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UPS and Mack


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It won't be long before they put in an order for electric short haul units. Everyone is. It's a joke too. There is grant money, but even after the grant, you still pay as much as a new truck (bus etc) and you have to pay for charging stations. At least they won't have the EGR coolers, the DEF drama and all of the emissions stuff but I guarantee they won't age gracefully and you can't take them on long trips.  I have a LOT of orders for electric buses and RV's due to the grants, but I can't wait to try to show 90 year old people how to drive them or avoid pedestrians. Fleets are really looking at this stuff. Baltimore ordered a couple hundred electric Freightliner school buses. AFTER grant money, they are still over $100k each plus the charging stations. Taxes are going to go WAY up, folks!

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Those Kenworths are terrible I was stuck in one a while I hated it rides like a bulldozer seat it uncomfortable radio sounds like shit ... I moved into a Peterbilt way better the T800 was way better don’t know why UPS is buying so many of them except they probably got the best fleet price... for years they have always bought all the brands but seems mostly Mack’s bob

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i feel completely different spectrum. i was ready to retire because of being in a T800 for 2 years.

rode like a tank on square wheels. cab was so small i could reach across from the driver seat and open the passenger door. 

i was stuffed into the steering wheel with the seat against the back wall. this tore up my knees and hips. 

the 2020 T880 has more room in the cab than my 2014 F350 pickup. 

and rides better than the pickup too.  

i have the nav plus sound system with reverse camera. 

pretty much every option except for steering wheel controls.

we ordered it with them, but they forgot to put them in.

we also got the cummins X15 engine instead of the pos paccar engine. 

when you are up to your armpits in alligators,

it is hard to remember you only came in to drain the swamp..

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So being a guy on the mack site an describing the t800 cab and ride the way you did how do you feel about the R model mack cab and ride? I never drove a t800 but the R model macks that I drove wasn't alot of room and sure didn't ride like no Cadillac

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i drove Macks for 45 years. plenty of room in the "R", "U", and "DM" models. 

the ride of the Mack was not an issue for me as i did mostly offroad heavy construction so speed was under 25 mph. 

but i was also a lot younger and was still i good physical shape.. 

as i am now 65 and my body is falling apart, i appreciate the air ride cab, 565 HP engine, and automatic trans comforts of the T880. 

i still do heavy construction, but now mostly run asphalt and stone so truck use has changed to on road use with speeds in the 45-50 MPH range.

when you are up to your armpits in alligators,

it is hard to remember you only came in to drain the swamp..

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Only problem I've ever had with the R model cab was catching my pinky finger on the left hand in the vent window frame twice over the years breaking the finger joint. That is one hurtin SOB too. The window frame is close to the steering wheel and manual steering exacerbated the issue. No complaints to the ride, room, visibility, or anything like that. The R model was built to be a working unit which it did admirably over the years.

Only drove a single working R model that was on air ride and I didn't like it at all. 1986 model on Hendrickson, (I believe) in first a tractor, (dump trailer work) then conversion to end dump and the air ride just didn't feel "normal" to me in either application of the truck. Owner liked it however and readily paid the bill for conversion.

Never drove any of the newer KW trucks except one finding the visibility lacking, (for me). Have rode in a couple and did not find them comfortable but this was back in the late 1990's so probably some changes over the years. One thing I didn't like about their cab was I couldn't get out of the seat and into the sleeper without my feet getting entangled in their shifter and dash arrangement. I don't know the series of truck, (something about "ant eater") but it had a small sleeper berth and I removed this and stretched it out installing a "day cab" kit for conversion to a fuel tanker. Seneca Tank did the balance of the conversion for the local oil distributor, and they too didn't like the cab layout.

The truck was rotated through in just over a year. 

Dog.jpg.487f03da076af0150d2376dbd16843ed.jpgPlodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Rob said:

Only problem I've ever had with the R model cab was catching my pinky finger on the left hand in the vent window frame twice over the years breaking the finger joint. That is one hurtin SOB too. The window frame is close to the steering wheel and manual steering exacerbated the issue. No complaints to the ride, room, visibility, or anything like that. The R model was built to be a working unit which it did admirably over the years.

Only drove a single working R model that was on air ride and I didn't like it at all. 1986 model on Hendrickson, (I believe) in first a tractor, (dump trailer work) then conversion to end dump and the air ride just didn't feel "normal" to me in either application of the truck. Owner liked it however and readily paid the bill for conversion.

Never drove any of the newer KW trucks except one finding the visibility lacking, (for me). Have rode in a couple and did not find them comfortable but this was back in the late 1990's so probably some changes over the years. One thing I didn't like about their cab was I couldn't get out of the seat and into the sleeper without my feet getting entangled in their shifter and dash arrangement. I don't know the series of truck, (something about "ant eater") but it had a small sleeper berth and I removed this and stretched it out installing a "day cab" kit for conversion to a fuel tanker. Seneca Tank did the balance of the conversion for the local oil distributor, and they too didn't like the cab layout.

The truck was rotated through in just over a year. 

Funny you mention the vent window frame.  On both a B and an R, I used to hold onto the vent window frame with my left hand while driving.  On more than one occasion, the wind blew the vent window closed...on my hand.  Made up some words that would make a sailor blush.  Finally learned to hold onto the mirror strut instead.

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines."

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oh yea. closed mack vent window was a finger breaker for sure. after the first two three times, i just left that damn window open. 

my friend got hit head on in a 83 R model.. the vent window latch cut his left hand almost completely in half down the middle between fingers.

 

 

when you are up to your armpits in alligators,

it is hard to remember you only came in to drain the swamp..

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Never really had a problem in my B-61 but after I purchased the  R model I had problems on short order with that vent window frame. I too always rode with my hand on the lower mirror brace in the B-61 but usually hold the steering wheel in the R as the right hand is always on the shifter, or also on the steering wheel. Power steering I suppose and never really thought about it.

Dog.jpg.487f03da076af0150d2376dbd16843ed.jpgPlodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke.

 

 

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On 5/2/2021 at 1:22 PM, tjc transport said:

i feel completely different spectrum. i was ready to retire because of being in a T800 for 2 years.

rode like a tank on square wheels. cab was so small i could reach across from the driver seat and open the passenger door. 

i was stuffed into the steering wheel with the seat against the back wall. this tore up my knees and hips. 

the 2020 T880 has more room in the cab than my 2014 F350 pickup. 

and rides better than the pickup too.  

i have the nav plus sound system with reverse camera. 

pretty much every option except for steering wheel controls.

we ordered it with them, but they forgot to put them in.

we also got the cummins X15 engine instead of the pos paccar engine. 

haha,,,,a buddy of mine says the same thing,,he couldnt wait to dump the pete,and jump into a kenworth....but ours are 660s i think,,,and the petes are 579s...bob

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On 5/2/2021 at 6:23 PM, 880joe said:

So being a guy on the mack site an describing the t800 cab and ride the way you did how do you feel about the R model mack cab and ride? I never drove a t800 but the R model macks that I drove wasn't alot of room and sure didn't ride like no Cadillac

i owned both,,,,,the U model had air cab and Rode like a dream,,,the R was a twin drive and i dont recall it riding rough at all except for back and forth movement,,,quite a bit,,,but that was a long time ago when i was in my 20,s.lol.bob

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  • 2 years later...
On 7/18/2023 at 10:24 AM, harrybarbon said:

Surprised to see the 'MACK' and Doggie on the hood - UPS have always had vehicles supplied with the brand name and emblems removed.

Not anymore all the freightliners and kw’s have badges all over them now. 

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