Bullheaded

Ya, I would have spec'd a few things different. It is a little low on power, especially since we have hills that are 15% grade on the haul road. (according to the display in the Cat wiggle wagons.) It drops down to first gear and just crawls. The lift axle.....I can't figure that one out. Yes the dump box is a bit longer than most off road haul trucks, it has a 266 inch wheel base, but I wouldn't think it would be needed with the frame that's in that thing. I thought maybe it is for some extra brakes, but it doesn't even have brakes on it. Somebody didn't think that one through. Still though, it's a pretty nice truck. And the last of the real trucks.

Been trying to get trucks right out of my life but thought maybe someone would like to see this. First of three 6900XD at our mine to start replacing the older Mack's and Star's. Has an X15 525/1850 Cummins, Allison auto, 28,000 front axle and Axle Tech 110,000 rears on Hendrickson walking beam. Weighs 37,000 KG empty and can carry 60 tonne load for a gross of 100 metric tonne. Truck is brand new but box is used. These are pics from dealer lot. Didn't want to post my pics with name on it because it's not mine.

We got a new T880 float tractor at the mine just over a year ago. X15, 18 speed, 4.56 gears, 24.5 rubber, 52,000 rear air ride. I only use the float couple times a year. It has a whopping 1500 KM on it now and the EGR cooler is leaking, the rad is leaking in the bottom corner, steers and handles like crap and has more rattles than you can imagine. 1500 KM. JUNK! As for the other comments here.....I had this argument with someone else also.....I would take an old truck ANY DAY over the luxuries of the new ones. Don't care if I'm slower, colder, hotter, who cares. When I had my R Model I never once turned the radio on even. Windows down and the sound of straight pipes. That is trucking to me. I didn't grow up dreaming of driving a luxury car. I'd even gladly take an all steel cab interior over listening to that rattling, squeaking cheap plastic piece of crap T880.

I used to watch Motorweek all the time and saw that. I LOVED my 2000 CH when I got it new. I remember when they were first introduced. There was a huge advertising campaign. I was disappointed the R Model was going away, but I was excited about the new CH. Can't say I'm excited any more when there are new model introductions. It's more like disappointment. LOL But luckily I don't have to worry about it any more.

I hear you. I wonder how long before the specialty markets go away, like the 6900XD Star and the C500 Kenworth?

As far as new trucks go, yes they look okay. But they are not a REAL Western Star. It's a higher priced Freightliner. Gone is the steel cab, nice interior, nice gauges, and I'll probably be safe to bet they are now multi-plexed with modules. Not the same tough Western Star frame either. I have a friend that bought one new and had an accident that damaged one side of the cab. His brand new truck was down a YEAR waiting for parts that STAR nor Freightliner had or would give up from the factory. Apparently the doors are Freightliner Columbia doors. And that was one of the things they had no new ones in stock.

I was just gunna say that....probably do like Freightliner did to Western Star......it will be a Volvo with Mack emblems. And cost more. LOL Look at the Anthem. I'm almost scared to see how much worse it can get. Glad I'm not trucking any more.

When you turn off my rural road you are on a secondary highway. There is some guy on that highway, I don't know if he is just trying to get payouts or lawsuits or what? But EVERY winter he parks a car right on the white line of the shoulder. Nothing all summer, only winter. They are usually black Chrysler 300's, but this last winter it was a 90's Mustang. It's entertaining watching the plows bury those cars all winter. This spring when the giant snow bank finally melted, every panel on that Mustang was caved in and all the glass was exploded out of it, LOL

You wonder what goes through some people's heads. My biggest enemy to our mailboxes here are snow plow seat covers that don't know where their wings are, LOL

That is an awesome truck! I would keep it just as it is, with the drill rig on it. That would be a cool show truck because you NEVER see anything like that. I love your paint job too. I love that colour/stripe combo. Hope you get her all fixed up.

Speaking of Mack rears. I have heard lots of complaints about them and I have also seen some fail on local log trucks (mostly when only chaining up tires of one axle.) But we have some Western Star glider dump trucks in the mine that have 65,000 Mack rears on solid walking beams with 6.13 gears, running highly overloaded 24 hours a day 475/550 Cat powered and I have yet to see a single failure. Lots and lots of transmission's and driveshafts and yokes replaced but not one rear axle failure.

I hauled 140,000 gross every day with my old 2000 CH with an E7 460, 18 speed, and if I remember correctly 4.11 gears. (46,000 pound Eaton's) And we're all hills up here. I also scaled the second heaviest load of hog fuel into our local flakeboard mill at 167,551 pounds gross. I couldn't pass the 475 Cat's in our fleet but I could just about stay with them. So I would say you shouldn't have a problem.

That is sure a sweet looking Superliner. I wouldn't be able to get rid of any, LOL I never saw a heater unit in a Superliner or R Model that I drove that looked like that one.....I mean shape-wise. Is that a year/date thing? All the ones I drove were in the 80's and 90's mostly.

I had thought I had a brochure that showed Cat in an MH Ultraliner, but maybe I'm thinking of something else? I just had a quick look at some of my brochures and all I saw was that you could get Cat's in a Cruiseliner. I'm not sure about transmission choices. I know in my area here of northern Ontario Mack transmissions were never a big take. Most all the Mack's I ever drove here were Eaton 15 speeds. Though I have drove a few with Mack 12 speeds.

Do you have pics of the yellow one finished? Awesome lineup!

What an awesome lineup!!! You sir have my respect!

I used to be so impressed by them when I was a kid....watching all those Superliners just flying wide open. They didn't screw around. Odd I never worked for them, but I did drive for the other big all Mack fleet here that always had the salt contract for the MTO. So I did get to run hard in R's, Superliners and Ultraliner's.

They do all the MTO (Ministry of Transportation Ontario) crushing. They make all the aggregate for the gravel secondary roads and they produce and put up all the winter sand for our highways. So they have a fleet or lowbed float trailers for all the loaders and excavators, and the belly dumps haul the product to all the MTO yards and they also spread on all the roads they are re-gravelling. They have all kinds of interesting stackers too. They have low profile ones that sit on the ground and the belly dumps drive over them and dump and it goes up a stacker into the sand domes at all the MTO yards. That may be what that is. I didn't go get a look at it. They are a pretty impressive operation. Nobody can match their setup times and the production they put out. All self sufficient. They are also the largest producer of Maple Syrup in Ontario Canada.

We all have our favorites. For me it goes like this: mechanically governed......Mack electronic pre-emission.....Cat C13 and C15 new SCR garbage......Detroit

Better post this here because my friend wants to post it everywhere else, LOL Hope they don't mind, but this is a local crushing company and they used to run ALL Mack. All 3406 425 Cat powered Superliners and then 425 Cat CL's (they have all Cat power in everything, equipment, crushers, gen sets, etc.) At one time I think they had up to 30 trucks on the road. They pull the equipment and belly dump trailers. Looks like they fixed up one of the old Superliners!! Unfortunately when Mack quit offering Cat's they switched to T800 KW's. And now they are stuck with Cumm-a-parts.

Maybe they are better now, but I used to drive for a big all Mack dump and pony fleet and they once got a deal and bought a load of Double Coins. We ALL changed one to two a day on the highway every trip. They were even exploding sitting parked in the shop. For cheap tires when I owned my own dump truck I have ran Aeolus and Sailun drives with good results. But only on drives. I'm pretty firm on never running anything but Bridgestone or Michelin's on my steer axle.

Love that logger D-Day!!! I'd work that today.

Back in the days of these beer truck pictures, that was the job to have. They had a LOT of pride in their fleets, always had fancy paint jobs (Labatt's actually held a patent on that shade of gold) and notice they were all day cabs. Because the drivers never slept in the trucks. They got motel rooms every night. Here in Ontario Western Star was the preferred choice for the beer companies. I don't know why but they sure liked Stars. Then around 2009? Labatt's started buying International Lonestar's. Some drivers liked them, some missed the Star's. Now they are all mostly Prostar (now LT's) painted one single plain color. I think Molson and Labatt's are both blue trucks now last I noticed.

Thanks for all the info everyone. Now I can answer your Canadian spread questions. Those beer trucks, and many still today, run a 72 inch axle spread. It allowed us to carry and extra ton or so. And yes, they ride rougher, burn tires off and hop like crazy in sand. Most common here is the 60 inch spread. But now we have this S.P.I.F. law so a 55 or 60 inch spread is the same but you still get more with 72 inch. For example my last dump truck had what Western Star (Air Liner suspension) called a 59 inch spread with my steering lift axle was legal for 36,000 KG gross whereas if I had 72 inch spread it would be 37,100 or something like that? Now that I'm retired from trucking I don't remember exact numbers. LOL Unless you were ton/miling or trying to gross right out like the beer trucks......the 55 to 60 inch spread performed better and was easier on the rigging. As for the super singles on trailers, yes there was a time where they got popular here. The MTO started allowing close to the same weight on them as duals so many companies made the switch. Manufacturers claimed better fuel economy. I liked them off road on dump/pony/log trailers because no chance of getting rocks stuck between duals and blowing sidewalls. Bad was if you didn't carry a spare and you get a flat, you are not limping it to town. Also tried them on a pony dump trailer behind the dump truck, but in winter that pony was wagging like my bulldogs tail. So went back to duals. Not to mention you can also buy the set of duals for the same price as one 425/445 series super single.

A friend sent me this pic. What model Mack is this? And for a thank you I'll give you two really cool old beer truck pics I had sent to me. Nothing will ever be that cool again.