Profile: Neil Bradley's Mack collection

By: The Editor, Photography by: The Editor

Date: 19.04.2023

The Ed caught up with farmer, transport operator, and Mack truck collector, Neil Bradley on his farm in Northland

Two FR models form part of the collection

Some one-hour drive west of Invercargill lies the small coastal farming community
of Orepuki.

It was from here 10 years ago that Neil Bradley and his family made the 2000-kilometre trek, almost at the other end of the country, to the dairy farm they had purchased in Broadwood, Northland.

Neil Bradley

In tow (so to speak) from the bottom of the South Island, along with the family’s household possessions and farm equipment, came eight Mack trucks that Neil had acquired over the previous few years.

The driveable ones transported others that were not roadworthy and the whole logistical exercise was completed with the sacrifice of only one truck, which still remains stored in Southland awaiting reunification with its Mack siblings.

On the day of our visit to Neil’s farm, power has only recently been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle, but the impact of the event was minimised, thanks to the ability to power his milking shed equipment from a tractor PTO. You need to be resilient when living in remote rural areas.

New opportunities

One of a few Ultraliner 8x4 transporters left in NZ

Once settled in Northland, along with operating the farm, new transport opportunities showed up for Neil and he was to work the trucks more than he did before.

"I’ve always said, we’ll ride the wave and if the wave gets bigger, we’ll try and ride the wave, and if suddenly the wave is not there, we’ll just carry on with the farm," says Neil.

Fast forward to today, and two Mack Visions and an Ultraliner transporter are used for Neil’s bulk transport business that consists of the haulage of mainly metal, lime, and fertiliser.

A four-axle trailer gets hooked on when needed. Also, in the fleet are two Volvo FH curtainsiders, which are used to haul stock food around Northland.

The two Volvo FHs are used to haul stock feed

"We’re kind of the main people spreading fertiliser and lime in the area, which we cart in and spread on farms with a tractor spreader," says Neil.Fortunately, transport and fertiliser spreading are secondary income streams to the farm, so there’s no need to keep work coming in all the time.

Finding competent drivers or those prepared to work at short notice is another issue, so for now Neil handles most of the work. "We have a couple of casual people we can get if we need to, but the trucks don’t work every day, so its hard to offer someone a full-time job," says Neil.

"My daughter is keen on learning to drive the trucks so we’re encouraging her. She’s getting her Class 2 shortly and reckons she’s keen to carry on driving them in among all the other things she does."

The Mack collection

Donor truck parts will be well utilised

Not damaged by the recent storm was Neil’s collection of trucks, which sits in and at varying locations alongside his two maintenance sheds. On the day of our visit, the collection consists of two R-Series Macks, plus another one for parts, two FR models, one RB Mack, two Ultraliners, and two Mack Visions.

RB model nearing completion

One shed has only recently been built and awaits a few finishing touches, but it has the roof on, which is the main thing, this being where the two Mack Visions are currently spending their recreational hours.

Looks great just as it is

Neil’s first truck arrived around 2000, with the purchase of a long-wheelbase R-Series tipper and this is still used on the odd occasion. "I started off taking photos of trucks and building plastic models.

I don’t know what the attraction was to Mack, but somehow it happened," says Neil. "As I got more financial, I progressed from the plastic models to the real ones, and it’s grown from there."

Following the first purchase, a couple of FR models found their way into Neil’s ownership, the process saving the trucks from being scrapped, and his collection began to take shape.

The two Mack Visions will soon move aside for the project trucks

"The FRs have been projects in the making for quite a few years, and we never quite finished them," he says. With the new shed almost completed, there will soon be ample space to get the old projects under cover and regain some of their glory days.

Some of Neil’s purchases came from his travels around the countryside and people offering their old Macks to him. "A few have followed me home over the years and my wife — yeah she’s still my wife — did encourage me, but looking back, it may not have been the best idea sometimes, yet here we are," Neil says with a smirk on his face.

Active restoration

The steel-bodied RB Mack will be ideal for carting rock

The RB Mack is an active restoration and being a steel-bodied tipper will be ideal for hauling the larger rock from quarries, without Neil having to worry about damage to the bin. Nearing completion, it will soon be ready for final sanding and a coat of paint will see a classic truck saved from the scrap heap and earning money for its owner.

"The RB is a good solid truck and with its low sides will be handy for all sorts of work once completed." Neil says. For transport work, Neil doesn’t advertise and word of mouth will usually find its way to the low-profile operator, with the trucks being a common sight around his local region.