Underdog

Great looking H and welcome to the forums.

Could you post some close up pics of the exhaust & brackets behind the cab? Your set-up looks like what I have in mind for my F-model. Thanks!

Doug,

The Friday night Festivities sound like good times for all! If I could ever get my dispatcher to cooperate, I'd like to be there next year. It was a pleasure to meet & talk with you on Saturday and I promise, my F will be up & running in attendance next year!

Gregg

You see what happened to Rob as soon as he entered PA. The powers that be put a stop to him.

10-4 Roger that same back at ya, driver!

Your spycam must have been in Lititz, California. We don't allow those kind of shenanigans in PA.

Rob,

Sorry you did not make it to Lititz, but you get a gold star for the attempt. Not to mention another story to tell. The weatherman was telling stories,too because all the rain cleared out overnight on Friday and we had beautiful sunshine the rest of the weekend. My F-model didn't make the show due to various minor mechanical issues, but I was there with my CX Vision. Perhaps my greatest disappointment was missing you. I was looking forward to meeting you, friend.

Other dog is on the right track. You DO NOT need to even register as a motor carrier or have a DOT number unless you are "for hire" and charging a fee for your service. I have my F-model registered with antique plates and never get bothered on the road or by the desk jockeys. Your MH is not old enough for antique plates but maybe it could be classed as a personal pickup truck or recreational vehicle.

Welcome to the forum, Striker. That truck looks too nice to be on container duty. I know if you serve west coast ports the trucks are under strict guidelines now though. In NJ/NY port service is the last chance for iron on the way to the salvage yard!

Sorry guys for being absent so long. I don't have much time for the internet when the weather is nice outside. Underdog, Sweet Polly and Maggie plan to be at Gerhart's on Saturday with my CX Vision. The F is currently under repair.

Here in Binghamton NY area we have one comp that had 20 Mack CL700 Tri axle dumps , 3 Granites tri axle dumps ,6 CH600 day cab tractors,2 CL700 day cab tractors and one CL700 Day cab tri axle tractor and they haul Earth products. They also have other brand names trucks which I wont say and there all green. There company name is Lopke Rock Products. Then other construction out fits in my area has the DM600's And RD600's . Also the asphalt company in our area been upgrading to slightly used granites and tradind in there RD600's. There 100% mack fleet. There tractors are all CH600's also. But no new Mack Titans.

Terry E Davis Of Johnson City N.Y.

I am glad Lopke is upgrading their fleet a bit. Those old Diamond Reos and Autocars create a hazard pulling the hills at 20mph on I-81. Neat to see the old trucks still working though. Now if they could just paint 'em a different color...

Thanks for the heads up. What is the status on the speed limit bill in Illinois? I keep hearing about the split speed limit going away same as Ohio.

Nice looking F model. Hope to see it at the Watt's show in August.

Definitely gonna be at Macungie on the 20th. If I get a few more mechanical issues taken care of, I would like to make the longer trip out to Watt's in August.

I actually watch a sermon every Sunday morning after making breakfast with my wife. THis pastor I kinda like cause he doesn't judge the depth of your faith by the generosity of your pocketbook. Since I'm away at technical training at OKC, I called her this morning to ensure she did not miss it and guess what; It was overridden by tennis on the airwaves. Now I don't know about the rest of you guys but any game that has two male individuals playing with each other, and LOVE is any part of the game/score, I don't need no part of.

Rob

Last I checked, Oklahoma was not on the list of states allowing same-sex marriage. So for now you're safe, Rob. The mixed doubles matches are more interesting anyway.

Gregg

I could have the guy come by and stencil "Miss Polly Purebread" on when finished!!

Rob

Thanks for the offer, Rob. Daughter Maggie(age 8) has indicated somehow that this would be "Mom's" truck, though Sweet Polly has expressed the desire for auto trans and power steering.

If we could be assured that the Road Kill Cafe would be open during our visit, it may well be worth driving a pink truck for several years to come.

Seriously, though. In my years of working out back under the shade tree, laying paint is one thing I have never done, and I am determined to accomplish this task on my own just to gain the experience. I have always been the hard-headed sort in that regard. I'll keep you all posted with any results, good or bad.

I seen something I thought pretty neat this afternoon running around in OKC. There is a large freight yard belonging to US Express that they run bright red tractors that have been increasingly Volvo dominated. Today there were about 75 Volvo tractors with the corporate names stripped off and at least that many brand new Mack tractors that were as of yet unlettered.

Kinda nice to see that.

Rob

That is very interesting, given the general consensus that Volvo wants to do away with the Mack name and serve its OTR customers with Volvo branded trucks. Popular opinion does not always dictate truth. I have faith the Mack name isn't going anywhere.

Gregg

Bigger means more efficient.

That's what scares me. More efficient for the system means some sort of price to be paid by drivers, especially owner-operators.

As usual, I haven't got as much done this winter as I had planned. Mother nature likes to laugh at any planning I may do, as I am at her mercy working on the trucks outdoors. My CX of course takes priority as it generates the revenue, but I have managed to get a few things done on my F-model. At this point I'm not too worried about how she looks, I've been doing a lot of "behind the scenes" repairs and updates so I will be ready to drive to a few shows this summer. First one is Macungie, PA. in a couple weeks (June 20) and I have no doubts about making the 40 mile trip.

The most visible changes I have made are the roof and interior. I had new headliner panels made as well as the sunvisor and helper seat reupholstered. Before installing the new panels, I wanted to finish any work on the roof, including installing new horns and antennas, and restoring the original clearance lamps. Might as well paint the roof and be done with it! In photos of old trucks, I always liked the look of a white roof, but it also serves the practical purpose of keeping the interior cooler. I plan to keep the red on the rest of the cab; hopefully the rest of the paintwork will get done this summer.

I LIKE THE WAY YOU TALK...

I just watched "The Hank Williams Jr. Story" starring Richard Thomas (John Boy Walton) and there is a scene at a used truck lot full of F-models. No reference to it at all on this site. I am slightly partial to F-models...

I don't think longer length is the answer either.

Rob

That's not what SHE said...

Gregg

The problem is not the physical size or weight of the truck. Many states already use permits to achieve longer and heavier moves. The original intent of heavy permitting is to establish that the equipment and the operator is qualified to move the load. If size and weight is increased across the board, you will see safety issues with inadequate equipment and unqualified operators. (By operator I mean driver as well as truck owner) We have drivers and companies out there now that cannot operate safely within the law.

Another issue I have is with the compensation. As Mike said, we are continually asked to do more for less money. Drivers get paid by the mile don't receive any additional rate for pulling a 53' trailer vs. a 45' or 48' even though as Rob said there is inherently more work involved.

I personally pull a 40' dump trailer and get paid by the ton. More weight means more money to me, but if legal limits are increased, the rate structure will adjust DOWN. I see this in NY state, where a lot of operators have permits to haul 32 ton payload on a 5-axle rig same as mine. The rates are based on your ability to haul 32 ton. Here comes ol' Underdog up from Pennsylvania, legal for only 23 ton. That leaves me a few bricks short of a full load...

I made that trip to Puyallup this winter, my first trip to the great northwest too. I'd been to California several times, but it was 30 years ago. I loved it, except for the snow and ice part-you can really cover some ground in a day out there in the wide open spaces, with little traffic on the road, 70 or 75 mph speed limits, and it's just beautiful country too.

I certainly wouldn't mind making that trip again now that it's warm. Montana's probably even prettier now.

We really lucked out on the trip. I left the big truck home and went with a friend on a "vacation" trip to help him deliver an antique car. (5500 miles in 7 days; some vacation! No logbook or scale houses at any rate.) We went the week after Easter and had dry roads and warm temps all week. The week after our return, parts of Montana got 5 feet of snow.

Underdog;

Weren't you nominated for president of this great country and declined? That was a pristine opportunity to engage the inherent problems within the laws and governances we must live under, and abide by, to offer a lead to a path of correction for the flaws that are important to you as brought to the forefront.

No one has "blamed each other". In this example Other Dog has not blamed me for anything. I just "cut to the chase" and placed blame for the alternate paths some of these threads take where it belongs!

This is of course; "The way that I see it".

Rob

Policians don't solve problems; they contribute to it! Besides if I were president you guys would blame me for all your shortcomings. (Something about "The truck stops here" as I recall).

Sorry I've been a little slow to respond, I was tied up (let me rephrase that, Rob might get excited) I just got back from an undisclosed Midwest body shop and the smoke got to me. After deliberations with my colleagues, we have determined that, considering any coherent subject matter could not be established, that the thread must be allowed to continue at the discretion of the contributors. No fault or responsibility shall be placed, however a tax will be levied for the priviledge.

The blame rests squarly upon the laurels of that Other Dog character.

Rob

See how they are, Larry? Always blaming each other. That is what's wrong with this country. We've gone off in the ditch and nobody's responsible.