on the road

New Certificate of Fitness on this Superliner (PY) yesterday. Turntable modification over the next couple of days plus attendant paint - the 'maroon' strike to be replaced by a red one of smaller thickness and going up over the bonnet and right round the cab, and it's ready for work.

Drove to the workshop on Monday, drivng beautifully.

Almost ready

That's Danny the panelshop boss partway through final touches to the new Superliner, getting a little tired and wondering what happened to the sleeperbox - wrong truck Danny!

The on cart

Syd checking the tyres out while the engine warms up.

Me, 186cm standing in front of nearly 400cm height of trailer.

A sneak picture from the panel shop after tipping the first load, an overnight on-cart of light steel scrap. That's the R Model to the left and the Superliner Day Cab to the centre being put back together after leaving the paintshop last monday.

Hold on to your hat.

Don't really want to be going this high when tipping steel because the rear of the trailer is almost touching the ground and any loose steel going under that edge could upset the tipping, if the steel hadn't slid off at this height there would be a major problem and no experienced operator would have raised the trailer beyond about 60% of this height.  In this picture the door is closed and we'll need to check the ground clearance when it's open for tipping.

The trailer was certified today and has done its first few ks. In the yard tonight with a load on which I'll probably tip in the morning. A couple of years of thinking about it and the above trailer is the last Burrel Bin that Noel Williams will make before he retires at xmas. What a great part of the transport industry he has been, from the back-blocks down the King country and growing up in a logging community with the special talent for welding and making perplex engineering situations simple.

Cheers Noel.

R model

Bulbar on, new aircleaner filter sittiing in box and in the other new bonnet badges. Guards on next week then down to ali engineers to have ali battery boxes built and chassis covers fitted. Then back for red stripe on cab and hood before signwriting, then Certificate of Fitness and looking to haul again. Will have led marker lights fitted to roof to avoid blown bulbs in the original markers which also rust and can leak.

I see red. Superliner.

Cab finished, chassis done, wheels to painted silver then back to panelshop.

All painted and waiting....

The top photo shows the new bin out in the sun fully painted, and the second the Superliner stripped and ready for the spray booth which stands behind, on the top right of the photo you can see the bin door where the bin stands in the previous photo. The superliner has had the chassis sand-blasted and rust-treated, the body tidied up and the 2 small patches of rust removed where the aerials were previously attached either side of the back of the cab.

Undercoated

Trailer undercoated and ready to go to the paintshop. Difficult to get a good side-on photo here but the bottom photo probably gives a better indication of the length. It was weighed yesterday and came in lighter than the smaller older bins made from 10mm mild steel, a fighting fit middleweight ready to take on a payload up to 22 tonne.

Ultraliners on the long weekend break.

The sleeper box MH is connected to a flat deck and has a 4 axle draw trailer  tied down on top. In beside are two crane trucks, the white one with a 4 axle draw trailer tipper. Tucked into the gap to the left of  sleeper box MH is a bizalloy burrell bin. Not quite clear on the truck and trailer are the Samoan and All Black flags while about 6 ks away the All Blacks prepare to take the field against France in the Rugby World Cup final. If you are a rugby supporter or player, this is a front row accumulating over 1300 hp keen to do the business.

Right way up down under, at last....

We finally established what was wrong with the new trailer, it was the wrong way up. No wonder we couldn't load it. The trailer was dragged out of the workshop on rollers, had 4 wheels fitted so that a crane could lift it twice. Firstly onto it's side on blocks, then onto the wheels. A little after these photos were taken, the wheels would have been removed to get the trailer under the door height and pushed back into the workshop on rollers to have the door fitted and the stabilising  frame that will run forward from pins below the bin in front of the first axle to an upside down skid plate that will have a fith wheel pin fitted to lock onto the tractor unit.

The trailer has been undercoated and could be ready to move to the paintshop in a couple of weeks. Noel Williams, the engineer who makes these trailers, car transporters, tipper bodies, low loaders and all manner of things for the transport industry says this is the biggest 3 axle demolition body trailer to be made to date in NZ. A better appreciation of its size will be possible when we get a truck under it to move it to the paint shop.

Dog gone

I wasn't drunk when I took this photo showing the Superliner on a lean before it left the auction yard. It was the bloody camera, honest. I drove her for the first time yesterday over to the panel shop from Truckstops Wiri. The motor sounds real good, fairly quiet for this model so the rumours of a recent re-build are probably true. The gearbox and diffs are all sound and she really boots along when the turbo pushes full air. Quiet inside the cab, probably much quieter than the sleeperbox model. Seems like a good buy at this stage and I could just feel this truck wants to be working again. Danny from Trucksmash says the body is very straight, doors good and only a little rust around the aerial holes at the back of the cab.

The bumper is a bit suss, and one engine hood hinge is worn.

Driving it reminded me of what Bruce McQuoid's 2 superliners probably run like, all in spec, smooth and powerful.

The dog kennel made from stainless above the radiator where the bulldog usually sits is empty and gives the truck its current name 'dog gone.'

Nearly ready

The R Model a little closer to being back on the road, just the remaining trim to go on now. Dashboard to be refitted, new alloy battery boxes, stainless exhaust pipe to muffler, alloy chasis covers, a COF (prepped already) then back to work.

The day cab Superliner

The day cab Superliner being prepared by Truckstops Wiri for its journey back to certification and back onto the road. Note the turntable and subframe has been lifted off from the container locks that hold it into place. The truck is set up to run either as a tractor unit or as a tipper, having the turntable lifted off and a tipper body attached. Unfortunately the tipper body and locks didn't come as part of the auction however the intention is to use it as a tractor unit anyway. Note the massive diesel tanks and the two heads visible of the massive V8. Apparently she started easily after the mechanics wound it over on the starter to make sure it had oil pressure, pushed the engine stop cable back to the dash and fired up. The prognosis at this point is a chassis sandblast and paint, and a good run to see how sound the motor is. The branch Manager Nigel believes this truck had recent motor work which is good news if correct.

The doors on this truck are remarkably rust free, and open and shut easily. The top grill piece is new looking and in good condition, certainly doesn't look 25 years old - a bit like me. 

Self-loader, 8 wheeler.

The MH Mack 454 one of the last few Macks assembled in NZ, converted to a tipper and a log crane added prepares to crush and pick up a load of drums.

This truck has had a lot of teething problems since its conversion from a curtain-sider but is now coming into its work. It had fallen into disrepair after coming out of the TFL fleet into contract work. It was originally a tanker truck then converted to a curtain sider truck and trailer.

The crane is Jonsred 1070 with a 7.9m extension.

Lot 532 finds a new home.

A day after the auction, checking out the Superliner. A smart looking 86 Model. Hope to get it started Monday, certified and off for a panel and paint. Very straight and tidy, chassis needs a spruce and some water damage in the cab - probably from the top vent. Syd is checking out the tool box, probably looking for some lunch.

Superliner on idle.

The Superliner parked and waiting to move into place for a load.

Trailers made upside down, downunder.

Two photos here of a tipping trailer being made. This is a bathtub model or Burrel bin by another name. The curved bottom is to ensure heavy material always centres toward the middle when tipping, this avoids a big piece of concrete or steel sticking in one corner and  maybe the trailer going over when tipping. This model is 10 metres long and once up right and on its wheels will be almost four metres high. The bin has no chassis and tips by shortening the overall wheel base of the truck and trailer as the hoist goes up, the front two axles lifting off the ground. A smart operator or loader knows to put ugly or awkard steel, concrete or other material close to the back door. This is the 2nd week's work and should be ready in another 2 or so to go to the paintshop.

The CH back working with a new clutch dwarfed by a backdrop featuring a steel mill in full production. Note the trailer raised on its backwheel tipping onto a shredder pile. Today the truck did a return run to the north carting scrap steel showing the versatility a hard working Mack offers.

Whoops there goes the clutch.

The clutch on this 454hp Mack Elite went yesterday morning, the centre of the clutch plate collapsing. There are some minor associated problems with the spigot shaft, seals, lever arm and it had to be towed to the workshop in Wiri. This truck has been with us about 4 years and does a relatively high mileage daily. Unlike the earlier models it is comfortable to drive though a characteristic of these engines, which range from around 430 - 470 hp is that they fade on the hills and rely on an 18 speed gearbox to keep speed. In particular the steering wheel is downsize and less like a tractor steering wheel of the R and Superliner models, fairly good vision over the bonnet as well. This model largely avoided the European influence found in the cab over that superceded the ultra liners. I'm sure my next photos of this will be of this ex South Island truck, trailered up and working.

Not working on Sunday

The ultraliner hangs out with a ch and the superliner. They're hooked up to trailers, 2 tippers and a flat deck and watching out for work.

Superliner

This a V8 Superliner, started out as a 440hp custom built for Ross Douglas. Before he traded it he took the engine out to 500 and Truckstops added what is a Kenworth sleeper box on the back of what had been a logger hauling shorts with a pull trailer behind. Many years later when we brought the truck it was a short distance away from being wrecked in a small shed down a drive, rusted and a non runner.  It had a tidy up after that and a motor overhaul 10 years ago with a full paint and panel just under 2 years past. It's putting out around 650 hp now, it's heavy as hell in the steering at low speed, tough on the clutch and hard to see over the bonnet in tight yards but on the highway or motorway she's a dream truck despite her 28 years. She's a truck with a few stories to tell and a mountain climber like no other. 

Ultraliner

This is an ultraliner 350hp, 12 speed. It has a reco motor and gearbox with less than 50,000ks on the clock. We did the motor up 2 years ago despite the fact that the old motor was still running well but using a little oil having done well over a million ks. Like the R Model below this truck is an ex tanker truck. It's very light in the steering and has an air over hydraulic clutch which makes the clutch as light as a feather and difficult to get use to after driving a mack without such luxuries. 

Mack Trucks that found their way to New Zealand.

I've started this blog for those that might be interested in NZ Mack Trucks and Mack Trucks generally, not necessarily owners but those that have driven Macks over the years or who might collect or restore such trucks and also those that may have an interest in this Truck brand. Anyone is welcome to send photos, information, ask questions about trucks or parts or relate stories that the might know about Mack Trucks. I hope to eventually put up photos of trucks that I'm involved with and tell some of their histories as far as I know.

I hope some folks out there might be able to send some details of the early model Macks and the current crop as well. There'll be hundreds of mechanics and service people who have worked on these trucks in NZ and thousands who have driven them.

I'm the first to admit Mack Trucks aren't for everybody, the early models sure didn't have driver comfort as a priority and the clutches drove many drivers off running because you almost need a compression jack to depress them. But a Mack Truck finds it's own rev range when it starts humming along, the engine quietens and you can hear the turbo whistling away and the truck is really working. But it was probably holding on the hills that made Macks well known in New Zealand, and the bare torque that seemed strong enough to haul a mountain.

All the trucks I'm involved with all still work. The R Model is having it's second panel and paint in about 18 years. The motor was done up a dozen years ago and is still going strong. She's been on her side once and had the cab replaced. The current body has had the roof replaced earlier and taken back to bare metal this time around. It has a 285 hp doing about 315 hp. I've been told about the smaller Mack motors and how much grunt they have, but the 285 enjoys a good reputation for being a hill battler. She began life as a tanker truck as did another in this fleet that I'll write about later.