Bullheaded

As much as I'd love a new Ford copy, just beware. I have seen people on some of the tractor forums that did get FarmTrac's in the US and they said parts and support were almost non existent from the dealers. My new ones are Kubota, but Yanmar and Kioti are also very good. Kioti and Bobcat tractors are pretty much the same.

It's got lots of get up and go! It geared to barely go 60 MPH but it accelerates good. And it's surprisingly good on fuel. Not much worse than driving a pickup around. It was a cheap way to get in to a vintage truck. These fire trucks sell cheap and they are usually like new inside and out. When I was a kid I drove so many of these Fords with every model of Detroit. They were the most popular dump truck combination in my area. Even a lot of Superliners around here were Detroit powered. I don't know why? Maybe because we had two very good Detroit mechanics around here? Wish I knew how to post video. It sounds awesome with both the supercharger and the turbo.

Yes Kevin, FarmTrac's are made in India. They appear to be copies of these old Ford's. Not sure if you could even get one in the US or Canada? Apparently they love these old Fords over there. Mine is a 1967 3000 diesel 8 speed made in Basildon England. but it was switched from headlights in the grill to the American style pod headlights. That was my original plan, make a vintage looking flatbed for the Louisville and put this tractor on it and drive it to the shows.

Thanks everyone. Ya that's why I don't have the heart to pull the body off it now. The people from the township I bought it from seemed real happy I got it and said I would preserve it and show it, even though I know nothing about fire trucks. I even outbid myself on it, LOL But still happy. Apparently it has an identical twin in my area too but I haven't seen it come up for bid.

Been out of trucking 5 years now and decided I wanted a play toy. So just bought a 1980 Ford L9000 with a 6V92TA Detroit Diesel and Allison transmission. Truck has 162,000 KM on odo but has way less in reality because when the PTO/pumps are engaged it runs the speedo at around 10 MPH. My intent was to pull the body off and put a flatbed on it to haul my 1967 Ford tractor on it to the shows and use it as basically my pickup truck. But it's in such good shape and so many people have shown interest in preserving it as a fire truck, I'm going to keep it as is for now. That 6V92TA seems to be pretty good on fuel. It's no big expense to drive around. And boy does it sound sweet! It's been oil sprayed every year, so the rims and everything are black right now, I haven't washed it all off yet.

A freind of mine drives for a big Mack Pinnacle fleet up here pulling 5 axle pneumatic bulk tankers. They have MP8 505's and M-Drives. He told me very little problems. He said earlier ones would need the injectors replaced periodically. He said they'd start to vibrate while pulling and you knew it was injector time. But other than that, they leave them running during sleeper berths and he said no real ongoing issues. Maybe the pulling heavy helps. he said the newest ones are better then the 2009 to 2019's he started on.

I'm afraid the new Granite is just gunna be a Volvo VHD to continue the trend. In todays world of cost cutting and cookie cutter manufacturing, you know they aren't going to keep the current Mack cab for one model. Unless the MD model is it's saving grace.

Yes, I've always wanted one but haven't got one yet. Missed out on a couple at auction. Massey needed a high horsepower tractor to sell quick to keep up with their competition, so they bought these tractors from Oliver and painted them red. White Motor Corp who ended up owning Oliver also bought Canadian Cockshutt also had a model that used Detroit power. The 1900 with a 4-53 Detroit.

Same here. I drive my pickup twice a week and that's enough for me. Driven enough for my lifetime. LOL

What Mack should have done with the MD is offer an extended or crew cab. Something with a back seat to compete with the others for the RV hauler applications. Especially now considering here in Canada, an new loaded Superduty pickup truck is $120,000. Better off to just buy a medium duty to pull your trailers. Not much more, easier to service and will last a whole lot longer.

Ya, I know. Isn't it sad how everything we know about trucking no longer applies, LOL Remember the days you could diagnose any problem just buy looking at your boost, pyrometer, oil temp and air and fuel restriction gauges. I miss those days.

So I guess the new Granite and Pinnacle will be a Volvo VHD?

With plain jane flat plastic panels and no gauges. Except for the stupid looking cyclops speedo/tach that I absolutely hated in the International HX and Cat trucks. No styling whatsoever. But like you say, don't need that anyway. New breed wouldn't know how to read gauges anyway. They just need their tablets, laptops and headsets mounted somewhere so they can telemarket call while going down the highway.

They have a new feature on the Mack web site where you can split between the old and new Anthem, so you can see how much better the old one looked, LOL

I just don't see it fitting in with what the current Anthem is doing. I just can't picture that thing with wide base steer tires pulling live bottoms, dump trailers, and floats. Not to mention my other gripe.....if I wanted a Volvo, I would just buy a Volvo.

Count me out.

Well, I kinda disagree with some of the comments. I had a 2000 CH, 460 Mack, 18 speed, 4.11 ratio and 24.5 rubber. It grossed 140,000 every day (I have the second place record scaling in a board mill with 167,551 gross) and it pulled it just fine. And I ran with the rest of the rest of the company owned fleet of trucks with C15 475 and Series 60 500's. It's all constant hills ranging from 7 to 12%. They could pass me on the big hills but they didn't disappear on me either. And I beat both the Cat's and Detroit's for fuel mileage on same trips, same days. So I wouldn't say they lacked power or torque. Did pretty good for a 12 litre. Should add, this was a 2000 model year. Wish I still had it.

Don't forget, that is Canadian dollars, but it's still a lot, LOL

Thanks for the info. I just don't like the new "shared with Volvo stuff" As you say, a lot of it has to do with fuel mileage and emissions regulations, but they just don't even look nice. No shape or styling, all flat body panels. And they don't look or feel like trucks any more. Too automotive, way too much electronics and gadgets. But I guess that's what the new generation wants. Just glad I don't have to buy or drive them any more for a living. And they talk about distracted driving, yet all these new auto's and trucks have to have 12 inch tv screens in the middle of the dash that you can scroll through pages of info.....instead of nice simple gauges. The Rawhide was the last nice Mack cab and interior for me.

Yep, I pulled 140,000 pounds daily with this old 88 R Model, 350 four valve, 15 speed. But I was down to 3rd gear on all our 7, 10 to 12% hills in the winter pushing wind and slush. Nowadays everyone has to go 70 MPH, which I believe is part of the problem with all the accidents now. Put a seat cover in a rig with 500 plus h.p. pulling a freight van, with an automatic and a super strong engine brake and they really don't have to know how to drive. And now we see the results.

I tried explaining to them, they should have just bought a bunch of new Granite's spec'd like this instead of spending 2.3 million for 3 C500's. And haul 30 tonne loads instead of 40. They already have road legal Granites hauling and they are holding up better than almost anything we had in there, other than the old Mack iron that was replaced. But they don't listen to people that have owned trucks and have actually done the job before. So now they got 2.3 million worth of C500's that have now been discontinued, LOL

I haven't been able to find much info on either one of them. And we have not taken delivery of the C500's yet, I only have the line sheets and a picture of the first chassis and that was the first thing I noticed was non planetary rears and the hubs look just like normal 46,000 rears. Ours have 9-point-something ratio in them. Basically going to top out at our mines speed limit of 40 MPH.

Because they won't give you a decent sleeper. Mack could have sold lots of Titan's and Granite's if they would have just offered the 60 inch midrise on them. I had friends that had the HOS sleeper on their Granite's and they froze to death in them in the winter.

If I had seen that auction and was closer I would have bought that! Would be a cool truck to pull my antique tractors to the shows.

When I was young starting out in trucking I drove LOTS of Ford's. They were very popular in this area for dump trucks. And all of them had Detroit's in them. I ran them with 6V53, 8V53, and 8V71's. Then I finally got to run an LTL with a turned up 3406 Cat and the high level interior. That thing was awesome! But like all trucks with steel cabs, rust was the death of them up here with our road salt.