Mega Mack: Megatip’s rebuilt Superliner

Words by Anthony John-Pier. Photography by C5 Photography.

Mega Mack

Junk Yard Dog – that could have been an appropriate name for Megatip’s Mack Superliner had Tony Howe not purchased the wreck at auction writes Anthony John-Pier.

Megatip’s Mack Superliner has been built from the ground up and speaking to Aaron Van Der Schoot, who drives the Mack, he explained that the rig had been a roll-over from Tasmania.

“My last truck was a Mack Trident and Tony had said that it didn’t look tough enough, he wanted something that would stand out! He had always wanted a Superliner and it just so happened that while he was at Recar enquiring about repairs on a fuel tank that he spotted the wreck. Tony saw it as the perfect opportunity to build it up to something so he went to the auction and chased after it. He was successful with his bid and brought it back to our yard. We pretty much stripped it right down to the chassis rails” explains Aaron.

Aaron is a qualified mechanic, so after a new cab was purchased, together with Tony, they set about fitting all the wiring looms. Blackman Interiors did all of the custom blue and grey interior work while Moorabin Dash Designs made the new dash and the Autoshift module.

Tony Howe operates Howe Haulage, an operation with 22 trucks in its fleet. The company specializes in demolition work and pre-cast panel haulage. The majority of the Howe fleet are Mack trucks with a couple of Western Stars and Kenworths.

Aaron’s Trident was all silver and both Tony and Aaron wanted something to tie with the existing green and white trucks, with blue striping together with the silver Megatip trucks.

“Our painter, Greg Lyle, up at Kyabrum, came up with the dark blue colour and it really stands out. Everyone seems to like the colour and the look of it,” smiles Aaron.

The last addition is a BTE trailer that has been painted to match the Superliner. Just like the Superliner, Aaron has fitted a generous amount of stainless and aluminium.

“We have wrapped the hoist, fitted a water tank and tool boxes in addition to some stainless. It works every day. Ninety percent of your loader operators are really good but you get the occasional one who is a bit rough and we exchange a few words,” comments Aaron.

There is a chrome dog up on the bonnet that is an indication that underneath lies a Cummins Signature engine.

“We have had a play around with the motor; we chromed the rocker covers and all that sort of stuff. There is stainless wrapped around the exhaust. The Cummins performs really well. We had it hooked up to a computer and the truck is getting the mileage you would expect when running up the Hume. We do demolition work around town and some local running. I love the Autoshift, its really good.”

Aaron has always been into trucks and becoming a mechanic was the best thing he ever did.

“It makes a big difference at the end of it. It made the job of setting up a rig like this a whole lot easier. I managed to do all the things that we did to this rig” recalls Aaron.

When Aaron started looking around for a driving job after being a mechanic, Tony told him that he would see him in the morning and he started straight away.

“Tony wasn’t stressed about anything including insurance or any stuff like that. He has been fantastic ever since, he’s a really good boss. When I first started and looked after my truck, others did the same and it put a big smile on Tony’s face. Lots of people now know the truck and comment to him about it. Even with the 40° heat, Tony has been in here polishing away” grins Aaron.

Aaron’s wife Jessica enjoys going to truck shows with him. Usually Jessica and their daughter Anna-Belle come down to help out, she loves polishing the truck! The shows are a good family activity that they can do together and there are some trophies to prove it.

“At Christmas, we went and washed it and Anna-Belle didn’t want to get back into the car afterward” chuckles Aaron.

The hardest thing is keeping the truck clean. Everyone complains that Aaron is on the wash too often!

“Tony is the best boss. You can’t beat him. He looks after us. Tony gets just as big a kick out of the Superliner as I do.”