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Mack RD822sx

m16ty

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I picked up a Mack truck today that came from the TN National Guard. While it's not a standard MV, it was used by the NG. I needed a big truck to pull overweight loads over less than ideal roads and this thing should fill the bill. I have no idea what the NG used this truck for.

Mack RD822sx, 500hp Mack V8 engine, 12 speed mack trans, 65,000lb rears, 22,000 lb front.
 

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m16ty

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What did the military use these trucks for? As far as payload capacity, it would be comparable to the M1070 HET.
 

Monkeyboyarmy

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Thats a neat truck Ty. Congrats. Always wanted an E9 Mack. A couple of the toughest pulling trucks in the country are up in my neck of the woods. J.R. Collins' "Buckeye Bulldog" and Dick Bonner's "Killer" V8 powered Macks are always at the top.
 

m16ty

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I bought the truck from the city of New Johnsonville,TN surplus sale. The truck had "Tennessee Army National Guard" painted on the door and "Ft Campbell DRMO" written in paint marker on the bumper.

I'm trying to find some history on it but I'm coming up with dead ends (wish Carnac was still in business). Judging by the above post, the military must have used several of these trucks.
 

Artisan

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That thing looks absolutely BADAZZ my friend...
Congrats.

I hope you get it all in order.

Be sure to post pics!
 

quickfarms

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If you contact the mack museum and give them the vin they can at least get you a copy of the build sheet.

What are the specs on the truck.

I do like mack R series trucks. Used to haul overweight loads with one. My truck had a twin stick in it, it used to freak people out when I shifted through the gears in reverse. I was taught to float gears in that truck.

Mack's make a good mistress :)
 

m16ty

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What are the specs on the truck.
1991 RD822sx
500hp Mack V8 engine.
Mack engine brake (Dynatard)
26,000 miles showing on the speedo
Mack 12 speed trans.
65,000lb (I think) Mack rears.
22,000lb (I think) front axle.
Dual steering boxes.
Walking beam suspension.
11.00-24 tube tires on the rears, 12.00-24 tube tires on front.
A/C (Haven't checked to see if it works)

One thing I didn't notice until I bought it is it's 24v. I just happened to notice the volt gauge showed 24v so I looked in the battery compartment and sure enough, two 12v batteries wired in series. That could present a small problem as all my trailers are 12v.

The 12-speed does allow 6 gears in reverse.

I'll take some more pics in the next few days. The one posted is the auction pic. The truck needs a good cleaning, it appears to have been sitting under some trees and has a bunch of tree sap on it.
 
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m16ty

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I just found out some info on this truck.



"Allentown, PA – Mack Trucks, Inc., which gained its Bulldog identity during World War I, has again rallied its troops to support America’s military.
According to Sam Carr, Mack’s manager of international accounts, Mack people, dealers, customers and suppliers recently joined ranks in a spirited fashion to help the U.S. Army fill an unusual, yet highly critical, order during Operation Desert Storm.

Carr said that on December 21, 1990, the Army contacted Mack in search of 48 tractor trailer combinations that would be used to transport huge 70-ton M-1A1 Abrams tanks and other military equipment to the front lines. Without the semis, the tanks would have been forced to travel as far as 200 miles across the rugged desert terrain of Saudi Arabia. The solo trek would have greatly increased the likelihood of costly, dangerous breakdowns and excessive fuel consumption.

One of Mack’s toughest Bulldogs, the RD800, was drafted for the job.

Mack Trucks was given only 20 days to fill the order.

“We found ourselves in the middle of a very real emergency,” said Carr. “Rather than risk missing our deadline, we decided to complete the order by pulling the RD800s from dealer inventories. To accomplish this, of course, we needed the cooperation of our dealers.”

After scouring North America in search of the vehicles, Carr found the RD800s that he wanted.


  • Worldwide Equipment, Inc. of Prestonsburg, Kentucky sent 19
  • South Kentucky Mack of Somerset, Kentucky sent 18
  • Knoxville Mack of Knoxville, Tennessee sent eight
  • M.A. Caribbean Corporation of Caguas, Puerto Rico sent one

The remaining two were procured from Mack’s inventory, one each from Mack Used Trucks and Mack Canada.

“The dealers were 100 percent supportive, often sending us vehicles that were already ticketed for customer delivery,” said Carr.

Having located the vehicles, which were all straight trucks outfitted for coal hauling, Carr next had to coordinate their delivery to Lehigh Consolidated Industries (LCI), Inc. of Stockertown, Pennsylvania.

LCI modified the trucks by installing fifth wheels and trailer brake packages.

Carr’s deadline for on-time delivery to Bayonne, New Jersey was January 10, 1991. The logistical headache turned into a nightmare when Carr was notified in the midst of the run that the caravan had been reassigned to Jacksonville, Florida. On top of that, the deadline had been moved up one day to January 9!

Despite the odds, and having to arrange for new state permits to accommodate the oversized 12-foot wide trailers, the Army’s newest ally made its appointment.

Carr said overcoming the odds for making delivery required a joint operation between the company, the Mack distributors and the vendors.

Carr summarized by saying, “It was obvious that the national interest needed to be served, and I was proud to play a part in helping our country win the war. I’m sure that there are countless other example of how good logistic support separated the winners from the losers. Just ask Saddam.”

My truck is one of those trucks. It has a sticker in the door that says "Outfitted by Lehigh Consolidated Industries". There was also a phone number but when I call it said the number was no longer in service.
 
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Neat truck! I've always loved the butterfly hood big Mack trucks. Is your truck a double or triple frame? I took a tour in Allentown the last year they made the RD in the later 2000's. Not too many E9's around this part of the country due to lack of mountains. I've heard you need to keep a close eye on the head bolt torque on E9's. Tandem steering gears are fairly common on heavy front axle vocational trucks like concrete mixers, etc. glad a member snagged this awesome old rig!

regards
Andy
 

m16ty

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That's a hawse right there! Mind explaining why it would need dual steering boxes and what that system would look like? Does it double the gearing to further reduce steering effort?
When you get into trucks this size, one steering box just isn't enough to turn the front wheels when loaded heavy. What you have is one steering box in the normal location on the drivers side of the truck and the shaft from the steering wheel goes into it. On the passenger side you have another steering box that looks just like the one on the drivers side with one exception, it doesn't have a steering shaft going into it.

My knowledge of how it all works is somewhat limited but it's my understanding that the second box get's a signal from the main box that controls it's operation. What it basically does is double your power steering force.

Andy, it's double frame.

When I bought this truck, I was just needing a heavy truck to haul some big loads and it fit the bill. I had no idea it was a war hero. After finding this out, I feel I need to take a little extra care of it.
 
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m16ty

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Finally got to put the old girl to work a little this week. I hauled 4 loads grossing around 160,000lb each. This is actually a small load for us but I'm about maxed out until I get a bigger trailer. The truck didn't even know it was back there.

I've still got to add a caution light to the headache rack and I've got a pusher axle I need to install.
 

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M543A2

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Seeing that you already have been pulling a trailer I assume you resolved your concerns about 12 volt trailer lights with a 24 volt truck. If not I can say we use voltage converters, 24 to 12, to feed the trailer system. Cat and other suppliers have them. I also went so far as to put a double system on an 18 ton Ferree we pull behind our 2 1/2 and 5 tons. I adapted the light system off a M105 trailer, adding clearance lights. We now can use the trailer on either 12 or 24 volts without a converter depending on which trailer pigtail we plug in to the towing truck.
 

m16ty

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Seeing that you already have been pulling a trailer I assume you resolved your concerns about 12 volt trailer lights with a 24 volt truck. If not I can say we use voltage converters, 24 to 12, to feed the trailer system. Cat and other suppliers have them. I also went so far as to put a double system on an 18 ton Ferree we pull behind our 2 1/2 and 5 tons. I adapted the light system off a M105 trailer, adding clearance lights. We now can use the trailer on either 12 or 24 volts without a converter depending on which trailer pigtail we plug in to the towing truck.
No. I found out the problem. Some idiot Had the batteries hooked up wrong. The truck starts on 24v but all accessories are 12v. I really don't understand how the system works but there is a box on the back of the alternator that lets the alternator charge the 24v wired batteries but sends 12v to everything else.

What you have is a 12v wire that connects to the last battery and that wire goes to the box on the alternator. Some idiot had hooked up that wire to 24v instead of 12v. Before I figured it out, I had blown all the headlights and a diode in the alternator. Luckily I didn't mess anything else up before I figured it out.
 
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