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.
To add some personal aspect to the history of this truck I'll add that when it went on it's side it was being driven by a paroled ex-prisoner who was convoying back from up north behind another Mack and let it go on a corner. His name was Chris, as far as I know he managed to turn his life around and the job he had driving the old R was part of leading onto that. He was pretty knocked around but was able to drive again within a few days. I think from memory he had both minor head injuries and some bruising to his rib cage which is not uncommon when bouncing around an R model cab with its big steering wheel.
ReplyDeleteA few years later I drove the truck north taking my wife who was pregnant with our eldest daughter. The trip thankfully was unremarkable but my wife admits she didn't realise R models were quite so uncomfortable sitting in the passenger, non air, seat. We came back in the middle of the night, took a break at a roadside stop in Dome Valley, vainly trying to get a little sleep in the late winter. That was the last long truck trip my wife took with me.
A few more years later the truck was impounded in what could be described as a commercial argument with a landlord in Onehunga who use to bolster himself with police and security guards and suddenly become remarkably brave. He was trying to seize some property without lawful authority and the police supported him eventually leaving the security guards as minders.
I headed over late in the afternoon, the keys were in the R Model and there was a load of steel in the trailer. I started the old girl and sweated on it as the air pressure built up. The security guards were watching me but were probably confident because the driveway was blocked with a concrete barrier laid out across it's width.
Once there was enough air pressure I let the brakes off and started to head toward the barrier. By the time the closest guard realised what was happening I had the front wheels over the barrier. The guard climbed on the diesel tank, opened the door and tried to drag me out as I clung to the wheel. Eventually his weight won the day and I flew out of the seat and landed on the dude who'd fallen on his back. A couple of quick steps and I was back in the truck, out of that drive and gone with a toot on the air horn for good measure.