It was a Saturday afternoon about 1:30. We were driving between hunting locations in eastern South Dakota. L.N. and I were in the old Ford F-250 pick-up that I keep in S.D. We were being followed by D.N. and W.N. in W's pick up and, a few miles behind, F.A. in his Prius. A "sproing" sound from the front of my truck followed by a change in the steering made me think "flat front tire."
I pulled to the side of the road and got out to look but the tires were fine. However, I could see a belt hanging below the chassis. Opening the hood I could see that the serpentine belt was off and that the idler pulley with the belt tightener was gone. It being the day of cell phones we started calling the nearest towns and were told that the only possibilities for repair were in Mitchell, approximately 45 miles or Sioux Falls which was about 55 miles.
When F.A. arrived with a tool box in his car we began the necessary dis-assembly. L.N. sat in the truck reading The Harvard Business Review. Near us was a sign that said "Wingen's Garage, 2 miles, Epiphany. I had one, epiphany that is, and asked W.N. to drive into Epiphany and see if the garage might be open which he did. About five minutes later he called to say the garage was open and needed to know the model and engine of the truck. A couple of minutes later he said "they have the parts."
I was able to drive to the garage before the engine overheated, the belt drives both water pump and the fan. In about 10 minutes the mechanic had installed the pulley and a new belt, charged me $12.00 for labor and we were on our way.
How big is Epiphany? About 35 people! :)
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