About twice a day, my splitter wont split from low range to high. Of course it usually happens when I am loaded going up a hill with traffic behind me. Being a newer driver, is this a common problem or does my truck have issues? Where should I start looking for fixes? The tranny is an Eaton-Fuller 10 speed. Thanks
It sounds like you got a case of white snot If you drain your wet tank and its loaded up full of white milky crap your compressor is bypassing oil. That white goo gets into the small lines of the Road Ranger transmission and makes it really sluggish. I have a feeling that is your problem if its not that then your transmission needs to be looked at. Personally I would ditch the 10spd for a 13spd or a 8LL. The 8LL would be a good choice if you have tall axle gears and lower power it will help you pull out of some of the hills better (off road).
The whole truck is getting ditched soon. The dump truck learning curve is vertical!!! I got a buddy that owns a paving company that wants this truck. The International is horrible off-road. Low diesel and air tanks and the radiator line that runs between the frame and right front spring are killing me. I am shopping around right now to find something a little more suited for steep climbs and rough roads. I would really like an Exhd Pete with a rock box, the small fuel tanks and an 18k pound front end. Maybe even an 18 speed. My air compressor is leaking a little oil. That most likely is the issue. Had the parts priced at $1,600 from the dealer the other day.:Banghead
Even Pete isn't a good offroad truck you should look at T-800 Kenworth they are a better truck for dump truck applications. Next would be a Ford L-9000 which would be one of my first choices if I found a good one.
Eazzzzzzzzzy... ointlaugh rofessor Simple solution. Start off in high range in 1st gear (low) position, and drive it like a Maxidyne.
Explain Lowboy, I own one of them there maxidyne's and it is a pain in the axx. The only time I can make good time when loaded in the hills is when I can hit the hills at 55 mph. If I have to climb a hill from a stop I have to climb in 2nd or 3rd, no 4th. I just try and forget about the people behind me and just keep trucking. The two low gears 1stL and 2ndL are a waste never use them. Just two slow.
LOL, it could aslo be a small air leak,. t 800's are the cats meow, esp w/a 14liter cummins
I just had another thread-jacking seizure jmac, that's all. Trying to be smart, ended up showing my stupidity. You couldn't start off in high range if you tried, unless you had a downhill, rolling start and you knew enough to synchronize your speed to the rpm with Copenhagen's setup anyways... I always hated a Maxidyne transmission with a deep, dark special kind of hate only found in certain individuals. I possess that type of hate indeed, for that Maxitorque tranny. You can eat an entire Dagwood-style sandwich in between gears, waiting for the rpm's to drop. If you aren't that savvy with them and you're pulling a hill loaded and miss a cog...you will be rolling backwards. The only way I ever shifted one is with the dynatard on, so the motor drops in less than 10 minutes between shifts. It takes a special breed to actually like them, kind of like Gomer Pyle on Valium, to be specific. If for any reason my life took a turn for the worst, and I was given a choice of having to drive another Mack with a 5 speed and a 237 Maxidyne, or death by the electric chair...I'd ask where do I plug it in, and are they sure they paid the electric bill so it didn't fail...:cool2
I'll try to be serious for once here, Copenhagen. Sometimes my "court jester" personality overrides my serious side. Or, Carma runs over my Dogma?:beatsme There's 2 small airlines that go to a block on the side of that transmission which is the hi-lo range actuator. If you or someone were to remove the 4 bolts that attaches it to the housing, most likely the little plunger and spring assy. inside is gunked up and/or simply needs a little PB Blaster treatment. There is also a rebuild kit for that actuator/selector valve that's ridiculously inexpensive, the hard cost is having a real scientific-minded parts changing engineer (or a mechanic,) put it in for you. Should be about an hours worth of work, since I've been the parts changing engineer in that position one time or another, and did it in that timeframe. Winter time is the real infamous season for that same thing to happen, and the most inconvenient, I might add.:drinkup
In my opinion Pete always has been more geared torwards highway trucks not really getting filthy running through axle deep mud. If you want a good dump truck really try to avoid the tractor conversions. Start searching through truck paper.com to find something that fits your needs.
I kinda thought that those MaxiTorque transmissions were quite an improvement over the quadruplex that I was used to driving and I learned to like them right away.I agree that they had their moments but if you were handy with the clutchbrake they could be made to behave fairly well. There were three different versions to be had in the construction trucks.The first one was a 5 speed with a low range in a separate stick only used in first and reverse.The next one was a 5 speed with a high range only to be used in fifth gear.Noisy as the devil too.The last one that I knew about had a 5 speed with low range,direct and reverse in the separate stick and you needed to put that one in neutral and the main box in third or fourth for the power take off to work so you could dump a dump body or trailer dump. There just wasn't much good to say about that transmission.If you got in trouble off road in the mud etc with a regular transmission you could often catch it on the rebound and back up or change direction at least and keep your momentum and maybe not get stuck but that tranny with reverse in the other stick would have you stuck in no time because even if you did make the gear change there was such a difference in ratio that by the time you shifted the main box up two gears to match the speed you had going forward it was too late and you were stuck.I liked the first transmission the best of the three and I still like to hear that Maxidyne bark )Lecrit chair?Gimme that Mack!!!LOL.Ron G
What are some of the visual things I can look at to see if it was a tractor conversion or a true dump truck? Most of my hauling is on the interstate, from a pit to a job site. The only problem is that when I get to the job site, I may or may not be able to get in. The International I have now loves the highway and rides like a Cadillac even when it is unloaded. The main problems are the low tanks, the stupid steel radiator pipe and the set back axle that has a tendancy to get overloaded. I used to know a lot about trucks until I started hanging around you guys. My "infinite wisdom" is very little compared to yalls knowledge. Thanks for all the input. :notworthy I am only 24 years old and have never heard of a Maxidyne!!
When you go looking for dump trucks tractor conversions are fairly easy to spot or they are in my neck of the woods. The first clue for us is the truck has normal steer tires. Second the truck has a light suspension. Your cornbinder is a tractor conversion I could tell when I first looked at the pictures. A good dump spec is 400-425hp 18,000lb front 44 or 46,000lb rear axle 8LL 13 15 or 18spd transmission and I prefer spring suspension but its your choice. For engines stick with 14 litre power there is no replacement for displacement. Cat 3406B or E Cummins 400 or N-14 are good engines stay away from the Cummins 444 and the Cat 3406C 3176. The Series 60 Detroit big block is okay but it is a cheaper built engine than the rest.
Lowboy and RonG, exactly! The old Mack is hard to shift for sure! When I first bought the truck I thought it was me, but after listening to guys I work around and you guys, and after driving it for a while I came to the conclusion that it is the truck! LowBoy, so true about the hills, I can speak from experience. No one told me all this before I bought truck! I will say that if and when I get new one (someday) wo ho, wo ho. how nice that will be, air, good radio, and a tranny that will shift faster than it takes to eat a dogwood :drinkup I have never driven a new truck. Someday I will ask someone to let me give it a spin. or go to the dealer and act like I want to buy a new one.
Dagwood-style sandwich, not dogwood, that would kind of hard to eat. ointhead
Yeah, dogwood's hard on the choppers jmac. Honestly, my comment about taking the electric chair before driving another Mack was, to say the least... a little extreme. (But not by much.) I personally have a problem staring at the bulldog's behind all day, but I will say I have driven decent R-models that were set up right. A 350 Mack engine with a Fuller transmission like an 8LL, a 9 speed or even a 13 speed make a heck of a setup in a Mack dump truck in my view. They shift 200% differently, because the rpm's drop drastically faster than one with a compound-style (2 tranny) gearbox combination. The 6 speeds and lo-hole versions have their place in society, like for being pushed by a paving box, chain-spreading processed stone where you have the tailgate chains set to spread material anywhere from 2" to a foot thick, and you need that creeper gear for that work. But for hauling on the highway, or even simply moving your machines to the next job, they stink. Before you feel you have to spend a million dollars on a newer truck, I'd consider checking with your favorite shop that does your heavy duty truck work. I personally wouldn't hesitate to peel that boat anchor set of transmissions out of that nice R-model that you posted pics of in the past, ('cause it does look good,) and do a hunt and search for a used 8LL or 9 speed and stuff it in their place. You'll be amazed how much less of an investment that would be compared to a newer truck, plus it is considered an upgrade and is a writeoff to boot. I'll be more than glad to help you find the right deal on a tranny in one of my resource books and list of truck parts places I've dealt with. I guarantee, after driving it with a sweet shifting Roadranger in it, you WILL fall back in love with that truck...and no huge payments either.:scool Parts are abundant for one stack Macks with windows in the back, and nearby too, such as here in New York state. Components like Roadranger trannies are also all over the place. Worst case scenario is you'll have to change the bell housing,(which is also available used,) and a decent used gearbox is anywheres from $1500-2500 bucks. The rest is labor and trinkets. Trust me...you shift that truck after this upgrade and you'll be proud that there's a bulldog's butt staring at you then.:drinkup
twin stick macks When I first started driving it was mixers and some of the macks had these transmissions in them, they are a bear to shift if you tried doing it with the clutch, but if you did it with the engine brake they just slipped into gear. They were'nt fun to drive but when it came to backing through a mud hole or such, it was some nice to have those 5 and just GO:slomo, the converted two of them over to dumb trucks and yeah if you didn't have the main in third or fourth, then boy did it take a while for the box to go up., There was also the air shift's, one was a 5 speed with a air low for first and second, the other was a 5 speed with air shift for high and low, and you split all the gears, and neutral and reverse, which gave you five in reverse too.
I just got out of a mack 86 r model, it had the 6 speed airshift. Liked it for site work but for pulling hill it sucked! YOu were either right on the governor with the pistons just about coming through the hood or you were lugging it out , didn't think an engine could run that slow and still pull a load. Now I am in a freightshaker with and N-14 430 hp . what a difference! Now when I have 20 tons on it doesn't feel like I am carrying it on my back. It takes a special breed to really like the older macks.
For transmission problem, the actual cause is probably the slave valve as mentioned but the first step should be just to service the transmission air filter. This regular maintenance is often (usually, always) neglected and it might be packed with sludge.
Where is the typical location for the transmission air filter? Yeah, I'm still kinda a newbie.
Sometimes the airfilter is on top of the trans. and sometimes it is on the side.
We've only got a couple of 8LLs and a 13 here and on those they're mounted on the back above the deep reduction cylinder. The filter is under the big nut on top of the regulator. The whole regulator is pretty cheap and easy to change also. Sorry the picture isn't very clear.