Our Vehicles, Alive Or Not?
Author: Bill Garwood
Our Vehicles, Alive or Not?
That sounds strange, doesn’t it? A vehicle: our “cars, trucks, RIGS” or anything we drive must be just inanimate objects, right? Maybe, we human beings: need fuel, need air, fluids flowing through our bodies. AND the big one we need a SPARK to start our lives.
A vehicle needs fuel (that costs more every day) needs air, and fluids flowing throughout their bodies. They also need that spark to start and run. Humans do not have an organ in us for emotions. (Never mind what the songs say about the heart) IF any of you have a rig with 2 or more wheels tell me you do not either beg, talk nice, or threaten them to start. Yeah, I thought not, we all do it, especially on a cold morning trying to get the rig to start.
We all do it, I love hearing someone in an office threatening a copy machine or computer. I had an experience one-time, years ago when I was working as a track vehicle mechanic, I had just taken over a company of M113-A3 armored personnel carriers (the upgrades where there was a steering wheel instead of stick laterals.) I will never forget this track, it was designated MC05RA. This vehicle has sat for over 7 years because the mechanic/team leader was LAZY!
The track needed a spur gear, inside housing that ran the cooling pump. A simple part, when I took over that company, I looked into WHY this vehicle sat for 7 years! The people in supply yelled in very naughty language about a lazy so-and-so who never came to pick up the part needed, that had been in stock for 5 years. Suffice it to say I got the part, moved RA into my bay and tore it down. I had to clean out over 7 years of grease, and muck to get to the engine.
After changing all the fluids, installing the part, I started up the track. I then, as we were supposed to do, took it out on a road test…this vehicle “Frolicked”. It was like a teenager, I could almost hear it screaming, “I’M FREE!” think all these mechanical devices are dead? Nope, this track had sat for over 7 years rotting away. It was now made useful again. (I actually had to use the brakes to slow it down, as it blew right past the governor on the engine.)
All mechanical “beings have the same needs as we do, to run and live. MAYBE I’m embellishing a bit, but not by much, as any mechanic can tell you and I bet they have a story about a vehicle. Get YOUR vehicle ready for cold weather. Until next week.
