"One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure"

[Garyss.smith]

Last year I found a set (front and back) of campy sew up wheels and campy hubs bu the street. They were older but had not been ridden any as the sides of the wheels was still anodized. Well I go down that street every week on trash day, sad to say nothing else

Gary

 

[sensei_]

Once picked up a set of momento impact sockets. Not one, but a whole set, 11 of them if im not wrong, with the extension bar too.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Sounds like those were lost by someone, not thrown away. Not "One Man's Trash"(?)

 

[Wes Tex]

This is all very interesting, and it must go on everywhere. I live on a very busy four lane road right next to an intersecting alley. I can put ANYTHING out next to the alley, and it is gone within a short time. So far in the six years I have lived in this house I have discovered the slowest items to dispose of are leaves in bags (several days). The fastest items to see leave are broken furniture and old TV sets. I once put trash in Christmas boxes with bows because the trash was full---gone in about 60 seconds. I was worried that the picker would return and dump the stuff in the front yard, but nothing has ever returned!

 

[bobemmerich]

I've gotten things from work when they toss good stuff, but I always put stuff out front with a "Free" sign. An old working upright freezer, an A/C unit, A small tool box with some old junk tools, always putting scrap metal out there, some rims, batteries, etc. Usually it's gone in a day or 2./

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I wish my work got rid of good stuff.

Well, they probably do but all the mechanics snag it first. I work for the bus company but in the construction division so I'm only in our bus divisions about weekly. I'm allowed to take disposable things like boxes of latex gloves, dust masks, paper towels and window & citrus cleaner spray bottles. All good stuff but I'm sure there's GOOD stuff a big place like us tosses rather than deal with repairing.

 

[Jazz]

I got an industrial band saw this way. My company was throwing it away, wasn't broken so they cut the plug off to make it disposable. I asked if I could have it and they said they didn't care because it was "trash" now. They also gave me a couple brand new unused blades for it. It also has a nice tool sharpener grinding wheel on one side. Nice piece.

 

[sensei_]

Sounds like those were lost by someone, not thrown away. Not "One Man's Trash"(?)

what are you implying there? it was amongst the rubbish to be thrown out on the kerb.

 

[Fishey]

This is why craigslist exists...

 

[gtiboy66]

I was dumpster diving and found an entire huge dumpster full of records. I asked the workers and they said they were told to gut and demo the building. I called some friends and we pulled out over 10,000 records out of there. Many of them mint and many picture discs and promo discs.

 

[creativecars]

Yep, the "creative", fix-it part of me see's someone throwing out a junk bed frame, I see an angle iron bench in the future. My current push mower was a pick, bikes are also thrown out a lot. They usually need a tire or tube, so for 15.00 in parts my kids get “new to them” bike. My son usually helps so I am teaching him how to fix-it too.

 

[cincinnati_kid]

Went picking last night and didnt find anything. Trash day after the first warm day of spring is a great time to garbage pick. I need to sell stuff anyway haha.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

what are you implying there? it was amongst the rubbish to be thrown out on the kerb.

Decaf dude, decaf. Lol.

I'm not implying anything. I've found a few tools over the years, a scoop shovel, a NICE set of Blue Point water pump pliers. These were literally "in the street" so I assumed they fell out of someone's truck. My comment was that your find might have been similar as its hard (for me; a tool guy), to imagine someone deliberately throwing out a SET of sockets, or whatever they were.

Honest, I was NOT implying you stole them. Ask yourself why you reacted so defensively.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Sorry, duplicate post.

 

[cincinnati_kid]

There was a guy one time who had his stihl blower, stihl weedeater, nice mower and a few other tools by the curb. I stopped and the garage was open so i went up to the door knocked no answer. I knew the neighbor so I went to his house and asked what the deal was with all the stuff by the curb. he called the owner and asked. The guy ran to lowes to grab something and unloaded his truck and left it out there. It was his rental property. I stuck around and talked to the guy and told him that trash day is not the night to be doing that and that there are a lot of junkers that would have thrown those in the back of their truck and never thought anything of it. He probably had $1500 worth of stuff on the curb on trash night. Not the brightest guy.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Well, at least you stuck around to tell him. That's "paying it forward" in a way. You potentially saved him having a REAL bad day.

 

[sensei_]

My comment was that your find might have been similar as its hard (for me; a tool guy), to imagine someone deliberately throwing out a SET of sockets, or whatever they were.

Honest, I was NOT implying you stole them. Ask yourself why you reacted so defensively.

Not everyone is a tool person. Hell, i wasnt one until about 6 months ago. Not everyone understands the value and some may even think its junk.

It just irks me when people dont think before they post, and being on a forum, the wrong message may be received even when said in good faith.

 

[Bronson]

Free oven for a powder coating set up (tested, works), heavy solid cored door, one cabinet, but I could have grabbed the whole kitchen.

Hey, You forgot the free 55 gallon drum!

 

[Boyd Who]

I run a junk removal business in our little town. Not only do I often haul away really cool, usable stuff, I get paid to take it!

 

[Strouty]

Instead of cussing the local scrapman and chasing him away, I made buddies with him. He brings me stuff that looks interesting or really old, and I give him a bit more than scrap value. It is amazing what some people will give him as scrap and he just lets it go (he's pretty clueless). One recent example, a little metal box he didn't bother to open, full of new USA made taps. Probably a nickle's worth at the scales.

He may not be clueless, he may just have gotten over the "wow look at what someone tossed" reaction. I was friends with a guy who scrapped cars, he drove around in a truck that was ready to fall apart, but he made about $3k a week. He also never paid for gasoline, just lots of fuel filters (I think he had three inline to keep it clean). He and I had so many good deals, you couldn't keep them all. Or he may be clueless.

 

[930dreamer]

Hey, You forgot the free 55 gallon drum!

And a free 55 gallon drum from a cool GJ member.

 

[MrC1953]

Some of you enjoy tractors as I do, My little New Holland is my little helper around the shop picking up heavy items or moving cars ect., here is something I built using recycled (trash) materials, I thought it might apply to this thread.

I will be the first to say I am cheap, some things I just can't seem to want to pay for or at least not as much as they want for it.
Heres what I did.
I need/wanted a hard canopy.
I shopped around and for a alluminum on for 325$, a tin/metal one for 200$
and fiberglass one for 400$

I made mine for 8$
At the local salvage yard (heaven) I found a
4x4x1/4 road sign made of alluminum paid $6 for it
1- 10ft piece of 1 in round pipe and bent it into a squared-U
1-10ft of 1inch pipe insulation foam and some self tapping screws 2$
welded 2-2 1/4x2 1/4x3 box to my ROPS up and down
slid inside a piece of 2 in about 10in long and drilled for a bolt or pin.
welded 1/8 triangle to the 2in and the round pipe were they met for a gussett
painted and wrapped the round pipe with the insullation and screwed through the sign/insulation into the pipe, the insulation is for any sound or vibration.which I have none!
so now I have a alluminum 4x4 canopy with a steel frame and so far on a trailer I have had it up to 75mph with no problems and it is really tuff on tree limbs too.

I built this several years ago, and I have never bent it or broke it, and believe me it has been hit alot over the years. The bolts were for easy removal.

Godspeed
MrC.

 

[airfehr]

Every spring for spring cleaning, grand forks lets residents put whatever on the curb and the city will take it to the dump....its a frenzy for junk pickers, some really good stuff gets thrown out.

 

[Ralphy]

Got this old allis chalmers out of the dump. It was literally never used and still had the sales tag on it. Fired right up.

 

[ljhhontx]

Some of you enjoy tractors as I do, My little New Holland is my little helper around the shop picking up heavy items or moving cars ect., here is something I built using recycled (trash) materials, I thought it might apply to this thread.

I will be the first to say I am cheap, some things I just can't seem to want to pay for or at least not as much as they want for it.
Heres what I did.
I need/wanted a hard canopy.
I shopped around and for a alluminum on for 325$, a tin/metal one for 200$
and fiberglass one for 400$

I made mine for 8$
At the local salvage yard (heaven) I found a
4x4x1/4 road sign made of alluminum paid $6 for it
1- 10ft piece of 1 in round pipe and bent it into a squared-U
1-10ft of 1inch pipe insulation foam and some self tapping screws 2$
welded 2-2 1/4x2 1/4x3 box to my ROPS up and down
slid inside a piece of 2 in about 10in long and drilled for a bolt or pin.
welded 1/8 triangle to the 2in and the round pipe were they met for a gussett
painted and wrapped the round pipe with the insullation and screwed through the sign/insulation into the pipe, the insulation is for any sound or vibration.which I have none!
so now I have a alluminum 4x4 canopy with a steel frame and so far on a trailer I have had it up to 75mph with no problems and it is really tuff on tree limbs too.

I built this several years ago, and I have never bent it or broke it, and believe me it has been hit alot over the years. The bolts were for easy removal.

Godspeed
MrC.

I like your idea and would probably use it myself but I thought I would mention that having worked in the heavy equipment world years ago we were cautioned a lot about attaching anything to a stock ROPS . We were told that if you did, it would negate any chance of settlement in the case of an injury that would have happened. Like I said I think it's great but thought you should know that.

 

[VWingman]

I have got enough 4 bulb 4' fluorescent fixtures to light my garage, basement, 2 brothers garage and dads garage from work. I have also picked up a heavy duty flat aluminum dollie (NIB). Damaged pallet racking now used as wood racks and heavy duty shelving for storage and not to mention and 8 foot long 3 foot deep metro rack.

 

[Playwme]

I like your idea and would probably use it myself but I thought I would mention that having worked in the heavy equipment world years ago we were cautioned a lot about attaching anything to a stock ROPS . We were told that if you did, it would negate any chance of settlement in the case of an injury that would have happened. Like I said I think it's great but thought you should know that.

Settlement from who? Surely you wouldn't sue the manufacturer of the ROPS system? It's not guaranteed to completely prevent any injury at all, just to reduce the risks.

 

[crazytrain]

My brothers father inlaw works for a large retirement home and his job is to refurbish the apartments when someone moves out. The new person moving in can have everything replaced as they are paying $$$$$$ to live there. Sometimes the kitchens are only a year or 2 old and get ripped out and replaced. He removes the cabinets and counter tops and appliances and a lot gets tossed in the dumpster. He started brining them home and has a full barn of kitchen cabinets and some appliances and sells them cheap or gives them to friends and family.

 

[cgutierrez22]

I got a 3 phase Lincoln welder with remote wire feeder out of the trash. It's a R3S-325 with LN7 feeder. The welder had a bad contactor and the feeder was missing the gun. With repairs, I spent about $350 and bought a bottle, regulator, and gun. It all works great and is 325amps at 100% duty cycle. Hardest part of the whole thing was getting it into my truck from the trash. I had to get 2 of my brothers to help me.