1980 Mack R612

[67RModel]

Not mine. Saw on FB Marketplace and figured it would be worthy of posting here. All I can say is what a gem.....this thing is perfect in every way.

1980 Mack R612T - Commercial Vehicles - Wooster, Ohio | Facebook Marketplace | Facebook

Edited Wednesday at 04:48 PM by 67RModel

[mowerman]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for that 

[Mark T]

Time capsule.  What a nice truck.

[BOBWhite]

What an eye catcher! Thanks for sharing 

[mechohaulic]

so basic /practical .  dressed up just enough  with chrome and polish .yet still working capable. only thing missing would be classy bit of pin striping.

[h67st]

Really sharp truck...I like those polished tube-type budds on the steer.

[Joey Mack]

I just realized its a real 612.. i didnt see the rear hub caps the first time I looked..  Sweet lookin Mack..

[mechohaulic]

22 hours ago, h67st said:

Really sharp truck...I like those polished tube-type budds on the steer.

enlarging the pictures : 1- there is some light pinstriping.2- couldn't tell if wheels on steer are polished or chrome covers . polished budds shouldn't have the white ring on outer .unless the polished budds got the white painted on to look '70's ??? either way the truck is class. also didn't notice it's a single axle with tag till read entire description.

[Vladislav]

44 minutes ago, mechohaulic said:

enlarging the pictures : 1- there is some light pinstriping.2- couldn't tell if wheels on steer are polished or chrome covers . polished budds shouldn't have the white ring on outer .unless the polished budds got the white painted on to look '70's ??? either way the truck is class. also didn't notice it's a single axle with tag till read entire description.

Those steer wheels are tube type and steel lock rings are painted white. You can see a gap at the split point on the photo. Cool job done to them and cool looking truck.

[67RModel]

3 hours ago, mechohaulic said:

also didn't notice it's a single axle with tag till read entire description.

That is what is interesting to me. I think that must have been a common thing back in the day around this area, especially with steel haulers. My 67 R model was ordered from the factory by an owner operator as a single axle with a neway drop axle as well. It was specified as a pusher in front of the drive though. Also, a good friend of mine has a 69 R model that was spec'd the same way by a local owner operator steel hauler. I was told a lot of owner ops could cheat some scales by adjusting the air pressure accordingly. I wonder if the person that put this truck together obtained an inexpensive used up single axle day cab from one of the LTL companies but wanted a tandem sleeper. Mounted the sleeper box and then added the dead axle off the back to avoid having to do a frame stretch. I think that is how a lot of guys did things back in the day. Take what you have and make it work. I think its a near perfect example of a Mack.

[The Heinz]

10 minutes ago, 67RModel said:

That is what is interesting to me. I think that must have been a common thing back in the day around this area, especially with steel haulers. My 67 R model was ordered from the factory by an owner operator as a single axle with a neway drop axle as well. It was specified as a pusher in front of the drive though. Also, a good friend of mine has a 69 R model that was spec'd the same way by a local owner operator steel hauler. I was told a lot of owner ops could cheat some scales by adjusting the air pressure accordingly. I wonder if the person that put this truck together obtained an inexpensive used up single axle day cab from one of the LTL companies but wanted a tandem sleeper. Mounted the sleeper box and then added the dead axle off the back to avoid having to do a frame stretch. I think that is how a lot of guys did things back in the day. Take what you have and make it work. I think its a near perfect example of a Mack.

It's still somewhat common for some applications, we've had a local customer order some trucks with dead rear axles, as well as several other companies with the same. I know a fuel hauler that had CXU's with MP7's and dead rears, but they were constantly being towed in and out all the time. Never knew what issues they were facing, other than someone that worked there previously saying they cheaped out on them. 

[67RModel]

There was bulk hauler around here that had company drivers when I was hauling frac sand. They had Volvo and some Mack Anthems setup like this for weight savings. These trucks were nuts. Day cab single axles with drop axles on super singles. 11 liter engines. single 90 gallon fuel tanks. Passenger seats removed. Weed burner exhaust. the lightest air suspension made. The works. Their trailers were the same way. Short 2 hopper all aluminum pneumatics on super singles as well. I assume they met the federal bridge laws but they had to have been top heavy because everyone else with a 900 or 1000 cu ft pneumatic trailer had 3 pods and was longer. My guess is they were probably 5,000 to 6,000 pounds lighter tare weight than a "typical" owner op doing the same work with big comfortable sleepers and big bore engines. The downside was this company had to put all their drivers up in hotels every day/night and they were slip seating every 12 hours or whatever. 

Edited 9 hours ago by 67RModel

[70mackMB]

Holmes Transportation had Rs and Us with a air tag for a short period of time. The drivers either put too much air in or not enough. They would lose traction and or steering so they discontinued the tags. Roadway's Road Bosses had a rear dead axle on a walking beam suspension. l had an S model International with a 15" lift pusher, perfect set-up for local P&D truck. And Overnite and others used the JiffLocks.

 67RModel mentioned the steel haulers of W Penn and Ohio. Late '70s early 80's when l ran Mass to Chicago via the Ohio turnpike. The Ohio pike had axle scales at the toll booths to calculate what class toll your (toll) ticket would be. Steel haulers with air ride trucks and trailers would roll over those scales very slowly. All the while dumping and adding air to different axles to save paying a large toll at the other end. l tried it once by jumping the steer axle of an Astro over the scale. Problem was l dropped it on the scale and it increased my toll! LOL!  Oh Ya back when it was fun.    .....Hippy   

[Joey Mack]

Just curious... When did 'R' models use '612' and i assume '613' for drive axle designation. RD's are 686, 688, 690..  what is the difference..