1963 Mack M-18

By Jay Hirsch

Mack Trucks was founded in 1900 in Brooklyn, N.Y., by the Mack brothers and was originally named the Mack Brothers Company. They made buses and trolley buses. Their first vehicle was a gas-powered bus for the Brooklyn sightseeing firm of Harris and McGuire. Mack had an advertising campaign that boasted: “The first Mack built was a bus and the first bus built was a Mack.”

In 1905 the company moved its headquarters to Allentown, Penn., when it relocated its factory to Macungie, Penn.

In 1907 Mack made its first truck in Macungie, where it makes trucks to this day, with additional plants in Maryland, Australia and Venezuela.

During WWI, before the United States entered into the war, Mack supplied trucks to the English army in their fight against Germany. It was during this time it is rumored that the English Bulldog hood ornament was born and the phrase “built like a Mack Truck” entered into the company’s terminology when British soldiers nicknamed their AC models as “bulldogs” because of their blunt-nosed hood and durability.

It is also said that an English soldier commented, “These trucks are built like an English Bulldog,” which became “built like a Mack truck.”

In 1910 Mack Trucks produced the first motorized hook-and-ladder fire truck, which was delivered to the Morristown, N.J., fire department.

In 1922 Mack Trucks was the first truck to use power brakes, and it was the first truck with a drive shaft instead of a chain drive,

It was not until 1938 that Mack made it first diesel engine. Until then a Mack Truck either had a gas engine made by Mack or Diesel engines were supplied by Cummins or Detroit Diesel.

The Mack M-18 seen here was made at the Toledo, Ohio, Mack factory. It is one of four built with this custom body on the shorter M-18 wheelbase as compared to its bigger brother the M-45. There were 31 M-18s made between 1961 and 1963. They had a single rear axle with dual 14.00 x 25 tires, which translates into a tire that is 57.7 inches in height and 15.9 inches wide. The M-18 was made for off highway use and with those 14.00 x 25 tires there was excellent ground clearance for going over some rough terrain.

The original Mack 711 a 676 cid/11.1-liter engine, which produced 615 lbs. of torque, has been replaced with a Mack Maxidyne 300 that has 1,080 lbs. of torque. This engine was first made in 1973. This engine, with an rpm range of 1,200 to 2,100, enabled heavy-duty trucks to operate with the five-speed Maxitorque transmission. Until then heavy trucks had an rpm range of 1,800 to 2,100 and had 10 or more gears

In the 1970s Jack McDevitt & Sons bought this company and still operates the quarry in addition to operating a heavy duty-truck hauling business. The M-18 was used only in the quarry. It was the perfect size for the quarry, as 18-wheelers were too cumbersome to maneuver the quarry. And even some of double-axle dump trucks were too big for some areas of the quarry.

The M-18 would haul the stone and rocks dumped into it to the 18-wheelers parked at the entrance to the quarry. While it did not have many miles, the engine had many hours, as it was in constant use. In 1978 it was decided to replace the M-711 engine with the newer M-300. At this time air conditioning was added to the cab and a new five-speed transmission was installed, reducing the work of the driver, who, until then, was constantly changing gears, which translated into much wear and tear on the clutch.

In 2011 the decision was made to retire the M-18. It was also decided to restore it as only four were made and the truck was part of Mack Truck history. Restoring a truck requires many “manmade new parts,”as the local auto parts store does not carry parts for heavy-duty trucks, especially one made in 1963. The M-18 was put away in a covered shed until 2013 when Jack and his sons began the task of bringing the M-18 back to all its glory

Many trucks were made for owners, who then put their personal touches on the truck. Those could be in the form of a custom paint job reflecting the company business, add-on body lights, and an assortment of truck accessories available when the truck was new and available over the years as the truck aged. The Orange or Pumpkin color reflects the orange in the Irish flag, which is green and orange. As Jack said, “There are so many green Macks, I wanted a color that not only stands out but is part of Irish heritage. It is also great as Halloween time approaches.”

The McDevitt name in gold leaf was not on the truck when Jack acquired it, but he added it in the restoration of the truck. The dumpster body was “beat to hell” from decades of tons of stone and granite being dumped into, and the cab suffered the effects of rocks falling onto its roof and fenders.

In May 2018 the restoration was completed, and the M-18 was transported to Macungie, Penn., for the Antique Truck Club of America’s annual show at Macungie Memorial Park, held in June on Father’s Day weekend. This is not a judged, show as no two trucks were ever alike. It is a show of camaraderie, a brotherhood of people who have preserved a part of American history. Everything Americans use has been transported by a truck. A few weeks after the Macungie show the M-18 was at the Gary Mahan Collection for a gathering of members of the ATCA to view not only Jack’s 1963 M-18 but the 150 trucks in the Mahan Collection. Jack’s truck is on loan to Gary for viewing as part of this collection. The 150 trucks are in five buildings on the property.

If this M-18 seems familiar, think Tonka Toy Truck Dumpster.