Roadside/Streetside finds

[Thumper68]

We have threads for craigslist and garage sale finds but nothing for those awesome finds either low cost or free from the side of the road. You are driving down the road and that sign or object catches your eye, you slam on the brakes or pull a quick U-turn and pull to the curb to check out what someone else no longer needs but would fit in your shop perfectly.

Over the years I have made a few of those discoveries:

Soon after my shop was done I was looking for a radial arm saw (Radio alarm saw, for the craigslist posters)

Driving along the hwy I saw one sitting in a yard, I pulled off and backed up until I was even with it, hopping out of the truck I went to take a closer look, It was the typical 70's unit, or so I thought, pulling the tarp it was partialy covered with I saw that it wasn't the more common 10" but a 12" so right away I was thrilled, pulling the tarp further away I checked the motor tag. Now I was beyond thrilled it wasn't the homeowner 115v it was the 230v commercial unit.

While I was looking the home owner came out and walked over, trying to hide the smile on my face I introduced myself and shook the older gentlemans hand.

The first thing he said to me "Just so you know this saw is 220 not 110."

I tried to force a frown on my face, I must have been somewhat succesfull because he offered it up for $100, of course I didn't jump on that price I spent some time looking it over, checking for runout in the bearings, the slide and the column. before offering $65 stating that the 220 (His words) worried me a bit.

Well we settled on $75 and with a bit of his help got it in the truck.

Today was another good find, supprisingly made by my wife, I had told her yesterday that I had missed 2 8 drawer card file cabinets by just a few minutes on CL. Well as I was driving her to work this morning she spotted a bank of card files on the side of the road, after I dropped her off I went back and stopped to check them out, much to my supprise it was a fairly clean 18 drawer unit, and 8n new glass blocks with a sign that said $30.

I went and knocked on the door and asked if they would take $20 for the cabinet and glass blocks, he didn't even hesitate before accepting. I handed him the $20 and went to load them in the truck, after loading the blocks I turned to grab the cabinet to find the guy standing there, he asked if I wanted a 2nd unit missing one drawer for another $10. I was all over that.

This is the one missing the drawer





Quite a few dividers.



I think I have the perfect place for them in the shop.

So what have you found on the side of the road?

 

[Gearhead00]

I found a tiny spade laying in the middle of the road once. Not sure what a full grown man would use it for, but it suits my 5 year old son just fine.

 

[NUISANCE]

Not sure if this counts as "find" but one day I was headed down the street and saw a nice Craftsman 33 gallon air compressor with a free sign on it. I got it home and looked closer to find the head was taken apart and the piston was destroyed, other than that it was cherry. I went online and picked up a new piston, sleeve, flapper valves and gaskets for like $40. Put those parts in fired it up and it has worked perfect ever since. That was over a year ago and other than needing a new drain valve, I replaced with with a schrader valve, it has worked flawless.

 

[keelan]

A carpenter's square -- my wife spotted it in the middle of the road in the dark. She's a keeper.

 

[Throbbin Rods]

Small nightstand with marquetry design - free
Box of American made sockets, all mixed in with 1/4 and 3/8 drive - free
Out board gas tanks - 5 total - all free
Steel Workbench - free
40 lbs of nuts and bolts - free
just shy of 400 streamers and flies for fishing - $20
My hunting buddy says that when it comes to free stuff and good deals I have the golden horse shoe up my ****

 

[454cid]

I don't recall if I was walking or riding my bike, but I found a nice pair of Williams slip joint pliers on the side of the road when I was a kid. They had white spray paint covering a lot of the metal, and that's slowly come off...... I still have them. All I can figure is that they bounced out of the back of some guys truck, or maybe someone was pulled off the road for repair, and dropped them. It was next to a farm field on a state highway.

 

[onewheat]

I have found a Cincinnati Policeman's badge, a wheelbarrow, a REALLY nice tow chain, and a $20. That's what I can think of at the moment.

 

[Lippyp]

The wheeled base from something like an old hit and miss engine or old compressor or similar, got two wheels at one end and is very heavy complete with a brass makers plate on it. A 47KG cylinder of propane still with some in, several old roadsigns (from ditches not poles!) various small tools, spanners etc.

 

[MScott]

My best find was a steel workbench frame in a swamp. It was rusty and had been there long enough that the wood had rotted away. It is made out of heavy gauge metal tubing, is about 3' x 4' and is adjustable for height. I sanded off the rust, painted it with rust paint and put a wooden top on it which I will be replacing with metal plate soon. I also need to put casters on it since it is very heavy and will be more so with the metal top.l

I also found a 3 lb ball pein hammer lying on a city street one day in the pouring rain. Had to go around the block and was surprised to find it still there when I got back to it.

The only other thing I can remember was an aluminum 30 lb. propane tank that a neighbour of my sister-in-law had put at the curb while we were visiting. I had never seen an aluminum tank before so, after asking, I grabbed it. It was expired, but once I took the valve off and replaced it with a hose and gauge it has become an excellent portable air tank. Very light and easy to use.

 

[koditten]

2 Coleman steel clad coolers in 1 weekend.

One was laying wide open, the other was sitting nice and neat on the side of the road. Wife told me not to grab it, "there might be a head in there". I told her " now I have to look"

KO

 

[Playwme]

Drove right over a 25lb sledgehammer one day. If my wheel had hit the head I have no doubt the handle would have made a mess under the car. It was right in the middle of an intersection at dusk so being the good citizen I am I felt I had to pull over and pick it up before someone else damaged their car.
Seem to find a lot of lifting straps an tiedowns, good quality ones as used on bigger trucks with mounted cranes.

 

[Fastfish]

Don't really want to list all the stuff over the years. Probably couldn't anyway. But I do want to report that I just got a truck so I could get stuff more easily. One man's trash..........

 

[jives]

Many things over the years, some on the roadside, some on CL. The weirdest was
when I ran out of gas (brother's truck, non-working gas gauge) on the interstate,
and when walking along the road found dental equipment.

I've given away on CL more than I've received, but I'm happy with that. Best give-away
was my old Simplicity Yeoman tractor with a rusted out Murray tractor. We were moving,
did not want to move them, so put them on the yard with a free sign. First guy along
lived down the street and took them. Boy was he happy!

 

[Jere]

I have picked up stuff like a ping-pong table, very large aquarium and stand, garden pond liner, glass table top, rocking chair which I refinished. Nothing really great or garage related tho

 

[Ray-CA]

I used to work with a motorcycle Officer that we called "Junkman." He would ride to work with one empty saddle bag on the motor and leave for home with a few pounds worth of hardware.

Everytime he would make a traffic stop, when he finished, he'd walk up and down the shoulder of the freeway looking for scrap, nuts, bolts etc. He was trying to keep that **** from putting punctures in his motors tires. But, he would also take the days find's home, but them into a tumbler and sort them into his hardware bins. I don't think I ever heard of him running to a store to buy any fasteners during all the time I knew him.

Ray

 

[dawgee]

i was given a 30 gallon husky air compressor from where my wife use to work. It was broken but still under warranty got it fixed for free

 

[CCer]

My Brother and I both drive Semis, We live 100+ miles apart, meet on the road occasionally. He'd traveled a road, saw me, and told me where there was a hydraulic bottle jack, "looks like someone changed a tire and forgot to pick it up!" It was still there, so I stopped and got it. Still use it.

 

[DynoDave]

I picked up one of those on the way to the office one day, less the hose.

 

[AnthonyJ124]

Plenty of good freebies, trash finds and cheap yard side buys... Most recently was a pallet jack at a garage sale in the neighborhood for $40.

I've also grabbed a few name brand bikes out of the trash, plenty of good usable apartment furniture, and once a pair of Madshus wooden XC skis and poles in beautiful shape came out of roadside trash.

Possibly one of the best finds was an upright Thule hitch mount bike carrier that my wife to-be pointed out in a dumpster when we were on a date... Keeper. I still use that carrier all the time, just needed to order the keys from Thule and it was good to go.

 

[slow]

floor jack in the middle of the road. No handle but a piece of steel pipe and a bolt and it works great. Of course I almos smashed the car when the floor jack was in the middle of a traffic lane driving my 98 ws6.

Pulled over upset to move it and a few seconds later was like might as well put it to good use.

Ryan

 

[Jolly Roger]

I have yet to find anything cool...however my friend found a practically brand new router, still in the box...he thinks a contractor dropped it off their truck.