The Mack LE series is the low-entry member of Mack’s municipal range. Like the MR, it is a chassis sold to bodybuilders rather than a finished truck, and the records collected here are the LE and LE600 designations.
Mack LE series at a glance
| Maker | Mack Trucks |
|---|---|
| Type | low-entry chassis for municipal service |
| Body | fitted by municipal and refuse bodybuilders |
| Assembled | Macungie, Pennsylvania |
| Powertrain | Mack engines and transmissions from Hagerstown, Maryland |
| Parts for right-hand-drive trucks | made in Brisbane, Australia |
| Company owner since 2000 | Volvo |
| Market | class 8 to class 13 vocational trucks |
There is no dedicated Wikipedia article on the Mack LE; this page is based on the company article and the related model pages.
History of the Mack LE series
Mack’s municipal trucks are built around one problem: the crew gets out of the truck constantly. A low-entry cab solves it by putting the floor close to the ground, with a single step where a conventional cab would need two or three. The LE is that idea in Mack’s range, a chassis that leaves the factory bare for a bodybuilder to fit with a refuse body, a sweeper or municipal equipment.
The company behind it is one of the oldest American truck makers. Mack has assembled trucks in Pennsylvania since 1905 and built its own engines and transmissions in Hagerstown, Maryland, for just as long; since 2000 the company has belonged to Volvo, which bought Mack together with its former parent Renault Véhicules Industriels. Lehigh Valley Operations in Macungie builds the chassis and bodies today.
Design and features
- Low-entry cab: a single step to the floor, made for crews who leave the cab dozens of times a shift.
- Custom chassis: supplied to bodybuilders for municipal and refuse bodies.
- Mack driveline: engines and transmissions from Mack’s own Hagerstown plant.
- American assembly: built at Macungie, Pennsylvania.
Mack LE series versions
- LE: the base low-entry chassis.
- LE600: the model designation recorded in this collection.
The other municipal chassis in the range is the Mack MR series, the fire chassis tradition is covered on the Mack CF series page, and the construction truck is the Mack Granite. More trucks are in the Mack collection.
Sources
- Mack Trucks, English Wikipedia: company history, plants, market
- Mack Granite, English Wikipedia: Mack’s vocational range and driveline practice
