Jamaican Bulldog

I also notice that the basic shape of the L was similar to the designs of Petes and KW of the 60s through the 90s

11 hours ago, Neo said:

Jamaican Bulldog.... The Leyland Freighter still rules Jamaica.

Yes I still notice quite a few Leylands there. They are durable and easy to maintain.

There was a time when there was a larger proportion of Leylands compared  other makes in Jamaica, but now there are a lot more American makes on the road as Leyland and other English makes have dwindled. The lower cost of shipping used trucks and availability of getting parts for relatively inexpensive and powerful trucks from Miami made the American more desirable. Plus a lot of tractors were converted to straight trucks. In addition British LeyLand doesn't make new trucks anymore apart from the models for DAF. I remember when there were many, Leylands, Seddon Atkinsons, ERF, Bedfords on the road in Jamaica. I actually had an old 71 Atkinson for a little while with 250 Cummins  when someone helped me briefly to venture into the truck business.

Oh ok, I didn't know that. Thanks for clarifying

11 hours ago, russell t said:

Probably some ex-Studebaker employees in management.

Could you please explain further? Thanks

Why was the L model cab replaced by the less roomy B model cab? The curvy B model did go well with the curvy fenders but he L model cab on the B series also looked great.

About 17 years ago I visited the Haul of Fame trucking and heavy equipment museum in CT. It had many rare and unusual trucks inside and some unrestored outside.  I think it even had a Mack bus. The owner ( I forgot his name ) had the last 2 Superliners built and was featured in a 'Extreme Machines' documentary on trucks which highlighted Macks. I used to see his trucks at Macungie. The last off the line had 'End of the Line' written on back of the cab.

Is this museum still around or was it acquired by another entity? I heard a while back that this collection might have been dissolved. I can't find much info online.

Does any body know how long the older Mack designed mechanical engines were available for other markets after the electronic engines replaced them in the U.S?

Also were any older Mack engines produced in this scenario after the Volvo designed engines came out?

I wonder what the performance and fuel economy stats are on those MP8 without EGR etc? Also do you know which export markets gets those engines?

Even after EPA and other emission regulations led to electronic controlled engines, did heavy duty engine manufacturers such as Mack still make mechanical engines for export market trucks? Sometimes auto manufacturers still make older models for or/in other global markets if there is still demand, or to have lower price units, or if restrictions are less.

Also, sometimes second tier or up-and-coming manufacturers in other countries build older designs or derivatives  of products from major manufacturers under license as well. Did this ever happen with older truck engines from Mack, Cummins etc?

The Eastwood B model 1/25 was my first of dozens of collectible Mack trucks including resin models. I always wished that First Gear would have made a 1/25 R or DM model in that detail.

I didn't know they still built the Argosy or even that there was still a COE highway truck still on the U.S market

Not sure if this was discussed before since I am new to this forum. It is good to see that some original Mack designed components are still available such as the camel back suspension, rear axles and the triple shaft transmission.

However how much of current Mack components are still engineered or developed in the U.S? Did Volvo keep the original Mack  engineering staff when they took over or is everything new is now developed in Sweden, and then just produced in the U.S for Mack?

Recently I read that when Volvo cars ( which I know is a separate company) was taken over by the new Chinese owners Geely, the Chinese respected the    prestige and engineering of Volvo and was careful to keep product development in Sweden while giving financial support for product development. It has now been paying off as Volvo cars has made a good comeback in sales. I wish it was a similar story during the Mack acquisition.

Sorry to deviate from the original topic. Yes the Leyland TL12 was a reliable and great engine but I think the competing 250hp and 290hp Cummins became more popular in the mountainous regions such as where I am from because they could be had with engine brakes such as Jakes. Some of their smaller engines were great too such as the 411 turbo and even the non-aspirated 401 in smaller trucks and buses that hauled a lot more than they were rated for. A Similar story too on the larger Scammells with the Rolls Royce engines. I remember a quad-steer one in particular that would take short cuts through a steep graded rural area with heavy loads of sand. The residents would block the roads to prevent it from passing through because they thought it stall on the steep grades and roll back into their houses etc. It never failed.

I am familiar with Leylands but did not know that the T45 ( also called Roadtrain in some versions) made it to the U.S as Paccar products.

Leyland was also a great truck that ruled the roads as trucks and buses in Jamaica and elsewhere for years. They were so reliable and easy to maintain that when the major components of other makes wore out they would often replace them with Leyland parts. However British Leylans went downhill and couldn't compete as well in the late 70s and 80s and was bought by DAF which was also acquired by PACCAR.

Interesting explanation. I wonder if there is sunset clause in that deal for 25+ years.

I have often wondered why Mack has abandoned the medium truck market from class 5 to 7. I know they have the MHD Granite but I see so many IH, Isuzu, Hino, Mitsubishi, UD, Freightliner, KW, peterbuilts ( including the COE DAF derived European styles) and even Berings up in the NY and NE area, but no medium Mack since the Freedom I think. Missed opportunity? Does Volvo have medium trucks that they could sell here or have they decided the U.S market is too crowded or competitive? 

A while back I read once that Mack could be getting a rebadged UD because there was a connection between Nissan/Renault/Volvo. Is that true?

Did the sales performance of the Midliner and Freedom models dampen the prospects of staying in the market?