“My ‘Little’ Black Truck”

It’s been in the shop for a week.
It had an ‘airbag’ leak.
There are eight ‘airbags’, each about the size of a gallon jug.
Four for the cab, and two on each axle.
It’s supposed to hold 195lbs of air pressure, and it shouldn’t ever have to be recharged. It won’t hold pressure ten minutes with the engine off.
It had a power steering leak.
It needed PM, and I had them check the brakes.

It has 165,000 miles, we put all but 2800 were driven by us.
We have a habit of crossing the continent.
Which we will do twice this year, so maintenance is especially important.

The power steering pump had to be replaced, with new hoses.
That doubled the cost.

When your ride is a ‘pachyderm’, the ‘Vet’ bills are large…

Pictures; 1. My sister in law took the first picture in their driveway, after its first transcontinental trip.
2. On top of the continental divide, in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, near Yellowstone.