I worked summers on a ranch in high school and college; we had something like this that we'd fire up if we got one of the big tractors or trucks really stuck. We called it the kitty, since it seemed too small to be called a Cat (and I don't recall now if it was actually a Caterpillar, or an International Harvester...either way, it was really old even then).
What I recall most about it was that it started on gasoline...there was a two gallon tank, spark plugs, carburetor, etc, but it ran on diesel. You'd pull two levers towards you to turn on the gas system and turn off the diesel, crank it till the old engine came to life, let it warm up for a minute or two, then slam both levers forward to cut off the gas and cut in the diesel, generating a most satisfying roar...
