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Hi George,

I recently purchased a B61T that is in need of a remanufactured steering wheel. So I talked to Terry at Watts Mack 1-888-304-6225 he said the program was on hold at this time because of the cost was so high. Give them a call they are a GREAT! group of guys ready to be of help. He may suggest another avenue for you. I have been thinking about putting a steering cover over the wheel for temporary usage. Since my cab needs painting this is ok for me at this time.

mike

Thanks to you both for your thoughts. Sounds like a good plan that will at least last for a good while. Thanks, again. I will also call the number above and see what they say.

George

Hey Y'all:

Hope everyone is doing well and feelin good. What do you do for a steering wheel that is cracked and peeling? (without spending $800.00 for a reconditioned one). I do not want to wrap it in tape to have sticky $hit all over it later. But, I want to put something over it. When the wheel spins to straight, it will give ya little razor or paper cuts and what not. I hate to do any of the rigged stuff, I just can't make a move to spend that kind of money on a recon wheel. Any info appreciated.

Thanks,

George

I use an old fuel cap and drilled a hole,and installed a metal valve stem,and useing a regulator pressurize the system. If pressurizing tanks does not work you might have a primer problem,I have run into that problem a few times over the years. Another thing off topic a little is if you every need to change lines below tank level is to get a friend,and a good wet/dry vacuum,and put hose in top of tank(not in fuel,pack rags around hose to make a "seal" and turn it on. I used to do it that way to change crossovers,and other lines below tank level

I am having hell of a time finding an old fuel cap. Know of any places that sell them?

Thanks,

George

Thank you both for the suggestions.

George

Hey Y'all:

My b61 with NA 711 has run great for years. I was fixin to move her and she started right up. I moved about 20 feet and stopped. It was running a little rough and not getting fuel. She ran like this for a few minutes and cut off. I pumped the primer on the injector pump and never did feel any fuel. I had a small dripping leak in the hose that goes from the secondary fuel filter to the top area of the injector pump. I checked and no fuel comining up the line from the tank. It has plenty of fuel and the lines are clear. Anyway, what I am asking is, what is the best way to get her primed from the tank all the way (at least) to the secondary filter and then the injector? Any wisdom is appreciated.

Thanks,

George

Bob

Is the heavy equipment show going to be at Zagrey Farms? I thought a friend of mine told me it was at Zagrey, If it is, that is an asume place. I have been there sevral times. Right now my Mack is torn apart and in a zillion pieces. Hopefuly it will back togather and painted for the show.

Your '60 B should be alright. The whole point of my post was commercial use. I have seen in this string and other strings on the same subject of antique plates the alarming use of antique plates as a dodge for commercial plates. Commercial plates are for a vehicle that is for "hire" or is used to generate income for an individual or a business.

Although the Oscarmayer Winner mobile does not carry any freight or product, it is registered as a commercial vehicle because it generates revinue for the company, reguardless of its age.

Your '60 B is registerd with antique plates and you are hauling your antique equipment to an antique show is covered and you do not need a CDL. However, if you are hauling someone elses antique equipment to an antique show for a fee......you do need a CDL and commerical plates. If you are a vender and hauling a trailer for selling items or souviners (generating income) you need a CDL and commercial plates.

Now, as far as the law.....( and this is advice for anyone any where) if you become a target of of a rookie, he will become real "uppitty" if you should start pointing out statues where he is incorrect and you will be in a pissing contest real quick. The end reuslt would be your explaining yourself to the "senile old man wearing the black robe behind a tall bench." Try to defuse the situation by asking to speak with a supervisor about the interrperation of the law. Usually the supervisor will have a more "worldly" approach to the situation. (What we have here, boy.....is a definet lack of communication!)

For the most part, local Cops don't have a fine command of the small nuances of Commercial statutes. (they are rather lengthy)and they will not pick apart the antique registration law. The Big Hats (State Police) and DMV are the guys that will make your life misrebile. These are found a weight stations and Interstates and I have found that there are enough of the Hobby people (like you and I) in both agencies to help foster an understanding of out hobby. However, if one should flaunt the law ( a antique truck hauling a over weight, wide load , with bald tires, for hire) ....stand by, it will cost you. Belive it or not "common sense"

does prevail.

Oh, if you should get stopped feel free to mention my name....you will get the jail cell with the flush toilet. (that's the only pull I have.)

Enjoy the show and maybe I'll see yo there. Jim

Hey Jim:

Thanks for your posts. I am glad you decided to include your info.

George

Hi y'all:

Not to steer anyone away from this fine site. But, here is a great link as well for old iron. Mostly a great bunch of guys to.

http://www.yesterdaystractors.com/

Thanks for all of your efforts Barry. Your site has come along way and has added a lot of users in just the past year.

George

Hi folks;

New kid on the block. This thing runs good, but , the grey haired chubby guy behind the wheel can't keep[ up!! Lookig for some ideas or suggestions as to putting power steering on this unit econonical. Thanks Jeff

Hello:

I know Dennis Meehan sells them. He has been injured from what I understand and it might be a long while before he is working again. You did mention economical and his were about two thousand dollars, if I remember right. That is a lot of money, from what I understand, it is a complete set up with everything you need. You might look on the for sale adds like the other fella mentioned. Do a search on this site, a good bit has been mentioned in the past. Truck junkyards can be searched. Someone with some good knowledge might chime in later too.

George

In Mississippi, an antique tag is $26.00 and it is for the life of the vehicle. Many people use them for local drivers and all. Never a problem. When I went to plate the truck, they looked for the GVWR and that was what they tagged it for. No choice. We have B tags. B 10 for 10,000 lbs, B12 for 12,000 lbs, B 26, etc. I was issued a B- 48. Now, something I started noticing was pickup trucks Duallys with a B 10, a 2500 with a B 26 or a dually with a B 30. No ryhme or reason. They just say that if you are pulled over and are not tagged for the weight you are hauling, it is your a$$. Then I hear, if you are hauling 30,000 pounds in a pickup truck with a tag for 30,000 pounds and it exceeds your GVWR, your hosed anyway. I do not know and it is hard to find anyone at the DMV who knows what they are talking about. I find it hard to believe that any of the manufacturers of the 2500 model pickups are rated at 26,000 GVWR. $500 is not really bad, until the wife is chewin yer a$$ for spending it on somethin that I do not use a whole lot. Take it easy y'all.

George

FOR A TRUCK WITH COMMERCIAL OR ANTIQUE PLATES I PAY $40 FOR TRACTOR INSPECTION

iF THE TRUCKS NOT FOR HIRE GET ANTIGUE PLATES AND INSURACE(SAVE YOURSELF $10K

Thanks for the reply. Who inspects it for you? Before I bought the truck, I called the tag office and asked them how much a tag would be for a 63' Mack road tractor, they asked again what year, 63' Oh yeah, it will be $26.00 antique truck tag. I asked them if they were sure and said again it was a tractor. Yep, $26.00. I tag the truck and they hit me with a tag for $500.00 per year that never goes down. I told them that I do not and will not use the truck commercially. Said it goes by GVWR on commercial type vehicles and it would be $500 bucks. Pi$$ed me off good.

Hey y'all:

I might have asked y'all this before, don't remember. What do y'all do for your truck inspections and what are you paying. I have had to tag my truck (and pay for) a commercial 48,000 lb tag. So the tag and insurance wise, I could haul for money. Any info on your inspection routine would be much appreciated. Even better if in the great state of Mississippi.

Thanks and take care,

George

Hello,

Where do y'all source fule lines? I have one leaking near the secondary fuel filter. Do y'all just replace with regular fuel line, or try and go with the "snake skin" covered ones to look origianl?

Thanks,

George

Hi George

do your drop in filters have any numbers stamped on them? I was able to crossrefrence those numbers at my local Napa parts store and get the correct replacements. I have the oil and fuel filter #s written down at home. can check if you would like. I have the END711

Trent

Hi,

Thanks for the offer. I should have put that on there, I have an END711 as well. I wanted to get new ones before I tore it apart and drained it. If you get a chance, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

George

Hey y'all,

Does anyone have part numbers for the Fleetguard oil and fuel filters? Primary spin on fuel, drop in fuel and the large, drop in oil filter? Any info appreciated.

Thanks,

George

I go by the name IndustrialDeere cause I restore John Deere Industrial tractors for a hobby. I have been hauling my tractors around with a B-42 camelback. Trouble is the B-42 is slow--too slow to take on the highway. My tractors weigh up to 20,000 pounds. I was thinking of a B-61, but I would like to get one that is either in great original shape or restored. I would like to be able to go to tractor/truck shows in a 500 mile radius. I look forward to your feedback. Steve

Hey Steve,

Welcome aboard. That is a nice looking rig. And it is even better that you have it hauling old tractors.

Y'all, I spoke to Steve an hour or so on the phone, seems like a very nice fellow with a great attitude. It allways seems like fine people are associated with old trucks and tractors.

George

I was at a different RV dealer the other day and he claimied that the Rv trailer king pin is the same as a semi trailer. (I always thought they looked close but never actually measured.) He was saying he's had Semi trucks come in and just hook right up?? If this is true wouldn't it be hard on the frame of the RV? with torsion I mean, most rv fiths pivot L to R a little.

Does anybody do this with success?? I was thinking when the guy said it that would be neat for a show just take your "shell" with you. You experts please weigh in....

Mike

Hi Mike,

I am no expert and have never done it. I have seen semis do this and seems to be the case and work fine. Might be a waste of horsepower. I also see semis with a 5th wheel to gooseneck adapter and them towing a gooseneck trailer. That is what I am going to do. I can use the gooseneck on my 1 ton or the Mack.

Hi Thad,

I had posted a question on the yesterdays tractor board that I frequent. Great bunch of guys (and girls). A fellow named T-Bone had some comments. Just from reading his posts over the years I have a good deal of respect for his ideas and opinions. I would be careful with going to some kind of design that is too far out of the norm. If something were to happen, the lawyers would have a field day. especially if you are not a certified welder, etc. What I was thinking was a reciever type hitch on the back of the mack that I could pull ball trailers, pintles, etc. I will paste some of T-bones comments in to the message below and put a picture of the hitch design he talks about. If it does not go into the message, it will be in my album. I hope he does not mind me posting it.

Hope it helps,

George

T-Bone's comments from question I had;

Hi George,

About the only thing I can add, is I would consider using a 2-1/2" or 3" receiver tube with a 1" or 1-1/4" pin.

I use 2-1/2" custom built receiver with a 3/4" pin and I noticed with my tri-axle flatbed pintel, my pin shows some offset wear after about a years use, maybe 2k miles total OTR use. That's about as close to pin shear as I want to come. I'll be changing to a 1" pin shortly and I use tractor top link pins as they have a nice hole for a pad lock.

I used a 40ton pintel hitch off a semi trailer along with a solid 2-1/2" steel draw bar then made 20" of total adjustment in the ball mount plate, 10" up/down, with a 1/2" x 2" plate gusset. I then use two 5/8" grade 5 bolts to attach either the ball mount head or the pintel head.

When I change the pin too 1", I'll also add 1/4" thick flat washers to either side of the pin hole. This will give me 1/2" total thickness on either side for the receiver pin bearing point. My 3/4" pin wear could be coming from to thinn of bearing point sidewall and not from being overloaded (pin size overload).

T_Bone

Hi George,

I would not go less than 30º on the 1/2" x 2" gusset and can end between the two top holes.

The plate for the adjustment head as well as the ball/pintel mount was made from 3/4" plate as thats what I had on hand. I would not go less than 5/8" plate tho.

Use inside pipe spacers or make the ball/pintel mount first when welding the verticle adjustment plates on as this keeps the distance spaced even as the side plates will draw tight/open when welded. I just bolted the head in place before welding.

The drawing shows a space between the ball/pintel mount and the adjustment plate when in reality this is a close fit only allowing for clearance for the welds.

You will also want a tight inside fit where the ball/pintel mount plate fits into the back of the adjustment plate. This is for if one of the 5/8" mounting bolts shear the ball/pintel plate would bind inside against the verticel mount plate.

I also use 5/8" holes with 5/8" bolts. I didn't want any slop here. The same apply's to the receiver pin, 1" hole and a 1" pin.

Use 1/4" x 3/4" flatbar to wrap the end of the receiver tube. This supports the tube end during side stress.

You want the draw bar to extend into the receiver atleast 2" past the pin hole. This is for draw bar bind between the top and bottom with-in the receiver tube. Again a tight fit. I have to keep the rust off the draw bar surface so it will slip in easy. This keeps the hiching quite while traveling.

I tend to use/abuse my hitching so I don't want any failures. This is also my winch point if needed.

My actual hitching extends 18" out from my bumper as I had a automatic boatloader on my pick-up that I had to clear with my 8kGVW travel trailer. My hitching never moves.

T_Bone

Nice. Paint scheme worked out great.

George

Hello y'all,

I was wondrin' if anyone was down in Southern Mississppi and had a trailer I could rent to take my road test with. I am lookin to buy one. However, the damn storm has delayed my plans a little. A flat bed or low boy would be nice, but anything would do (with a high gross weight). The pin needs to be set up for twin axles.

Thanks,

George

Very pretty truck. Where di y'all get the adapter from the gooseneck trailer to the 5th wheel?

Mr. Barry

Where can I get a new fuel sending unit for my 63' B61T? I do not see one on the Watt's parts list.

Thanks,

George

George, you might want to disconect the battery cables ,when you pull the panel back it will short out on your ingniton switch and light switch, been there done that.          Ron

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Well, it is funny (not really) that you both mention that. I actually started the process before I asked (imagine that). Yep, I heard a short, a buzz, and then my low air pressure warning buzzer buzzes all the time, although the tone changes a little around 60 psi. (I do learn better with a good kick to the nuts.... but I really would like to start askin first.......

Thanks for the help,

George

What kind of issues did y'all experience?

you might be right Larry, that would alow the window to go down more.

I pulled the R model panels out recently and they are very simmilar to a b model but dont have that stop at the bottom.

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Thanks you both!

George

Hello all,

I am looking for some direction or helpful hints to remove the glass and mechanics of the door panel on a B model cab. Any info appreciated.

Thanks,

George

Hello all,

What is the best way to remove the dash panel? What needs to be loosened before pulling it out some, etc. Is there typicall enough slack to pull it out a ways to replace some switches etc. Any info appreciated.

Thanks,

George