Something just clicked…..
- Thread starter Strouty
- Start date
Here a a few pics from the trip to pick up the storage wall.
This place was really big and this is just the shipping area. The guys running the motorized pallet jacks were flying around, it was a bit like a ballet.
Here is the tube I picked up before arriving at Lista, 24' long, 2" OD, 1/2" wall and 160 pounds.
All loaded up and ready to go. The straps were there just to keep people happy, the pallets were all screwed down with 3" deck screws, so they could not go anywhere.
Safely arrived at the shop and started unloading.
The packing was excellent, you would need to do something really dumb to have these get hurt in transit. Now I have a lot of parts everywhere, but at least they are inside!
This place was really big and this is just the shipping area. The guys running the motorized pallet jacks were flying around, it was a bit like a ballet.
Here is the tube I picked up before arriving at Lista, 24' long, 2" OD, 1/2" wall and 160 pounds.
All loaded up and ready to go. The straps were there just to keep people happy, the pallets were all screwed down with 3" deck screws, so they could not go anywhere.
Safely arrived at the shop and started unloading.
The packing was excellent, you would need to do something really dumb to have these get hurt in transit. Now I have a lot of parts everywhere, but at least they are inside!
dlcwent
Member Emeritus
It looks like yesterday was well spent on your part. What's on todays plate?
I have to go back to the tower site that I was at yesterday morning so I can pick up the remaining materials and also remove some old radio equipment from our building. Then I am back to the shop and unloading that stuff, then I have to get together the remaining auction items and drop them off. After that I will head over and return the borrowed trailer and pick up the one I bought, then head back to the shop. I am sure there will be more stuff than that, but I really never know how the day will turn out.
dlcwent
Member Emeritus
Yes, we know how well planned days turn out. Have a good one.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Strouty: very cool. nice pictures too. tell me is the pipe for a tower job? impressive piece of pipe. i have some that thick that are 4 and 5 foot long and about 6 inches in diameter.
your shop will look even better when you get time to set up those Lista cabinets. good luck and i'm guessing the directions to put them together are in english which is a plus.
your shop will look even better when you get time to set up those Lista cabinets. good luck and i'm guessing the directions to put them together are in english which is a plus.
I decided to wait on the rest of the things I was going to bring to the auction, they will do better in the spring anyways. I may work on the Lista setup this weekend, but I have so much to do here and at the house that I may not get much done.
Drives, the pipe is for a tower job, it will be mounted vertically and hold antennas that are rotated. It will be shorter than 24' when I get done, but not sure how much shorter yet. I have a couple more radios that need to be broken down for scrap, but they may get shuffled into the back corner for a while.
Drives, the pipe is for a tower job, it will be mounted vertically and hold antennas that are rotated. It will be shorter than 24' when I get done, but not sure how much shorter yet. I have a couple more radios that need to be broken down for scrap, but they may get shuffled into the back corner for a while.
I got everything unloaded, now I have more stuff inside the shop again. I need to get the muffler fixed on the excavator, grease it, change the track pad bolts that are frozen, and fill the hydraulic tank. Then it is ready to use. I have to go and scrounge through all my tower supplies and try and find a couple anchor heads (they connect the guy wires of a tower to the concrete in the ground) and figure out what I need to order for rebar. Then I still need to decide if I am going to pour the anchors here or on site. If I have time to pour the here I can use the extra for some slabs on the end of the shop, if I pour them on site, I pay for a "short load" and that is a waste. In order to pour them here, I have to be able to unload them at the job, so that is the sticking point. I can register my boom truck again, but I am not sure I want to. I have to figure this out by Monday, so at least I have plenty of time to think about it. 
I spent a few hours in the office sending out invoices and discussing projects with customers. Tomorrow I will be picking up my trailer that I bought from my Father. I don't have a lot to report this afternoon, but tomorrow I should have more things that are picture worthy.
I spent a few hours in the office sending out invoices and discussing projects with customers. Tomorrow I will be picking up my trailer that I bought from my Father. I don't have a lot to report this afternoon, but tomorrow I should have more things that are picture worthy.
This morning I went and got my new used trailer and a piece of a tower section that I need for a job. The trailer is not terrible, it needs some work, but it was definitely worth the $500. I won't need the ramps for a while, so I took them off. First order of business will be to get all the lights working, then I will look at all the brakes and see what needs to be replaced (most likely everything). I am not using it to haul anything heavy, so even if I get one axle working it will be more than enough for now.
I am going to remove the muffler from the excavator so I can either get a replacement or repair this one, it is in bad shape, so repair will be fun to say the least. After that I want to take a look at the outrigger on the crane and see if I can fix that leak, it is a bit unnerving when the outrigger starts settling while you have a load on the hook. My GF is also bringing her car over, so I am going to have to make a hole in the shop for it. Not sure what the trouble is yet, but I know it needs an oil change anyways.
Here is the trailer.
I am going to remove the muffler from the excavator so I can either get a replacement or repair this one, it is in bad shape, so repair will be fun to say the least. After that I want to take a look at the outrigger on the crane and see if I can fix that leak, it is a bit unnerving when the outrigger starts settling while you have a load on the hook. My GF is also bringing her car over, so I am going to have to make a hole in the shop for it. Not sure what the trouble is yet, but I know it needs an oil change anyways.
Here is the trailer.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Strouty: sounds like a very busy and productive day. pretty sure you didn't over pay for your trailer because i'm looking at a similar one that tilts for about $4,000.
good luck and hope you figure out the mystery with the GF's car to put a smile on her face.
cheers
good luck and hope you figure out the mystery with the GF's car to put a smile on her face.
cheers
rmalkow2
Well-known member
$500 for that trailer even with some repairs needed is a steal. You **** big time for that deal!!!
The lowest I can find used trailers around here are $1600-$1800. Or maybe $700-800 for some home made red necked junker with no brakes at all.
That will be a really nice trailer when you get done fixing the lights and brakes.
The lowest I can find used trailers around here are $1600-$1800. Or maybe $700-800 for some home made red necked junker with no brakes at all.
That will be a really nice trailer when you get done fixing the lights and brakes.
dlcwent
Member Emeritus
"I am not using it to haul anything heavy, so even if I get one axle working it will be more than enough for now"
As long as DOT doesn't stop you. Anyway, that does deserve a you **** as rmalkow2 just said. If you decide you don't want to bother with it, bring it up and I'll give you your money back.
As long as DOT doesn't stop you. Anyway, that does deserve a you **** as rmalkow2 just said. If you decide you don't want to bother with it, bring it up and I'll give you your money back.
Personal vehicles do not fall under DOT, so the trailer does not need an inspection sticker or brakes. As long as I haul it behind my suburban it is all legit, well once the lights all work. If I hook it to the freightliner, that is a different story. If the suburban was registered in the company's name, then it would also be an issue, but the beauty of a suburban is most DOT guys ignore you.
The funny part is I bought this trailer brand new in 2000, then sold it to my Dad about 5 years ago. He fixed a bunch of things, then let it be used to haul snowmobiles in the winter, that is what did the brakes in. So I just bought my trailer back.
The funny part is I bought this trailer brand new in 2000, then sold it to my Dad about 5 years ago. He fixed a bunch of things, then let it be used to haul snowmobiles in the winter, that is what did the brakes in. So I just bought my trailer back.
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Richard Cranium
Well-known member
Still waiting on the lista pictures. I know you are busy, so don't think I am busting your balls, Just following along for the ride...Rich
I can show you pictures, but it really is just a pile of parts. I spent the last few hours fixing my GF's car, she literally had things falling off of it (some had all ready departed).
Yes there is a bolt missing from the hub, made her ABS go crazy, surprised it didn't lose the wheel. Had to buy a new one and it comes with thread locker, imagine that?
She just left and now I have to get the exhaust back on the excavator. Looks like it will be Monday before I get to the Lista stuff, I have to do a bunch at the house tomorrow. Who knows maybe things will go well tomorrow and I can sneak over for a while. Come to think of it, maybe I can come over early and work until lunch, then head home. That may work well.
Sorry to go off on a tangent, but these discussions with myself tend to help.
This is what I started this morning before she showed up.
Surprisingly the muffler is really solid, I think I can weld a couple patches on it and it will be fine, one of big u-bolts that hold it down broke off as well, so I have to weld that up too. I bought some band clamps and I busted out my exhaust expander to see if I can get things to fit a bit tighter. I also bought a flexible pipe just in case things go south, I know I can make that work.
I tore down the old radio cabinets as well, the cabinets are in pretty good shape and I think I can reuse them at one of my tower sites, so I am going to bring them there next week. I need to find a place to put all the components so I can break them down later, there is a lot of copper and aluminum in them.
And just for Rich, here is the Lista Storage Wall, the condensed version.
I am going back to work now.
Yes there is a bolt missing from the hub, made her ABS go crazy, surprised it didn't lose the wheel. Had to buy a new one and it comes with thread locker, imagine that?
She just left and now I have to get the exhaust back on the excavator. Looks like it will be Monday before I get to the Lista stuff, I have to do a bunch at the house tomorrow. Who knows maybe things will go well tomorrow and I can sneak over for a while. Come to think of it, maybe I can come over early and work until lunch, then head home. That may work well.
Sorry to go off on a tangent, but these discussions with myself tend to help.
This is what I started this morning before she showed up.
Surprisingly the muffler is really solid, I think I can weld a couple patches on it and it will be fine, one of big u-bolts that hold it down broke off as well, so I have to weld that up too. I bought some band clamps and I busted out my exhaust expander to see if I can get things to fit a bit tighter. I also bought a flexible pipe just in case things go south, I know I can make that work.
I tore down the old radio cabinets as well, the cabinets are in pretty good shape and I think I can reuse them at one of my tower sites, so I am going to bring them there next week. I need to find a place to put all the components so I can break them down later, there is a lot of copper and aluminum in them.
And just for Rich, here is the Lista Storage Wall, the condensed version.
I am going back to work now.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
This morning I went and got my new used trailer and a piece of a tower section that I need for a job. The trailer is not terrible, it needs some work, but it was definitely worth the $500. I won't need the ramps for a while, so I took them off. First order of business will be to get all the lights working, then I will look at all the brakes and see what needs to be replaced (most likely everything). I am not using it to haul anything heavy, so even if I get one axle working it will be more than enough for now.
I am going to remove the muffler from the excavator so I can either get a replacement or repair this one, it is in bad shape, so repair will be fun to say the least. After that I want to take a look at the outrigger on the crane and see if I can fix that leak, it is a bit unnerving when the outrigger starts settling while you have a load on the hook. My GF is also bringing her car over, so I am going to have to make a hole in the shop for it. Not sure what the trouble is yet, but I know it needs an oil change anyways.
Here is the trailer.
That's a $500 "YOU ****" trailer. Around here that would go for $1500-$2000 all day long.
Thanks guys, I can't believe the **** they are selling new for $3000 and up. When I originally bought this trailer (in 2000) it was $1,995 and I could have bought the next size up for $2,395. I always wished I had bought it, but the trailer was bright red and I do not like red.
I will say that it has been used and overloaded a couple of times. The first month I had it we loaded a dozen spools of wire on it that weighed about 10,000 pounds. I also hauled a chevy crew cab 4x4 dually on it, that was interesting. So the trailer has history, the funny thing is I used to haul it with my 1999 diesel suburban (one I bought new) back then, so now it is coming full circle including a diesel suburban.
I will say that it has been used and overloaded a couple of times. The first month I had it we loaded a dozen spools of wire on it that weighed about 10,000 pounds. I also hauled a chevy crew cab 4x4 dually on it, that was interesting. So the trailer has history, the funny thing is I used to haul it with my 1999 diesel suburban (one I bought new) back then, so now it is coming full circle including a diesel suburban.
dlcwent
Member Emeritus
Strouty, If the combined weight of trailer and vehicle exceeds 10000 lbs., it has to have a commercial inspection as well as the truck hauling it. It has nothing to do with personal vehicles. Let me emphasize COMBINED WEIGHT. DOT can haul you over if they think you are over weight. I've had a customer fined $1600 for hauling his tractor behind his pick up.
It is really hard to understand the laws, because the police do not understand them. DOT rules are very clear about personal use, either his truck was lettered or the cop was not right. The only time you get in trouble for a personal truck is if you register it for less than what you are hauling. My burb is registered for 18K to cover any trailer and loads. DOT can do as they please with me, I know the laws and I carry the FMSCA book in all my trucks. As a tower company I fall under a rule that allows me to not use log books within my home area, but they do not define home area, so my home area is the United States. I remember the first time a DOT officer asked me for my log book in Maryland and I told him I don't use them. I thought he was going to throw a hissy fit. I showed him the rules and he had to call a supervisor, then he came back and said OK, but you should use one, it would just be easier, I told him no thanks.
The scenarios I can think of where that would have happened would be if he had the truck lettered, if he told the officer he was being paid to do something, if the truck was registered in a business name, or if he had the truck registered for 6,000 pounds or something silly like that. Otherwise if he had fought it, he would have won easily. I know the Federal DOT Inspector for Maine and he is a great guy. I have had to call him when a buddy was being hassled by a state trooper. We handed the state trooper the phone, he talked to him for a bit, then listened for a while, then hung up. Then he let us go. Everyone thinks they know the rules, I am not saying I know them all, but I do know the ones that pertain to what I do.
If you look at this page from the FMSCA website, it shows what criteria require a DOT number. If you don't need a DOT number, then they have no jurisdiction to fine you because you are not required to follow their rules, you still have to follow any state rules, but those are more straight forward.
If you look at this page from the FMSCA website, it shows what criteria require a DOT number. If you don't need a DOT number, then they have no jurisdiction to fine you because you are not required to follow their rules, you still have to follow any state rules, but those are more straight forward.
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dlcwent
Member Emeritus
Strouty, it says right there. OR has a gross vehicle weight or combination weight of 10001 or more. How do you interpit that? What am I I saying wrong?
DLC, see the second arrow? Interstate commerce or commerce in general is the key wording. If you are not involved in commerce, then you are not required to meet the feds standards. That being said it is pretty hard to argue this if you are driving a truck that is lettered up. The burb is as nondescript as you can get.
So yes you are correct about the weights but my entire point is that these requirements are not for everyone and if you know the laws and rules, you will be able to beat any ticket in court. Technically if I was driving to Florida to pick up a truck for my personal use, I could take the tractor trailer truck and not need a log book or follow the hours of service, but I am sure you would get many arguments along the way. That is why most people end up following the rules even if they don't really need to, all because some jackass cop that didn't know what he was doing gave them a ticket. They can give you a huge ticket for not knowing the rules that you are supposed to as well, they call it "Failure to train", this is true even if you are an owner operator. My Dad got one and it was like $600, it is probably more now, that was years ago.
So yes you are correct about the weights but my entire point is that these requirements are not for everyone and if you know the laws and rules, you will be able to beat any ticket in court. Technically if I was driving to Florida to pick up a truck for my personal use, I could take the tractor trailer truck and not need a log book or follow the hours of service, but I am sure you would get many arguments along the way. That is why most people end up following the rules even if they don't really need to, all because some jackass cop that didn't know what he was doing gave them a ticket. They can give you a huge ticket for not knowing the rules that you are supposed to as well, they call it "Failure to train", this is true even if you are an owner operator. My Dad got one and it was like $600, it is probably more now, that was years ago.
Richard Cranium
Well-known member
Thank you for the lista fix, I feel a little better now, but will not be good until I see them together and set up... Thnks
Richard, I plan on starting to do a bit tomorrow, but unfortunately it may only be moving all the stuff out of the way.
I got the muffler done, finally, lots of welding and a trip to NAPA, a couple broken bolts, more welding, and now it is all quiet!
Here is the muffler in various stages, I got to use one of my metal shaping trusty cook hammers and I setup the jawhorse welding kit. I think it is great, very versatile and rugged as hell. I made a few modifications to it and I will probably make more, kind of thinking about buying another one so I can have multiple clamps. Anyways here are a bunch of pictures, enjoy my rust bucket welding masterpiece.
I got the muffler done, finally, lots of welding and a trip to NAPA, a couple broken bolts, more welding, and now it is all quiet!
Here is the muffler in various stages, I got to use one of my metal shaping trusty cook hammers and I setup the jawhorse welding kit. I think it is great, very versatile and rugged as hell. I made a few modifications to it and I will probably make more, kind of thinking about buying another one so I can have multiple clamps. Anyways here are a bunch of pictures, enjoy my rust bucket welding masterpiece.
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Looking forward to seeing the Lista Cabinets come together, you won't know yourself.
bczygan
Well-known member
It is an OR/AND.
In other words, you have to be over that weight, or using it to transport 8 to 15 or more passengers (Or able to) AND engaged in commerce. And all this is for companies.
It's government speak, and you have to put the accent on the right syllable.
You ought to try reading FAA rules. It's this is true, unless modified by subsection c.3.a, or if on the third Thursday a purple bus drives by, in which case you go to section B.4 d. It's like the NEC.
Bill
Your going to like me even less, I looked things over and tomorrow I need to make the base for the big vidmar cabinet. I have all the tools out and the drawers are totally in the way, I can also use it to hold things as I move them out of the Lista's space. So we are definitely into Monday before I even start on the Lista. 
I slept in a bit today, but I was also up a lot later than normal. I am headed to the shop now, probably until early afternoon, then back to the house to get a few things done there. Next week looks like a nonstop festival of pain, I have made some lists of the most important things and I am sure I will be adding to them, I also still have the regular stuff to do, so things are going to get pretty interesting.
Richard Cranium
Well-known member
Strouty, let me ask something, not trying to sound like an *** hat, but what would the cost of replacing the muffler been, compared to your hourly wage rate, I mean what is your time worth to you, getting with other projects. I my opinion some times it is cheaper to buy a replacement then spend a bunch of my hours rebuilding a used/worn out muffler. It looked like it had already been welded up there before and had burned out the repair. On the other hand I understand the satisfaction of fixing some thing instead of just replacing something.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Strouty: nice work yesterday and you deserved to get a little sleep. hope today goes as well or better.
yesterday i worked in a little sightseeing while picking up a few things a couple hours from my place and saw your new/old trailer with a few added options you might consider adding while fixing your wiring and brakes.
the views weren't too bad there either
cheers and have a great day
yesterday i worked in a little sightseeing while picking up a few things a couple hours from my place and saw your new/old trailer with a few added options you might consider adding while fixing your wiring and brakes.
the views weren't too bad there either
cheers and have a great day
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Rich, you point is a good one, I should have added in the entire story on the muffler. We ordered a new one (it took weeks to get it and cost $530) and it was the wrong one, they could not get the same setup, I was going to try and have NAPA match one up, but when I removed the muffler and felt how thick it was, it made more sense to just patch it again. Also I really only had about an hour and a half into the muffler repair, it took longer to get the parts off the machine and fix the big u-bolts than the actual repair. So even if I billed myself out at my rate it was definitely cheaper to rebuild that on a saturday night than it would have been to go out with the GF for a nice evening. I would have preferred going out, but it had to be done and another thing checked off the list is probably the best feeling of all.
Drives, great views, I wonder if I modified my trailer to look like that if DOT would bug me? The midcoast area of Maine looks a lot like your neck of the woods, you are just a bit too close to California for my tastes though.
Drives, great views, I wonder if I modified my trailer to look like that if DOT would bug me? The midcoast area of Maine looks a lot like your neck of the woods, you are just a bit too close to California for my tastes though.
Today seems to be one of those days, productivity dropped off, I had a friend and his brother (twins) stop by and talk for over an hour. They both would be interested in helping out on the weekends and the brother is able to help at least one night a week, we agreed on an hourly rate and I am looking forward to having the help. They are both good you guys that know a lot about computers, but still like to work. One is a parts guy at the local Volvo dealership and the other is working for a recreation department doing maintenance.
I am going to clean things up and be ready for Monday. I know if I start my project now, I will never make it back to the house with any motivation whatsoever. I am going to move the crane over to the front of the shop so it is ready for the outrigger investigation.
I moved a lot of my shipping supplies out into deep storage and put away a few things that are slated for projects, but I am not ready to start them yet. It freed up some room so I won't be tripping over them.
I am going to clean things up and be ready for Monday. I know if I start my project now, I will never make it back to the house with any motivation whatsoever. I am going to move the crane over to the front of the shop so it is ready for the outrigger investigation.
I moved a lot of my shipping supplies out into deep storage and put away a few things that are slated for projects, but I am not ready to start them yet. It freed up some room so I won't be tripping over them.
bczygan
Well-known member
"A nonstop festival of pain"
Strouty, I love that phrase!
And I am facing that, if I choose to indulge myself with it.
Your decision to find help, is a great one. And a difficult one for someone like myself, who is a control freak.
Bill
Strouty, I love that phrase!
And I am facing that, if I choose to indulge myself with it.
Your decision to find help, is a great one. And a difficult one for someone like myself, who is a control freak.
Bill
Bill, I am a control freak too, but most of the things I need help with now are just moving things around and help with assembling things, like the Lista Storage Wall. When it comes to organizing, I either need to make all the decisions or just leave and let someone else do it.
I also had a slight epiphany last night on the drive home. I use my ipod for music through my stereo and I was getting annoyed that I have several songs that I did not want to listen to, but every time I add more music I only remove one or two songs from the old playlist. I think I am afraid of the "what if", yet this is clearly the dumbest what if of all. Am I worried that I am going to run out of songs, or maybe listen to one of them more than once? It sounds silly, yet it totally relates to my stuff, I don't want to get rid of certain things, what if I need them? Yet I can't really enjoy the "new songs" (or new stuff) because all the old stuff is in the way. I love it when things click!
I also had a slight epiphany last night on the drive home. I use my ipod for music through my stereo and I was getting annoyed that I have several songs that I did not want to listen to, but every time I add more music I only remove one or two songs from the old playlist. I think I am afraid of the "what if", yet this is clearly the dumbest what if of all. Am I worried that I am going to run out of songs, or maybe listen to one of them more than once? It sounds silly, yet it totally relates to my stuff, I don't want to get rid of certain things, what if I need them? Yet I can't really enjoy the "new songs" (or new stuff) because all the old stuff is in the way. I love it when things click!
dodge610
Well-known member
Strouty you are a lot like me and my BIL we use to work together. We both had different routes to get to the final product. Same ending but he wanted it done his way and me my way. So we came to an agreement so we did not kill each other my garage my way his garage his way. It was a little nerve wracking at first but we both adapted.