1986 Mack R-Model (R600/R686ST) Startup and Walkaround 

Ah the old "tattle-tale" speedometer!

Yeah it ran great for being a 30 year old truck. The old Macks are bulletproof trucks.

You got that right. I love these old Macks but I certainly wouldn't enjoy sitting in the cab all day. The cab has less room than in my pickup.

My 1st job was a 67' DODGE CNT900 with a 238 Detroit. Talk about no room, Dodge used their old early p/u cab for all their heavy trucks, including the BIG HORN!

The old 5-speed Maxitorque is probably the easiest transmission to learn with. They're pretty much bulletproof too. When I go to get my CDL I'll probably practice with a 5-speed R model as well. I know plenty of farmers who run them.

Evidently you haven't spent much time around old farm trucks. It's still out running and working, is it not? Still in better shape than some R-models I've seen....

I have too many favorites to choose just one. The R-model and LTL9000 are on my list, though.

@@MichaelTJD60 same for me I have so many favorites but the R model is my favorite body style though very Spartan a nice contrast to all the shiny Pete’s and Kenworth’s from that same time

Looks comfortable doesn't it? lol

Yeah it fired right up. The old Mack's seem to be the best trucks for farm and construction work, they can always get out of the mud.

@@MichaelTJD60 the trucks are balanced alot better than the new shit. New trucks are nose heavy and with air ride and a power divider a heavy dew on the ground and they are stuck on top of the ground! Mack built a drive in and come back out work truck when they built these! I'm sure my father had a couple million miles in a couple of different R models similar to this. And I've seen a crawler hooked to the front an 2 skidders pushing with the rear ends pulling mud. You would pull today's trucks in half doin some shit like that. But I guess that was old school!

These old Macks will beat you to death but they sure do run forever!

@@MichaelTJD60 they come from an era when men were men. No disrespect. That's just how it was, what they had, I know about them. I grew up in the passenger seat of one of them. Cross the railroad tracks and I'm sure it would clear the wheels! Didn't know any better back then! No lie I'm 39 years old and from what I have been told my mother and i came home from the hospital in the passenger seat of a 78 r-model. Pops unloaded a load of wood at the plywood plant an swung right back through and took us home. You had to be an iron Man to truck bad in the day. But you are right other than a little airbag under the cab it was a little ruff! But I tell you one thing you didn't have to worry about falling asleep in the bitch

That's awesome that your very first ride was in an R-model. My uncle used to run an R-model pulling an oil tanker from NJ up to Connecticut several days a week, and swears that truck was the reason for his kidney stones. lol. Macks were built for the owner, not the driver. But I don't think it would be too difficult to get a smooth ride out of one, with an upgraded suspension and cab.

Clever isn't it?

Ha ha

Haha a folding chair

The buzzer is annoying but there's probably a way to disable it. I'm not sure if the CH's and the late model RD's had a buzzer or not.

Mine does, but it is not as loud.

The buzzer is supposed to be annoying, if it's annoying you it's doing it's job. (To warn you)

The buzzer is required by law and a low air pressure light.. however if the light works some DOT officers won't write you a ticket for the buzzer not working

@@bertgrau9246 That seems stupid to me.

I found two more R models with the old 5 speeds today. Thanks for explaining how the compound transmission works, I never could figure out how a two-stick was a 5-speed.

Mine was an 84' we had 4 new ones in 88/89, by then they had replaced the second stick with an air button which was easier, then having to use 2 sticks when backing in. we hauled conc. pipe & had a lot of tight jobs to get into,,, pull up, back in, pull up get straight.. LOL! You know the deal... But they were great for backing down a long incline.. just put it in 1stor 2nd, the other in reverse, just creep down the ill w/o using the brakes & using the air up...

I want to buy an old R model one day and the compound transmission sounds like a lot of fun to drive.

I had one of those compounds in a tri-axle I drove for another const. co. so when I got there I knew how to use it, Most guys try to split it like a duplex.... doesn't work... that's why they have shift patterns on the dashboard. LOL!!!

Lol. I can see how it would be confused with a Duplex. I would still like to drive one someday.

It wasn't much of a cold start. It had been running earlier that day.

MichaelTJD60 ok.

I was waiting for the old air start sound that usually signalled my father going to work just before dawn when I was a kid.

The factory would install a passenger seat some were mounted solid and some were air ride. Just depended on what the customer wanted

Back in the day, a lot of fleets didn't allow passengers to ride in their trucks. The easiest way to keep passengers out was to order trucks without a passenger seat.

Agreed! Nothing like the sound of unregulated mechanical diesel power and black smoke.

Lol I wouldn't go that far. A seat in an old Mack is far from first-class.

Hell yes, Bostrom hand ratchet, hyd, seat . no such thing as an air ride seat. .Drove mostly dumps/ mixers & hauled concrete pipe & manholes.Nothing like being in one 9/10 hrs a day hauling sand & gravel. But then hardly any trucks back in the 70's & earlier had any comfort, Only had 2/40 air... Open the 2 vent windows & go 40mph . Radios??? had to rig up one of your own on the dash or somewhere.

Yeah they didn't change too much over the years lol...unfortunately that's what almost killed the company.

Ya

I'm a purist when it comes to the old trucks. I'd rather keep the Dayton wheels and single stack. But the green paint job could definitely go....seems like every other R-model you see is painted green.

I agree. Would love to own and restore an old R-model Mack one day.

I'm retired after 43 yrs. I drive a 98' RD tri-axle dump part time,, not much different then that old R model. except an air ride seat, radio, & a/c that doesn't work.. LOL!!!

Pretty much an R model with a different hood. lol. Tough trucks though. There are so many RD's still running the roads.

An RD is a R model wiith heavy const. stats. The R model road truck was replaced with the CH600.

Interesting. That makes sense. There are plenty of CH models still running the roads too.

Not my truck, but as far as I know the farmer still owns it and is running it. It would be awesome to see it restored to its former glory.

It came out of Wilmington, DE and is currently in use on a farm in southern NJ. As far as I know it isn't for sale. It's one of the only hauler trucks used on the farm.

I saw you referenced my video in a forum post on bigmacktrucks.com. Do you know when Matlack purchased a new fleet of R-model trucks? I can't seem to place a year for the truck in the title of the video.

Michael, the truck my dad drove when he retired was a 1979 R model. He said the trucks were sent out for refurbishing instead of new fleets being purchased. Since each hub was started in different years it would be hard to say what year the tractors were.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. I'm not too much of a Mack guru so I've been looking around trying to find the appropriate year this truck was built. I thought I remembered reading 1988 somewhere but it has to be older than that.

I forgot to mention my father retired in 1992 so the tractors were that old.

A lot of old fleet trucks were ordered without passenger seats. It was the best way to prevent the drivers from bringing passengers along.

@@MichaelTJD60 ohhhh ok that's neat. Also merry Christmas!

@@_flogan_4661 Our old Chevy shit spreading truck does not have a passenger's seat either. I believe it is a 60s or early-70s model.

Los camiónes de Mack son muy populares allí en Venezuela, ¿verdad? ¡Gracias por ver y comentar!

En Puerto Rico son makar o maquita

This truck was part of the Matlack fleet, so it does have the tattletale speedo. First one I had ever seen in person.

I drove a 79 freightliner that had a tattletale I didn't care I drove it hard anyway. Only thing it would only run 62 MPH of course the speed limit wss 55 in those days

@@bertgrau9246 You were quite the outlaw in those days to be driving 62 in a 55. lol.

Sort of. It's the low air buzzer.

Ahh I see

I have a video of an R700 with an 8v92 Detroit on my channel that I posted roughly a year and a half ago, if you want to check it out.

Couldn’t stand Mack’s with a Detroit- like putting a Pig into a Doghouse- Mack 300 was stronger and more reliable than ANY alternative motor- as a Matter Of fact I find it almost sinful to pack a “Screamer lagger leaker” in a bulldog tough truck- Detroit’s were noisy And weak- always needed dainty servicing- not the MACK 300

Maxidyne

MichaelTJD60 love the sound of both Maxidyne and Thermodyne engines

Any chance it’s for sale

@@joenichols590 As far as I know it's still being used on the same farm.

Yes, ENDT676

@@MichaelTJD60 what s difference from r600 to r700?

Well luckily this truck has been retired to farm use, and only runs local roads, so I don't think the farmer has anything to worry about.

the local roads are were the dot set up during planting and harvest seasons in most states

We don't usually have to worry about DOT checkpoints in New Jersey farm country. I know of one or two, but they are on busy roads. I'd be more worried about the lack of a front license plate on this truck, which is a requirement in NJ. lol

ya I say that is problem no plates. N.J. dot dose check back roads to get those trying to go around dot check points.

As long its on priviate land

EM6 (ENDT676) Maxidyne, 300 HP

The engine had just been run a few hours earlier...not like I was revving a cold engine.

MichaelTJD60 sorry for swearing but that’s how you crack a cylinder head. Love the R models