Episode: Boom Lift Catapult

Original Air Date: November 10, 2004

Myths: Boom LIft Catapult, A/C vs. Windows Down

Boom Lift Catapult

The Myth: (in Adam's own words) A poster gave us the tale of a guy using a boom lift, like one of those extended-arm cherry pickers, to try and lift the engine out of his car. He's using a chain or something, and it fails as he's doing it, and the boom lift (Boom!) catapults this poor guy up and over his house, and he lands in a tree!

The Experts: none

Quotable/Memorable Moments:

Tory: There's so much potential for huge disaster!

Adam: (to Kari) you're not doing it the Jamie way, obviously.

Kari: I know - I'm doing it the Adam way - quick and dirty, but it gets done!

The Action/Results: First they try this myth as it is told.  They hook a car engine to the basket of the boom lift, and put Buster in the basket. They use a quick release to drop the engine from the basket.  Buster barely moves.  They try it again with the arm fully extended - nothing.  Even when they bring in Earl and hook him up to the basket and then drop him, Buster barely wiggles. Then they decide that it's time to do things the Mythbusters way!

So they bring in four shipping containers, and stack them two high.  They weld axle extensions onto the boom lift, and then put it on top of the shipping containers.  Then they slowly lower the basket down to the ground, and attach it to a weight with a chain. Jamie cautions everyone to stay well away from the boom lift and the containers.  Finally all is ready. The whole team picks up the quick release cable, and when Adam gives the word, they all yank it!  Buster flies about sixty-five feet from the boom lift, if you measure from his farthest body part!  The team sums this one up as follows...

Kari: Myth totally failed, completely busted, totally, completely busted.

Scottie: And Buster, busted! And boom lift, busted!

Jamie: Everything's busted!

Scottie: Ground, busted!

AC vs. Windows Down Debate

The Myth: You have more fuel efficiency if you have the AC on.

The Experts: Bob Masterson (service manager Stan Tracy Ford) helps the guys bust this one by hooking the SUV up to a computer that measures air intake of the engine.

Quotable/Memorable Moments:

Jamie: It's getting pretty chilly in here! Glad I brought my jacket!  I pity the poor cameraman who doesn't have one on! (Then the cameraman shivers!)

The Action/Results: First Jamie drives fifteen laps around the track - five with the windows up and the AC off, five with the windows down and five with the windows up and the AC on full.  The verdict, according to Bob Masterson, is that the car is more fuel efficient with the windows up and the AC on, due to the amount of drag that is created when the windows are down. But Adam and Jamie have another test to run. They load each car up with the same amount of people and stuff, and fill the tanks up.  They want to do this like an "Average Joe" would do it. Adam has his bananas and his coffee, and Jamie has his famous 444 - the mixture of fruits, vegetables and grains that he says tastes like gazpacho.

However, it is decided that this test is too dangerous, so they decide to put only five gallons of gas in each tank and run the test that way instead. The results surprise everyone!  Jamie's car runs out of gas first!  They decide that the computer model isn't really measuring fuel consumption, but air intake, and that it is based on ideal conditions.  In the end, this myth is BUSTED!