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Batteries, Inverters, etc.

M

MorganW

Expert Expediter
Okay folks, I brought home the "new" truck over the weekend. I'm now a member of what may be the smallest minority in expedited freight...Mack Midliner Owner! So far, so good though. It made the almost 1000 mile journey home without any drama. Like many other makes, it's geared more for city driving and the motor spins pretty fast at highway speed, but I'm still averaging well north of 10mpg, so I'm hopeful. Anyway, I'm taking care of a couple of issues this week before heading out, and I wanted your opinions:

1. The truck currently has 2 batteries in series and no inverter. As a matter of fact, it doesn't even have a 12v power outlet anywhere in the massive 42" sleeper! Obviously, I'm not going to be running a whole lot of electrical devices...(where would I put 'em???)...but I would like to bring the little 12" tv/vcr, a coleman powered cooler and a bunk warmer. Adding a genset is out, so I'll either need to add another battery box and additional batteries, add an inverter, or both. Have any of you done this and do you have any advice or pointers?

2. The sleeper has no windows. Have any of you ever added/refitted a window to a sleeper? I'm thinking of something like the Freightshaker Century condo window.

As always, thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge.

Stay warm!
Morgan
 
W

Weave

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
An additional or larger battery box should be no problem at all for a shop to install. If you have the space on the frame, you can add the genset too. Sleeper windows are a piece of cake also. I wouldn't invest a whole ton of money into the thing, but if it's running good get all you can out of it.

I'm getting a chuckle out of this, because a long time friend of mine started out in a Mack Midliner. The Renault built engine in them is VERY reliable, almost bulletproof. The only problem I recall with that truck was the clutch, it does not last long and requires frequent adjustment, and also shops or dealers don't often stock specific Midliner parts.

Volvo USA purchased the Mack group from Renault of France recently, and now the two are coming together as one. There should be plenty of Midliner parts kicking around for the next few years, so have fun with it and best wishes!

-Weave-
 
G

Glen Rice

Veteran Expediter
If you want to slow that engine down a bit, the next time you buy tires go to tall rubber instead of the low pro setup you probably have. It'll buy a couple of miles per hour at the same engine speed. Battery wise I would run your sleeper batterys separate from the truck ones to insulate any starting problems. Any upholstery shop can fit you with a van style window at a resonable cost if you're not up to tackling yourself. Good luck and just remember to service the heck out of that Mack and it will last you a good long time.
 
Lawrence

Lawrence

Founder
Staff member
Morgan,

Please share a digital picture with us.

Thanks!

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com


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