I didn't take it personally. I've learned over time that when I think you're asking a simple question, you're really getting at something deeper. If I don't know what it is, I try to step back and understand what I was missing.

Back in October '95, I started with the Challengers. The second day on the job, I flew to Tucson for training. I think the first session I was in, the instructor (who I got to know fairly well over time as a straight shooter) walked into the class and said something to this effect. "Boys, we've got a problem with the hydraulics on these tractors". That impressed me. I had never heard that kind of statement before or since at a company sponsored event. It could have been as simple as the Cat engineers not liking something done by the NH engineers, but I think at that point they already were realizing the limitations with priority valves. They didn't have the option, because of the steering pump, that the blue tractors had which was to use the second pump to solve some of the issues. It took some three years before they got most of the issues with the valve stack resolved. That is, other than the twisting on a cable to adjust flow issue!