• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Mack truck parts

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,274
Location
sw missouri
So I've got this R model mack under a national crane. It has electric motor wiper, one motor and "transmission"- arm linkages to each wiper.

There is a little piece with like double heim joints on it to transfer the motor to the two arms, and it has stripped teeth in it.

Called the mack man yesterday. He got me a part number and then the kicker- 10 business days to get it to the dealer?

They aren't making that thing, its sitting on a shelf somewhere, and its 10 days? I really don't have to have it right now, but what if I was in seattle trying to deliver dirt or working where it rains everyday? I park it for 10 days waiting on a wiper arm?

There has to be a million of those old R models of one configuration or another out there, what kind of parts system is there now that volvo owns them? Two old guys in wheelchairs in a vast warehouse in pennsylvania sharing one flashlight? Heliograph signals for orders?

I'm just going to see if I can weld it together and live with it. Shoot in 10 business days, I could drive to the cave in allentown, steal one of the wheelchairs and find my own part, and still get home with a couple days to spare.......
 

heymccall

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
5,349
Location
White Oak, Pa
For my classic Mack parts, I use Watt's Mack in New Alexandria, PA. Some of the best guys around to find, quickly, old Mack parts.
You didn't post either number (Mack or Volvo), so I can't give them a shout to verify availability.
40 years of production and over 400,000 R & D model variants were built. Hell, GM builds more than that number of pickup trucks, in a year.
 
Last edited:

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,538
Location
WWW.
Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. On top of all the normal stuff a shop would keep this is a small list I have to keep on hand, because Freightliner normally has none in the DC's.

Two radiators-$1,700 each
Two air charge coolers-$1,030 each
One air compressor-$700
One turbo charger-$2,000
Two Eaton rear drives total-$3,800
Two Rockwell rear drives total-$4,200
One in house rebuilt 13spd-$3,000
Two rebuilt fan hubs- $1,000
Two new high torque clutches total-$1,520
Two bumpers and mounts total 2,800

And that's only a small portion of the inventory to keep every thing rolling-total inventory $100,000

Truck Shop
 

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,274
Location
sw missouri
Thank's for the advice guys, I'll call watt's in the morning. I'm not really in a bind or anything, but there are guys that have these as their only truck, and in today's world, 10 business days just seems really outdated.

I realize that some things aren't on a shelf anywhere and need to be built, but this item is on a shelf somewhere, there's not a guy setting up a jig and turning one out. It's just they don't want to supply the manpower for a parts system.

I'm thinking volvo looks at mack like a old girlfriend. They wanted it real bad, and now that they have it, they wish it would just go away.....
 

JAKES.

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
70
Location
New Hampshire
I have a friend repairing an rd 690 right now. He needs to replace the rockers under both doors and can only find one available in the country from Volvo/Mack! I would think there would be more available for a very popular truck not too long ago.
 

kshansen

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
11,128
Location
Central New York, USA
Occupation
Retired Mechanic in Stone Quarry
Long a a bit OT as many of my posts tend to be!

Many years ago back when Mack still sold off-highway trucks I was told there was a truck down at one of the companies quarries just north of Richmond VA that had had a wiring harness burn up. I worked for the shop just outside of Syracuse NY and was told to load up my tools and drive to Allentown to pick up the new wiring harness in the morning and continue on to Richmond to install it. Harness I was told had been ordered by one of the top guys in the off-highway truck division who our company had dealt with for training and sales of these trucks.

The next morning I apparently got to the Allentown past depot right at the start of morning break time. I told them who I worked for and what I was picking up. The guy brought out a box and put it on the counter and I signed for it but was then told I had to wait for one of their people to "load" it into my truck. Box probably was less than twenty pounds! Said it was "Union Rules" and I did not have a union card saying I was allowed to load trucks!

Not trying to be anti-union but come on guys! I wasn't loading an 18 wheeler full of engines and transmission just a box with some wires in it! Anyhow after standing there for close to an hour the guy who had me sign for the box finally said I could take it as they were "busy" in the warehouse and just be quite about it!

Latter that day I got to the quarry near Richmond and was taken to see the truck, yep some major melt down on the wiring! Opened box I was given at Allentown and found what had been ordered was the wiring harness for the electric shift transmission. Guess what out of all the wiring on the truck the only wires not damaged were those going to the transmission! Called back to my home shop and explained the situation and was told they would get back to me. A little latter was told I should see the correct harness in a day or two.

While waiting decided to start removing all the old wires. For the most part the truck was wired through thin wall conduit and electrical boxes with terminal strips inside them. So one by one I removed the burnt wires making notes of what box and terminal each went to after a few pages of notes I now knew where each wire went and even the size of each one.

That's when I got the message that the factory did not know when they could ship out the new wiring. Boss at the quarry asked if there was any chance I could make up the wiring if they could supply me with the wire. As this quarry was in the middle of a major upgrade there were several electricians doing work there and I was supplied with many spools of wire and wire ends and a snake to fish the wires through the conduits. Think I started early one morning and around noon of that day truck was ready to start hauling stone once more. Never did find out if the "factory wiring" ever showed up!

Got to check through old papers some day to see if I still have those notes, never know when I might have a M-50 Mack that needs to be rewired!

Back on topic, if I was still working at the quarry I probably could scrounge up the parts you need as 98% of the ten-wheelers we used in the company back in the day were Macks, started with B models then when the DM and R models came out just about every quarry the company ran had at least a few of those for hauling stone in the plants. The older ones were the air wipers but then they converted to the electric wipers and last I knew there was a conversion kit from air to electric sitting on the shelf in the back of the shop!
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,427
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Mack in STL is about useless as to acquiring pieces and parts these days. Cat is no better, International used to have some pretty smart parts countermen that could dig out most anything you could need in short order, those days all gone now.
 
Top