The ULTIMATE Troubleshooting Tool?

It's ski season here where I live down under. And yesterday, my son Ben got taken out by a snow boarder. Hit him from behind, so squarely the snow boarder's fault. The snow was hard-packed and Ben banged his head hard. Hard enough to see stars and not remember what he had for breakfast. And that's WITH the protection of a helmet!

As it happens, I too was skiing on a different part of the mountain. So it wasn't long before I got an S.O.S. from my wife Jay, telling me that Ski Patrol had taken Ben to the resort's medical center for assessment.

I got to the medical center in time to see Ben arrive in the back of a Land Cruiser, strapped into a "blood bucket" (a sled-type stretcher Ski Patrol use to transport the injured off the mountain), and wearing a neck brace and oxygen mask. No real cause for concern.

Upon visual contact Ben recognizes me instantly. And he doesn't appear to be in any great pain or distress. So far so good. Once inside the medical center it's not long before a Doctor is on hand. Before he removes the neck brace the Doc wants to make sure there's no serious injury to the neck. Turns out Ben has some pain down the center line, which is a red flag to the Doc.

So 10 minutes later Ben is wheeled away for neck X-Rays. And shortly thereafter we get the good news: they didn't show any fractures. Big sigh of relief.

In the two hours that follow, while Ben is kept under observation to make sure his concussion is just that, and nothing more serious, I have lots of time to ponder what a wonderful piece of troubleshooting kit an X-Ray machine is. NO guessing. Just the correct diagnosis in the shortest possible time.

And wouldn't it be great to have an 'X-Ray' of the hydraulic system when you're trying to find or eliminate a problem? But unlike doctors, we don't have the benefit of an X-Ray machine when troubleshooting. Which means our ability to solve hydraulic problems is entirely dependent on our troubleshooting smarts.

And this is why The Hydraulic Troubleshooting Handbook is the next best thing to X-Ray vision. Because it explains the 12 principles which are essential for effective troubleshooting. And by 'effective troubleshooting' I mean: the correct diagnosis in the shortest possible time.

I was relieved the Doctor didn't have to GUESS about the condition of my son's neck. And I'm sure the Doc was quite happy about it too. But YOU don't have to guess when troubleshooting either. Nor should you.

Because when understood and adhered to, the 12 principles outlined in The Hydraulic Troubleshooting Handbook become the anchor for a logical, step-by-step troubleshooting SYSTEM anyone can follow, whether you're a seasoned pro, or a still-wet-behind-the-ears novice.
 
So unless, like Superman, you ARE gifted with X-Ray vision, you should get yourself the next best thing today. Because you never know when you're going to need it!