[Douglas]

The city I work for just got a brand new 2007 Peterbuilt dumptruck. (10-wheeler)






I've heard that while Peterbuilts are great over the road, when it comes to around-town trucks, or the kind or work we put on our trucks in the City, it won't be able to hold out like an International can. (Stopping and starting, going over bumps, having to literally go mud-bogging at the landfill after a good rain the night before, being banged from an excavator dropping something heavy in the bed, and stomping the brakes so that the tailgate will bang, getting rid of any mud or clay so that it will be able to shut. I've heard it will also be very easy to tear up the rear-end if you're in sand.

Is it true that Internationals can take the best beating?

I am glad that vehicles are not alive and CANNOT FEEL PAIN, because our International dumptrucks would be emotionally scarred from all the abuse we've put on them. ops: :?:

[Kranky]

Neither International, nor Paccar (Peterbilt) make their own driveline components (Although that is soon to change as they both are unveiling their own brands of engines soon).

Thus, you more than likely have the same vendor supplied powertrain and driveline components in the Peterbilt as you have in the Internationals. (Cummins or Cat engine, Eaton Fuller trans or Allison auto, and Eaton or Meritor Rears).

Front steer axles are another vendor supplied component, so not much difference from one truck brand to another there either.

Frame rails are pretty much the same on all brands, either they are spec'ed sufficiently strong to handle the job, or they aren't.

Basically, todays trucks are pretty much generic, with a brand specific cab and nameplate.

[Kranky]

I should also state that my previous post is referring to American trucks.

We all know that Volvo produces their own drivelines, but that's not an American truck, and I have yet to see a Volvo in Municipal service.

Mack in years past produced their own engine, transmission, rears, suspension, front axle, frame etc., but since Volvo took over Mack about 6 years ago, Mack has become just another generic truck also.

[Mackmechanic]

Originally Posted by Splitshifter

I should also state that my previous post is referring to American trucks.

We all know that Volvo produces their own drivelines, but that's not an American truck, and I have yet to see a Volvo in Municipal service.

Mack in years past produced their own engine, transmission, rears, suspension, front axle, frame etc., but since Volvo took over Mack about 6 years ago, Mack has become just another generic truck also.

Mack still produces their own trannys, rear ends, and suspensions :wink:

[VitoCorleone99]

The TGI Friday's in Times Square had a tranny behind the bar a few years back. I'm not sure who produced that one, but it wasn't pretty. I didn't bother looking at the rear end, but a suspension may have been in order since it took forever to get a beer.

[Kranky]

Originally Posted by Mackmechanic

Mack still produces their own trannys, rear ends, and suspensions :wink:

At least for now.

How long do you think Volvo will allow that to continue?

:?:

[Colts Fan]

Originally Posted by VitoCorleone99

The TGI Friday's in Times Square had a tranny behind the bar a few years back. I'm not sure who produced that one, but it wasn't pretty. I didn't bother looking at the rear end, but a suspension may have been in order since it took forever to get a beer.

LOL!! Almost lost my breakfast!!

[Mackmechanic]

Originally Posted by Splitshifter

At least for now.

How long do you think Volvo will allow that to continue?

:?:

Quite a while because in a lot of appllications, nobody will go with anything other than a mack transmission and a camelback suspension

[Kranky]

Originally Posted by Mackmechanic

Quite a while because in a lot of appllications, nobody will go with anything other than a mack transmission and a camelback suspension

Well, I have been a lifelong Mack fanatic, driving and owning exclusively Mack trucks for the past 33 years, until I closed my own business last winter and went to work for a company with exclusively International trucks.

Now that we've got that little bit of background info out of the way, it disgusts me to see what Volvo is doing to the once great Mack Trucks Inc.

Many of the OTR tractors are nothing more than a Volvo chassis with a Mack cab installed on it.

The much hyped new "Mack" MP7 & MP8 engines are nothing more than camouflaged Volvo engines.

Think back about what happened when Volvo bought other truck brands such as White GMC and Autocar.

Over a period of time Volvo "assimilated" Volvo parts & engines into those brands until they basically became Volvos with a different badge.

Then those brands were eliminated completely.

Do you see a pattern developing here with what's happening at Mack?

I sincerely hope that Mack Truck does not suffer a similar fate, but it doesn't look good.

In my previous posts in this thread we were discussing the fact that Mack Trucks in the past produced their own powertrain including engine, transmission, and rear axles, along with their own suspensions, front axles etc.

Volvo so far has eliminated the Mack engines from that equation.

What's next? Transmissions? Rear ends?

I do know that a lot of the new Mack dump truck chassis around here are coming through with Eaton Fuller transmissions and Meritor rears on Hendrickson spring or air ride suspension. Why? I don't know. It doesn't make sense, since the Mack double reduction rears and camelback suspension are an indestructible setup for dump truck use.

Since Volvo took over, it seems they have also put the kibosh to parts availability for older (10 years plus) Mack trucks. Apparently the head Vikings over in Gotborg don't realize that Mack trucks from 20, 30, and 40 years ago are still working everyday across North America and need parts availability to continue doing so.

Now I realize that there are a lot of people on this forum that are Volvo truck fans, and let me state right here that I have no problem with anyone's preference for Volvo trucks, I'm just pissed off about what Volvo is doing to Mack.

[silvan]

Originally Posted by Splitshifter

Then those brands were eliminated completely.

Do you see a pattern developing here with what's happening at Mack?

Yes, but if Volvo were smart, they'd switch everything over to Mack, and eliminate the Volvo nameplate completely.