End of the Macks?

Noticed the Army driving through town the other day, in MAN trucks.
A few different versions, mostly 6x6 but there were also 8x8's, big trucks on super single tyres.
Is this the end for the old Macks?
Has the Army gone Euro 6 mad too?

MAN are a cunning mob,they sell the trucks pretty cheap,but fit all kinds of weird stuff,that costs heaps for spares.Like odd section belts that cost $150 each.Brake drums for $1500,shoes $500 each.The trucks are pretty good,plenty of ground clearance,hub reduction,diff locks everywhere.

The last 12-18 Months there would hardly have been a Week go by without Graysonline having a Sale with Ex army stuff in it.. Including those Macks & their associated Spares.

I was advised that the roll out of the new trucks for the army is somewhat delayed and behind. The Macks will remain in service as legacy fleet until the complete roll out of new trucks is complete. This could take another 10 years to sell all Macks gone from the army

Lol that sounds just like the IDF. The Mack DM800s were supposed to be replaced by the ÖAF (Austrian MANs) way back in the 80s but eventually they served side by side and only this year I think they will finally pension the DM.

US defense HQ =Pentagon;UK defense HQ=Whitehall: Russian def HQ=Kremlin:......Aussie defense HQ=Fort Fumble........Read the never ending story of the "Collins Class"....and give up all hope.

I must be out of touch.
Here's Aus. with GMH, Ford etc gone down the gurgler, lots of small and often quite smart parts manufacturers gone down with them so why couldn't we assemble something here. That's how the Macks were done back in the day, a purpose built assembly line was set up at Wacol and they rolled them out. (Volvo moved in later)
The trucks I'm seeing on the road aren't armoured, they're simply transport vehicles configured 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8.
I can't see the need to import something designed for the general public when the Army could have its own special vehicle design that just goes on forever with normal maintenance.
Running gear and suspension, off the shelf, heaps to chose from as this stuff is everywhere in the oil and off road world.
Gearboxes, the same. Allison auto with joey box and power divider, pretty standard specs.
Engine, why go electronic, something old school like a de-rated KT will last forever.
Cab and chassis, I'm leaning towards a Flintstone but anything made from steel would suit.
The Mans certainly look the goods with their high clearance and modern cabs. But this is the Army and I don't think it's warranted.
Last really big exercise, the APC's, Bushmasters and sundry vehicles were all moved by sub contractors. Sure the heavy stuff went Army but not the light gear. Personnel went on buses.

The army only need to own specialist tactical, battlefield vehicles like the MAN in large quantities. They have a limited supply of civilian type vehicles and use contractors for any big movements.

This is as it should be. Saves costs on fleets of vehicles doing nothing much of the time. Come a real war and they just go to TOLL or Linfox and say "Bring in 50 trucks a day to have them painted green and any military age drivers go collect your baggy green suit and slouch hat"

Our civilian fleet is a huge modern military reserve doing something useful while waiting for a war.

Lang

Jeffo

Just had some more thoughts on your ideas.

It is unfeasible for Australia to produce a special vehicle just for the Army. A simple truck like you suggest would finish up costing 5 times as much as a far more capable sophisticated imported MAN.

The reason we no longer make cars is because we priced ourselves out of the business. There comes a time when union demands for more money, fewer hours and increased benefits becomes impossible to maintain. Add to this the impossible demands for Workplace Health and Safety requirements and hundreds of approvals, certificates, licences, reports etc etc that cost businesses their profits (the only reason they are there). Don't blame GMH or Ford, we shot ourselves in the foot.

We are one of the least productive and most expensive countries in the world, riding on income from stuff being dug out of holes in the ground. We will be OK but our grand kids will suffer when the free ride comes to an end.

It would be great to build our own vehicles but economies of scale and Australian workplace costs, even if subsidised by some sort of "Buy Australian" donation by the Government for military orders, would suck up the whole defence budget overnight.

We have to live within our means and I think importing the MAN's was the best solution from the options available.

Lang

The whole country has descended into public authority insanity.I was trying to get a house and shed built on land ive owned for years.After years of to and fro between council and town planners costing thousands ,specialists reports costing thousands,it was refused.Ive beeen invited to appeal thru the court,dont think so.Would you believe a simple application had 10 council planners "working"on it,with huge extra fees .The land is too close to industry to be domestic,too close to houses to be industrial.Or so say the council.