TRASHMACKS.com > Mack MCs and MRs in the Fire Service

Welcome to TRASHMACKS.com!

This site is dedicated to Mack MC and MR model commercial chassis which were used to build fire apparatus and replaced the MB series in 1978. These popular commercial chassis were used for everything from gas, oil and fuel trucks, concrete pumping vehicles, and even more commonly, as garbage trucks! Hence the name TRASHMACKS, a term coined by Rodger Birchfield, a fire entheusiast from Indianapolis, Indiana during a visit to the Cincinnati Miles Greenwood Fire Flea Market. The MC and MR line of chassis live up to the Mack name by being heavy duty, dependable and almost indestructable.

Mack MC Series

The MC series was designed for inner-city work as a straight truck or tractor.

In total, there were 756 total fire trucks built on the Mack MC Chassis between 1978 and 1990. 321 trucks were constructed using the MC611 chassis between 1979 and 1986, of those 183 were used for the fire service.

A breakdown of Mack MC custom fire models is as follows: The engines were all diesels and the pump sizes ranged from 750-2,000GPM.

Model	Engine	# Built
MC487	Scania ENDT475, ETZ477B, 475ci 210 HP	28
MC611	Mack ENDT673, ETZ673, E6-260 Thermodyne 672ci 260HP	183
MC685	Mack ENDT675, ETZ675, EM6-237 Maxidyne 672ci 237HP	67
MC686	Mack ENDT676, ETSZ676, EM6-285 672ci 285HP	316
MC688	Mack E6-350, ETAZ677 672ci 350HP	142
MC690	Mack EM6-275 672ci 275 HP	20
		TOTAL: 756

The final Mack MC fire truck with a Mack body was a 1,500gpm engine delivered to Guttenberg, New Jersey in 1984. [ Check out photos ]

The final fire truck constructed on a Mack MC chassis was for a Saulsbury-bodied rescue. The chassis rolled off the assembly line October 31, 1990 and the completed rig was delivered on August 2, 1991 to Westbury, NY. It cost $391,000 and was an MC688 FC model. [ Check out photos ]

Decyphering the Mack MC serial numbering.

The serial number designations of Mack MC custom fire apparatus indicated the engine used, pump size, and if a fire pumper, fire chassis or fire tractor, in either four or six wheel configuration

EX: MC685FCS(10)1001
Indicated the first MC600 series tandem axel fire chassis with an ENDT675 Maxidyne diesel and a 1,000gpm pump.

Mack MR Series

The MR chassis was designed for construction and refuse applications and features extra heavy duty components for off road service.

The Mack MR series was renamed the TerraPro series in 2006. The City of Yonkers, NY had the first known use of a TerraPro cab for a piece of fire apparatus. They took delivery of a 2009 Mack TerraPro/Hackney Rescue [ photos ] for use as their collapse rescue unit. The TerraPro chassis continues to be a favorite for refuse trucks and other city applications.

There is no visible difference between the MC and MR models and a slight difference between the MR and the newer TerraPro chassis.

NOTE: This section to be moved somewhere eventually.

FDNY Mack MC/MR Casulties on 9/11

The New York City Fire Department lost three of their Mack MC/MR units during the World Trade Center collapse. They include

High Rise 1 (MH9705) [ photos ]
High Rise 2 (MH9706) [ photos ]
Satellite 1 (MS9304) [ photos ]

Any additional information or photos are welcome!

NYPD Mack MC/MR Casulties on 9/11

It is unknown if any Mack MC/MR units operated by the New York City Police Department were lost during the World Trade Center collapse. Any additional information or photos are welcome!

NY/NJPA Mack MC/MR Casulties on 9/11

It is unknown if any Mack MC/MR units operated by the New York City/New Jersey Port Authority were lost during the World Trade Center collapse. Any additional information or photos are welcome!

Contributing to this Site

Comments are allowed for photos. If you have details on any rigs shown on this site, please feel free to leave a comment. If you know who the original photographer is, please feel free to post that information as well. Some of the images I've collected over the years and would live to give credit where credit is due.

Do you have photos that are not on this site? Do you have a Mack MC/MR at your firehouse? If you do, feel free to submit images of it and I'll add it to the site gallery.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Harvey Eckart, author of Mack Fire Trucks 1911-2005 and Mack Fire Apparatus A Pictorial History. Rodger Birchfield, who unknowingly came up with the term TrashMacks. Bill Friedrich, who had compiled a Mack MC/MR list among many others and agreed to share it with me. The Youngstown Fire Department, who unknowingly purchased 2 Mack MC's, one of which I purchased when it was retired and which started me on this Mack obsession. Finally, Mark, Bob and Mike who let me sort through their photos for hours at various fire flea markets, much to the unhappyness of my wife, looking for Mack MC/MR photos.