For a couple of years, I was a "prep mechanic" at Rental Tools and Equipment in Hampton, VA. This was after three semesters of failed effort to apply myself at college. As a prep mechanic, I was the one who checked in the large equipment and turned it around for for it to be ready for the next customer. This included washing, touch-up paint, regular maintenance like fluid and filter changes, and basic repairs. There were days I went home covered head to toe in mud, grease, or oil, and often, all three.
RTE had everything from a gear puller that could fit in the palm of your hand to an 1850 kVA generator in a 50-foot container. Inside was the box was a Caterpillar V-16. It was love at first sight!
This beast was "Supersized" personified. The air filter canister was easily three feet long, the muffler twice that. Turbo lobes the size of basketballs. The radiator covered the full width and height of the rear of the container.
The real joy was hearing that behemoth fire up. The hair on my arms would stand on end, the effect was that intense.
It began with a slow tock tock tock for a few seconds, the pace increasing until it jumped to life in a fusion of diesel combustion and the the heady whine of the massive turbos.
Yeah, just like that, but only much, much more.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment