Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/737157
2 0 1 6 V 2 | BULLDOG | 1 5 I t's hard to miss Mike Adam's gleaming white Mack ® trucks cruising the Interstates of central Georgia, always ready to go where they're needed and to do what needs to be done for any highway user in need. Adams founded Mike Adams Towing & Air Cushion Recovery in 1993 in Macon, Georgia, and started off with a 1989 Mack Superliner he still uses daily. He was 26, with a strong work ethic that carried him from humble beginnings to a state contract, several municipal contracts and 27 light-, medium- and heavy- duty trucks, nearly a third of which are Class 8 Macks. Adams became a Mack enthu- siast as a teenager, and he attri- butes much of his company's success to the reliability and durability of the brand. "When that sheriff's department calls and they've got a trac- tor-trailer blocking fi ve lanes of interstate, they don't want to hear that the truck won't run or that we're putting on a tire," Adams says. "They want to know we're on the way. The man at a red light, broken down in a log truck, needs to get that truck to a repair facility so he can make a living. It's as important to the small man as it is to the large, right up to the state patrol." Adams is excited about his most recent acquisition, a 2016 Mack Granite ® . Though he consid- ered purchasing the Titan by Mack, he chose the Granite model because it offers extraordinary heavy-duty performance and durability in a more maneuverable package, which allows him to work in tighter quarters. Adams spent more than a year working on custom specs with his contacts at the Macon location of Nextran Truck Centers, Tommy Bush and David Bennett. Heavy- duty recovery is a highly special- ized application, and Nextran salesmen and Mack engineers worked long hours to meet the company's needs. "This was a learning curve for us," Nextran's Bush says. "The wrecker body people didn't realize how much Mack will work with you to get what you need for your application, from frame rail clear- ances to being able to move bat- tery boxes and air boxes around. We offer some of the strongest components in the industry on our trucks, especially axles and frames." The custom tri-axle is powered by a 13-liter Mack MP8 445 hp Maxicruise engine, with 1,760 lb.-ft of torque. It has a massive 50-ton Century rotator, severe-duty vocational air suspension, triple frame rails, fl otation tires, LED lights and a sloped hood for greater visibility. The three-stage rotator crane allows Adams to work more from the shoulder of the road, cutting down on lane closures and improving effi ciency. He initially worried his customers would feel forgotten in the haze of bigger contracts and bigger trucks, but he continues to treat every job as a top priority, whether he is towing a car for an individual or recovering a stranded plane from an airport runway. "My children will be stepping into this someday, and I felt like that would give them a heck of a good start. It's not just about Mack; it's about family, too." Mike Adams, Mike Adams Towing & Air Cushion Recovery