INDIANAPOLIS. Mack Trucks announced several enhancements to its Granite Medium Heavy Duty (MHD) model that offer increased flexibility and more cost-effective choices for work customers. The updates include an additional horsepower rating, a new under-frame exhaust system, a shorter wheelbase 4x2 configuration and a tractor configuration, expanding application coverage for the Mack MHD model.
"Vocational customers have a wide variety of needs," said Tim Wrinkle, construction product manager for Mack Trucks. "Some require lighter weight options but still need their trucks to meet the difficult demands of the application." The Granite MHD accomplishes this without sacrificing durability, he said at the 2018 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.
Equipped with the Cummins L9 engine, the Granite MHD now offers a lower horsepower option, allowing customers to spec 330 hp and up to 1,000 lbs.-ft. of torque. The lower horsepower rating gives customers another option to increase their ROI, according to Mack.
The new under-frame exhaust option gives customers more options for body adaptation, keeping heat away from the chassis and expanding application capabilities such as tankers, flatbeds, box trucks, cranes and certain municipal applications.
The Granite MHD can be spec'd as a Class 7 or Class 8 vehicle and is offered in either an axle-back or axle-forward configuration. An axle back tractor option meets the needs of light tractor applications requiring maneuverability, flexibility and durability without extra weight, Mack noted.
The model is available in a 4x2 or 6x4 axle configuration, so customers can choose between a heavy-duty and a lighter-weight medium-duty option. A shorter wheelbase is also now available for Granite MHD in the 4x2 configuration, which Mack said makes it "ideal" for the 10-foot dump body commonly used in municipal applications and generally provides a more maneuverable, cost-effective option.
