JerryB

Rob, whatever I do, I still need to be able to haul minimum 4 people. The R-700 cab would be a little cramped, even with an auto .

A sleeper tractor with a converted bunk would take care of the people capacity. The same tractor could tow my gooseneck trailers or RV with ease. A short belly dump trailer would do my dirt and gravel hauling (they are pretty cheap right now, too). A short bed between the sleeper and fifth wheel would give me some bobtail cargo capacity. Sell both the F-450 and R-700, own one truck.

Were there any trucks prior to 2002 with autoshift? I haven't seen any that old. I'm going to try to run to Houston Friday to look at the mack linked above. Anything specific to look for? I'll mostly be going to put a tape measure on it to make sure everything can be done the way I want and to drive the Autoshift since I've never driven one.

Keep the ideas coming. I think I can make this work if I find the right truck.

I think the auto trans is gonna be your downfall with a Mack. I called my local Mack dealer early this morning and have them doing a search for any Mack sleeper with auto in their system and so far he hasn't called me back so I called to see if he forgot and he claims he hasn't located one yet.

If it was me I would try to find a truck with a pre EGR engine in order to stay away from the EGR headache. Up to a 2002 is pre-EGR and it's not really that big of a deal to convert a tandem into a single axle. I don't think you're nuts, it sounds like you have a pretty good idea. A 350 or 427 Mack will get comparable fuel mileage to the F450 on the load description you gave.

Call parts guy Phil at Northern IL Mack, tell 'em you know me. I'd check on one for you but I don't know what exactly you need.

Make sure it's Phil though, the other guy is a dillhole. When I originally priced a CAC he told me $890, Phil got it to me for $640.

Gambi I run Morris fairly often so is Northern Mack close to Morris? I usually go in off Rte 47 or from US6 but I think it's exit 122 if I were on I-80.

some of those you aint gonna belive this story's are worth a beer and some knuckle busting

You aint kidding. I'm glad the Jolly Green Giant didn't slip by and pull a pin on Gambi's grenade load.

The local parts man wanted $2650 for your turbo. I think that's too high for an off market but it's brand new. Brand name is US Turbo from Indie.

The Love's in Utica/LaSalle is about 10 miles east of me...exit 81 on 80, I'm right off of exit 70.

If I'd have known sooner we could have lured bigen in there to buy the beer and maybe talked him into put the pump on while we told him "you aint gonna believe this" stories..

Just an update...I put a new charge air cooler on and related 'boots' on the piping. Runs like a raped ape now, pyro temps down under 900 on a long pull-for what we have here in flatland IL anyway and 32+ lbs of boost (hit about 34 this a.m. a couple times). Got to lookin at the cooler and saw a couple small cracks in the one corner, took it off and checked it and pissed air all over. I put a shiny new aluminum one on and we're off to the races.

$688 for cooler and hoses, I think that sounds fair...?

But I digress...since I've had it it's ran at or lower than maybe 80% power, I 'spose now it'll blow up in two weeks.

That's good news and we love good news. That's a good price too.

i need the exersize of the flatbed, if it werent for that i would get to fat to get in a truck, the price i pay for liking to eat to much.

i love my rawhide when it's clean, and early into the trip, but after a few day's i miss the compfort of the vision.

I saw a new seat I gotta have. It's super sized and sits like a lounger for $650 at Frootliner Little Rock.

so your saying i would be better off to buy it from a mack dealer for the same price and get a warrenty???????????????????????????

Do you have your part number? I had hell getting Mack to honor warranty because they didn't install my turbo. So far I get the best price on parts with Chicago Mack at exit 282A on I-55. The Houston Mack house is a rip off.

i just made a circle out west blythville to salt lake to phoenix to amarillo, grossed $5,350.00 burnt 620 gallons was gone 6 day's

i don't know enough to know wether it ws good or bad.

I don't know either but that sounds pretty good. The way TMC, Maverick, and Western Express cut the rates out from under us years ago the best we could get was a buck a mile out of Phoenix or SLC and Amarillo was a dead spot at any price. The tank runs about $1.70-$1.80 truck money. I love the no tarp and no chains in the blizzard best.

Is your turbo passing oil or what happened to it? mine went out twice, it blew the seals once and broke the shaft once. I fell back in love with the old gal after fjh and MackPro talked me through fixing the things that had never been done to upgrade it. The dealer I bought it from claimed all the updates were done but when Bruce gave me the update list it was clear none of them had been done. It's a whole different truck now.

i drove for a short time for eejay out of east st.louis.

dry bulk and some liquid asphalt and fuel, then they had a labor dispute. i didnt want to get involved with that, so i moved on.

i had been there about 90 day's so i didnt feel like it was any of my bizz.

i am a lot better at faking it than my wife.

If it don't work out better soon holler and we'll try to get you under a tank if you want to. I'm still taking anywhere from 1800 to 3500 every Friday after all expenses and home every 4 to 5 days. If you mention your wife like that you better watch out for the skillet.

hey jerry was about ready to send out a search party havn't seen you in so long.

does that ebay guy have any more turbo's im needing one??????????

Hi bigen. I'll check if not I saw some cartridges on ebay the other day.

I've been running like mad since we fixed the water problem. Do you have any tanker experience? or could you fake having a couple of years?

If you're in Illinois, the pavement pounds you.

Gambi I think I was near your place the other day. I had to carry a power steering pump to the other truck. He was broke down at the Love's at La Salle.

bigen one of the last flatbed loads I took some equipment to the Moffat railroad tunnel just west of Denver and the switchbacks and grades were okay but the dirt road was a bummer.

It's a shame alright. So far I've seen those signs in Il. Mo, Tx and La.

i don't know what to do, you are having good luck with the plate, mackpro had one stopped up last week, wich is the same as the plate, and it was throwing a code, only difference is plate is above mass flow tube????? clog was below??????

mine is running good so i hate to mess with it, but it's gona crack sooner or later!!!!!!!

i am wandering how fjh plate job is doing??????

If I were you and it's not broke I wouldn't fix it. The reason I originally blocked mine was because I didn't want to clean it again one day or replace it when it cracks. When it clogged cost several hundred dollars to clean and then when it cracked I think it was about $1300 just for the cooler. The engine runs fine blocked with no codes but maybe I'm just having a fool's luck with mine.

These Mack doctors are gonna find a cure just hang on.

Last Friday I did my first test with my Mass Flow "fooler" and it did not work. Even with the correct ohm resistors installed it came back "open circuit" on the Mass Flow sensor. But I will not give up. Blocking off the EGR valve is somewhat easy. but I want to remove everything to save weight, I started to weigh every part that makes up the EGR system and it is close to 60 pounds of crap that we could remove from the engine. This week might be slow enough I can mess with it some more.

maybe it's true about ignorance being bliss because all I did was put the plate in and haven't had any problem at all. Before the plate was put in I had to clean the cooler once and had to replace the cooler once due to exhaust leak into coolant system. I'd like to strip off the excess baggage too so let us know how it comes along. Thx-Jerry

im sure i can speak for jerryb also when i say we do thank all of you for taking time to help us understand this challenge, it has been rolling around our heads for quite a while.

it sounds like we are gonna have to wait on mackpro's test kit, and live with the turbos.

Yeah it's been rattling around in my head for a long time.

I ran across a good deal on a new turbo so I bought it and put it under my bed. Some guy on ebay had bought a garage and the turbo was in the parts room still in the Mack box brand new so I gave him $500 for it.

I forgot to tell you guys that Mack sent my refund for the failed turbo. I had bought it brand new from Mack and it only made it 6100 miles then failed. They inspected it at Memphis, Tenn and said it had seized a bearing so they sent me a check for $3400. That has raised my opinion of Mack considerably. No troubles since fjh and MackPro talked me through the coolant pushing problem so I'm hammer down with a smile from ear to ear.

Since it's not practical to un-EGR our motors then I think I'll run the EGR motor til it dies then put a mechanical 427 in.

what I'd really like to know is if it's practical to switch the present computer out with an older model 460 (pre-EGR) then removing the EGR system and use and old style turbo.

now we're cooking.

honestly the american manuals arent to bad. You work on so Korean or Japan made stuff the translating is real poor! Its a real double wammy!

I never thought of that. I can see where there's a problem.

i was talking about starting a new topic on here

im such a posting whore you would probally get more answeres than me

don't look at it that way post about it anyway. I don't think anybody here thinks you're a posting whore. I read all your threads because we have a lot of similar probs/interest and the guru guys give good clear answers and always help.

I wish Mack or the repair manual publishers would hire folks like fred and MackPro to sit down and show them how to write manuals and what to put in them.

i would really like to see this topic discussed thoroughly.

why don't you give it a try and see what you get???????????????????????????????????

maybe the guy who is building the new trucks with older drive trains could shed some light on this?????????

I might try it when business slows down. Right now we're pretty busy so I'd either have to get another truck to cover my haul or or give up the lease.

Anything is posible with A little money I guess!Is It worth It???

what I'd really like to know is if it's practical to switch the present computer out with an older model 460 (pre-EGR) then removing the EGR system and use and old style turbo.

...can that VGT crap be programmed out of the computer or no?

I'd like to know too.

...can that VGT crap be programmed out of the computer or no?

i had thought all along jerryb had the one piece aluminium coolant tank, now that he has that he has had real good luck,

if they include the $13,000 in upgrades, and the egr filter, it mite work?????

yessir after the cooler tank was added I've been doing some serious business. So far so good. I run 2 trucks with no probs except the probs I had with mine but the other truck is a 97 CH w/350. That son of a gun is bullet proof and my son makes a round every time I do.

I have an 04 Vision with 460 that gets 5.8 to 6.2 grossed out at 79,500 to 80,000 and abiding by speed limits. If I run above 1500-1550 rpm it drops down to 5 mpg or less.

does this guy have a web site

That looks like what I want to do with my Vision. I found an all mechanical 350 with less than 100,000 0n a Remack job at a good price but I don't know how many hosses it will turn up to.