B MACK

Back in the mid 1980's it was minus 10 when I left Montana. I took a load to Fredrick, Maryland, it was 34 above !!  That was fricking cold. I couldn't wait to get back out west out of that darn humidity.

I was outside for a while, maybe 2 hours helping my neighbor jump start his pickup. It wasn't bad , with the "sub zero" coveralls and my fur lined head gear. And what really helped, there was NO wind!  The rest of the day was inside keeping the wood stove going.

It has been slow for winter to arrive here in Montana, but it did!!! The National news always seems to forget about the inter pacififc northwest.    We do get weather here in Montana, we have had some cold and wind chill temps.   Here is what I saw at 7:30 this morning..  minus 39 degrees. I was outside feeling that . Some one from southwest Montana posted this other pict on a news site.. Wow!!

I will give my 2 pennies worth also. I had/ still have a 1982 ( bought new in 84) Superliner with a Spicer direct 5 speed main box and a 1241 four speed behid it. So Mack did put Spicer boxes in. It might have been a special order, that's why it sat on the lot for 2 years. With two transmissions and originally 511 rear ends, and the rear ends were Rockwells.          Mack has or has had some different transmissions. I ran a dump truck with a mack 12 speed. I liked that trany . Two whole gears in each slot you put the stick in. Really deep lo . And 5 or was there 6 reverse ?

Yes it sounds like you have your fuel system figured out and know what you want , I can see why you want separate gauges now. And yes with the tanks both not being under the doors, a cross over would not work .   It sounds like you are really thinking ahead on things way before you do it. I think you are going to end up with a top notch rig. Good luck with your project. 

 When I was hauling logs with my Superliner I had two 100 gallon tanks. One on each side below the doors. Their were the steps. Most of the time I could get by with less than 100 gallons of fuel, but just in case of a long day or some other issue I had fuel in the other tank, with the cross over valve closed.  That "extra reserve" fuel was in that other tank not being used or having new fuel added, turned black. I think it had algea growing in it. My idea of having the other tank as a reserve could have got me in in real mess. I would put a cross over line on and run both tanks. Maybe keep yourself from getting in trouble.

  I am just curious why you want a third air pressure, (applications gauge is sometimes handy but for a toy hauler I would think not) and a second fuel gauge? I would delete those two and go with pyro and manifold pressure and then maybe fuel pressure.  All though that bigger twin pressure pyro does look good.

 I might have bitched about bitched about this in the past.  ( First off, I've been around trucks since the 1960's - 70's . I started driving in 1982.)   I have driven different trucks , hauled different trailers and loads or equipment. Currently I am lowboying heavy equipment.   The truck I am running is a 2016 KW t880, ISX 525, 18 speed , I believe the rears are 4:33;s . It does ok pulling 11 axle multi jointed lowboy, grossed at 198,500lbs , with a CAT 349 excavator.  Anyway, I was getting fuel in Missoula, Mt. the other day, The truck next to me was a newer KW w900 (mid 2010;s?).  I saw when he opened his door, there were three , four foot high shifters on the floor. When he pulled away from the fuel pump he must have shifted 10 gears in about 20 feet!,  (In a parking lot , that is stupid). I have driven multi stick trannies , And now , I really like the newer transitions  and bigger power. I,myself hate shifting .  It just really makes me laugh that these "drivers" that have never driven "a set of sticks", and now they have a newer big power truck with an 18 speed , that with a normal load , can be straight sticked all day long, now just to be cool and post videos they put another 4 foot high shifter thru the floor for high and low and for the split gears.  I do not understand the new breed???

Thanks, I will pass that info on to my buddy.

All of my dogs have been not pure bread. My B and Superliner are Cummins power. A friend recently picked up a, I believe he told me, a CH613 with a E9 in it. He is wanting to know where is the block heater location on an E9?  thanks 

Howdy from N.W. Montana.  There is a lot of interesting topics here, a lot of helpful information, and always lots of really neat picts. 

The other day when it was -33, it was a nice sunny day with no wind. You had to dress for it, but it was actually pleasant to be outside.  And the sun has some heat in it, it made some dandy icicles.   That same day, Elk Park which is just north of Butte on Interstate 15 had an ambient air temp of -50.  Montana has a few records. The coldest ambient temp in the lower 48states was -70 at Rogers Pass in 1954, the greatest temperature change in a 24-hour period was 103 degrees at Loma, north of Great Falls in the 1970s, (it was minus 54 degrees at 9am and 24 hours later it was 49 degrees above.     I like those electric free fans on top of your coal burner. they work pretty well; I have one on my wood burner.

Looking out the window after daylight all last week. At least the wind wasn't too bad.

Dad was telling me of a small fleet of dump trucks that were "eye catchers". He thinks they were B models, painted red or maroon & black. They hauled coal in the Elizabeth, Pa. area in the 1960's. Rathway was the name on the door. Do any of you western Pa. guys or gals know or remember of those trucks? 

Dad and I were sitting by the wood stove in the shop last weekend BS ing about old trucks and trucking companies that are no more. He always remembers the two-tone green green EAZOR Macks and some of the other freight companies. He worked in the HUMBLE OIL grease plant in Pittsburgh and talked of the bulk oil tank trucks that would come, Matlack, Coastal, Leman Chemical. 

At first, that is what I thought. But I have seen that truck pulling, (and others), although it is hard to see with the pulling bar hooked up, but the 5th wheel seems to be turned the normal way those other times. I was just curious.

On 1/4/2022 at 6:05 PM, Onyx610 said:

ATCA Mack Days in Lititz, PA. This is the Gerharts show Brocky mentioned. Here’s just one quick video I found from there. I had no idea Blair had a couple of superliners…

 

I am a Superliner fan so needless to say the video of Back in Black doing burnouts is excellent. I have seen other videos of B in B lighting them up and pulling. Iam curious about the 5th wheel being backward on this shot at Lititz, Pa. 

Nice. I live, when I am home, about 60 miles north of that museum. I have seen that car hauling wagon but never have taken a picture of it .      Well done

Sorry for the delaid response, thanks for the info and ideas. I have looked at all that , can not see anything out of the ordinary . It has not done that since last post???

Thanks for the replies.  I have looked at the pitman arm, the spines in and out of steering box , my first thought was that the center bolt on the spring broke, but again I see no movement. I will look everything over again and check out the steering box also. Thanks .   Mike

The  KW t880 I drive is a construction truck, ( belly and side dumps, lowboy ) so we run on the hyway and off road , onsite.  Every now and then after easing thru a mud hole or over a dirt berm  the steering wheel will get 45 to 90 degree off of normal ( usually clockwise).  I can see nothing bent or no movement in the front springs or axle . It drives and handles like normal , no slop. Then after driving it for ,sometime only a few loads or maybe a couple days it gets itself back to the normal position .   Any ideas?  Something in the steering box ?  

No Tommy, I do not have any other info on that dog picture other than Mack Truck Company in the lower corner?    I never have investigated about it ?? I got my dog pict. from the daughters of the original owner of my truck, am not sure where he got it.   Where did you get your dog picture?

My buddy said they were in Sikeston, Mo.      I am surprised they aren't all rusted , being in that country and further east too.