Soy Cowboy
01-29-07, 06:12 AM
OR the Trials of overseas Constuction...
I recently completed a job somewhere south of the border and returned to the states after being gone 11 months and 28 days.
My brother has a little country place somewhere out west and he keeps my pickup there when I travel.
Right after I left, he parked it under the shade of some big cottonwoods in the back of his place and there it sat all the time I was gone.
The day after I get there I try to fire it up and it doesnt even squeak-- it has a tendency to drain the batteries if you dont run it every few days, and, those old ford diesels never started that well anyhow.
SO, I pop the hood and there looking me right in the eyes, sitting on top of my engine, in a nest made of sticks, leaves, vaious colors of copper wire and hood liner insulation, is a big ol Pack Rat!!
Well, being territorial and all, especially when it comes to my truck, I took offense to his prescense there, especially his choice of nesting materials!!!
I got a pole and commenced to try to poke him out of there, I got one good shot at him then he dissapears under the truck and I assumed he was gone, So we clean out the nest, get the tractor and tow it up to the shop where I start to trace down and replace some of that pretty colored copper wire, and charge the batteries, by late afternoon its running and seems to be ok, as long as its idling..... and I needed a few parts from the parts house in town about 40 miles away.
Now diesels idle very efficiently, but when they run under load they like lots of air, I drove it out the gate and started down the hill to the county road, and as soon as I would try to shift, it would bog down and almost die.
I'm thinking, now what, but I get it turned around and by shifting to low range make it back up the hill and to the shop again.
My brother pops the hood and looks at things and as soon as I hit the throttle the top of the air cleaner sucks in-- OH No I think. But we open the top and here in the air inlet and all around the air filter is the pack rats winter food supply, so we clean that all out and head to town ( again 40 miles away) I get there, get the parts I needed, pop the hood and there is that pack rat sitting on top of my engine!! I still have the stick in the back and take another couple of shots, all of which missed, but hit things like fuel lines and a/c components and he dissapears under the truck again.
Drive back to the farm, come out in the morning and there is mister rat, on top of the engine with the start of a new nest of hood liner, I take another stab at him pool cue style but he dissapears again.
So we go back to town and by 2 boxes of rat poisin, and we put the little bricks everywhere, every morning, they would be gone, mister rat would have a new nest started, and I would take a poke or two with the stick, with the same results....
I am beginning to think -- if I dont get him, this truck wont survive another nesting and eating session.
Finally, on the last day of my 2 week R&R, I open the hood and there is mister rat, on top of my engine, in convulsions from the Rat Poisin and I give him the coup de grace and take him out and give him a burial in the brush, feeling bad for my little rat brother but darn glad he was out of my motor!!
I recently completed a job somewhere south of the border and returned to the states after being gone 11 months and 28 days.
My brother has a little country place somewhere out west and he keeps my pickup there when I travel.
Right after I left, he parked it under the shade of some big cottonwoods in the back of his place and there it sat all the time I was gone.
The day after I get there I try to fire it up and it doesnt even squeak-- it has a tendency to drain the batteries if you dont run it every few days, and, those old ford diesels never started that well anyhow.
SO, I pop the hood and there looking me right in the eyes, sitting on top of my engine, in a nest made of sticks, leaves, vaious colors of copper wire and hood liner insulation, is a big ol Pack Rat!!
Well, being territorial and all, especially when it comes to my truck, I took offense to his prescense there, especially his choice of nesting materials!!!
I got a pole and commenced to try to poke him out of there, I got one good shot at him then he dissapears under the truck and I assumed he was gone, So we clean out the nest, get the tractor and tow it up to the shop where I start to trace down and replace some of that pretty colored copper wire, and charge the batteries, by late afternoon its running and seems to be ok, as long as its idling..... and I needed a few parts from the parts house in town about 40 miles away.
Now diesels idle very efficiently, but when they run under load they like lots of air, I drove it out the gate and started down the hill to the county road, and as soon as I would try to shift, it would bog down and almost die.
I'm thinking, now what, but I get it turned around and by shifting to low range make it back up the hill and to the shop again.
My brother pops the hood and looks at things and as soon as I hit the throttle the top of the air cleaner sucks in-- OH No I think. But we open the top and here in the air inlet and all around the air filter is the pack rats winter food supply, so we clean that all out and head to town ( again 40 miles away) I get there, get the parts I needed, pop the hood and there is that pack rat sitting on top of my engine!! I still have the stick in the back and take another couple of shots, all of which missed, but hit things like fuel lines and a/c components and he dissapears under the truck again.
Drive back to the farm, come out in the morning and there is mister rat, on top of the engine with the start of a new nest of hood liner, I take another stab at him pool cue style but he dissapears again.
So we go back to town and by 2 boxes of rat poisin, and we put the little bricks everywhere, every morning, they would be gone, mister rat would have a new nest started, and I would take a poke or two with the stick, with the same results....
I am beginning to think -- if I dont get him, this truck wont survive another nesting and eating session.
Finally, on the last day of my 2 week R&R, I open the hood and there is mister rat, on top of my engine, in convulsions from the Rat Poisin and I give him the coup de grace and take him out and give him a burial in the brush, feeling bad for my little rat brother but darn glad he was out of my motor!!