Page 469 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

CUSTOMER FIRST • INTEGRITY • EXCELLENCE • TEAMWORK • FUN
Doug Brecheisen at Vulcan
hydraulic oil with a colored pencil. They were hav- ing an impromptu school.
For the past several weeks, Duane Jr. had been working with Brecheisen at Independent Con- struction jobsites. The rest of the summer he’d spent with Harden learning things you just can’t get in a shop. Both men meant to instill as many trade secrets as they could cram into him in a summer. Each had been mentored themselves— Brecheisen by legendary Peterson field ace Paul Diehn, and Harden by Brecheisen.
Duane Sr. wasn’t there by accident either. Once Brecheisen had gotten the dispatch call to head over to Vul- can, Duane Jr. had called his dad, knowing he’d be interested. At the time, Duane Sr. was out to dinner with his wife in Livermore, but in short order they headed over to the Vulcan yard and the downed D11.
The machine in question was the only D11 Carrydozer in Peterson’s territory at the time according to Breche- isen, who retired in 2013. The huge special application blade was used primarily at gravel quarries to maximize loads to the hopper. They needed to determine if the problem was in the hydraulic valve, the hydraulic pump, the cylinders, the electrical system, or the onboard computer system. They needed to pinpoint exactly where the problem was and why.
Back in 1996, Breche- isen had been a resident field tech for Wyoming Machinery, working at Bridger Coal Mine. Part of his job was to follow their new D11—one of only three prototypes— and work with Cat’s en- gineering group. These were the first D11s with computerized engines. It was a very big deal. And yet with all that
CHAPTER 28 | 467