Ex army Mack 6x6 trucks.

**Hymie** · 16th September 2013, 07:47 PM

Hey Dave, the Tilt Bed Trailers, Freighter or Brentwood were the two we used, were initially rated at 15000Kg, the Brentwood was later downrated to 10500Kg in around '88 after the drawbars started bending and cracking, when they became known a Bentwoods...
Anyhow the Freighter kept its 15000Kg rating right to the end of its service life.
The big problems with them was the Air over Hydraulic brakes which ended up getting upgraded to all Air, but the trailer was so light if there was an air problem it was common to stuff 8 tyres and set the trailer on fire. Not a good look. One of my Corporals had a Crafty do just that and pull into a servo, (for some reson he thought it was a good idea), bu the time the driver Crafty had jumped out and run out with the fire extinguisher the Corp had swapped seats and bugged the whole shooting match out of the servo. They ended up losing the trailer. The load on the trailer? Another Freighter that had burnt out at Woommera. Happy days!

**Summiitt** · 16th September 2013, 08:01 PM

Thanks Dave, very useful info, so it looks a goer,according to my calcs, with my dozer on it I'm 50mm over height and about a half ton over weight on my steer...will just move the dozer back a little and I will be legal!!! And be ready to argue with my favourite mermaid..

**Blknight.aus** · 16th September 2013, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by Summiitt

Thanks Dave, very useful info, so it looks a goer,according to my calcs, with my dozer on it I'm 50mm over height and about a half ton over weight on my steer...will just move the dozer back a little and I will be legal!!! And be ready to argue with my favourite mermaid..

just make bloody sure you're actually right (and fit a silencer to the airbag dump for when he decides to measure you for height....

if and when you get one, more than happy to come and show you all the little tricks on the truck...

oh mod 1 remove the bleed tap on the start tank and blank it.

mod 2 fit a decent 24v compressor (or a small 240v unit with a genny) under the tray somewhere or in the space on the off side of the spare wheel and make up an outlet for fitting to the start tank. The magic number for a warm engine is 35, 55 for a stone cold unit. you can cross feed the brake tanks but if they are anything much under max pressure you'll get that sickening, "not quite mate" noise on start up on a cold engine.

**Lotz-A-Landies** · 16th September 2013, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

....
I know this in the same way as I know the front axle is overweight. and I know a couple of varients empty have a front axle weight of something that sounds like 7.2 T That might be because I was driving said varient on the way to pick up a load, a mermaid wanted to weigh it and my co driver was thicker than a hiclone salesman, outranked me and didnt understand the concept of "We're exempt"

Its very hard to lose 1200kg from the front axle and still have some available for sharing the payload!

You most certainly need to get rid of the halfsafts, entire diff and carrier as well as the drive shaft to come close.

**Blknight.aus** · 16th September 2013, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

Its very hard to lose 1200kg from the front axle and still have some available for sharing the payload!

You most certainly need to get rid of the halfsafts, entire diff and carrier as well as the drive shaft to come close.

only one varient weighs that much over, It might be the one that has the crane up in front of the tray, and the Aircon, and the over cab roof rack and the 4 jerry holder brackets down on the step on each side of the cab and the extra batteries under the crane hydraulics it might have been one of the show pony trucks from a certain basb in sydney...

of course the armoured up version... and a fully cesed up wrecker... not even going to guess at what it weighs in at.

**Lotz-A-Landies** · 16th September 2013, 09:28 PM

we need someone to weigh each axle (if we don't already have an acquaintance who's been rejected by VicRoads)

**Hymie** · 16th September 2013, 09:44 PM

A Fully CES'd Wrecker was waaaay overweight!

**Blknight.aus** · 16th September 2013, 10:08 PM

yes I know...

when the 10t floor jack cant get the axle up......

**dromader driver** · 17th September 2013, 04:36 PM

Summitt options.

Looking at where you are working and the conditions given that you are on some basis of formed road an 8x4 mack mcr trayback with diff/crosslocks would be sufficient??? Probably get to 350 hp without too much looking. I had found an 8x4 ultraliner in WA which cost $2k to put on the train to Parkes.

I am not comfortable operating at max weights off road with a high centre of gravity. The loggers seem to roll enough with a lower c of g. If the thing does get bogged you can always roll the dozer off and give it a tow!

just for consideration.....

**Bigbjorn** · 17th September 2013, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by dromader driver

. If the thing does get bogged you can always roll the dozer off and give it a tow!

just for consideration.....

One beginning wet season about 1960, a military convoy was camped at Kynuna southbound. Had about an inch or two of rain overnight. Locals said not to move until the black soil roads dry a bit. Macho swaddies pointed to the dozer on the float and said they could handle anything. "Ah, well" said the locals, "this will be amusing" as they gathered to watch the circus. Few miles out the float got bogged so off with the dozer to push it out. Guess what, one bogged dozer. Hook a couple of 6x6's on the dozer. Bogged 6x6's now to add to the score. Ended up with a few LR's bogged also. Then the real rain set in. Vehicles abandoned there until the roads dried. Main Roads Dept. having kittens about damage and ordered that no one try to move.

Thread: Ex army Mack 6x6 trucks.

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