Mack cab & chassis

[JJZ 109]

Seriously considering making a play for this truck to turn into a water delivery truck. I chased down the local government that owned truck previous to the current seller and got a nice report on it.
I've had a CDL for over 30 years and have driven a lot of trucks but never been a buyer. Obviously I'm not looking to walk up and pay the asking price, but I'm trying to get an idea of the truck's value. There really isn't a good online resource like NADA, KBB, etc. for these trucks unless you subscribe, which I really don't want to do for a one time use.
The mileage is great for the year and I'm pretty sure it's accurate. I know nothing about the Renault diesels in these. I have a friend recently retired from a Mack garage but haven't seen him yet to ask about them.
The truck would be driven locally, probably 3k miles or so per year. The pics show the rear recaps aren't all in great condition. There are no tail lights currently but seller says he'll give me a set of lights with the truck.
Anyone in a trucking business have any ideas on a fair price for this rig? Thanks in advance!
1999 Mack Cab Truck and Chassis MS3P - heavy equipment - by owner - sale

 

[JJZ 109]

I see there are 100 views, so here's what I have so far. My Mack mechanic friend says good truck, super hard to find parts for the Renault diesel. He asked what their price is. I told him the Craigslist asking price and he flat out said don't pay it.
An inquiry to my current business liability insurance for commercial truck insurance pricing is pointing me in the NO direction currently. I have inquiries out to other agents to test the market. The one quote so far is more than triple what I paid for commercial truck insurance on a 2001 F450 bucket truck.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Try TruckPaper.com for similarly priced trucks. I have driven a fair number of Mack's but I do not know anything about the Renault engine. With that kind of mileage, I think about the only thing it may need mechanically is brake lining, the drums should still be good. From the photo's, the truck appears to be fairly clean. Are you north or south of the border? If you are south of the border, try Farm Family out of Albany for a quote.

I had an IH1800 dump that was municiple owned. Forget the mileage but the paint was faded, the interior needed a good pressure washing but mechanically the only thing I had to do was to rebuild the carb.

 

[JJZ 109]

Try TruckPaper.com for similarly priced trucks. I have driven a fair number of Mack's but I do not know anything about the Renault engine. With that kind of mileage, I think about the only thing it may need mechanically is brake lining, the drums should still be good. From the photo's, the truck appears to be fairly clean. Are you north or south of the border? If you are south of the border, try Farm Family out of Albany for a quote.

I had an IH1800 dump that was municiple owned. Forget the mileage but the paint was faded, the interior needed a good pressure washing but mechanically the only thing I had to do was to rebuild the carb.

For right now, this project is on indefinite hold. The current quote for truck insurance is nearly $3k. That a lot of water to haul just to pay for insurance and begin the road to profitability for a year. I sent an early morning inquiry to Farm Family. Never hurts to check around while I'm waiting for other insurance agents to reply.
I'm south of the border, in the area where Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence meet.
As far as the truck itself you can faintly see the name of the municipality that previously owned it. I found their website and inquired about the truck. The town supervisor replied within the hour and told me that he'd pass the email on to their mechanic. The mechanic also replied quickly. Stated that it used to be their sweeper truck. Mostly driven at 5 MPH. Serviced every 250 hours and the oil sent out for analysis every time. Always came back great. It had the sweeper on it when they sold it 3 years ago, so someone has since removed it.

 

[mrmikey]

One thing you have to be aware of is dust intrusion into the engine, a sweeper chassis has a hard life. Check the gearing also as they're usually geared low so if you plan on any highway driving it might be maxed out all the time...............Mike

 

[JJZ 109]

Thanks for the posts. My Mack mechanic says do not pay the asking price. Seller is firm on it so I'm passing. Also have received only one reply from alternative insurance agents. Too much profit would be eaten up by insurance alone, say nothing about maintenance or fuel expenses.
This particular truck is off my list.

 

[Stimw]

Since you are talking about limited use have you considered putting a tank on a trailer for your needs?
You might check how insurance on a trailer would be.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Why not an ih platform or a fl? I just saw a freightliner with a flatbed for sale locally for 3k. The insurance companies are way off base. I have a 470p international and only pay around 850 per year.

 

[aczlan]

How about a 2004 International 4300 with a DT466? 24. International 43, - heavy equipment - by owner - sale


Aaron Z

 

[JJZ 109]

How about a 2004 International 4300 with a DT466? 24. International 43, - heavy equipment - by owner - sale
View attachment 558662

Aaron Z

I drive these Internationals quite often in my part time job for a USPS contractor. The ones that aren't 3/4 used up after age & miles aren't bad. I know the 4300 has some different GVWR configurations. I'm thinking that it would need to handle 12-14k as a water hauler. A Craigslist search shows that the truck in this link has had the price dropped $2k.
But the higher gross weight seems to jack up the insurance to a point where that type of business would have to haul a lot of water just to cover the insurance premium. I've asked a lot of questions of a lot of people, from truck owners, a retired Mack mechanic and several insurance folks. Looks like I've got more research to do. A trucking venture just might not be in the cards for me. I've got a successful seasonal business now. Just maybe looking to do something a little less labor intensive as I get older.

 

[SimS]

Passing on this unit is a good decision in my mind. My big red flag was "find parts for the Renault diesel". Good luck in your search.

SimS

 

[aczlan]

I drive these Internationals quite often in my part time job for a USPS contractor. The ones that aren't 3/4 used up after age & miles aren't bad. I know the 4300 has some different GVWR configurations. I'm thinking that it would need to handle 12-14k as a water hauler. A Craigslist search shows that the truck in this link has had the price dropped $2k.
But the higher gross weight seems to jack up the insurance to a point where that type of business would have to haul a lot of water just to cover the insurance premium. I've asked a lot of questions of a lot of people, from truck owners, a retired Mack mechanic and several insurance folks. Looks like I've got more research to do. A trucking venture just might not be in the cards for me. I've got a successful seasonal business now. Just maybe looking to do something a little less labor intensive as I get older.

The other option, would be to go smaller with a F-450 and a 1000 gallon tank in the back. That will haul less water, but it will probably be significantly cheaper on insurance. My parents ran one of those for a while, but the town decided that they needed to significantly increase the price of water and require that they carry a two million dollar liability policy that covered the town as additionally insured, so it wasn't worth it for one or two runs a week ( there are other things as well, it was small town politics at its best).

Aaron Z

 

[JJZ 109]

Passing on this unit is a good decision in my mind. My big red flag was "find parts for the Renault diesel". Good luck in your search.

SimS

A friend recently retired after many years as a mechanic at a Mack dealer. He says it's quite a scavenger hunt to find parts. And if you do, bust out your checkbook.

 

[JJZ 109]

The other option, would be to go smaller with a F-450 and a 1000 gallon tank in the back. That will haul less water, but it will probably be significantly cheaper on insurance. My parents ran one of those for a while, but the town decided that they needed to significantly increase the price of water and require that they carry a two million dollar liability policy that covered the town as additionally insured, so it wasn't worth it for one or two runs a week ( there are other things as well, it was small town politics at its best).

Aaron Z

For that weight and volume that an F450 could handle (I've had 2 of them as bucket trucks) I could probably put a tank in my dump trailer.
I've got my eye on another truck in the Rochester area that's already got a flat bed on it. I may call and see if I can get a VIN so that I can get an accurate insurance quote.

 

[terryknight]

how much are you trying to move? how far? we used an old 5 ton ex military truck for a water truck for a while watering lots and lots of trees

as for checking prices you can use the completed auctions from ritchie brothers. easy to do and can search the whole continent for what things sold for some regions are higher than others. you do need to sign up to look at completed listings, but it's just a username, password, and email address

 

[JJZ 109]

how much are you trying to move? how far? we used an old 5 ton ex military truck for a water truck for a while watering lots and lots of trees

as for checking prices you can use the completed auctions from ritchie brothers. easy to do and can search the whole continent for what things sold for some regions are higher than others. you do need to sign up to look at completed listings, but it's just a username, password, and email address

RB Auctions pop up sometimes during searches. May just try the sign up and check complete auctions.
With cottages and summer places and some spots with just crappy or no water, along with swimming pool and hot tob fill ups, guys in the business of hauling water to folks in my area seem to be going full bore. So a truck would be for a commercial water delivery business. Not a huge radius, maybe 35 or so miles from home at most. I'm thinking 14-1800 gallon tank.

 

[RickB]

A friend has a Mack single axle conventional cab dump truck of that vintage with Renault heritage. It has been a good truck, but Parts availability is a serious challenge. He bought it new.

 

[JJZ 109]

A friend has a Mack single axle conventional cab dump truck of that vintage with Renault heritage. It has been a good truck, but Parts availability is a serious challenge. He bought it new.

Pretty much what my retired Mack mechanic said. Chances are it could be a good truck, but if the need for parts arises, watch out!
I found what could be a suitable truck closer and better priced than that Mack. But just running an online quote for insurance is giving me serious doubts about buying a truck and entering this business. I haven't asked around, but I suspect that some people are just registering the rigs as a flat bed truck and omitting the fact that there's a tank and water deliveries are taking place. Nice until you get denied a claim and start paying for damage to your equipment or other people's property or injuries out of your own pocket.

 

[SimS]

JJZ;

I'm curious on how much water you are planning to haul. You mention 12k-14k weight, that's as much as 1600 - 1700 gallons. How and where do you fill the tank with that much potable water?? Thanks

SimS

 

[aczlan]

JJZ;

I'm curious on how much water you are planning to haul. You mention 12k-14k weight, that's as much as 1600 - 1700 gallons. How and where do you fill the tank with that much potable water?? Thanks

SimS

Many towns around here have a place for water trucks to fill up with a swipe card.
If you are off of the water main, one of the water guys near me has a 2" metered line to fill his truck with.

Aaron Z