it to start a truck manufacturing company dedicated solely to building gliders? I don't think there's money in it. Maybe someone like Autocar might take a swing at it, but I doubt it. Besides - aren't they limited to something like 300 gliders a year? That makes it prohibitively expensive to manufacture. I think what's more likely is the growth of refurbishing companies to rebuild old trucks.

What youtube video? link please.

They make bigger trucks for the Australian market because their gross weights are significantly heavier than the American 80,000 lbs. No matter how you cut it, 90% of the American market only needs a 13L engine in an aero package. That's what sells.

Nice! I love the logo. And yes, those are nicer than an Anthem both inside and out. P.S. But then again, I preferred the trimmings of the Pinnacle to the Anthem.

What's the deal with the Mercedes trucks in the 3rd photo? Now THAT would be an unusual US army purchase.

The whole reason that Scot came into existence is that the Irving's figured that it would be cheaper to build trucks than to buy them. The JD Irving company basically owns much of the Maritimes: they have a substantial empire based on oil, paper and agriculture/fishing. Midland and RST Transport are Irving companies. Midland is a van company and RST moves tankers. I've been told that the Midland Scots were ordered with Formula 290 and 300 Cummins with a 9 speed. I know of two Midland owner operators; one had a 350 Cummins, later replaced with a 400, and another had a Detroit. They bought new and probably received better terms. The Irvings currently own Freightliner dealerships. I used to see those tractors every now and then back when I was growing up. The city of Toronto also owned some of their fire trucks, and kept them as reserve units up until....I'm going to say the early 90's. I used to think those trucks were ugly as sin. Now I think that that big cab with the integrated sleeper may have been ahead of its time.

FYI, here's how we do it in neighbouring Canada. This 5-axle super-B set is good for 138-140,000lbs gross (depending what province you're in). I've never driven one, but I've spoken with guys who say that the track quite well and are easier to drive than a 53' trailer (going forward that is!) There are other configurations, but this is the most popular. And yeah, there are a lot of 13L Macks and Volvos pulling them.

Ironically since this thread started my local dealership has 6+ new Granites on the lot for a mixer company

Yes, there are a lot of Granite dumps where I live. Perhaps they have lost a bit of market share - they were *so* dominant in the 80's that you rarely saw anything but a Mack. Having said that, they still have a healthy market share. The sky is not falling people. I think a big reason for the shift is that it seems like Macks and Volvo's have gotten comparatively more expensive recently. I also know that some northern dealers are not very competitive. I could be wrong.

Our city uses front-end loaders (Cat 924 size) with plows in the old residential areas; but that Mack appears to be out in the country. Other cities use aggressive towing when it snows (ie. temporary no parking areas).

I just don't understand big plow trucks without wing plows - it's such a waste. I also don't get those tipper salt spreaders - they seem unsafe.

Or the husbands for that matter.

Kenmore or whoever makes more money from selling you a new fridge than repairing your older one. And no one gives a crap about the energy or materials that are utterly wasted.

I can see that. Yes, everything under the cab is Volvo. Having said that, Volvo builds good trucks. I wish Mack had a little more independence, but it's probably not commercially viable. Mack didn't have enough money to design emission engines - so it got taken over. Everyone has had problems with emissions. That's the game now; it's worldwide and it's not going away.

You're kidding me. I know a guy who buys Corollas at 200kms and sells them at 400. Have them rust sprayed and they're pretty much bullet-proof. But again I digress.

Emission vs. non-emission truck motors maybe. But a 2018 Corolla will run circles around some old beater from the past and run forever too! Mind you, I have friends who are getting good service from their new-ish Cascadias in linehaul service - so maybe the bugs are finally being worked out. But I digress. Volvo makes a good truck, like it or not (and Mack would be dead if it wasn't for Volvo). I also think that if Volvo had simply rebranded their North American offerings as "White Trucks" in the 80's, they would have avoided this hate - because yes, people are that superficial.