College kids...they present quite a challenge to us old fogies....we want to be able to converse with them as if we actually knew what we are talking about and sometimes that ain't easy. When I had offspring in Animal Science, Anthropology and Fisheries and Wildlife, the learning curve for conversation was fairly shallow. They brought home veritable fountains of fascinating new information but at least I had a foundation upon which to build my knowledge. I have lived animal science since I could toddle around with puppies and kittens. Anthropology is just history with science thrown in. Fisheries and wildlife, yeah, fish and fascination, I could do that. I already knew half of those tough Latin names from another college experience in another life time...and from learning them just for fun.
Then along came Agricultural Engineering, which is a fancy name for Diesel Technology. Suddenly the curve looked (and sounded) like Everest on a bad day. I more or less, kinda, sorta, get it about gasoline engines, having dated a mechanic back in the day, and having driven a lifelong series of clunkers (without cash, alas) which taught me just about every single thing that could go wrong with one... Diesels, not so much. I can drive a tractor, but my knowledge stops right there, and that is just fine with me. I like Esox and Sylvalagus, phooey on injectors and turbo chargers.
However, to survive the nightly after-class sermons in the barn I have been forced to learn things I didn't want to know. I now know what a common rail is and can draw one on the barn blackboard. Pumps, bench tests, PTO horsepower. I can listen to all that diesel-Greek with the best of them (I won't lie and say that I get it yet, but I guess I am going to learn whether I want to or not).
Now the turbo charger on the 4490 has gone bad and the kid is trying to replace it with the one that came off the engine that the same tractor blew a couple of years ago. With all the men clustered around that tractor all through milking last night and Becky making pancakes so we could test drive the new grape jelly, Liz and I ended up milking pretty much alone....fun, fun, fun. Will all that classroom learning bear fruit and the tractor arise from the dead, yet again? I surely hope so.
In the meantime let me draw you a common rail.
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11 comments:
"In the meantime let me draw you a common rail."
You're not talking birds here are you?
How's it feel being in graduate school?
I can kinda, sorta explain the workings of an internal combustion engine. Can't fix or maintain one (aside from changing oil and various filters) but, like you, diesel is a mystery. Generally speaking, if it's under the hood, it's out of my realm of knowledge.
Oh, Joated, how I wish it was the bird kind! Alas, now that I have been edicated I know that a common rail is essentially a fuel pipe, supplying the injectors...a fuel pipe with a fancy, cool name so you can say, "I drive a common rail Cummins," and seem like quite a guy. lol I actually know how to do an oil change on an ordinary (that is, old) car and used to change tires like it was my job, but the whole diesel thing escapes me. Half the time I can't even spell it.
Not all of us get to go back to school (in the barn no less) at our age;)
Yeah, but Cats don't use a common rail! ;-)
Well, at least the ones I drive anyhoo!
Linda, I do enjoy learning new stuff, but all these engine numbers Argghhhhh....
Jeffro, see I learn something every day. It is driving me nuts becoming informed enough to even listen intelligently...as fast as I pick up one term he brings home twenty more....mostly I guess because I really don't want to know. lol Give me fur and feathers any day.
I sure hope so...that is how Terry farms and how we get most of our equpment!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
thus why cummins is king :P
Linda, I love looking at your machinery. It shows such care...alas so far it is not yet running but the turbo went to college yesterday for a check up...
Alan, and yet you keep showing me Hemis
hemis are cheaper than cummins, and cat does have a common rail system it's called the HEUI system, it uses high pressure hydrualic oil and electronic actuation :D learned about that one today
You crack me up!
From grape jelly to diesels.
This resonated:
"I do enjoy learning new stuff, but all these engine numbers Argghhhhh...."
For me it's letters, numbers. whatever. People ask me what kind of camera I purchased.
Are you kidding? I'm lucky to know which end to point at the scenery let alone memorize all that stuff on the front ;-D
Cathy, I am not a numbers person, although I have been interested to see the difference in the way I think since I have been forced by circumstance to become the farm bookkeeper. I actually score differently on right brain/left brain tests than I did before. Crazy, but true. Kind of annoying too. I quite like being a scatter-brained artistic type.
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