Article By 
CHRIS CONSTANTINE

http://www.thedrive.com/sheetmetal/11743/the-301-hp-2018-toyota-camry-is-almost-here

When thinking driver's car,  the Toyota Camry probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Although the Camry has proven itself as a top-class contender for 35 years due to its affordability, bulletproof internals, and resistance to abuse, it just isn't a car that most enthusiasts would consider over other similarly priced options. Now that crossovers are hogging automotive sales across the globe, even Toyota is looking into revitalizing its best-selling models to dethrone the compact SUV. Now, the Toyota Camry has been redesigned for the 2018 model year in an attempt to appeal to everyone, even the most die-hard enthusiast. 

The new Camry has two powertrain options: a 2.5-liter Dynamic Force Inline-4 and 3.5-liter V-6. The economical 2.5-liter will make 206 horsepower and is rated at an EPA-estimated 41 miles per gallon highway. We'd opt for the 3.5-liter though, as it makes a whopping 301 horsepower and 276 lb-ft of torque while retaining 33 mpg highway. That's pretty impressive for a Camry and will hopefully make it more attractive for consumers looking for a fun and practical sedan.

The redesigned sedan also gets a full exterior changeup, sporting curvier lines, sportier wheels, and a face-lifted grille. The grille sports Toyota's new "Keen Look" design, which, much like Hyundai's Cascading Grille, will be present on all future Toyotas.  The Camry will get 5 variants: L, LE, XLE, SE, and XSE; the hybrid will only get the LE, SE, and XLE, all of which will come with increasingly sportier design elements and better packages. It also gets three new colors, which brings the palette up to 10 to choose from.  

The interior has also been redone, giving the driver more comfort and more technology to play with. Toyota describes the interior as "futuristic but functional," which includes Toyota's new heads-up display, high-quality audio, and a 7-inch Linux infotainment system. All Camrys will come equipped with Toyota's updated Toyota Safety Sense technology, featuring a suite of collision-preventing assists. 

Hull and Lower Unit Damage? 

Ask any knowledgeable, experienced angler to name the universally preferred cover of both bass and bass fishermen, and the answer likely will be tree stumps.

Stumps provide prime habitat for all species of bass in both man-made reservoirs and natural lakes.

Most commonly found in impoundments, stumps are usually created when trees are clear-cut prior to an area being flooded. Although the timber is sold for a profit, the flat-topped remnants remain in place on the lake bottom for years.

Typically, stumps range in size from 1 to 3 feet in diameter and feature a squat section of trunk that gives way to a series of roots attached to the soil. The trunk provides plenty of cover for bass as soon as the impoundment is formed, while the root system usually offers ample room for shelter as the bottom gradually erodes, exposing the roots. And the top of the stump is often slick with algae, which attracts baitfish.

You can zoom in, and out. Move the map around - and even drill down and take a look at the vessel. Check it out.

A dragline excavator is a piece of heavy equipment used in civil engineering, and surface mining.

Draglines fall into two broad categories: those that are based on standard, lifting cranes and the heavy units which have to be built on-site.  Most crawler cranes with an added winch drum on the front can act as a dragline. These units (like other cranes) are designed to be dismantled and transported over the road on flatbed trailers.  Drag-lines used in civil engineering are almost always of this smaller, crane type. These are used for road, port construction, pond and canal dredging, and as also as pile driving rigs. 

The much larger type which is built on site is commonly used in strip-mining operations to remove overburden that is above and more recently for tar-sand mining. The largest heavy drag-lines are among the largest mobile land machines ever built. The smallest and most common of the heavy type weigh around 8,000 tons while the largest built weighed around 13,000 tons.

A dragline bucket system consists of a large bucket which is suspended from a boom (a large truss-like structure) with wire ropes. The bucket is maneuvered by means of a number of ropes and chains. The hoist rope, powered by large diesel or electric motors, supports the bucket and hoist coupler assembly from the boom. The drag-rope is used to draw the bucket assembly horizontally. 

Quadrasteer operates in three phases.

Negative Phase -- At low speeds, up to 72 kph (45 mph), the rear wheels steer in the opposite direction of the front wheels.

Neutral Phase – At moderate speeds,  about 72 kph (45 mph), the rear wheels remain straight. This is also the failsafe phase in case of system problems.
 
Positive Phase -- At high speeds, above 72 kph (45 mph), the rear wheels turn the same direction as the front wheels. The Quadrasteer control module determines the phasing and amount of rear wheel steering based on the mode switch setting, position of the steering wheel and vehicle speed.

Alignment -- There are provisions for toe adjustment only. Caster and camber are fixed.

Steering Gear Motor – The electric motor is serviceable separate from the steering gear. When the motor is removed, 
the planetary gear reduction set is exposed, so care must be taken to avoid contamination.

Safety First It's Hot stuff

The primary function of a hydraulic fluid is to convey power. The properties and ability to be used at temperatures above the boiling point of water. Today most hydraulic fluids are based on mineral oil base.

Because industrial hydraulic systems operate at hundreds to thousands of PSI and temperatures reaching hundreds of degrees, severe injuries and death can result from component failures and care must always be taken when performing maintenance on hydraulic systems.

Multi-grade or Mono-grade 

It does not matter how good the other properties of the oil are if the viscosity grade is not correctly matched to the operating temperature range of the hydraulic system.  If the hydraulic system is required to operate in freezing temperatures in winter, and tropical conditions in summer, then it’s likely that multi-grade oil will be required to maintain viscosity across a wide operating temperature range.

Always connect jumper cables to the dead battery first, then to the good battery.

Another important safety precaution is to attach the negative jumper cable for the dead battery to an unpainted metal portion of the car frame, rather than to the negative battery post. That allows any sparking to occur far from the battery itself.

Automotive Battery Explosions
(Published in Property Casualty 360, January 23, 2013)

The typical automotive battery, of lead/acid construction, is an electrochemical container that produces voltage, which causes electrical current to flow to various components in an automotive vehicle. An outer polymer case (high density polypropylene) acts as a container for an electrolyte (sulfuric acid), six cells and lead plates. Each cell delivers 2.1 volts with a total voltage of 12.6 volts, at full charge.  Vents are installed at the top of the battery to vent gasses formed during the normal charging cycles. Read more at source link below
http://www.croberts.com/Battery-Explosions.htm


                                                                      
                                                                                                  Image and article source croberts.com