The Hamburgler's adventure

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
A friend and long time defender owner Raub was riffed by his employer along with 75% of their work force.
He is oil field certified so he started looking for a job a week ago Friday same day he got the RIF notice.
Last Monday he found a job in the fracking fields of North Dakota. Not where he wanted to be but its a job and it pays well.
The company fast tracked his application and made him an offer last Wed, if he could be in Williston ND today. His daily powerstroke f250 wouldnt start that morning and in desperation he called asking if the 200 tdi Tithonus he'd left here last June could be made ready for a 2100 mile drive into artic conditions in 36 hrs because he needed to roll.
I laughed and he said seriously.
He rented a car and drove to Virginia and we picked him up. We installed a 120v engine heater, changed the oil to 5w40, flushed coolant and went back with a lower temp mix, made a drop curtain of sorts out of clear plexiglass and then went out for beers and got hammered.

This is what he drove into
DAYDESCRIPTIONHIGH / LOWPRECIPWINDHUMIDITY
TODAY

JAN 13
Cloudy-1°-15°20%NNW 13 mph79%
TUE

JAN 14
Mostly Cloudy-5°-19°20%N 10 mph69%
WED

JAN 15
Partly Cloudy-7°-21°10%NW 8 mph71%
THU

JAN 16
Partly Cloudy6°-1°10%ESE 15 mph74%
FRI

JAN 17
Cloudy6°-12°20%N 13 mph81%
SAT

JAN 18
Mostly Sunny-1°-9°10%NW 8 mph71%




Raub woke up still hammered @ 2am Saturday and grabbed a shower and headed West over the Blue Ridge mountains.
He ran into snow @ St Louis and proceeded to Kansas City before turning North for the last 1180 miles.
He was in Williston ND today @ noon.
He averaged 65mph and 19.2 mpg.
He sent some video clips but site refuses the file type after upload.

I got a text last night around 10
"dude I stopped @ Walmart in Fargo and bought a bath
mat and some bungee cords and made a radiator muff. Now its making 185
on the gauge and I finally have good heat in the cab".
 

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RDavisinVA

Technical Excellence Contributor
The bath mat bungie raidator muff story is the beat part of the adventure...
No doubt a hamburger shortage along the route.
 
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RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
Mine isn't a bathmat, but I know the feels. Sounds exactly like what I've got happening, that magic 185 temp on the dial!

That's an epic little story. Defenders are cool.
 

WreckITFrank

Technical Excellence Contributor
This is stellar. Glad the tith made it in good order.

"200 tdi Tithonus - 2100 mile drive - 65mph - 19.2 mpg"
 

JimC

Super Moderator
Staff member
This makes me happy on so many levels. Glad you guys made the time to get properly lubricated.
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
Raub just called. He was tied up all afternoon in orientation etc. The HR person was walking him down the hall to payroll and they ran into the company owner. HR person introduced Raub as a new hire well pad worker and the guy says
"too bad you dont have a CDL with Hazmat and tanker endorsements, thats what I desperately need right now". Raub responds, "I do have my manual trans CDL with Hazmat and tanker endorsements". He got an instant $12 per hr raise over his starting wage and his work week was reduced from a 100 hr week to 70.
Said when he walked out of the building the 110 had been sitting for 6 hrs and it was -8F.
Tdi fired right off. The glow plugs arent even hooked up so this was fairly amazing. Must be the tune I put on that engine....
Raub had a good day.
 
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RDavisinVA

Technical Excellence Contributor
Hamburgler said the trip was terrible with people that wouldn't slow down sliding all over the ice and wrecking their vehicles.
Also said he went into horrendous winds that turned over tractor trailer semis.
The weather was bad from the VA mountains all the way into the Dakotas.
The black hills are white.
 
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donb

Well-known member
I don't know Raub but if I ever cross paths with him I'll be sure to by him his drink or choice just for this story.

BTW - what PSD did he have that didn't start?
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
I don't know Raub but if I ever cross paths with him I'll be sure to by him his drink or choice just for this story.

BTW - what PSD did he have that didn't start?
2001 7.3. Block heater is burned out and only a few glows working. He ran it low on fuel and the trifecta = had to call AAA. Shop is going to be weeks getting to it.
 
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