1 of my other tractors

[bluetc30]

what is a clutch i have been with the same company for 29 years with a one stack mack with the window in the back and most of the tractors have at least 500k or better and very little trans problems or clutch issues every trans has itss sweet spots there is no need to use the clutch

 

[JimParker]

That is one of the great things about this site, everyone can contribute and everyone can benefit.

And unlike most Internet forums, people seem to truly welcome the newbies (like me) instead of making fun of what they don't know. And there is very little true "flaming" that goes on... And most times, here are apologies when it does happen. My wife doesn't get it at all...

True story: We took my daughter for her college orientation. I was left alone in the room for about an hour with my laptop. Of course, I cranked it up and spent the hour learning more about tractors here on TBN. When my wife and daughter returned, she asked "What have you been doing?" I made a joking reply of "Looking at **** on the Internet, of course." Her instant reply was "What?! You've been on that darn tractor forum all this time?!"

 

[IslandTractor]

Oh yea, "Tractor ****" is the code word in our household too.

 

[sandman2234]

Don't miss the multi shifter tranny's. Fortunate to be young enough not to have had to run them much. I learned on the old 5 speed Mack, where you could wind it out in first, push the clutch in, kick it into nuetral, reach over on the dash, pick up a new pack of smokes, pack them a couple times on the steering wheel, peel the wrapper off of it, drag one out of the pack, rummage around in the your pocket for your lighter, get the butt lit, take a couple drags off it, roll the window down (if it was cold) flick the ashes out the window, reach over and pull it into second. (For you non drivers, it really took that long for the rpm's to drop so you could hit the next gear).
That was at the end of the 70's and last time I did a tally, I was over 2.4 million miles. I work for a company that "requires" the use of a clutch. I have given up on trying to remember to use it all the time, though I do hit it every now and then for good measure. I drive what is probably the oldest truck in the fleet, and they keep telling me I can have a new one anytime I want it. I waited two years on the guy to retire who drove that truck, and they aren't getting it from me that easy. It is a city truck and at almost 3/4 of a million miles, it has never had any serious work done to it. They did put a clutch in it just before I got it, but I have seen steering wheel holders need one every two thousand miles. I enjoy the truck I drive, have stories that would take days to read, and for some reason I still get up and go in dispite the fact that I could probably find a better paying job easily.
I have been lucky, in all my years and miles, only to have been at fault with one accident, and in that one, I drove over the bottom of a telephone pole (a leaning pole) and cracked it, with a loaded trailer tire. I spun the steering wheel hard to avoid hitting a car head on, and just caught the bottom of the pole with the trailer tire. Never have scratched a truck, but tomorrow is another day...
David from jax
Back to the previously scheduled programming...

 

[ovrszd]

Don't miss the multi shifter tranny's. Fortunate to be young enough not to have had to run them much. I learned on the old 5 speed Mack, where you could wind it out in first, push the clutch in, kick it into nuetral, reach over on the dash, pick up a new pack of smokes, pack them a couple times on the steering wheel, peel the wrapper off of it, drag one out of the pack, rummage around in the your pocket for your lighter, get the butt lit, take a couple drags off it, roll the window down (if it was cold) flick the ashes out the window, reach over and pull it into second. (For you non drivers, it really took that long for the rpm's to drop so you could hit the next gear).
That was at the end of the 70's and last time I did a tally, I was over 2.4 million miles. I work for a company that "requires" the use of a clutch. I have given up on trying to remember to use it all the time, though I do hit it every now and then for good measure. I drive what is probably the oldest truck in the fleet, and they keep telling me I can have a new one anytime I want it. I waited two years on the guy to retire who drove that truck, and they aren't getting it from me that easy. It is a city truck and at almost 3/4 of a million miles, it has never had any serious work done to it. They did put a clutch in it just before I got it, but I have seen steering wheel holders need one every two thousand miles. I enjoy the truck I drive, have stories that would take days to read, and for some reason I still get up and go in dispite the fact that I could probably find a better paying job easily.
I have been lucky, in all my years and miles, only to have been at fault with one accident, and in that one, I drove over the bottom of a telephone pole (a leaning pole) and cracked it, with a loaded trailer tire. I spun the steering wheel hard to avoid hitting a car head on, and just caught the bottom of the pole with the trailer tire. Never have scratched a truck, but tomorrow is another day...
David from jax
Back to the previously scheduled programming...

Oh Yeah,,, the Maxidyne (spelling?). Let's see,,,,, maybe 235 HP, 5 spd tranny, had a torque range a mile long!!! My father-in-law bought one in '73 because he had arthritis and rhumetism (spelling) in his right shoulder and arm from years of gear jamming. Prior to the Mack he had a cabover KW with a 220 Cummins and a manual 4x4 tranny. He died of a heart attack a couple months after he bought the Mack and didn't get to benefit from that great little engine that could. I hauled some contracted grain for my Mother In Law after he died so got to make several runs with that old Mack long nose with a back window, shiny black with bud aluminum fronts and dayton painted rears and of course the chrome girly on the mudflaps. Had a gold Bulldog on the hood, that was a status symbol to the Mack folks back then and designated the Maxidyne!!!

 

[sandman2234]

I knew a lady that divorced her husband back in '80, and took everything. She scrapped out about 5 trucks, and several trailers just to spite him. I got 4 of the gold bulldogs back then, but they have disappeared over the years. I hauled a couple of the transmissions to the Mack place here, and sold them for $50 each, which was better than sending them to the scrapyards.
We used one at work to turn an Arboga wire drawing head, drawing high carbon steel rod. I think it had a 150 hp electric motor in front of it, and it worked the 15 years I was at that plant. Mack's were tough!!
David from jax