GA_Dave

From 1995 to 2008, this was my "work truck". It was powered by a Detroit Series 60, rated at 500 horsepower and the GVWR was 73,000 pounds. It could pump 2000 gallons per minute and the platform reached up to 100'. Last I knew, it was still in service in Fort Stockton, TX. One day in 2007, I was responding to a confirmed working structure fire in an apartment complex on the south end of town. Often, I was the officer, driver and crew, but this day I was not alone. I had a young Firefighter with me. I was only the officer and driver. He was the crew. As we headed down the main street through town, I was hitting about 60 mph. As we approached a light, i braked to slow down when I felt a pop and the pedal went to the floor. I continued to brake, but it wasn't doing much good and I had a right turn coming up in about a mile. I didn't say anything to my "crew" as he was belted in and excited enough about the fire, telling me he could already see the smoke. I continued to brake and the rig slowed gradually as my turn got closer. I had a choice to make - make a higher-than-preferred-speed turn or go several miles out of my way to the next road. When I reached the point of "now or never", I was doing about 35 and decided to go for it. I know the right side tires left the ground because we felt them come back down! A hundred feet after that turn, I had to make a left turn, but the speed had reduced and it wasn't as bad as the first turn. I glanced at my "crew" and his eyes were as big as saucers! We continued, at a much slower pace, to the fire. At slower speeds, the brakes worked a little better, but not like normal. Hours later, we were able to take it to the shop and we found out that one of the brake drums on a rear axle had broken. They had done a brake job on it only the previous month, but we found out that they had replaced all the rear drums as the originals had worn out and had purchased the cheapest ones they could find, instead of the manufacturer's recommended parts. It stayed out of service for a few days until all the drums were replaced with the correct parts.

When and Where? I'll be there!

Before I get to a story, I'll share a little background info. Unlike most of you that have already commented here, I don't work in a shop, I work in my driveway. I also don't work on big things like you guys work on. Most everything I have turned wrenches on over the years has been limited to having 4 wheels. I have been working on vehicles since the 1970's, mostly my own, and have a few stories to tell. I have owned 44 vehicles since 1977 and until I bought my new Challenger in 2010, the most expensive one was $3900. Most were much less and some were free, if I could get them running. The Challenger (#42) cost more than the previous 41 altogether! Several years ago, my oldest son ("Number One") had a S-10 Blazer and blew the motor. We purchased a good used motor and proceeded to do a swap. Everything went smoothly until I got to a bolt on the transmission housing that had a stripped head. This bolt goes through the housing into the motor, on the passenger side, and access is very limited. No matter what tools I used, I could not get to it to cut off the head. Finally, I went out and bought a plasma cutter and in five minutes, we were pulling out the old motor. So, I have a plasma cutter. If anyone needs to rent one, I can hook you up!

Not to mention the ridiculous deductibles that go with these plans. My healthcare costs never reach the deductible amount before the end of the year, so I'm just GIVING them my premiums!

Mine dates back to the last century. In my early days of the internet, I was a regular participant in the chatroom (remember those?) on a website called ATEV (American Toy Emergency Vehicles). In those chats, most everyone just used their first name, but we had several members named Dave, all in the room at the same time. To avoid confusion, each one of us prefixed "Dave" with the State we were in. For me, the name stuck, and I have used it ever since.

Engine 53, Waynesville, GA 1987 Mack CF686FC/Ward '79 LTD. 1000/1000 #1652/#2122 x-DeKalb County, GA

"92", Patterson, GA 1982 Mack MC611F15 1500/750 #1105 x-Hopewell Township, Aliquippa, PA