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water, sewage, electrical, etc.). These systems must be
compatible with each other for a towboat to perform its intended
function.
A towboat’s propulsion system consists of the main engines,
reduction gears, tailshafts, and propellers. The main engines
power reduction gears, which turn the tailshafts and the
propellers and propel the towboat forward or backward. The
reduction gears (transmission system) are each attached to a
solid steel tailshaft (about 45 feet in length), which is
attached to a propeller. Most towboats in petitioners’ fleet
have two propellers, measuring from 4 to 10 feet in diameter,
located at the rear of the towboat outside the hull. Each
tailshaft system possesses a set of three steering type rudders
for navigating the towboat.
Towboat mechanical systems require recurring inspection and
maintenance to attain their expected useful life. The principal
systems that are inspected and maintained on a recurring and
routine basis include: The reduction gears, the clutches, the
air filters, the main engines, the steering systems (including
the rudders), the shafting system (including the bearings and
propellers), the fuel centrifuge, the hull (both interior and
exterior), the pumps, the air compressors, the air conditioning,
the electrical systems, the search lights, the sewage systems,
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Last modified: May 25, 2011