kscarbel2

I’ve been saying for years that we need to connect with them. I’ve dealt with them......they’re no different from us.

Well now I didn’t know that. Very interesting.

Mr. Hancock pegged it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 21, 1986 General Motors and Deere & Company have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture to design, manufacture and distribute diesel engines worldwide, the companies announced recently. The proposed corporation would be held equally by both parent companies. The agreement is subject to final negotiations and clearance by the federal antitrust authorities. The joint venture will include the diesel engine operations of Deere & Company and the Detroit Diesel Allison Division of General Motors (DDA). F. James McDonald, president of General Motors, and Robert A. Hanson, chairman and chief executive officer, Deere & Company, issued this joint statement: "General Motors and Deere & Company believe this proposed joint venture is a very positive step for the diesel engine operations of both companies. The new organization will allow us to provide a full line of products that will benefit from combined resources in both technology and economies of scale in manufacturing. These advantages, coupled with a strong distribution network and the considerable experience of management and production personnel from both companies, give us confidence that the new company will play a leadership role in the diesel industry." Officials predict annual sales of about $1.5 billion for the new company. The new company is yet to be named and will be headquartered in the Detroit area. Senior management will be drawn from both GM and Deere. It is expected that the new firm will be in operation under its new name and management by January 1,1987. The joint venture will utilize diesel engine facilities in the Detroit area presently operated by Detroit Diesel Allison Division of General Motors. These include the Redford heavy-duty diesel engine plant, the Romulus Parts Distribution Center and the Romulus Engineering Center. Also included will be the tools and machinery used to manufacture the Detroit Diesel 8.2L medium-duty engines now being built by GM's Chevrolet-Pontiac-GM of Canada (CPC) group which recently acquired DDA's Romulus diesel engine manufacturing facility. The 8.2L engine will be a part of the new joint venture's line. The Deere & Company facilities to be utilized include the Waterloo, Iowa, diesel engine plant and a diesel engine plant in Saran, France. Engines will also be provided from the Dubuque, Iowa, factory, which will continue to be part of Deere & Company. These three facilities supply engines for John Deere agricultural and industrial equipment as well as for use by other customers in marine and industrial applications and generator sets. All other DDA operations will remain with GM, and other operations of Deere & Company will be unaffected. The combined product line gives the new company a complete range of diesel engines from 50 hp to 2,000 hp, with a wide variety of configurations to meet virtually every application need. Detroit Diesel Allison has been marketing the John Deere line of diesel engines through its worldwide sales organization for the past year, under an earlier agreement. The two companies also have been cooperating under a technical agreement for joint engineering efforts on new products. These actions have provided continuity and direction while the joint venture has been under study.

Good on Trump. .

I disagree, because I was there and know. We needed a partner. And as John Curcio accurately stated of Renault, "They came to the party in 1983 when nobody else loved us." Elios Pascual was as fine an individual as you could every know, and he cared about Mack Trucks.

The 151 cubic inch (2.5-litre) in-line four cylinder Pontiac "Iron Duke" was also the standard engine in the Jeep CJ5, CJ-7 and CJ-8 for four years over the 1980-83 period.

Had a wonderful conversation over lunch this week with a former Chevrolet heavy truck distributor who recalled when General Motors decided to offer the Chevrolet Titan 90 (and I assume the GMC Astro) with John Deere power. The former dealer principal ordered one unit for himself, and a second unit for the local John Deere dealer who was a friend. The trucks were received and the two buyers were thrilled with their new trucks and "green" powerplants. However, after a short time, General Motors contacted the dealer owner and explained that the plan to offer Deere power had been cancelled, and as a result they had to return the two trucks.....which they reluctantly did. Has anyone else in the BMT universe heard about this moment in American truck history ?

recovery efforts on some of NASA's other archived tapes.............in an abandoned McDonald's ?

Shocking incompetence.

The Guardian / June 28, 2019 When Gary George bought a truckload of videotapes for $218 from a US government surplus auction more than 40 years ago, he planned to sell them to television stations – to record over. Fortunately, he decided to hold on to the three tapes labelled “Apollo 11 EVA”, which have since been identified as the only surviving original recording of the first moon landing, in 1969. Now the tapes – which include Neil Armstrong’s famous words “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – are to go on sale in July at Sotheby’s in New York, where they are expected to fetch as much as $2m. The collection also includes footage of Buzz Aldrin walking in minimal lunar gravity, planting the US flag on the moon, collecting samples. It also shows the crew’s call with Richard Nixon. George, now 65, was astonished. “I had no idea there was anything of value on them,” the retired mechanical engineer from Las Vegas told Reuters. “I was selling them to TV stations just to record over.” George thinks he sold eight reels to television stations for $50 each. It was his father who spotted the three Nasa labelled reels. “He was really into the space program and he said, ‘I think I’d hang on to those. They might be valuable someday. So, for that very reason, I pulled them out and hauled them around the country for the next 43 years. That’s how come they survived.” In 2006, Nasa admitted that they could not find the original video recordings of the landing. It was not until two years later, when George was on holiday with a friend who worked at Nasa, that he found out they were looking for them. He did not have the equipment to watch the tapes, but after he started speaking to Nasa about handing them over he was able to see the footage for the first time in a special studio in California.

VW's Traton shares limp on stock market debut Reuters / June 28, 2019 FRANKFURT - Traton made a lacklustre start on its debut on Friday, as shares in Volkswagen's truck unit slipped below their initial public offering price. The stock opened at 27 euros ($30.75), the IPO price in Europe's second-largest listing of the year, before slipping to trade as much as 2.4 percent lower. Germany's benchmark DAX index was up 0.5% at 1200 GMT. Weak demand for German listings had forced VW to scale back its Traton IPO and it had already priced the offering at the low end of its target range. "At first glance, markets don't look that bad. But volumes have been low as risk averse investors hoard cash," a banker working on the deal said. The average daily turnover of Stoxx600 shares stood at 470 billion euros so far this year and the June median was 439 billion euros, compared with the 2018 daily average of almost 600 billion. Global IPO volumes are down 30% in the year so far, Refinitiv data shows, while the European figure is at its lowest level since 2012 amid concern about the global economic outlook. Volkswagen floated 11.5% of Traton's shares after initially seeking to list a stake of up to 25% in a bid to put the company's truck business on an independent footing. The deal values Traton at 7.9 and 7.0 times its 2019 and 2020 earnings before interest and taxes, respectively, roughly in line with the valuation of its peer Volvo, two people close to the matter said. The 1.55 billion euros ($1.77 billion) in proceeds from the offering will flow to parent Volkswagen which aims to use the funding to invest in mass producing electric cars. Traton, which includes the MAN, Scania and Volkswagen trucks businesses wants to create a global trucks operation. A flotation could give Traton the resources to deepen its relationship with U.S. truck maker Navistar International Corp , in which it owns a 16.85% stake. Asked whether Volkswagen planned to buy out Navistar, Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said: "Today's steps make many things possible. Currently there are no concrete plans." Traton Chief Executive Andreas Renschler said alliances with Navistar, Hino and Sinotruck gave Traton economies of scale. "We don't need any further participation at all, there's no need to always buy companies," he said. ($1 = 0.8780 euros)

Absolutely fantastic. If everyone here could only know how important and successful the Mid-Liner ranger was to Mack Trucks.......the right product at the right time. We sold thousands to Penske, Ryder and countless other fleets from coast to coast.

Ford to slash 12,000 jobs in Europe by 2020 Edward Taylor, Reuters - Bloomberg / June 27, 2019 FRANKFURT -- Ford Motor Co. said it will have cut 12,000 jobs in Europe -- about 20 percent of its overall workforce there -- by the end of next year to try to return the business to profit, part of a wave of cost reductions in an auto industry facing stagnant demand and record-level investments to build low emission cars. Ford said it has ceased production at three plants in Russia, is closing plants in France and Wales, and has cut shifts at factories in Valencia, Spain and Saarlouis, Germany. The cuts will reduce its manufacturing footprint in Europe from 24 plants down to 18. Approximately 12,000 jobs will be impacted at Ford’s wholly owned facilities and consolidated joint ventures in Europe by the end of 2020, primarily through voluntary separation programs, the automaker said in a statement released on Thursday. The challenge of investing in electric, hybrid and autonomous vehicles -- while having to overhaul combustion engines to meet new clean-air rules -- has forced Europe's carmakers to slash fixed costs and streamline their model portfolios. "We have largely concluded consultations with social partners regarding restructuring actions," Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe told Reuters. Around 2,000 of the jobs to be cut are salaried positions, which are included among the 7,000 salaried positions Ford is reducing globally, the carmaker said. The rest are workers on hourly contracts or agency workers. Ford Europe has 51,000 employees in Europe or 65,000 when joint ventures are included. In January Ford announced a sweeping business review that included the prospect of plant closures and discontinuing loss-making vehicle lines to pursue a 6 percent operating margin in Europe. Falling demand Demand for cars in Europe is falling. The European automobile manufacturers' association ACEA on Thursday predicted that European passenger car registrations will shrink by 1 percent in 2019 to 15 million cars, revising its previous forecast of 1 percent growth. Car sales will stagnate or decline in the next three years, AlixPartners said in a survey of the industry published this week. Manufacturers balancing sales of electric and combustion engined cars will see margins hit particularly hard, the survey said. Ford said it intended to double the profitability of its commercial vehicle business in Europe in the next five years, supported by a restructured Ford Sollers joint venture in Russia and a strategic alliance with Volkswagen Group. Earlier this year Ford said it would seek to exit the multivan segment and focus on developing electrified versions of more profitable "crossover" and SUVs. European passenger vehicle development, including for battery electric vehicles, will be centered in Cologne, the carmaker said. Ford also said it expected to triple passenger car imports into Europe by 2024 by selling Mustang and Explorer vehicles, including a Mustang-inspired electric car in late 2020.

You are right of course, the T2090 had a .71 overdrive........not .60

This is the one and only WM300 "Power Wagon". Nothing comparable before......and nothing since. .

Most likely a T2050 5-speed with a 0.60 overdrive top gear. As many times as I saw that truck in operation, it is painful to see it now in this state of disrepair. That MH Ultra-Liner is as modern as any truck today.

Ford targets Power Wagen with new Super Duty Tremor package Michael Martinez, Automotive News / June 27, 2019 DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is looking to cash in on the continued popularity of pricey pickups and stave off hard-charging Ram in the sales race with the Super Duty Tremor, an answer to Ram's off-road Power Wagon. The off-road package, unveiled Thursday, will reach dealerships in the fourth quarter along with other versions of the freshened 2020 Super Duty. It's available on XLT, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum trims of the F-250 and F-350 with either the truck's new 7.3-liter V-8 gas or 6.7-liter diesel engine. The addition to Ford's formidable Super Duty lineup is meant to capture cash that customers would otherwise spend on aftermarket add-ons. Ford says some 70 percent of Super Duty customers accessorize their vehicles, sometimes spending tens of thousands on upgrades, and that roughly 15 percent of buyers upgrade the stock wheels and tires within six months of purchase. The Tremor package also helps shore up Super Duty's dominant market position, directly confronting a popular niche filled by second-place Ram. "Tremor balances what customers demand in terms of work with what they need in the great outdoors," Todd Eckert, Ford's truck group marketing manager, said in a statement. The trucks sit 2 inches higher in the front with a total of 10.8 inches of ground clearance to help slog through mud, water and uneven terrain. Ford says the pickups can navigate up to 33 inches of water, a best-in-class mark. The package comes with unique tires, wheels, suspension, shocks and dampers. It features trail control, also available on the F-150 Raptor and Ranger, and a unique rock crawl mode. Officials did not discuss pricing or power figures but said the Super Duty Tremor will have greater towing and payload than the Ram Power Wagon, although the figures will be slightly lower than for the standard Super Duty. The Tremor name will adorn the shocks and appear on the rear side of the pickup box. Brian Rathsburg, Ford's Super Duty marketing manager, said the package targets a different buyer than the F-150's Raptor performance variant. He said it represents "an enhanced version" of the company's FX4 off-road package that's available on the Ranger, F-150 and Super Duty. The FX4 and Tremor packages cannot be combined, and Rathsburg said Ford expects half of Super Duty customers to pick one or the other. "There's a recreation element to this," Rathsburg said. "We see it more of an evolution of the Super Duty customer as their lifestyle changes." .

Matt Cole, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / June 25, 2019 Daimler Trucks North America announced recently a recall of approximately 741 trucks due to the vehicles potentially having insufficient service brake air reservoir capacity, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents. DTNA says the affected trucks fail to comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard because to the issue. Insufficient air reservoir volume could reduce brake effectiveness, the company adds. Truck models included in the recall are: 2013-2019 Freightliner Cascadia 2005-2009 Freightliner Columbia 2014-2015 Western Star 4700 2015 Western Star 4900 2006 Western Star 6900 2013-2018 Freightliner 108SD 2014-2019 Freightliner 114SD 2014 Freightliner 122SD 2004-2005 Freightliner FL80 Business Class 2010 Freightliner FLD 2005-2017 Freightliner M2 2018-2019 Freightliner M2 Business Class 2005-2007 Sterling Acterra 2007 Sterling L7500 2006-2007 Sterling L8500 2004-2006 Sterling L9500 2007 Sterling LT7500 2007 Sterling LT8500 2005-2008 Sterling LT9500 Daimler will notify owners of affected trucks, and dealers will add reservoir capacity to the trucks. Owners can contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 with recall number FL-815. NHTSA’s recall number is 19V-370.

Ford Trucks International Press Release / June 25, 2019 We are growing throughout Europe! Delighted to announce our brand-new facility in Slovakia! .

Driver II Cab .

U.S. Army approves JLTV program’s transition into Full-Rate Production Defense Blog / June 22, 2019 The U.S. Army has announced on Friday that Dr. Bruce Jette, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, approved the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program’s transition into Full-Rate Production yesterday. The JLTV is a family of vehicles developed to replace the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) for some missions. The JLTV is expected to provide protection for passengers against current and future battlefield threats, increased payload capacity, and improved automotive performance over the up-armored HMMWV variant, which includes an armor package. It is designed to be transported by air or ship. Two- and four-seat variants are planned with multiple mission configurations. According to a statement released by the Program Executive Office for Combat Support & Combat Service Support, the approval follows an Army decision in December 2018 to begin fielding the new platform with the Army’s 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia, in April. The 1-3 ID became the Army’s first unit equipped with JLTVs in April 2019, after receiving more than 300 vehicles. Fieldings to the Ordnance School, Fort Lee, Virginia, the 84th Training Command, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, the Marine Corps’ School of Infantry-West at Camp Pendleton, California, as well as the School of Infantry-East, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, have also been completed. “Thanks to tremendous teamwork across two services on requirements, resources, program management, testing, and other areas, this is a great modernization success story. JLTV shows how teams focused on stable requirements, mature technologies and the right incentives can deliver meaningful capability advancements in a cost-conscious way,” said Jeffrey White, Jette’s principal deputy. The JLTV family of vehicles is designed to restore payload and performance that were traded from light tactical vehicles to add protection in recent conflict, giving commanders an improved protected mobility solution and the first vehicle purpose-built for modern battlefield networks. “Getting an improved capability into the hands of Soldiers and Marines has been our team’s driving focus throughout this program, said Michael Sprang, Project Manager, Joint Program Office, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles. They are why we do what we do, and I’m so proud of the hard-working team that brought us to this point. “We are also grateful for Soldier feedback on new features and enhancements,” he continued. “The Soldiers of the 1st ABCT, 3rd Infantry Division provided valuable input on enhancements such as increased situational awareness, reduction of system noise, a troop seat kit, and a companion JLTV trailer. Their assessments helped bring us all to a successful Full-Rate Production decision.” The JLTV program remains on schedule and on budget to replace a significant portion of the Army’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle fleet. The JLTV comes in two variants and four mission package configurations: General Purpose, Close Combat Weapons Carrier, Heavy Guns Carrier, and a Utility vehicle. The U.S. Navy and Air Force also plan to field JLTVs in much smaller quantities. .

Transport Engineer / June 24, 2019 Lyon Metropole has taken delivery of a Renault D Wide ZE refuse collection vehicle (RCV), the first pre-production model in the new all-electric range due for launch at the end of this year. The 26-tonne vehicle features an electric engine in the wheelbase, providing the interface between the truck and its equipment. The vehicle has been converted by Faun Environnement, which coupled a hydraulic pump to the standard interface to power the refuse collection system. Faun also altered the hydraulic circuit to reduce noise levels and soundproofed the rear section to confine the noise of falling waste within the trailer. These changes have enabled noise levels to be reduced by 3 decibels. The stop-start operating cycles of RCVs makes them particularly suited to all-electric power, says Renault. As electric vehicles mainly use the engine to slow down, use of brakes and the production of related emissions are both reduced. .

Transport Engineer / June 21, 2019 Bulk excavation business Brocks Haulage has taken delivery of the UK’s first 44-tonne Stralis X-Way 6x4 tractor unit, from IVECO. The latest order follows the arrival of the Essex-based operator’s first IVECO trucks, earlier this year, when it added ten Stralis X-Way 8x4 tippers to its fleet. Supplied by dealer Acorn Trucks, the new arrival is powered by an 11.1-litre Cursor 11 engine delivering 474bhp and 2,300Nm of torque. The truck has been fitted with a wet kit for operating Brocks Haulage’s ejector and walking floor trailers. It also has an optional low-level passenger door window for improved visibility of vulnerable road users. The prime mover is designed for ‘last mile’ deliveries to construction sites, combining fuel efficiency and safety technologies with the comfort of the road-going Stralis cab. It has been specified with the ‘Off’ chassis set-up – one of three chassis options – which enables the vehicle to tackle terrain with approaches of more than 25 degrees when collecting and delivering off road. Anthony Brown, operations director at Brocks Haulage, says: “We’ve always required 6x4 tractors for our landfill work, but previously they’ve been sourced from other manufacturers. This time we were attracted to the IVECO unit based on our experiences with the Stralis X-Way rigids – we were keen to try something different.” In addition to waste haulage work, the tractor will be used for low loader work, moving plant equipment ranging from mini-diggers to 35-tonne excavators. .