RowdyRebel

Mack is the first truck buyers from other countries look for. The are probably more popular overseas and in South America than that are in the USA now.

(Sorry I just couldn't resist.)

I'd guess that's probably because most companies won't lease an o/o's truck that's more than 5-7 years old...so once the truck gets to be 8-10 years old it has no value to anyone other than someone running under their own authority. 8-10 year old Macks are still perfectly capable of doing real work...them other truck brands not so much.

I had a serious farmer tan growing from riding the bike to work all week, so I thought I'd move the tan lines up a notch. I was putting lotion on all day, but it was brutal out. There is NO shade at Quaker but my trailer/awning. They drag you to the lanes, then let you sit there for an hour to roast. Gawd, I hate the place. I'll take the money though.

I WISH I had a farmer tan. Instead alls I got is this trucker tan. My left arm is looking real good and tanned...but my right arm is still mid-winter white

Congrats on the win

the fan will be quiet until 190 200 then once it hit that temp it runs full time until u stop and even sometimes it will stay running. THere is a tea kettle sound when u accelerate in low gears without the boost so we are thinking possible air to air pipe leak. there i no on and off for the fan clutch it on a relay and the truck cools to i would guess 175 and it still runs.what sensors to check is the thing i read something about the egr sensors could cause it but not sure.truck boosts up to 30 psi under full throttle. I just shut the truck off earlier and heard an airleak its coming from wats called the vpod valve if anyone wouldknow what this is or wat it does it would be great to know i am young and learning.thanks hope thats more info to go on.p.s. it had the latest programming last year before it went off warranty if thats wat u can call it.

I have zero experience in EGR trucks....other than driving them. Fan sounds like it is coming on as it should...in the 190 to 200 range...but is just failing to turn off. I'm still thinking either the fan clutch is sticking, or there is a sensor telling the fan not to turn off. One more thought on that...I have a dual PTO set-up on my truck...and after a few months running dumps, the blower PTO wouldn't disengage...had to disconnect the air line to allow the air pressure to the PTO to be released and disengage the PTO....so I installed a tire valve type release to manually release the pressure if and when it would stick (as opposed to digging around and actually finding the cause of the blockage). After a while, the PTO started disengaging on its own without me manually releasing the pressure. Could that be your problem? Maybe a stuck valve not releasing the air pressure or some type of blockage in the line preventing a timely release of air pressure, but after the truck is shut off and sits the pressure can leak off enough to not have the fan still engaged upon start-up? I suppose the easiest way to check that would be to put a pressure gauge of some sort somewhere in the line and drive the truck. When the fan comes on, you should see air pressure in the line. When the fan SHOULD kick off, if the pressure is still in the line it is either a sensor telling the fan to stay on, or a valve not releasing the air pressure. If the air pressure in the line slowly leaks down again the longer the fan should remain off, I would guess the stuck valve...but if the pressure remains constant, look for a sensor. However, if the air pressure drops to zero and the fan remains on, I would guess the problem is a sticking fan clutch.

Again, I'm not a mechanic...just thinking about things I have seen and trying to put pieces together to figure things out without throwing a ton of money at the problem. Nothing but guesswork on my part in this matter...hopefully closer to "educated guess" than "wild guess"....but still just a guess.

My folks used to talk lots about the snow storms of the 78/79 winter up there 'round Chicago but out in the 'burbs...particularly memorable because my dad had to keep the looooooooong driveway clear as my mom was el preggo with me....born Feb 12 of 79

...didn't know 77 had bad snow too. It was before my time

I am gonna admit i am not a mack fan but my company purchased a 2005 mack vision caouple years ago and we have problems wondering of someone could help seeing mack saws theres nothing wrong wit it. The truck poors a steady stream of smoke wen under load. the stacks are black, in the morning when u start it up soot comes out of the stacks. The engine fan runs all the time(air clutch) and when the turbo spools it takes atleast 10 seconds.Any help would be apreciated we don't know what to do thanks.

Sounds like it could be a bad turbo...I've HEARD Mack had a problem with them for a few years right around the time of V*lv* getting involved and the new emission regs (EGR).....if it isn't pushing as much air into the cylinder as the fuel system is supplying fuel for, it won't all burn. That unburned fuel is leaving the cylinder as the black smoke you see...also noticed by the power NOT being produced by the fuel that is NOT being burned. It could also be a leak in the charge air system, allowing the pressure built up by the turbo to escape before entering the combustion chamber. Does the truck have a boost gauge? If so, what does it read under load?

Not sure about the fan clutch...only experience I have with them is with a log truck...the air line would come loose and the fan WOULDN'T turn on, so you'd be up on the knuckle boom loading a truck, the truck would overheat and shut down, and you'd have to go put the line back on and fire the truck back up to finish loading. Unless the clutch is wore out/sticking and just not disengaging, I'd check for possibly a sensor that could be bad and telling the truck it's running hot even if it isn't. One more thought....there wouldn't happen to be a switch for the fan, would there? I know that log truck had a switch where you could turn it on no matter the engine temp, or with the switch off the fan would come on and off automatically when the engine temps demanded it. The truck I have now, the engine fan switch is on a relay, so the fan shuts off again when the engine temps cool off to 175 degrees.

Now I'm no mechanic either...but I did stay at a holiday in express last night

Ha! Good luck finding a decent sympathetic operator! Most around here aren't.

And I've seen a lot worse done. Who hasn't put it in hi range reverse to get where they're goin? It's funny, you'd think an owner/operator would be easy on his equipment, but there are plenty who are worse than hired goons.

I've found that I can get further through worse stuff if I keep it in a lower gear and power through it rather than a higher gear and getting a run at it. Higher gears will lug as you lose speed & momentum, and when you lug it too far, you gotta shift...once you pull it out of gear, you stop and are stuck. Again, watch the video again closely. Notice, he didn't make it any farther speeding into the soft ground than what he made on his first attempt backing in slowly....so why tear up equipment unnecessarily?

I'll admit, I do a lot more with my truck than I would if it were anything OTHER than a Mack through and through...but anything mechanical has it's limits. I ain't ever been too skeerd ta try getting where I need ta git with or for a load...but then again I also carry a 20' long piece of 3/8 G70 chain just in case

Don't need it often, but when I do, it saves time and time is money

Hey Reb where are you from in SoIl?

...about 32 miles north and 13 miles west of Ft. Defiance.

It's kind of like wanting a real g/f and settle for a blowup.

Sorry could not resist

mike

If I'da been eatin' or drinkin' when I read that, I prolly wouldda made a mess

Mudder's Day is tomorrow...

If there's no freight to be running, how are you hitting 70 hours?

The guy should have put it in low, backed up as far as he could, and dumped it off. Hell, if you watch the video, he made it JUST as far backing up in low gear as he did in 6th with the running start. Just a guy being dumb IMHO. I never understand the people who think they have to get a running start at that crap. I see it all the time, though...people hitting the coal piles in the high range until they are lugging the engine and having to grab a gear quickly to keep from stalling out because if they DO stop on the hill, they'd have to back all the way down to start again. I've NEVER had a problem sticking it in 2nd or 3rd gear and holding a steady throttle at 1600-1700 rpm to walk right up the same hill. Even that job I was at a few weeks ago with the soft ground, some people were getting a run at it, and because they were in the higher gear, they had to downshift...and if they couldn't slam it into gear quick enough, they were stuck. I put it in a low gear BEFORE I started in and just walked it in nice and steady.

There's no reason to abuse the equipment. If that were my truck, I'd fire him on the spot, take the keys right there from him, and he could find his own ride back to the yard.

I have had to go into d******* for the season.

You shouldn't swear like that...

...so in other words, the E9 was detuned to meet government dictated emission requirements, but fully capable of being "tweaked" to do significantly more...

Government mandates suck

do these numbers sound right?

http://www.dwclutch.com/D&W/D&W%20...CK%20TORQUE.pdf

If so, I'm surprised to see the E7-460 has the same torque output as the E9-500...

that being the case, what would be the advantage to using the big V8 over, say, turning the E7-460 up to 490 HP? Seems the E7 would be easier to stuff into a wider range of truck projects with less body modifications....

....no reason in particular that I'm asking...just curiosity gettin' the better of me

Rowdy are you sure your not from the south?? That is some heavy duty wup a$$ you got there.

Closer to Birmingham than I am to Chicago....if that counts for anything

I don't mind....I enjoy the challenge. ANYONE can hang onto a steering wheel and keep it between the ditches on a flat stretch of interstate...I like taking semi trucks places most people would be scared to drive their pickups. That's my I bought a The only thing that really would have made my truck any better would be if it had the Camelback suspension instead of the Mack air ride....but we use gauges on the suspension of the trucks and trailers (trailers have a quick-connect on the front to run a line to a gauge in the truck) when we load to get our weights close. Heck, even the drive tires I got on it bite pretty well in that soft, spongy, tacky kinda mud...

Well, I get to go back there tomorrow. I'm going to let them know that if THEY stop me short of where they want it and I get stuck, I am going to dump where I sit so I can get myself out. Stay out of the way, let me get in under my own power, and ONLY if I get stuck on my own before I get in where they want it will I allow them to pull me.

It's been dry the last few days, though...so I'm really not anticipating any problems. Then again, there shouldn't have been any last time either

I bet your windshield washer fluid bill rivals your fuel bill...

Some days more than others

I disconnected the line for the passenger side washer fluid....saves about 50% of my monthly washer fluid budget

OK, so maybe not on purpose. Danged cheap plastic "T" broke for the passenger side washer, so I wrapped the line with duct tape so that the driver's side would still get fluid. If'n ya can't duck it...

I am 27. I have 3 kids, all boys(4,3,7 months). I couldn't find any "before pics of my truck, but I did have an "after". The other pic is of my 2 oldest, and myself out at Wolcott last summer.

Just don't park next to me....that truck of yours might make mine look dirty

Ya'll be careful on those crotch rockets. Nice fire stick you have there..you must have a daugher too. Mine is a U.S.M.C. mossburg model 590..9 shot capasity with bayonet and heat shield along with synthetic stocks and apeture sights.

Nope...no kids (yet). I've tweaked that Remington 870 a bit. Bought it as an 870 Express, 28" vented barrel and bead sight. I then found a 20" barrel w/ rifle sights for it, 3 round mag tube extension, and mounted a 5-round shell carrier on the stock, and a 6-round shell carrier on the receiver. I had to trim the forend to clear the carrier. That's where it was when the pic was taken. Since then, I've added a heat shield (which had to be trimmed to fit with the rifle sight)...which required more filing on the forend too. I've also added a Surefire 6P mounted on the barrel, with a remote pressure switch on the forend...so I can see what went bump in the night before I blast it with this stuff:

Yeah...that's a .65 cal round ball with 6 #1 buckshots (.30 cal) chasing it out of the barrel at 1300 fps.

....and ya gotta get past this stuff ta get in anyways

I sleep well at night

Haha...it's easy as pie. I'm used to it I guess.

Tell you what though, I worked for IDOT over the winter and jumping in a truck that doesn't bend in the middle is WEIRD... I was used backing up and turning left to go right and vice versa...

I pull a 39 footer, and if it gets past about 45 or 50 degrees, I can't get back under it without pulling forward....truck's just too long and the wheels just don't cut sharp enough. If I'm going forward, I could turn the wheel to full lock and drive around in a complete circle before the trailer starts pivoting on it's axle...

...and I know the feeling. I got out of a truck after spending 2 years OTR to finish up my degree (only had 1 semester left)....drove a school bus for the semester and had to get used to not turning opposite when backing too That was a while ago though...

I do have kids but they're 4 and 11 months...and the 4 year old isn't allowed on the computer. I'm 'only' 28, but my 7 year old nephew can school me on the computer. It's pretty sad really.

Dangit...makin' me feel OLD! I just turned 30 in Feb...no kids (yet) either.

So how much fun is it backing that thing up? Looks kinda short...

Hauling rock into this construction site. They had about 3 other trucks on the job too, which was the perfect number...make a turn and usually would be back as the truck ahead was finishing up dumping. Anyway, there were 2 o/o's and 2 company trucks. The other o/o was in a cornbinder, and the company trucks were 1 freightshaker and 1 petercar. My Mack was the only one without full lockers, but I got that gold bulldog on the hood so I wasn't worried. Anyway, the cornbinder got stuck first load and needed a tug in to get unloaded, then had to be pulled out when empty. I got MOST of the way in, then the danged bulldozer got in my way so I had to lift...momentum stopped, and I was stuck needing a pull the rest of the way in. I unhooked before I dumped, and I drove out under my own power. Company trucks didn't fare any better.

Second go-around, cornbinder got stuck again, so when he was empty he called it quits. I got in there, and the danged bulldozer almost got in my way again. I had started easing out of it enough (so that I wouldn't run him over) that I was lugging, so I dropped it in the low hole before I lost ALL momentum and powered my way in the rest of the way. I was pretty impressed, considering the tires were sunk into the soft dirt up past the bottom of the rims. I dumped off, and drove out under my own power. I was loaded and nearly back to the job before I saw the 1st company truck making his way out again...I guess he got hung up good enough that the bulldozer couldn't even pull him...had to dump it where he sat. I got to wait for the next company truck to get pulled in and out again too before it was my turn to dump again.

So, I start in on a path I know I can make it in on...one going around the bulldozer stopped on the side...and as I'm getting closer to them, they flag me over behind the dozer. So, I pull up thinking he would start moving, but they decided they were just going to pull us in and out. I said no...as long as I can move under my own power, I'm not getting pulled, but of course by then I was stopped...and stuck. So, they pull me in...and of course where they pull me I WOULDN'T have made it (guess they wanted to make me think I would have gotten stuck)...but that's not where I was going to drive in the first place I could tell by the way it looked that it wasn't as hard as the ground a little bit off to the right. By the time I got in there, I was fuming mad. I got out, unhooked the tow cable, and told the bulldozer driver to get the hell out of the way. Dumped the load off, and I drove out...but of course, true to form, he was in the way again. Just as I was going to go around him, he finally got a clue and moved out of the way.

The problem was, instead of allowing trucks to roll on the packed down path, they were running the bulldozer back and forth filling in any ruts with more soft dirt...and unpacking any dirt that the truck that had just rolled through would have packed down. When a truck would sink and get stuck, instead of scraping off the soft stuff and maybe using a little rock to fill in the low spot, they filled in the ruts with more loose stuff. Every time we would get in where we were dumping, instead of keeping us in an area that's packed down, they kept moving us into more soft stuff...ground that USED to have grass before they scraped the grass off leaving only soft damp dirt. The last time in, they had us driving a good 15-20 feet west of the path we took on the first trip...a little bit each time...just enough that the other trucks were getting stuck.

All they gotta do is stay out of the way. If I'm back on the job tomorrow, I'm going to walk in and tell them that when they see this white Mack roll in, get the bulldozer the hell out of the way. I'm not going to stop unless I'm stuck, and if you are in my way, like it or not, I'm going around.

They called off the rest of the loads for the day...so I only got half of what I had hoped to get. Probably a good thing, too...because one more time dealing with that idiot bulldozer driver today and it would've been ugly.

dammit again!..so much for my theory

I once owned a 1980 Kawasaki KZ1000- bad to tha' bone bike! I was much younger in 1980 than i'm is now.

Been a while since I been to the dragon...

Mike you do know that daddy's of daughters have DOUBLE BARRELED SHOTGUNS don't you?

...don't leave home without it

It looks like an inner and outer hub rotating separetely but would lock when the brakes were applied. Don't need it now cause of super singles. I think the "Power 5th Wheel" had a gear mounted on the side that would engage a gear on the trailer. The hydraulic pump would be mounted on the trailer and driven by that gear set-up, no need for a wet-line on the truck.

Super singles are junk...have a blowout and you are stranded, and if that blow-out was any distance off the beaten path, good luck trying to find a tire guy willing or able to try finding you without a long hike out to the main road. You'll never find one on my truck. I'm curious how well they worked...and why they didn't catch on. Possibly too many moving parts that would wear out and cause costly repairs and downtime? Tires and fuel cheap enough back then that it wasn't worth the extra cost? Perhaps it was an idea 60-70 years ahead of its time...