FAT525 – 1994 MACK MH622 ULTRA-LINER

Starting out as a logger, our second inductee into the Bridgestone Million Mile Club holds mana akin to that cherished tomahawk in the woodshed – the one that’s had three new handles and a new head. Proudly standing in the Lindsay Taylor fleet of Ohakune, Toa has a meaningful presence that pays homage to guidance received from whānau past.

Talking with Lindsay we learn that Toa was new in 1994 to Dave Hartley of Tokoroa, who worked it on logs. From what he understands, it was built as a 500hp V8, and set up as an 8×4 rigid pulling a three-axle trailer for Dave. Late in 1996, the rig was sold into the Sheldrake Haulage fleet where it spent the next three years. From here it was a stint with R Smith Logging of Taupō, where it worked for nigh on four years. A jump across the Cook Strait was next, where Southern Lakes Maintenance of Arrowtown put it to work as a drop-side tipper.

In 2009, Toa was again advertised for sale. R and L Duncan, a small fleet based near Thames, answered the call and acquired Toa. The Duncans initially operated the unit as a drop-side tipper, sporting the number plate DVSDOG. A little later they converted it to a log-deck setup complete with four-axle trailer. While in the care of the Duncans, the 500 was found to be tired and in need of rebuilding. However, a donor 525 was found and the decision was made to fit that instead. Unfortunately, it was not long after this when the Ultra- Liner was involved in a forestry accident, the result of which found it sitting in a sorry state within Cavanagh’s Truck Spares yard near Te Puke, late in 2010.

In early 2011, Lindsay caught wind of the Ultra-Liner up for sale, in need of restoration. “I picked it up from Bill Cavanagh as a wreck; the cab was in real bad shape, so Bill threw in another cab for us that was in a lot better condition. We also purchased off Bill a complete air-ride Hendrickson suspension setup with Rockwell diffs, because we really wanted air- ride, and of course it also gave us a full cross-lock setup.”

Back at the workshop, it was stripped right back, new rails were slid into it to get the wheelbase he needed, and then the new rear end was rolled under it, with a Voith retarder fitted at the same time.

“While it was all in bits, we gave the 525 a full rebuild. Then up front we changed that up, too. It was built with multi-leaf spring packs and load share, so that was all pulled out and we installed new parabolic springs to help improve handling and ride. Once all the work was done and she was all back together, we sent it off to Fruehauf to have a new 7.4m curtainsider body built for it with container style doors at the rear,” says Lindsay.

Toa is one of those trucks that has truly done the hard mahi and suffered some solid knocks along its journey. However, the depth of character it has earned from the stories it has to share qualify it as a warrior of substance. Toa, welcome to the club.