Bullheaded

Cool looking truck. As for the mods, whatever floats their boat I guess. Myself, I like stock. I just went out of my way finding new drums for Dayton spokes for my Louisville because I refuse to convert to budds. Hard to believe how much stuff is going obsolete now for even trucks built in the 80's. Around here tire shops can't even get wheel spacers for Daytons. there used to be millions of them on the road here right up into the early 2000's.

Check the mass ground post in the dash up by the A-pillar. I had a new 2000 CH with an E7 460 and I used to constantly get the lightning bolt light on the dash and the truck would shut off and restart while driving down the highway. Dealer could never find the problem, they changed harnesses, ECM, etc. Then years later someone on this forum posted about the mass ground point needing to be cleaned and grounded better, and sure enough, that's what the problem was.

Their investment in a name is finally paying off, LOL Truthfully though, I work at a mine and we have had all kinds of dump trucks in there to haul ore. Big loads, big hills and horribly rough roads. Peterbilt's, Kenworth's, Western Star and Mack Granites. And while all the others fell apart (except for the Star 4900 and 6900's) the Granites just kept on going, every day. I wasn't a fan of driving an M-Drive, but those trucks took all the abuse for the last three years. I just wish these new Mack's weren't as ugly as they are. And had gauges with actual readable numbers on them, and wish they gave you options to spec them for more tough applications.

The mine I work at got three of the last C500's manufactured. Talk about disappointing. They have been plagued with issues. Even the paint peeled off the hoods first month. Now one broke a rear hub and they can't even get one. 80,000 pound Meritor rears. It's too bad Western Star discontinued the 6900 because they were three times the truck these KW's are.

International has a better chance of getting that engine than Mack now with then being under the VW umbrella now.

I ran a CL with a full mechanical 400 E7 and it pulled every bit as good as the 2000's 460 electronic E7's. And it was a lot more reliable. No troubles with it at all. I agree, one of the best engines Mack ever produced.

And they killed the best motor grader there was....Champion.

Volvo plusses......nice seats. That's all, LOL Volvo...ugly flat panel shapeless cab. Too much electronics and modules. Very limited amount of gauges visible at same time. No manual transmission offerings. I wouldn't touch one with YOUR money, LOL And those electric parking and trailer air supply valves? Hard no! Now you don't even get advanced warning of a problem or frozen air system because now you won't hear any air bypassing in your valves. Throw away junk. Now, you wanna see a real modern truck? Autocar. Dash and door panels all have exposed fasteners. And check out their diagnostic system. That is the only digital display on the dash. Not only gives you codes, but explains what they are in pain english. Then gives you diagrams and schematics of that system.

I use Haggerty. Very good pricing.

I'm sure somebody is rating something different today. 1000 ft.-lb. in these new pickups? Ya okay, I'd like to see your new Superduty pull 140,000 pounds up 12% grades all day like my old 350 Mack did, LOL And all these kids on facebook claiming their Ram Cummins makes 4000 horsepower on the dyno, LOL

I don't think any manufacturer is going to go backwards on emissions even with Trump saying he is going to back off the EPA, but can we please have 18 speed manual transmissions back!!!! The only automatic that is any good is an Allison. These automated manuals are junk. Just saw the introduction at Conex for the new C580 Kenworth and it had an automatic in it, LOL I think if I ever had to get back into trucking, God forbid, I'd be buying one of those new Autocars. Dash and door panels all have exposed screws, no buttons on steering wheel and only one screen on dash and it is for diagnostics. Not only does it show fault codes, it gives a full description, has a screen that shows all fuses and will tell you if one is burnt out, shows you the wiring schematic for that circuit throughout the whole truck. Now that is how you build a truck!

So basically an electronic levelling valve. Myself I prefer Camelback or walking beam, or even Haulmax rubber block. But here in Ontario Canada, I've learned through experience that the only reliable way to make these stupid S.P.I.F. automatic lift axles work is with air suspension. Because with mechanical suspension they have to have load cells to work them and they just aren't reliable.

I went through the Mack web site the other day and I was really surprised to see they still offer Mack branded rear axles all the way up to 80,000 pounds and they still offer Camelback! But like I said, very disappointing no manual transmission available. But at least they were finally smart enough to offer a real sleeper on the new Granite and Keystone. Too bad they didn't do that on the Titan, they may have sold a couple of them. And did you notice how deep the dash is in the cab? Because half the engine is in there. Bet they are going to be fun to work on.

Four more bags to change, LOL And what is the "electronic controlled" part of it they say? I gotta say, I am a fan of Freightliner's Air Liner. I was running that since 2009 on a Freightliner, then two Western Star dump trucks working on and off road and I don't recall even ever changing an air bag. I was only replacing bags on the lift axles.

Seriously though....I hate the looks of the Volvo cab. Flat sided panels and square. Absolutely no styling to it at all. And what is with these manufacturers like Mack and KW W990 most noticeably, if I had a designer come to me with those hood air intake designs I would fire them! Absolutely ugly! The new Granite looks just l said it would....a Volvo VHD except the hood and those air intakes look like they stole it off a Freightliner 112SD. And just like my pickup, I HATE all the buttons all over the steering wheel, digital dash and all the other electronic garbage. I took my sons new Bronco out the other day and almost had a head on because I was trying to figure out the ten millions buttons all over just to turn the wipers on. What do I like about the new Mack's? The seats and the grill looks okay. I think the engines are just as good as anyone else today. But I also don't care for the M-Drive. I got to run one for a while in a new Granite dump truck in a gold mine this winter on hills up to 15% and I hated it. Maybe nice on highway or city streets but they don't work good on big icy hills with big weight.

I watched it last night. The gender reveal for the new trans Mack. It was born a Volvo but now identifies as a Mack. I liked the seats. They would be awesome in a 1988 R model.

Sad to see the last Mack that had anything to do with Mack gone.

I just searched Mack MD electric on facebook and I don't see any pics of one with a Volvo cab?

Rebadged Volvo VHD

Saw the announcement of the last of the old Mack cabs that were built. Picture showed a whole bunch of them in many different colors. I wonder if they made a bunch to be kept for the MD model? Because I haven't heard anything about it getting redesigned yet. And once the last of those old cabs are used up, that will be the end of the current MD.

You mean the new Mack VHD? LOL

The current Pinnacle is already discontinued as far as I know? As of last summer you could no longer order the big sleepers, and last I heard you could only order a daycab until they switch production to the new Volvo.

I'll never have those problems with my old 2-stroke Detroit, LOL

I'm surprised no one here has brought this up yet. Just as I was predicting, they are going to ruin the Granite now too. get ready for the new Mack VHD Mack is officially dead. Thanks Volvo.

At the time, I applauded Cat for not giving in and selling us junk engines like every other emission motor is. But oddly enough, the SCR engines in the new Cat wheel loaders and excavators I'm operating work almost flawlessly. I don't get any of the codes. derates, failures that I CONSTANTLY had in my on road trucks. And they sit and idle for hours and hours every day. And they just run perfect and regen on their own with no drama.