Buying my first used Mack Roll Off

[JLozzi]

New member here! I am going to look at a 2006 Mack Granite triaxle roll off on Saturday in Butler PA. The truck has 496k on it and is equipped with an AI-427 and 18 speed transmission. According to the dealer, the owner said that he just had the injectors replaced but no rebuild. I'm very familiar with driving and operating roll offs, but no knowledge of if the engine and transmission are stable. Is there any advice you could give me on things to look for when I go inspect the truck? Is there any way to tell if the truck is gonna need a rebuild soon? Thank you very much. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by JLozzi
Misspelled words

[67RModel]

ASET engines were not really Mack's finest hour but still a decent mill given what was going on with emissions at the time. An AI is much more desirable than the AC (highway) version. If your used to old E6 and E7 mechanical engines you will probably be disappointed in how the engine operates. These engines have almost zero lugging ability below say 1300 rpm. Very weak down low. The 18 speed transmission should mitigate a lot of that problem for you. With an 8LL and loaded heavy you really have to wind them up to 2100 in order to catch the next gear high enough to keep accelerating. There are several real savvy Mack mechanics and service guys on here who have a lot of experience with the ASET engines. At 500k miles if it has been maintained well and not abused you probably still have another good couple of hundred thousand miles in her. I always like to show up at least an hour before I say I will to make sure they didn't already warm it up or ether it (a huge no no for these engines). Definitely pull the dipstick while its running and look for excessive blow by. Also make sure it has plenty of oil pressure. Honestly a 2006 is pushing 20 years old now. I would be more concerned about the condition of the double frame and rust jacking. If the truck spent all its life in the Western PA area then there is a good chance the frame is getting crusty. Look the chassis over real good for rust jacking and vertical cracks in the area from under the cab back to the lift axle. Roll offs tend to have a longer wheelbase a flex a lot in that area. If its a local truck try to figure out which company owned it. I would probably be able to tell you if the maintenance was kept up or not. I am local to that area. Good luck.

Edited September 7, 2023 by 67RModel

[JLozzi]

1 hour ago, 67RModel said:

ASET engines were not really Mack's finest hour but still a decent mill given what was going on with emissions at the time. An AI is much more desirable than the AC (highway) version. If your used to old E6 and E7 mechanical engines you will probably be disappointed in how the engine operates. These engines have almost zero lugging ability below say 1300 rpm. Very weak down low. The 18 speed transmission should mitigate a lot of that problem for you. With an 8LL and loaded heavy you really have to wind them up to 2100 in order to catch the next gear high enough to keep accelerating. There are several real savvy Mack mechanics and service guys on here who have a lot of experience with the ASET engines. At 500k miles if it has been maintained well and not abused you probably still have another good couple of hundred thousand miles in her. I always like to show up at least an hour before I say I will to make sure they didn't already warm it up or ether it (a huge no no for these engines). Definitely pull the dipstick while its running and look for excessive blow by. Also make sure it has plenty of oil pressure. Honestly a 2006 is pushing 20 years old now. I would be more concerned about the condition of the double frame and rust jacking. If the truck spent all its life in the Western PA area then there is a good chance the frame is getting crusty. Look the chassis over real good for rust jacking and vertical cracks in the area from under the cab back to the lift axle. Roll offs tend to have a longer wheelbase a flex a lot in that area. If its a local truck try to figure out which company owned it. I would probably be able to tell you if the maintenance was kept up or not. I am local to that area. Good luck.

Thank you so much, its a huge help! If you know anybody local to that area that knows macks and wants to make some money to inspect the truck with me,  let me know I'm willing to pay someone for their time!

[mowerman]

Good luck bud I’ve got nothing else this guy covered everything that’s a lot of miles for local rig … bob

[mowerman]

As he mentioned, the best thing you can do is look for a blow by at least you’re probably working local with it  and don’t have to worry about towing it in from East Oshkosh best of luck, bud