New to Me 1988 Mack

[David-L]

Well , after years of relying on independent truckers I am gonna try to get a bit more wood utilization happening. Bought this old Dog last week. Its still down south and I will be running it north next week. No rust and straight, 300L with a seven speed Maxi-Tourqe tranny, 120 Prentise loader. Goods or bads.
, things to look out for besides DOT




 



  

[bushmechanic]

 That's a fine old bulldog! Also no DEF crap on it to boot 8)

[David-L]

Thats a big plus Bushmechanic. Its all mechanical has a splitter for one and two and I am told you can split three too but not the higher gears. I am going to putt so no big deal. Local hauls and loading a few trailers with low grade.

[killamplanes]

One thing to watch on those front mounted loader is the frame. Including braces etc. I don't know how big of sticks ur pickin up. But just keep it clean around the attach points and keep cracks filled.                                                           
       And getter hot :D

[Dave Shepard]

Looks good. I don't know why Mack had to torture us with their bad transmissions.

[millcreek40]

Looks like my mack . Except mine is a dm  off set cab  mine is also a 1988  only has 114000 miles on it . It came from the city with a vacuum body on it.  It's a great truck. I bought it to haul my own wood for the same reason. Only problem I  have is just because  you have a truck everyone else thinks your in the trucking business!!!!they drive me nuts.I am trying to run the truck skid wood &run my processor.it does limit your time to cut but you get the wood out when you want. Mine has a 300em6 five SD with a low hole . Hood 7000 loader, steerable tag on the back. I think you will be happy with it.  Good luck with it. I have lots of mack service books as well.I have a few photos of it in my gallery   if I could only figure out to post them here

[Logger RK]

Nice looking Truck. I have a 79 for hauling are equipment. Also this winter I bought one with a Barko 160 loader/slasher on it. Not sure the year on it yet. It's around the same age. We'll be working on the Allis motor this spring,and fixing the Mack up.

[David-L]

Well, It's not a Fuller 8LL but its got three shafts instead of two. These mack trannys are strong. Was hoping for a 10speed but trucks this clean don't come along to often. Ok Millcreek, this is crazy stuff, my Mack has original 114, 982 on it. I have no plans on becoming a trucker for sure, just opens the doors for more low grade and a few pole wood deliveries local.

[Logger RK]

When I bought my first Mack I got a parts one with it. It has air starter on it. The guy I got them from said it ran good. This spring I plan on seeing if it does run. Might have to swap the starter out with a 12volt. Anyone have one with the air starter?  I wouldn't think it was a very good system. I believe the motors a 300 Mack 6 cyl

[sandsawmill14]

i learned to drive in a dm with the duplex trans and then a r model with the triplex (15 speed with 2 shifts) both had the 237 engines and were slow but they had enpough gears you never wanted for power ;) those old macks are tough i would bet yours has the 44k rear ends and if so just dont turn it over and it will last forever

[Gearbox]

That Mack will pull all the way down to 1200 RPM . Keep the RPM s low when pulling max torque is around 1300 RPM s . You will see the RPMs come down to 13 or 1400 and just stay there don't shift just pull over the top . What I'm saying is you almost can't lug those Maxadines .

[Dave Shepard]

The engines in the site trucks I ran didn't run below 1600, in fact they had a big brass plaque on the dash saying not to. These were before the 237, maybe 180.  I hauled 97 loads with the truck in the photo last fall. 300 with a six speed low-hole. Terrible transmission. They may be strong, but there is a reason Road-Rangers were invented.



 

[coxy]

we had one to it was orange and the bunks was green and a red 110 loader a guy gave my dad a bug shield that said coxs pumpkin picker  :D that thing would go in 2ft of snow with chains on like nothin it didn't have enough power to spin the tires   I also have brand new mack books from mack if any ones interested in them  just make a good donation to the FF  ill see what years they cover I think there is 5 they cover every thing

[sandsawmill14]

mack only needed 2 books until the computer stuff came out  ;) 1 for the old b series with the thermodine engine and 1 for the rest with the maxidine engines  mack didnt change things very often i guess they thought if it aint broke dont fix it :D :D :D

[BargeMonkey]

 That's a sharp truck and those older macks are getting harder to find. Common parts are around but if you run into trouble call this guy and I'm willing to bet he has it.
Kevin All.  "Allmacks". 607-652-7704
I would get a couple spare hoses made up, 2 from the boom to the grapple, 1 of the short hoses with wire for inside that rotobec head, 1 swivel banjo fitting, and 1 hose long enough to go off the boom to the valve body, you never blow a hose at 9am. Carry a decent sized hammer, it's no fun if you get a stone in the duals especially loaded. Biggest thing is keeping an eye on your tires and brakes, those are 22.5's on daytons ? Having at least 1 spare road legal drive tire mounted will come in handy. Mud flaps, lights,straps that are torn, if DOT wants to write you a pile of tickets they will but around here if a truck is kept up they aren't to bad.

[Maine logger88]

Nice looking old dog David! I always have had a soft spot for a R model! Don't forget to pack a sandwich so you have something to do between gears lol.

[thecfarm]

 millcreek,is this it?



 

The hard part is done.

This is how to put a picture in your post.


I like to go to whatever post or start a new topic first to include a picture.Go to your gallery,it will open in a new window.Click onto your album,then click onto whatever picture you want,it will get bigger,than scroll down a little to find,Insert Image In Post,click onto that,click Yes and that is it. Some have to copy/paste the link to work.I like to hit the enter key at least once or twice to move the picture down away from what I am typing. The enter key really helps to leave some white space if posting more than one picture or posting a comment. Use the preview button to see how it looks and modify it if needed.

It looks like a lot,but it's easy. A few pointers to help you keep it neat too.

And I see the rear tires are turned? never seen that before.

[snowstorm]

and now mack has become a volvo. i bought a volvo last summer so far i really like it

[Autocar]

I had a R model with a behind cab 110 prentice it was a great truck. But I have seen the frams break right behind the cab so keep a eye on it. Other wise there a tuff work truck ,great looking truck for sure !

[millcreek40]

Yes that is my truck. In new York when I was getting the truck put together. They said you needed a steerable axle . So that's what I put on it. Then they decided that now you don't have to on older trucks until 2020.  Go figure.  The only problem is you can't back up with it down as it counter steers.mack had two different motors. Mine has a em6 300  it will lug like crazy @ around 1100rpms. They shift fine if you know let the rpms drop in between gears. When your loaded i always let the Jake bring it down quik. If you don't Jake it you can count to about 100 &it will go right in.By then you lost everything you gained.with the transmission I have you don't change to many gears going uphill .pick a gear & sit back, might even have time to eat your sandwich before you crest the top. Lol  a man that used to work for father said it's not how fast you go over the hill it's how many times

[David-L]

This has a Dynatard engine brake. I guess its Macks version of the Jake. I was told to have the engine warm before using it or things could get bent and we don't want that. got it titled this week and insured so the trip will be soon. thanks for the input all , as I said it should pay for itself just sitting on the landing loading trailers with the occasional polewood delivery.

[s grinder]

Snowstorm,is your's a a D12 or a D13,we had a lot of trouble with injector coppers riding up on D13's,They updated coppers to stainless steel and changed the hold downs ,they said the injector was popping at 28K psi and was pushing everything up.If you start you truck and it sounds like it's sucking air /loosing it prime thats it. I think there's a TSB on it.Idler pulleys aaah .

[millcreek40]

Yeah mine is a dynatard as well. 

[BargeMonkey]

 You can run those older macks almost to death. We knew our R-model was getting terminal and limped it as long as we could, it was 3 trucks we combined into 1, the 237 engine went out to CT and is in some show truck now. The newer mack engines are a diff beast to drive and get used to,they don't like to lug. Just be glad it doesn't say "Mercedes-Benz" under the hood.  >:( 

[barbender]

Don't beat those rocks and offcuts that get stuck between the duals out- just carry a little chain, go around the object and pull it out with that handy hydraulic contraption behind the cab ;)

[sandsawmill14]

Don't beat those rocks and offcuts that get stuck between the duals out- just carry a little chain, go around the object and pull it out with that handy hydraulic contraption behind the cab ;)

thats what i was thinking but i have never used mine so i wasnt about to give advise on "i think so"  :D :D :D

[lynde37avery]

 

 

we run the same truck.  gets things done very well.

[snowstorm]

mine is the d12. a new mack is a volvo. they use the same motor. as far as not lugging it . my d12 says run it down to 1100rpm the new ones say 900

[snowstorm]

Snowstorm,is your's a a D12 or a D13,we had a lot of trouble with injector coppers riding up on D13's,They updated coppers to stainless steel and changed the hold downs ,they said the injector was popping at 28K psi and was pushing everything up.If you start you truck and it sounds like it's sucking air /loosing it prime thats it. I think there's a TSB on it.Idler pulleys aaah .

mine did the loosing its prime thing. it was the filter base for the priamary  filter. made by racor. the paint came off where the filter seals. let air in

[03westernstar]

When I bought my first Mack I got a parts one with it. It has air starter on it. The guy I got them from said it ran good. This spring I plan on seeing if it does run. Might have to swap the starter out with a 12volt. Anyone have one with the air starter?  I wouldn't think it was a very good system. I believe the motors a 300 Mack 6 cyl

Air Start was 100% if you kept it 100% they have an air tank the size of a small fuel tank and a 1 1/2'' line to the starter with an electric solenoid valve, most fleets had one electric start truck and the rest would be air and if one leaked air down another would ''jump start'' it with air, they had a permanent glad hand connection on the air tank,anyone with a road tractor could get you started no matter how cold.  air start was made because it cut out the cost of two extra batteries,cables and the weight savings was substantial.

[Ox]

Don't they still need a battery to complete the alternator/generator system for the electrical systems like lights, heater fan, etc.?  I realize the horn probably is air and the wipers could be...

[Dave Shepard]

The engines in the site trucks I ran didn't run below 1600, in fact they had a big brass plaque on the dash saying not to. These were before the 237, maybe 180.  I hauled 97 loads with the truck in the photo last fall. 300 with a six speed low-hole. Terrible transmission. They may be strong, but there is a reason Road-Rangers were invented.



 

It's funny this topic just got bumped. I just heard this truck just got a nine speed Road Ranger and a set of Jake brakes. 8)

[03westernstar]

Don't they still need a battery to complete the alternator/generator system for the electrical systems like lights, heater fan, etc.?  I realize the horn probably is air and the wipers could be...

Yes they still had a alternator and two batteries but the system amperage draw was less thus required less copper cutting cost, Mack actually did have air powered heater fans if you can believe that :D, air wipers, air radiator shutters, air powered defrost/floor/vent controls and the air horn only thing they couldn't figure out was air lights :D :D :D   

[barbender]

Haha that's funny! They would have called them "Dyna-Brites" or "Maxi-Glow".

[David-L]

Maybe thats why I can't find the air leak for my lights, there electric. .

[Ox]

Nope, never heard of the air powered heater fans but I knew about the rest.  Very interesting!  Thanks for sharing - I learned my one thing for today.

[dgdrls]

That's a dandy,   I really like seeing those older Macks when their clean and working. 
Speaks volumes about their owners.

D