1965 Mack B615

[Jarrad 19]

Yea she's a sweet ride.  Good to meet you as well Mike.  You should have told me you were going to post some pictures I would have put the Bulldog back on.  ( Didn't want anyone to get any funny ideas, as I was with the roller for most of the time)   You should have asked to see the truck closer and hear it run.  I kind of gloss over at shows sometimes because I get bombarded with questions. Sorry.   My friends and I gave everybody a show when the festival was over using the winch to pull the steamer onto the trailer.  I guess most of the general public never saw such a thing.  I grew up around it so it's second nature for me.  Boys and their toys!!

[fxfymn 1,233]

I hope Mike gave you an application for ATCA. Great organization that puts on a really good show every year.

[yarnall 902]

3 hours ago, fxfymn said:

I hope Mike gave you an application for ATCA. Great organization that puts on a really good show every year.

I did not but I did recommend joining.  

[Jarrad 19]

Anybody have a wiring diagram for this truck?  If I turn all the lights on in just the truck the breaker trips in a few minutes.  If the trailer is hooked up it will happen sooner.  Then in a few minutes it will come back on.  I don't think I have a short maybe just a bad/weak breaker.

[j hancock 11,137]

There is a pdf diagram in the wiki.

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/tutorials/article/4-b-model-wiring-diagram/

 

[1958 F.W.D. 3,498]

31 minutes ago, Jarrad said:

Anybody have a wiring diagram for this truck?  If I turn all the lights on in just the truck the breaker trips in a few minutes.  If the trailer is hooked up it will happen sooner.  Then in a few minutes it will come back on.  I don't think I have a short maybe just a bad/weak breaker.

Did you obtain the factory file from the Museum? There *may* be a wiring diagram in there. 

Cool truck, cool story. If you are still located in the Reading area you should bring that to Roger Gearhart's show in October and to the Mack Trucks Museum TRUCKTOBERFEST on October 21. 

[Freightrain 2,224]

Nice truck!  

The day I "test" drove my truck before buying it..............ya I told the guy he needs to drive it for me as I needed to see how that all works LOL!  I spent all summer learning the tricks.  After 15 yrs it doesn't take much thought anymore.

My biggest piece of advice, don't upshift the main unless you know you will be going fast enough to downshift the compound.  That was my big downfall til I realized that.  I would try to get into 5th and low going too slow and by the time I would try to get the compound shifted the truck would slow down and couldn't get the compound back in gear.   You have to leave yourself enough RPM drop!!  Now, mine was a Triplex and I could use all of 5th gear, where Quads can't.  But shifting is all the same.  RPM and SPEED.

I agree, don't lug the motor.  If it can't accelerate, downshift it.  The power pulses at low rpm are torture.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Freightrain

[fxfymn 1,233]

22 hours ago, Jarrad said:

Anybody have a wiring diagram for this truck?  If I turn all the lights on in just the truck the breaker trips in a few minutes.  If the trailer is hooked up it will happen sooner.  Then in a few minutes it will come back on.  I don't think I have a short maybe just a bad/weak breaker.

Measure the amperage load across the breaker. Over the years stuff gets added to circuits that makes the circuit load exceed the capacity of the wiring and breaker. Don't up size the breaker unless you also increase the wire size or add an internal fire suppression system. Corrosion can also increase the amperage draw so make sure all of the connections and light receptacles are clean. 

A quicker, cleaner solution would be to convert the lights to LED's.

[Freightrain 2,224]

Best thing I did with my truck was put the headlights/brights on relays(one for low, one for high beams).  Pulled my main power right from the alternator lug(which is right there) and then used the headlight switch/bright switch as "control" wires.  No more blinking brights(too much current for the original headlight switch).

[Hobert62 1,185]

When I rewired mine I ran all the big circuits through relays.    High beam, low beam, 1 trailer lights,  tractor taillights, and cab marker lights.