Mack hope that its compact 1937 - 1938 Mack Jr half - ton pickup truck would sell at the 1936 Mack Jr ’s pace , but that did n’t happen , and Mack ’s maraud into the small - size market ended with the 1938 model .
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Mack ’s dense - duty trucks are synonymous with big - rig staying power . But only truck historian may realize the Allentown , Pennsylvania , society also once built a " personal Mack , " the Mack Jr in a size that would fit most every garage . ( The manakin name was never spelled out , or given a period . )
The Mack Jr come about in the mid thirties . Hoping to improve sale during a lean full stop , Mack arrange with truck builder Reo to trade slightly disguised Reo light - duty truck with Mack badging .
The Mack Jr debuted for 1936 in 1/2 - ton to 3 - ton ratings ( gross fomite weight of 4500 to 14,500 pound ) . This was Inner Light compared to the " literal " Macks , which begin at 18,000 pounds .
Eight model choices ranged from pickup and panel hand truck to a school - bus chassis . The program worked : mac enrolment increased from 1,515 in 1935 to 4,226 in 1936 , with the Jr accounting for 2,343 .
Mack revised the 1937 Mack Jr , replacing the 4,500 - dog pound 1 M pickup arm with a 5,000 - pound 2 M ; with a particular axle , it could even take an extra 500 pounds of cargo . A new physique , heavier axle , and more rigid frame marked the 1937 Mack Jr as a serious truck built to Mack standards .
Eye prayer was enhanced with new bike , a giving new hood and grille , and fenders painted to tally the body . All bodies were improved in appearance , cabs were fitted with adorable appointments , and the truck could doubtless handle far more than their 1/2- or 3/4 - ton ratings .
Prices for the 1937 Mack Jr range from $ 575 for the 1/2 - net ton pickup to $ 1,205.Ford’spickup , in equivalence , cost only $ 470 . Mack tell apart its salesmen it did n’t know " how to sell at a price " and urge on they sell the vehicle on their merits .
Still , deliveries slipped to 2,226 for 1937 , then plummet in 1938 to only 405 . Mack pulled the plug , able again to succeed handsomely with its gravid motortruck .
