PattyB Posted Tuesday at 05:37 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 05:37 AM What's everyone's thoughts on the new mack keystone? I like it Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post kscarbel2 Posted Tuesday at 11:51 AM Popular Post Share Posted Tuesday at 11:51 AM 6 hours ago, PattyB said: What's everyone's thoughts on the new mack keystone? I like it It's a Volvo with Mack badging. If I wanted a Volvo......I'd simply buy a Volvo (I wouldn't because Scania trucks of course are superior, particularly when equipped with the Mack-born V8). What foreign aggressor Volvo has done to Mack Trucks, reduce a global icon to a mere shell of its former self, should be a crime. 5 2 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592208 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Horse Posted Tuesday at 07:05 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 07:05 PM Well regardless if you like "it"-Keystone or Granite- It seems to me they have spent a lot of money on these "new" trucks. I have been convinced that at some point the Swedes would say.."why are we paying for all this duplicated effort"? ..and pull the plug on Mack, but they haven't. Or if anything limited their effort to the vocational trucks like the Keystone/Granite and given up on the owner operator "Large Car" market. Cat could spray paint a pile of dog crap Cat yellow and guys would gather around it and say..wow what a beautiful pile of dog crap. Same with Paccar, they could take that pile of dog crap and put a Pete Red Oval on it and OO's would have same reaction. Same as Ford, had they stuck to the vocational market they might still be in the class 8 business but instead they poured a lot of money chasing the OO long haul market with minimal success. One thing that will be interesting IMO is the big cheese from Sweden at the big Vegas introduction, said words to effect.."come and see these new Macks at Con-Ag together with our Volvo loaders..". If the only triaxle dumps are Macks at the show with no Volvo triaxles that maybe the plan for Mack to take care of vocational while Volvo does Long haul OO market. In any case while they showed their new air bag tandem suspension, would have been nice if they said..."and if you want a 55,000 pound camel back with a manual you can have that too"! As for "looks", I like them😎 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592243 Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Heinz Posted Tuesday at 09:13 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 09:13 PM Gotta say I don't hate them as much as I thought I would, still think the old Macks look better, but looks isn't in most truck owning corpos' prerequisites anymore. The only thing I absolutely despise so far is the 24v system that we argued about in a different thread. Really want Volvo to figure that out for their sake and ours honestly. Wish they could just make the old Mack's again, but these are the cards that have been dealt, and they aren't the worst hand to have I reckon. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592265 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullheaded Posted Tuesday at 10:10 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 10:10 PM I watched it last night. The gender reveal for the new trans Mack. It was born a Volvo but now identifies as a Mack. I liked the seats. They would be awesome in a 1988 R model. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592280 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullheaded Posted Tuesday at 10:23 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 10:23 PM Seriously though....I hate the looks of the Volvo cab. Flat sided panels and square. Absolutely no styling to it at all. And what is with these manufacturers like Mack and KW W990 most noticeably, if I had a designer come to me with those hood air intake designs I would fire them! Absolutely ugly! The new Granite looks just l said it would....a Volvo VHD except the hood and those air intakes look like they stole it off a Freightliner 112SD. And just like my pickup, I HATE all the buttons all over the steering wheel, digital dash and all the other electronic garbage. I took my sons new Bronco out the other day and almost had a head on because I was trying to figure out the ten millions buttons all over just to turn the wipers on. What do I like about the new Mack's? The seats and the grill looks okay. I think the engines are just as good as anyone else today. But I also don't care for the M-Drive. I got to run one for a while in a new Granite dump truck in a gold mine this winter on hills up to 15% and I hated it. Maybe nice on highway or city streets but they don't work good on big icy hills with big weight. 2 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592281 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackey58 Posted Tuesday at 10:54 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 10:54 PM What ya think about the 8 bag air ride? 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592282 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted yesterday at 12:35 AM Share Posted yesterday at 12:35 AM 5 hours ago, Red Horse said: Well regardless if you like "it"-Keystone or Granite- It seems to me they have spent a lot of money on these "new" trucks. I have been convinced that at some point the Swedes would say.."why are we paying for all this duplicated effort"? ..and pull the plug on Mack, but they haven't. Or if anything limited their effort to the vocational trucks like the Keystone/Granite and given up on the owner operator "Large Car" market. Cat could spray paint a pile of dog crap Cat yellow and guys would gather around it and say..wow what a beautiful pile of dog crap. Same with Paccar, they could take that pile of dog crap and put a Pete Red Oval on it and OO's would have same reaction. Same as Ford, had they stuck to the vocational market they might still be in the class 8 business but instead they poured a lot of money chasing the OO long haul market with minimal success. One thing that will be interesting IMO is the big cheese from Sweden at the big Vegas introduction, said words to effect.."come and see these new Macks at Con-Ag together with our Volvo loaders..". If the only triaxle dumps are Macks at the show with no Volvo triaxles that maybe the plan for Mack to take care of vocational while Volvo does Long haul OO market. In any case while they showed their new air bag tandem suspension, would have been nice if they said..."and if you want a 55,000 pound camel back with a manual you can have that too"! As for "looks", I like them😎 They spent far less money Bob. Now it actually has a Volvo cab......atop the all Volvo chassis. Only the hood is unique. With the 11L engine (D11) discontinued (in the US market), and no big bore 15-16 litre engine (E9 or D16), the Mack brand's days appear numbered. 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592287 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackey58 Posted yesterday at 12:42 AM Share Posted yesterday at 12:42 AM They where done when Volvo bought them and discontinued the RD in 04 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592288 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackey58 Posted yesterday at 01:21 AM Share Posted yesterday at 01:21 AM But they still have Camelback suspension available 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592290 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottleHauler84 Posted yesterday at 08:12 PM Share Posted yesterday at 08:12 PM 21 hours ago, mackey58 said: What ya think about the 8 bag air ride? I have a friend out at ConExpo this year. Theres a new Mack Keystone there so im hoping he'll check it out. Im really curious about that 8 bag suspension. From what I've seen, it looks well built and heavy duty. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592335 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Mack Posted yesterday at 08:27 PM Share Posted yesterday at 08:27 PM is it like K.W.'s 8 bag system? 2 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592336 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted yesterday at 08:44 PM Share Posted yesterday at 08:44 PM 32 minutes ago, BottleHauler84 said: I have a friend out at ConExpo this year. Theres a new Mack Keystone there so im hoping he'll check it out. Im really curious about that 8 bag suspension. From what I've seen, it looks well built and heavy duty. Hendrickson Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592342 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottleHauler84 Posted yesterday at 08:57 PM Share Posted yesterday at 08:57 PM https://www.mackstefoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/186-_mack-maxlite-and-maxride-rear-air-suspension_eng_04_339203350.pdf So far this it what I've read on it, but I wasn't sure or it was someone else actually making it. @kscarbel2 says its a hendrickson. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592348 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottleHauler84 Posted yesterday at 08:59 PM Share Posted yesterday at 08:59 PM 31 minutes ago, Joey Mack said: is it like K.W.'s 8 bag system? It sort of reminds me of an AG400 Kenworth suspension. But obviously alot of differences.....the main main idea is close though. 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592349 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted yesterday at 09:08 PM Share Posted yesterday at 09:08 PM Well thanks for that but I don’t think operations with heavy haul applications are going to stick around…. I think freight hauling outfits will continue to order them…. Let’s see Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592351 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Weeks Posted yesterday at 09:37 PM Share Posted yesterday at 09:37 PM (edited) HAS (Maxilite) is a good suspension, been around in many form and names for decades. One thing I noticed was that it can't be used with air-disk brakes which may be why the change. Most of the damping on a tandem is transfer of load between axles, Camelback, walking beam do this very well. KW's* bag was terrible at it and rode rough. I hope Mack has done better job with their 8 Bag. I had HAS under hypoid and amboid axles and didn't find it had bad vibration problem. As long as you set the pinion angles correctly at running ride height, the slight variation when the suspension is doing its job didn't vibrate objectionably. Correction: I miss read, it says HAS can't be used with "all" disk brake packages, so I guess it can with some? Edited 23 hours ago by Geoff Weeks Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592352 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark T Posted 23 hours ago Share Posted 23 hours ago 1 hour ago, BottleHauler84 said: It sort of reminds me of an AG400 Kenworth suspension. But obviously alot of differences.....the main main idea is close though. I was thinking the same thing. 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592354 Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeH Posted 20 hours ago Share Posted 20 hours ago Looks are... meh. Maybe itll grow on me, but im still working RD's and an MR. 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592374 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullheaded Posted 6 hours ago Share Posted 6 hours ago On 3/3/2026 at 5:54 PM, mackey58 said: What ya think about the 8 bag air ride? Four more bags to change, LOL And what is the "electronic controlled" part of it they say? I gotta say, I am a fan of Freightliner's Air Liner. I was running that since 2009 on a Freightliner, then two Western Star dump trucks working on and off road and I don't recall even ever changing an air bag. I was only replacing bags on the lift axles. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592398 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullheaded Posted 6 hours ago Share Posted 6 hours ago I went through the Mack web site the other day and I was really surprised to see they still offer Mack branded rear axles all the way up to 80,000 pounds and they still offer Camelback! But like I said, very disappointing no manual transmission available. But at least they were finally smart enough to offer a real sleeper on the new Granite and Keystone. Too bad they didn't do that on the Titan, they may have sold a couple of them. And did you notice how deep the dash is in the cab? Because half the engine is in there. Bet they are going to be fun to work on. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592399 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottleHauler84 Posted 5 hours ago Share Posted 5 hours ago Friend sent me these. The new 8 bag looks heavy duty in person and probably rides well, but it has alot of parts to it and its pretty sophisticated looking in its design. Also, it has a TON of bolts, fasteners and brackets. That might be bad for the guys in the rust belt later down the road with salt and rust hiding in around and under all those parts and pieces.....just my opinion there. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592402 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Weeks Posted 5 hours ago Share Posted 5 hours ago I just see a million wear points when compared to the Maxilite (HAS). There is a reason Camelback and Hendrickson walking beam have such a long track life. Hendrickson was designed in the 30's IIRC. The HAS design has been around since at least the 70's. Both are proven and parts are easily obtained. I am the unfortunate owner of a Neway ARDAB suspension, and if I knew then what I know now, would not have bought the truck. New isn't always better, simple is always better than complex, fewer bushings/wearable joints is better than more. On the other hand, are these new trucks still going to be on the road 15 years on? There may be more to worry about then finding obsolete suspension parts. 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592403 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottleHauler84 Posted 5 hours ago Share Posted 5 hours ago Yeah. Alot going on with that suspension in the pictures. To many moving parts....but i bet it rides well.I have AG460 8 bag on my KW and I like mine, but its hard on top bushing at the axle housing location .It has the big 1" air lines to the air bags and it helps the air move around and equalize and that is why it rides good. The older series KW 8 bags (AG100) I dont like, as they do ride rough due to the small air lines and bushing design. At the end, I agree.....the new Mack 8 bag looks like it could be a maintenance nightmare? 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592405 Share on other sites More sharing options...
67RModel Posted 5 hours ago Share Posted 5 hours ago I seem to remember a guy on here a little while back that had some scarce, weird Mack air ride suspension on a 2010s or teens pinnacle highway tractor that he said the parts were no longer available. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/76452-new-gen-macks/#findComment-592406 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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