usmcjimbo

What an excellent letter. Obama is the Great Deceiver on our time - it scares me to think of all the moochers and deadbeats who will vote for this guy again in November

God Save This Country

No U-Models - steel nose DM's and RD's dumps off road in the quarry, Mixture of late model Mack dumps for delivery.

Nice B61 truck in Eastern TN. Owner has a bunch of Mack DM & RD dumps and a collection of B61's - going to show me all of them next time I go to see him

What is keeping this company in business?. They have sold everything and every piece of property that they owned, their equipment is all junk and they have been bleeding red ink in large quantities for at least 5 years. I can't believe that any financial institution would give them any money to operate.

You see less and less Mack Trucks in the municipal markets because low bid not best value is the rule.

It is going to happen - 97,000 on 6 axles - Panama Canal s being widened and deepend, ports are being dredged to deepen harbors for bigger ships - bigger ships, heavier containers, heavier trucks. Good for the shippers, bad for truckers - ton mile rates will continue to go in the wrong direction.

I sold 5 new CXU613 70 inch double bunk sleepers with the 455E/16210C and 3.36 ratio out of our stock trucks last month to a guy that a year ago would not even consider Mack - His drivers LOVE them - looking at 5 more this summer.

Was wondering what grease everybody uses on there trucks as well as how often does everybody grease there trucks? We use john deere multipurpose grease. We had been using it on the 5th wheel, but it seemed like it was dry every week so i started using castrols 5th wheel grease and this seems to last longer.

When I was running a fleet of 500+ over the road I ran totally synthetic grease and lubricants, the best quality I could buy. I figured we got one chance every 25,000 miles - might as well use the best stuff you could get. Labor is labor - takes just as long to grease a truck with junk as it does with a top notch product.

Top quality grease is always cheaper than replacing u=joints, spring shackles, steering parts etc.

Goal - keep them on the road and out of the shop. Same goes for trailers.

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.

I would bet the mortgage this truck at Arrow came out of Comcar Industries in Auburndale, FL and most likely hauled a tanker or flatbed. Truck looks to be typical fleet spec - all they buy is autoshifts. Keep in mind the transmission on this truck is an "autoshift" not an ultrashift meaning you have a clutch and clutch pedal and still need to operate the clutch to stop and start the clutch. Can your wife drive an stick? If so a regular straight 10 speed is about as easy as it gets.

My advice is look for something pre 2002 with the specifications YOU want and don't worry about who can drive it besides you. At the end of the day you are probably going to drive it the most anyway.

Looks like the rates are a lot better down there - always nice to have some money to actually take care and maintain a truck properly - pretty hard to do at current rates for dump trucks

I would recommend you get a three axle alignment and have everything set to 0 with the toe in set at no more than 1/16 and the back axles set perfectly straight per TMC (Truck Maintenance Council) specifications. Don't set the drive axles to account for road crown - that is an old truckers tale that does not bear out - nothing is straighter than straight!

I personally never liked Michelins - thought they were too expensive per 32nd of wear. Ran a fleet of 500 tractors and 1200 trailers and kept tire cost at under 0.0155 per mile for the fleet including run flats and sidewall damage. I ran Bridgestone 287 on the fronts and 726 on the drives - we were averaging 300-325 on the drives and 125-150 on the steers for our OTR trucks. On the regional fleet I ran Bridgestone 260 and either Bridgestone 726 or Bandag Megatrek virgin caps on the drives. Bought new trailers with Bridgestone steers and then replaced them when they got to 5/32nds with Bandag recaps

Proper inflation hides a lot of tire sins - keep them all at 100psi and you will get good tire life and a quality casing for recap or sale. It is a good idea to at least inspect if not replace the valve stems each time you mount new tires.

TMC has a complete Recommended Practice for tires.

Lastly, Does Higher Horse Power (Or Engine Speed) necessarily translate to Higher diesel consumption?

ABSOLUTELY!!! THE ONLY THING THAT WILL GENERATE HIGHER HORSEPOWER AND OR HIGHER SPEED IS MORE ENERGY AND THAT MEANS MORE FUEL!

Nothing special but someone will ask,,,,,,, Did Mack put a cummins in a Granite

2006 MACK CV500 (VIN: 1M2AG06C56M001059); (ODOMETER: 73854); Engine - CUMMINS ISL 330 HP; Jake Brake; Transmission Speeds - 9; Transmission Model - RTO14909ALL; 3 Axles; Front Axle Capacity - 20000 lbs; Rear Axle Capacity - 38000 lbs; Rear End Ratio - 4.89; Wheelbase - 252; Suspension Type - AIR RIDE; Interior Level - STANDARD; Sleeper Type - N/A; Fuel Tank Capacity (Right) - 81 gal; N/A 5th; Tire Size (Front) - 425/65R22.5; Tire Size (Rear) - 11R22.5; 12 Aluminum Wheels;

http://www.truckcenter.com/enu/catalog/CatalogItemDetail.asp?stockid=1E54B014-2747-49CA-84A9-080B955B1B8A

16 low mileage Macks coming to a truck lot near you

Repo's at their best

http://www.truckcenter.com/enu/catalog/CatalogItemDetail.asp?stockid=A2717F7C-7F8E-4679-A5AC-A74F719216DC

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The yellow dump trucks belonged to Kearney Development in Tampa, FL. At one time ran over 100 dumps of their own. Filed CH11 last year.

Jimbo,

Would you happen to know the model number of that DM800 you took photos of?

Matt

I don't know - the plate inside the left door was missing and I really did not have the time to poke around on the truck.

Crane and Rigging Company has this truck in Tampa. Super heavy duty - 8 spoke wheels, 14x24 rubber, walking beam suspensions. truck is in nice shape. Dispatcher says they do not use it much, but it has never failed to pull whatever they have hooked to it. 2 stick transmission

Ideally no matter what your engine/transmission/rear end is, on an over the road truck you want to be running at between 1400 and 1500 rpms at your desired cruise speed, which for nearly all large fleets is 65-70mph

Personally I was always a fan of direct drive set ups in high gear, but everyone has their own ideas

Performance and hill climbing ability will always be a function of increased fuel consumption

Nice looking old truck - looks pretty heavy duty.

Kind of half looking for a DM800 dump truck myself

Thanks for the advice. The next time the seal blows and I take it apart, I will replace the hardware as you suggested!!

I see your user name and am currious, when were you in the Corps???

1977-1981 - mostly drove M123 lowboy rigs and wreckers - did 3 years at Lejeune, 1 in Okinawa.

maybe someone out there can shed some light on this issue!? I have a 99 CH 613, I have been blowing wheel seals on my steer axle. I even use Stemco seals with the built in wear sleeve. When I take the hub cap off and go to remove the nut to the bearing, I find that the nut is loose. I dont know if the problem is with the spindle or not. A guy told me to replace the nut and washers this may correct the problem. Can the problem be that easy or should I just look into spindle replacement/repair??

Assuming the spindle is in good condition I would suggest using replacing all of your fastening hardware with a Stemco Pro-Torq nut. They are nearly idiot proof and will get your bearing endplay to .001. I took over a large fleet maintenance program years ago and we were having bearing problems on our trailers. All of the guys were doing the TMC bearing adjustment guidelines, but were not getting the proper bearing endplay. We went to the Pro-Torq nut on all future teardowns, packed the bearings with synthetic grease and the problem was gone.

Worked for Rollins Truck Leasing and then Penske Truck Leasing for about 6 years. Normally full service truck leasing is done by companies who need trucks, but don't want to be in the truck ownership and maintenance business. It can be expensive with both a monthly fixed charge plus a mileage charge. Your rate will be based upon how many miles you run per year and the length of the term and they will adjust both of those yearly based upon how many miles you actually run. If you run irregular routes and pick up a loaner it is up to you to get back to pick up your lease vehicle. Once your lease vehicle is repaired you must pick it up or they will start billing you for both the loaner and the lease truck.

The biggest fishhook in the bucket is the schedule A value. If you terminate the lease then you must buy the truck at the schedule A value which can be very expensive. Also you will need excellent credit - they generally will not rent or lease to owner operators.

An alternative is to go with a contract maintenance package. You can either select a 0 peg contract where you pay a monthly fee plus an hourly charge for repairs and about a 30% markup on parts and supplies or a guarenteed program where you again pay a fixed and mileage charge every month.

I would caution you to be very careful. These deals have major penalties if you try to get out of these contracts and they are not by any means the cheapest way to own or operate trucks. They do remove all of the uncertainty and much of the headaches, but at a very hefty price.

I would suggest using a quality national breakdown service - many have loaner truck programs through national rental companies at better rates then what you can get by yourself.

I beleive OOIDA also has many programs like this for owner operators as well.

Review and research all options available. Good Luck

This was a charity job we did on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. We moved this retired M60 tank from one VFW hall to another, all within the town of Brick, NJ. About 7 miles total. Conforti did the move for the VFW free of charge, and all of his employees worked for free that day. Just trying to give a little back to all the men and women who have fought and died for our freedom.

Yes, Thad, that is a V8, factory installed E9-400 and 12 speed Mack w/mud stick. I was glad you could here the sound in the video as she went by. It sounded even better from the driver's seat! All went well and it was a nice day. Something I am really happy I got to do.

-John

Hauled quite a few tanks like that back in my USMC days with the M123 tractor.

Bah...I went and looked at the truck, without salesman present. The doors were unlocked and just did a quick look through...freezing rain and 40mph wind sucks balls. Very, very nice looking truck, but no engine brake. Otherwise the truck is set up well.

I'd have to say I'm pretty much talked out of it anyway. The ultimate engine of choice for me would be a 525hp N14...simple raw power...but I digress, those are hard to find too.

I ran a fleet of 400+ Macks a few years back. Everything that everyone is telling you about the 2004"s is correct. I would steer clear if I was you.

Americans can do the same. NOBODY is denied medical care, whether they have insurance or not. The ONLY difference is that if you HAVE insurance, the insurance company gets the bill. If you DON'T have insurance, the bill gets sent to you.

The problem with this health care bill is that it does NOTHING to fix the few problems that exist, and does quite a bit to exacerbate the existing problems as well as creating new ones.

For example, this health care reform is SUPPOSED to LOWER premium prices...

What do you suppose your auto insurance premium would look like if it were required by law to provide coverage for fuel, oil changes, tires, brakes, and maybe even an occasional wash? Chances are, it would be through the roof...yet that is what they want to force health policies to do by mandating coverage for "preventive" care or "maintenance" care.

What do you suppose your chances would be in buying a homeowners policy to cover fire damage while the fire department is on scene at your home extinguishing a raging inferno? What buying an auto policy today to cover the damage to your car after you wrapped it around a tree driving home drunk from the company Christmas party last night? You'd be locked up in EITHER case for insurance fraud...and yet the current "reforms" are FORCING insurance companies to cover these "pre-existing" conditions.

In both of those changes, insurance companies are being forced to change from a business model where they manage risk, to a business model where they manage payments. It USED to be that you would buy insurance to protect your assets in the event of a catastrophic loss...it was NEVER meant to pay for the day-to-day ordinary and expected costs.

Another MAJOR problem with the "reform" is that it strips away my inalienable Rights to Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. I no longer am able to CHOOSE where to spend my money...I am FORCED to spend a certain sizable chunk of my earnings to buy health insurance. That leaves me with less to use in the pursuit of my own individual happiness. Even if you HAVE health insurance (which I do), if it is not deemed to be ENOUGH coverage (based upon a percentage of your earnings), you will STILL be penalized on your income taxes the same as an uninsured person. Nevermind the fact that I, as a FREE MAN, made the informed decision when I bought my policy as to what it covers and the extent of those coverages. I made the CHOICE that the policy that I bought was BEST FOR ME in my own individual situation. The Government does NOT have the Constitutional power to take that choice from me.

We are all endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable Rights....LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. The QUALITY of that life is NOT guaranteed...only that you get the chance to live out the full length of your natural life (unless you commit a crime so heinous that, upon receiving your due process rights, you are convicted in a court of law by a jury of your peers and are sentenced to death). Liberty to do as you please should ONLY be limited when it begins to infringe upon the rights of others...for example, my freedom to wildly swing my fists ends at the tip of your nose. The PURSUIT of Happiness is an absolute Right...but ONLY the pursuit. You have NO "right" to BE happy. For that, you have to get off your butt and seek your own happiness. If having health insurance will make you happy, you have to either budget enough to BUY your own policy, or acquire the job skills necessary to get a job with insurance as a benefit of employment. If having a big house and fancy car will make you happier than having health insurance, then it is your RIGHT as a FREE PERSON to spend your own money in whatever manner you see fit to secure that happiness for yourself.

They could have very EASILY fixed the known problems with the system WITHOUT SPENDING A DIME OF TAXPAYER MONEY! Simply do away with the "in state" requirement, which would allow ANY American to purchase a policy from ANY insurance company from ANY state. Tort reform, essentially limiting punitive damages to a percentage of the actual damage amount would reduce doctors' cost of doing business, and prices would come down. Giving the same tax breaks to individuals as are given to businesses...i.e. using non-taxed dollars to pay premiums...would make insurance more affordable, too. Either that or do away with the tax breaks for employers, taxing the insurance premiums as income to the employees since it IS a part of the pay package. I would prefer the tax cuts, but either way levels the playing field for self-employed individuals.

But you won't see the democrats proposing anything that would actually WORK...

This country will continue to struggle until we have strict term limits of a maximum of 2 terms. Our government was not designed by the founding fathers to be an occupation or a career for self righteous members of the so called elite who never pay the taxes, never bear the burdens and never have to bury their children killed in wars started for someone's bullsh*t political aggendas.

Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama are committing treason with the way they are trying to govern this nation! They should be hanged together a sunrise like common criminals.

That's what I would do under those circumstances.

And I know a guy that did hold a truck until he got the money he was owed, in the 80's. He brought the Astro he was driving home and chained it to a tree in his yard.

There were 405 trucking failures in the third quarter of 2009 that took 14,000 plus trucks off the road. The shippers and brokers are killing this industry. In Tampa where I live you can get a triaxle dump truck for $45 per hour all day long. We were getting that for a triaxle in central NY in 1981, except trucks were 75k new and fuel was not $3.00 per gallon.

The problem is there is always some guy with his truck (and probably house too!) mortgaged to the sky who will take a poor paying load just for the case flow and the brokers know it. And with the current state of affairs even the big companies will take a bad load just to move a truck.

I hope when this does turn around the trucking industry at all levels jams it right up the shippers and brokers ass. You will hear all types of crying and whining from them about unfair prices and being taken advantage by the truckers.

The trucking industry has to share some of the blame. It has allowed the brokers and shippers to dictate pricing, terms and conditions and payment schedules, all in the name of attempting to build greater market share and business levels.

Bottom Line: You have to get paid a fair price for what you do and you have to get paid on time.

American Loggers Pelletier Logging has purchased two Mack Titan Tractors for their operations

Link is http://www.macktrucks.com/default.aspx?pageid=4312

You can also find it in the mack trucks website under 2009 news releases