Imagine having to deal with heat reaching up to 120 degrees,and there is no AC Compressor to help you. Even worse, your visibility is at zero and the window motor regulator isnot to blame. Under these conditions youhave to manage around three intense turns, one which is a tight 107 degrees. You must finish this intense five and a halfmile course at a blistering speed of 2.5 miles per hour.You are probably asking yourself, “What daredevils wouldrisk their lives doing this?” The answer is, the brave souls who drive the floats in The PasadenaTournament of Roses Parade. The drivers get by withoutseeing because they have a spotter on top of the float that communicates withthem via radio. The observer tells the spotter when to turn and how fast to go. If the drivers have toslowdown or god forbid stop, it is frowned upon. When it comes to the heat, they just have to deal with it. If it gets up to 120 degrees an alarm will go off and the driver knowsit’s time to get out of the float and grab a root-beer float to cool down.
In case you were thinking about purchasing one of theseflowered monsters here are some specs. Most floats are powered by the likes of a V-10 truck engine. There is no diesel option, as parade rulesprohibit that. They need to boast a lot of power because the floats are usuallyaround 120 feet long and over 100,000 pounds. The gas tank in these is approximately 50 gallons and a float willusually go through 30 gallons during the parade. That’s just a little over 5 miles per gallon.There is no suspension, so expect a rough ride. If none of that deterred you from still wanting one, maybe the fact thatthey cost around $300,000 will.Happy New Year
