Best tools you've found

[Bacon Man]

FIL was spraying the weeds along the ditch when he seen something shiny on the road, walked up and found vise-grips, farther down the road he finds a Snap-on FL80, farther down finds a Matco 3/4 drive extendable ratchet, beside that was a 16mm and 17mm gearwrench box wrench and then a 14.4 Snap-On battery.

So it got me thinking, has anyone ever been out and about a found anything good?

Best I ever found was a rusty crescent wrench and fuse pullers

 

[gdocktor3]

Found an 18v Dewalt impact driver like 10 years ago. A few other Craftsman and Taiwan/Chinese made hand tools here and there. Actually, just remembered I found a Klein hammer one day last week. Still in bed of my truck.

 

[chris142]

I found an orange stubby so phillips screwdriver.

 

[Cope]

Williams 3/8" extension, Channellock 420 pliers, Dead blow hammer and a large pair of Blue Point Channellock type pliers.

 

[KnurledNut]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227120

 

[deberly12]

When I bought my house a few months ago the po left sockets scattered around....mixed in the gravel driveway, in the yard, flower beds....I'm still finding them lol. Mostly Stanley and husky

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

 

[Cope]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227120

Sometimes the search engine is less than perfect, and there's always someone who'll complain that the OP drug up an old thread.

 

[TracField]

Lost and found-Lost 11/16 Craftsman combination wrench,found a low price older SK at the pawn shop to replace it.Used a 5 ft. breaker bar pipe on open end of wrench to snag one side of the claw into a frame notch and pry a car coil spring pocket back into welding position that had cracked nearly halfway back to the frame.It may have been a blessing in disguise to have that SK wrench.Found-original vise grips laying on the road.lost them in an old car,found them again when people at the junkyard gave them back to me.

 

[tube_guy]

Found an old MAC ratchet laying on the side of the road when I was kid. Maybe 30 years ago now. Still have it and use it on occasion.

 

[PelicanPines]

Milwaukee huge corded sts hammer drill with about twenty bits in a metal case.

Left behind by a sub contractor who had a bad attitude... considered it abandoned.

Bartered it to a church electrician who was renovating the hall as partial payment.

 

[disston]

Was hitchhiking across the USA about 1976. Somewhere around Ohio I think I found a Budd socket for removing big truck lug nuts. Still have it.

I was going East to West. Turned around after a week in St. Louis and went back. Had started to get difficult to get rides about '76 was my conclusion. Not at all like it was in 1969.

 

[PelicanPines]

Oh one other...

My wife ordered makeup online. Her box of lipstick and eyeshadow showed up... they were packed in a recycled box from the makeup place...

They neglected to fully empty the 19mm super deep impact socket still in the plastic bag. It's about 30% longer than a normal deep socket. It was buried in the paper packing in the bottom.

 

[kythri]

Found this wedged up between the radiator and core support of my '99 Explorer several years ago:




Nobody at the shop I had it at previously claimed it, so it's still with me today.

 

[Local]

When I was in wv my uncle found a .38 Colt revolver. It cleaned up decent and is a decorative piece in the garage. Best I found was a few sockets and 420 channel locks.

 

[Jazz1]

GRAY 1/2" ratchet found under shed when I bought current house..its was pretty much seized inside but local vendor got me a new kit. I'm rolling engine over to set TDC

 

[lilredex]

Found some linesman pliers (Klein D2000-9NE) in a park a couple of weeks back. They cost about $70 here these days.

Last month during a few days of windy weather, my wife found a $100 bill in the weeds on a the side of a Walmart parking lot. She was walking the dog. We have always joked about finding one, but it finally happened.

 

[Richard Cranium]

found, me found no., but I know an couple that goes walking every night after eating. They bring me a big box of every thing that they find on the road a couple times a year.
Last time it had a couple of snap on tools and a lot of other tools and a lot of junk metal.
Another person I know works out at the county land fill and she brings me tool boxes with tools in them when she finds them. Some good snap on, but mostly junk tools, but they are free and some one else are bringing them to me. Can it get much better...Rich

 

[Zeke]

Someone found a whole toolbox of drill bits and every drill accessory that one would take to a jobsite not knowing what work might pop up.

Yep, mine. It was on the tailgate when I hurriedly took off for an appt. Thing is, there was a moving blanket on the TG as well. Not too hard to see when I went back a few minutes later. They scooped it all up.

So, there's two sides to this thread. I'll start a thread about losses.

 

[kenfain]

Last week I was driving, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glint of sunlight reflecting off of what must have been a tool. By the time I looked, I was well past it. I thought what the heck, I'm not doing anything important anyway. So I turned around. Rolled up on a pair of vise grips, and thought ****...I have lots of cheap vise grips. But turns out to be Peterson vise grips. Can't have enough of those!

Last year I found a Milwaukee M12 hack saw with the extra run battery in it. Shame I don't have a charger for it.

 

[LB-1911]

Last year I found a Milwaukee M12 hack saw with the extra run battery in it. Shame I don't have a charger for it.

Stick around maybe the owner will turn up.

Someone found a whole toolbox of drill bits and every drill accessory that one would take to a jobsite not knowing what work might pop up.

Yep, mine. It was on the tailgate when I hurriedly took off for an appt. Thing is, there was a moving blanket on the TG as well. Not too hard to see when I went back a few minutes later. They scooped it all up.

So, there's two sides to this thread. I'll start a thread about losses.

 

[PelicanPines]

Last year I found a Milwaukee M12 hack saw with the extra run battery in it. Shame I don't have a charger for it.

PM me if you want a charger...

 

[TK-421]

Saw a gas powered leaf blower fall off the back of a pickup because the driver wasn't smart enough to close the tailgate. Probably should've stopped and grabbed it, and then driven off to try and return it to the guy, but oh well.

 

[shawndp]

I found a (SDD204) pocket screwdriver from Snap On - kept using it till the tip was toast and amazingly got a warranty on it. I ended up buying 3 more - never walk at work without one...

 

[uncwstudent]

A friend found a Gearwrench 3/8's (I believe) ratcheting wrench in a parking lot and gave it to me. I never find anything cool for free though. Ever.

 

[gdocktor3]

Someone found a whole toolbox of drill bits and every drill accessory that one would take to a jobsite not knowing what work might pop up.

Yep, mine. It was on the tailgate when I hurriedly took off for an appt. Thing is, there was a moving blanket on the TG as well. Not too hard to see when I went back a few minutes later. They scooped it all up.

So, there's two sides to this thread. I'll start a thread about losses.

In my younger days I worked with my buddy and his father doing plumbing. One day my buddy and I went off to a job in his Chevy Colorado. We loaded up sawzall, right angle drill, etc and off we went. Got down to Dunkin Donuts 3 miles down road and realized his tailgate was down and the two Milwaukee tools were gone. Damn tonneau cover blocked his view. Drove back up the road towards his house, but they were gone. That fast. Less then 10 min. So we grab the older stuff and go to work. Fast forward to later that evening we get back to his house and see a cardboard sign in the grass across the street saying "tools found" and phone number. My buddy backed out of the driveway and the tools slid right out when he stopped to put in drive. We got lucky that day because his father would have been pissed.... and he was a real hard ***....

 

[ChrisLS8]

I've found a bunch of Starrett machinist tools, old school receiver's, misc snap on socket sets and a SW .38 revolver on a job site along with 2400 in cash taped to the underside of a stove

 

[cherrybomb]

I found a estwing hammer with the rawhide handle,used it on my job as a semi driver.One day I delivered to the Estwing plant in Rockford Il.While using it,one of the guys saw my hammer,he took me and my hammer in side,they removed the hammer handle and showed me a vintage date and re-handled it.I was so happy and proud,but so dam dumb,instead of taking it home,I continued to use it until it walked a way.I knew but couldn't prove.

 

[Moldyjim]

I was sitting in my truck at a Grange last year. Waiting for my wife to buy some chicken food. Parking lot was nearly empty, covid times you know.

Look over and see something sitting in the middle of the isle across the way. I got out and walked up to a nice Wilton mechanics vise, missing the base, but the bolts and lock nuts were there.

It might have been there a while, had leaves caught around it. So I threw it in the back of the truck. For safety, wouldn't want anyone to run over it.

Went inside and no one there knew where it came from.

Oh well, I guess I got a free vise.

A month later my boss came in and showed me one just like it he found on the side of the freeway that morning.

Keep your eyes open, never know what you can find.

 

[67King]

No, but I'm glad to know all the good $#!+ I lose is being found by someone out there!

 

[81turbota]

A variety of stuck sockets on hard to access bolts, various screwdrivers in inner fenders/radiator supports. Like a poster above I found a rusty .38 revolver under the rear seat of a car in a pick and pull lot.

 

[carmantl]

Found a 9mm HJK Hungarian copy of a Browning Hi-Power under trunk pad at a junkyard. Had it for 30 years now and it's still one of my best pistols, It ain't no Hi-Power but it's accurate as all get out!

 

[jeffmoss26]

big pair of Knipex pump pliers in a drop ceiling

 

[ive]

Lost a ton of tools. Found nothing.

 

[Bubba Fett]

big pair of Knipex pump pliers in a drop ceiling

I have found a pair of Knipex cutters, a screwdriver, a pair of slip joint pliers, a drill bit, screwdriver power bits, and a torpedo level up in a drop ceiling. All from the same guy who used to work where I work. He was always losing tools.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

A Black & Decker Workmate. Saw it on the sidewalk with a "FREE" sign on it. I already have the exact same one that I got for $3 at a yard sale. The older ones are among the most useful work stands around. I plan to replace the wood tops.

 

[p00p]

I was sitting in my truck at a Grange last year. Waiting for my wife to buy some chicken food. Parking lot was nearly empty, covid times you know.

Look over and see something sitting in the middle of the isle across the way. I got out and walked up to a nice Wilton mechanics vise, missing the base, but the bolts and lock nuts were there.

It might have been there a while, had leaves caught around it. So I threw it in the back of the truck. For safety, wouldn't want anyone to run over it.

Went inside and no one there knew where it came from.

Oh well, I guess I got a free vise.

A month later my boss came in and showed me one just like it he found on the side of the freeway that morning.

Keep your eyes open, never know what you can find.

good advice!

 

[2Busy]

Couple years ago, went up into my attic and found a pretty nice multimeter that must have been left behind by our HVAC guys who had been up there for an annual inspection about six months prior. Called the company and nobody called back to claim it so it’s still with me. I guess this is karma evening things out, I’ve had a few things walk away over the years as well.

 

[Walkers]

Not a tool, but my best ever find. I was gassing up my truck one day and saw something shiny reflect some light at me. It was a fairly large diamond. Ifugured it was just costume jewelry so threw it in the little divot in the door handle of my truck. It bounced around there for quite some time. I was in a jewelry store on another matter and remembered. Turns out it was worth a couple grand.

 

[crerus75]

I "found" a set of Knipex Cobras by the side of the road. Well, it's more like I spotted them. I was in stop-and-go traffic, and it was moving just slow enough to see them clearly but just fast enough that I couldn't stop the car to grab them. Cue the sad violin music as I drive slowly past them.

I found an aluminum stepladder, too. It had fallen off a pickup's ladder rack and skidded to the side of the road, luckily out of the way of traffic. The pickup was parked about a mile down the road and the guys inside were (I assume) trying to figure out how to go back and get it. It was rush hour and it would've been quite an adventure, what with all the cars whizzing by at 70+.

I ALMOST found an entire gas grill. I was driving to work one day and a state trooper pulled up even with me and began to swerve left and right. He stopped all four lanes of traffic behind me. I figured there was an accident up ahead so I kept a very careful eye out. After a half mile or so, I came upon a gas grill sitting perfectly upright in one of the two center lanes. It looked like someone had rolled it out there to have a cookout. Must've fallen off the back of a truck or something but I would've expected it to be mangled. From the brief look I got as I went by, it was fine.

The only tools I've actually found and managed to keep (briefly) were a homeowner-grade Stanley flathead screwdriver (which was garbage and which went into the scrap pile), a small Bernz-O-Matic adjustable wrench that I found in under a demolished shed (which was too rusty to rescue even after a vinegar bath and went into the scrap pile), and a small Eagle oiler that I found buried in the dirt and which ended up being full of holes (and went into the scrap pile). My luck for finding tools is not spectacular.

 

[Straightgrain]

A few months back, while pulling into an empty parking lot at Tractor Supply to buy some bird seed, I found laying on the pavement a DeWalt 1/4" drive 20volt Impact Driver and a 12" Carlyle adjustable, both in good working condition.