Terry T

Mike Harbinson's (Superdog) blue/silver Superliner is Cummins powered.

Every time I see pic's of the snow in the south it is like getting kicked in the stomach! We use to be able to snowmobile right outta our yards around here, now people still ride but they are kicking up dirt. I plow snow to supplement our income and have only had one night out so far this year with 3 storms going just to the south of us by no more than 150 miles.....

Merry Christmas all!

Actually the racecar driver lives in Port Orange, FL & is from Batesville, AR.

I can relate, I was 14 & the 1st truck I drove was a 1975 or 76 Mack Cruiseliner with the V8 & 5 speed. I was washing trucks for the leasing company then and we had 671 powered IHC Fleetstars, 8V71/13speed 4070's & 4070B's, R Model Macks, Cruiseliners and IHC Loadstar straight trucks. At that point only the Cruiseliners had power steering and what trucks had A/C, well it usually didn't work.... This isn't the V8 powered Cruiselner, but it is actually the 2nd Cruiseliner we bought.

From Jay Leno's Garage: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/at-the-garage/custom-built/blastolenes-pissd-off-pete/

Found a picture of Rob's fender-bender....

Back in 1990 I had to buy a utility pole, not just a run of the mill utility pole, but one of those nearly 3' diameter utility poles with 3 transformers at the top. I didn't knock it down, obviously, but I split it all the way up. That one cost a touch over 4,000.00 back then. I still stop and visit it from time to time.... I got it with my '86 Monte Carlo SS, feel asleep, hit it at approx 30-35mph. Monte SS didn't fair so well... Ironically for several years when I would stop to visit it always had new marks on it from semi drivers turning too short and scuffing my utility pole, pi$$ed me off every time I seen a new scuff, but none of those trucks ever split it from bottom to top. Guess my Monte SS was tougher on utility poles then trucks.

It's been 15 years or so, so my memory of facts isn't perfect, but when I worked at DTF (Dana Truck Fleet) we had dedicated trailers that took partially completed Mack frames off the assembly line at, I believe Lancaster, PA and perhaps Lugoff, SC and delivered them to Mack in, I believe Allentown, PA and possibly Winnsboro, SC. I worked at the corporate HQ outside of Columbia City, IN and was the only dispatcher in the system on 2nd shift Sunday each week so I had some contact with everyone in the system, but now all the names just kinda run together in my old memory banks....

Back in the late '80's Cummins published a report stating that their engines should never be left to idle except before shut down. The maint director at Parrish Leasing (98% Mack fleet) copied the report and it went out to every driver in the fleet. From that point forward we were required to set the throttle, later with electronic engines the speed control, at 1,000 rpm or better. with the electronic engines if we did not set them up they would shut down after 3 minutes. Cummins reason for no idle was cylinder wall wash down by the fuel. Apparently the fuel pump delivered more fuel at idle than the engine could burn and the unspent fuel pushed passed the piston rings in effect washing grooves into the cylinder walls. I am not a mechanic and no longer have the report so I am going from memory. For this reason, Since that time I have never allowed an engine to idle if it has a throttle control or is electronic below 1,000 rpm.

Mike, Welcome aboard, I have been a fan of your site for about 10 years now. You actually answered some questions for me when I was trying to make some friends understand the enormity of just what FDNY lost on 9/11/01. My home town of Ft Wayne, IN has a department of 18 active stations with 18 engines, 4 trucks, 1 rescue and 5 BC's and approx 350 active FF's. Many of my friends had never been to NYC and just could not understand that what was lost by FDNY that day equates to more than the entire FWFD. T.

Per this story it was a manual transmission and that was tarp as well as some bricks that were thrown out the window during the pursuit. Kid was a pretty good driver and I would have to say he had it in the high side while running in reverse.... http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/111366749.html

They only have the one left. It runs well but the cab and hood are shot. I don't know yet if it is for sale. The semi-retired owner of the business will make the call if it is for sale or not. It has not been for sale to a few others who have inquired about it, but we have been friends since I was a toddler and I have bought 2 other trucks from him that were not for sale. T.

ANOTHER TRUCK??? You keep it up and you are gonna be livin' in one of them. I am checking on a engine for you to. I cannot remember if our U Model's had 2 or 4 valve engines in them, but one of them was still running as a yard truck a few years ago but I think it is only a 300hp. I'll let you know what I find out, might just add it to the collection of stuff you have over here in your "east annex"!!!

Thank you to my wife and all the Vet's on this forum.

To post pic's at Hanks forum you need to have a Photobucket account or an account at one of the other photo sites. I am not sure about posting on Hank's main site. I think you may need to forward the pic's to him for posting and he appreciates a small donation as the site is his and not supported by outside sponsorship as I understand it.

Corey, Glad to see you made it over here too. You are starting to get around! ATHS, BMT & Facebook!!!!! Are you and the family planning to wander up to South Bend for the 2011 Convention? T.

I don't. Didn't carry a camera with me back then. I did drive it several times and always got questions about the Lady Liberty on the sides. I didn't have many answers about it back then as it was bought used to fill a gap in the fleet at the time. It was only purchased because it was availble, not because it was a limited edition unit. I know it was sold to a small fleet in Lima, OH that, at the time, had several MH's and it was being run hard. Don't know if it is still running now or not.

I believe that most of the 21 MH613's that we had ended up in Central America. I do know that the last one (Freedom Edition) went to Lima, OH a few years ago.

There were horizontal engines way back. I too would say this truck was a straight truck that probably pulled a pup. back in the day. This would be a good pic to post at ATHS. You would get all the info you are looking and a lot more. Possibly even a VIN, and end buyer of the truck. Also I don't think the tag is a lift axle. Just a dead axle to allow higher GVWR.

Never seen anything smaller than 40' from Prevost. Looks like a Pace Arrow....

I cannot say that I have ever seen any right hand drive trucks @ any shows. But I always thought that a bit of a novelty on the truck pulling circuit would be a right hand drive Superliner....

Your best bet is to contact the series (NTPA, ATPA etc) that you want to pull in. They will have a rules form that you will have to follow in order to be legal in their series.

I hope that it goes to a good home. That is a nice survivor and considering the Jetsonic light bar it was still in use into the late 1980's or later. Some good history there, wish I had the means as I already have a plan for it. Personally, if I had the means, I could see spending from $5,000.00 to $7,500.00 on it. With all the steel in it, scrap value is probably in the neighborhood of $3,000.00 depending on what that region is paying for scrap currently plus the vintage emergency equipment, the lightbar, etc.

Some one say Hooters?