Something just clicked…..

[bczygan]

The boat store my brother worked at was run by a pretty shady guy. He used to drag guys in off the sidewalk to help him move something heavy. And he never spent money to fix anything.

The forklift had no brakes, and one day it went don the ramp out the side door, and right through the window of a passing car, injuring the drivers arm. The owner gave him $50 for his trouble.

Bill

 

[Strouty]

Coljar, thanks for the encouragement, I keep on clicking, I think it will be a few more years before I graduate to the garage gallery section.

Bill, keep trying to move forward, I figure even a little bit is better than nothing. As for the moon thing, maybe it is aliens?

Nines, the weekend look awesome (for us) 50 degrees both days, hoping to get a lot done.

DFA, I have seen many places like what you are describing. My Dad's old shop had a door that my Brother messed up, but it was all the way up when he did it, I guess the crane boom moved up a lot when he let the tension off the winch and crunched the door good.

Monkey, I have seen that one before, but not the dubbed version. Thanks for posting the link.

Today is looking like a nice day, I just got to the shop and I am eating a snack, then headed to the white board to figure out my plan of attack for the weekend.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: i need to get something done because it quit pouring rain so i'm off to let you gain more of a lead on your post count.

hope you get the fork lift doing all the jobs you want one for and glad to hear you still have some decent weather too.

here's to another great day in paradise.

cheers

 

[Strouty]

Good luck Drives, so far I have moved a few things, but nothing is going the way I thought. I kind of forgot about a delivery and had to unload a pickup truck and plug up the shop. Now I need to figure out where it is all going and get it there so I can still use the shop after I lose the light.

 

[mdbeck1]

Good luck Drives, so far I have moved a few things, but nothing is going the way I thought. I kind of forgot about a delivery and had to unload a pickup truck and plug up the shop. Now I need to figure out where it is all going and get it there so I can still use the shop after I lose the light.

You know... I was just thinking about how far you've come.... initially you would have said "Unloaded the truck. Time to quit for the evening. Can't move in the shop."

 

[mdbeck1]

...then headed to the white board to figure out my plan of attack for the weekend.

Just a thought:
When I start re-arranging in the shop I usually take a corner (or the whole) whiteboard and make a rough diagram of where I think I want to go. It kind of keeps me moving in the right direction. ...and shows me where I made changes.


You have a fairly large outside space. Have you thought about what the overall layout is going to be? I would probably set up the outside racks and put a bunch of the steel up. ...or move the trailers where I think they should eventually go. Things like that make me feel a LOT more organized.

 

[Strouty]

MB, I have been tormented over the outside layout. right now I really need to either just pack the stuff away in the back corner or risk everything and start clearing some trees and trying to level up an area to actually layout the racks. I am nervous that if I start and can't finish it will be half assed and I will need to do it again anyways. I am leaning towards clearing a very small area and just moving things that I won't need access to for a long while, everything else would be on blocks or pallets so I can easily move it in the spring with the forklift.

In order to properly layout everything I need a survey done and I don't think I can make it happen this year.

 

[Strouty]

When I went to move the tractor trailer, it almost got stuck, thank you for locking rears. It did slide sideways a bit, but it is out of the slime and now I can almost get to the brown building/shed. Time to see if we can pick it up with the forklift. I did manage to find some channel iron to make a couple of fork extensions if needed, I am hoping that I don't, but I can. Time to go shuffle some more stuff.

 

[Richard Cranium]

ok, so now we know not to let Grandpa tampa drive the fork lift.
Good luck on moving the building.

 

[sublime68charger]

Strouty thanks for stopping by my thread!

good luck on your building move!

your thread and/or shop adventure is on my to due reading listing some day this winter when I have a cold and windy day and am staying in the house all day,

wont be this weekend as we have temps in the mid 40 as your due as well so get as much done outside as you can while the weather is nice out for December!

 

[Strouty]

Sublime, not a problem, good read. I like the way you reuse things! I reread my thread every so often, it is a chore to get through it now. I have been told it is a true journey.

Rich, I wouldn't let Tampa drive anything, especially a fork lift.

 

[Strouty]

So I tried to pick up the building, good thing is the mast was low enough that it didn't hit the eves, bad thing is no way four foot forks was going to do it. I essentially popped through the bottom plywood and made an overall mess. I did not take pictures of this.

I went and took a look at my 7" channel iron, it ended up being 13' long, so I split it into two 6' 6" pieces.


I then cut holes out so I could slide the forks into them.





I got all excited and went over to the building and slid the new fork extensions under. Eureka!





I got out to see how stable it was and that is when I realized I needed another piece of steel to hold them to the forks. At least it wasn't catastrophic, just a bit of a pucker factor.



So I am currently reworking the extensions, but because of all the stuff that just got unloaded into the main bay, I can't get to the welder. I just sold my little 211, so the big boy is all I have. I decided to take this show on the road and head over to my Dad's and finish these up. I am grabbing extra pieces and will finish welding them up later tonight.

 

[nine4gmc]

That happened exactly like I thought it would. You need a strap across the bottom, good thing it didn't flip over on you while taking the pic from in front of it, but you already know this.

 

[dlcwent]

Why am I not surprised you did that.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: looks like you might not be spending $2k on some new forks. happy to see you didn't flip it or hurt yourself. looks like the new extensions might work so best of luck.

just curious why you sold your Miller 211? i was thinking that is the one to buy when i get ready to weld? or do you have a 350 or something else bigger?

cheers with my IPA today (thought it was better than ice cream)

 

[coljar]

I would love to have a forklift like that at home. I get spoiled at work not having to move **** around by hand. Those extenders will come in handy for the next big job, too.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I think a fork lift would be like my front end loader, I don't how I did stuff before I got it.

 

[Strouty]

Nines, that is why I left the welded piece across the back, as a safety. The trouble with adding the strap across the bottom is that the channel is 1 7/8" deep and the forks are 2". I ended up using some angle iron pieces to capture the bottom of the forks. I also added a flat bar at the tapered end of the forks to keep them from rattling off the other end. Should work for what I am doing just fine. If I wanted things to be perfect, I would need a taller channel iron.

DLC, The building was pretty stable at the point I took that picture. Then I stood to the side and pushed down on one of the bottom skids, I figured that way I would not be under it if the extra weight did make it move.

Drives, this actually makes me want new forks even more. Now I can see the ends of them easily from the seat. The four foot ones are almost impossible to see without getting up off the seat. The miller 211 was sold because I wanted to upgrade to the newer inverter style. It is half the weight of the old machine, and I want it to be portable, so that is important to me. I do own a larger welder, but it was kind of buried, that is why I went to my Dad's to use his.

Coljar, I can definitely see them being used again, but I am absolutely buying longer forks.

Rich, my small forklift has proved very valuable and this one is proving itself perfect for my yard.

 

[Strouty]

Last night I finished the fork extensions. This morning I got to slide them on and they fit nicely. I wish I had a taller channel iron so I could have done a flat plate across, but the 1/4" thick angle iron should do well. If it starts to act funny, I can always weld a brace across those, but I think it will be fine as it is.










Very warm today, I had to do a couple of errands this morning, really wish I had been here at 8AM, but oh well. I have the building completely unloaded and ready to go. Dad is coming over to help load it up, we may even have enough time to take it over to the tower site, but loading it and getting it tied down is the first step. Believe me I would like to see it gone, but I don't want to rush things too much.

Tonight if we don't take the building over, I am going to load up all the stuff that was delivered yesterday and take it to the other tower site so it can be assembled another day.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: nicely done with the moified fork extensions. Hope they work as good as they look.

 

[bimmer1980]

Ditto, I like how you added the angle clips to hold the forks extenions on..... Simple and effective. The bolt across the back was also simple and effecient.

Depending on how your cash flow is, you could rock those fork extensions all winter!

Sometimes, good enough is good enough!

 

[Richard Cranium]

If the ones you built are working, Why spend 2 grand for some one else to make you some.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: i agree spend the money on other things if the new fork extensions are working and then when money isn't an issue buy the fancy nicer ones.

again very smart remodel on the original design that was failing.

 

[Strouty]

The modified extensions worked very well. I will keep using them for a while, but I will be ordering 6' forks before spring. The machine screams 6 foot forks, so I am glad I did the extensions, now I know that the 6' ones will not be too long.

As I said before my Dad came over to help me load the building. Originally he said we should load the building and just drop the trailer off at the tower site. I figured we would go another time with the forklift to unload the building. Well he gets the bright idea to bring the forklift at the same time. I did not think it would fit with the building, but it did. We had to load the building onto the ramp truck, then load the fork lift on the trailer, then while on the trailer pick the building off the ramp truck, then set it down on the trailer. It worked well, fit with almost no clearance, but the real PITA was the trailer itself. I had not dealt with this trailer much at all, but apparently it has NO ground clearance. I had always thought it was low, but I had not realized that the middle beams are actually a lot lower than the outside edges. Basically you can high center it and get stuck while cresting a short steep hill. To combat this, you have to add spacers to change the angle of things and raise the deck up more. Now you can't drive it like this, as the spacers would rattle out, plus the load would then be a lot higher and the entire point of this trailer is to keep things low.

No big deal, we had to add the spacers when we got to the site, then we unloaded everything in reverse order as described before. It took about an hours to unload and reload the forklift, of course it was dark and that slowed us down a bit. Then we tried to turn around, you guessed it, the trailer would bottom out. We raised it up a bit more, but we still could not turn around. So we backed around the corner and tried another spot, same issue. Finally I decided to just back all the way out and into the road to turn around. It took about three hours to get the truck back out to the street and ready to go again. Of course I had a dinner date with my GF, so I got to bring the tractor trailer to Applebees tonight. At least there was a Lowes connected to it so I had a place to park. I just rolled into the shop, now I have to load up the suburban with the mess in the middle of the bay, then tomorrow I can bring it to another tower site, unload it, reload some other stuff, then I have to go and get the ramp truck again. I still intend to move the cars around the yard, but man things keep getting complicated.

 

[Strouty]

Here is the process, no removal pictures as it was all ready dark.

 

[sublime68charger]

Nice work Strouty!
Progress being made!

Big rig parking at Applebee's! Lol

 

[nine4gmc]

Looks like y'all handled that well, better than two trips!


Sent from my iThingy using Tapatalk

 

[North Run Grader]

Next time, unload the forklift, use it to turn the trailer around, reload the forklift, reattach the truck and you are now facing the right direction. It's done quite often moving cats around on muddy sites.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Two more things that are done off your list, You done well. Now load up the Suburban and you will have your space back in your shop. Like we keep saying one step at a time. You will make it. Richie D.

 

[Strouty]

North, that trailer is way too heavy for the forklift. If I had the excavator that is exactly what I would have done.

Rich, I loaded it up last night before leaving. Now I have to unload it.

 

[dlcwent]

Sounds like you have something to do this morning.

 

[Strouty]

Several things. I am sure I will end up off track somehow.

 

[dlcwent]

How can you say that about yourself. You...off track.

 

[bczygan]

Strouty,
Of all of us, you are perhaps the most ON TRACK!

Almost every day you accomplish vast amounts of work.

And those days that don't go according to plan are not a waste.

General Grant never fought a set piece battle. He did have a plan, as generals usually do, but when circumstances changed, he adjusted to meet the changing battlefield. He then fought the battle that was in front of him, as do you.

Bill

 

[Strouty]

I guess that is a good way to look at it. The bad way to look at it would be that I like chaos and search it out. I would prefer to have a plan, but at least I am still working towards the big goal.

 

[Dragster Racer]

Fun thread to read. I find myself at times in life acquiring stuff, and having that dominate much of my time. And then of course the time it takes to store and manage the stuff. For instance, we have from memory 5 registered trailers on our property. Every year I have to pay registration, maintain them, and usually get tires for at least one of them. Same goes for engines. I count in my head 17 RUNNING engines on our property right now. Oil changes alone is stupid! So at times I decide to reel it all in. We can probably sell two trailers. There is a generator or two I could probably sell. Then I can focus more on working on the stuff I get enjoyment out of. And for that matter, I can completely finish some projects. That's important for the sole I believe. Looks like you are getting some things in order in your shop. Always fun to make progress!

 

[Strouty]

Thanks Dragster, I feel just as you described. I spend way more time on my stuff than I do on myself, I am trying to change that, man is it a lot of work. I know today will not be as productive as I would like, but I have to just keep it moving.

 

[bczygan]

Fun thread to read. I find myself at times in life acquiring stuff, and having that dominate much of my time. And then of course the time it takes to store and manage the stuff. For instance, we have from memory 5 registered trailers on our property. Every year I have to pay registration, maintain them, and usually get tires for at least one of them. Same goes for engines. I count in my head 17 RUNNING engines on our property right now. Oil changes alone is stupid! So at times I decide to reel it all in. We can probably sell two trailers. There is a generator or two I could probably sell. Then I can focus more on working on the stuff I get enjoyment out of. And for that matter, I can completely finish some projects. That's important for the sole I believe. Looks like you are getting some things in order in your shop. Always fun to make progress!

Dragster Racer and Strouty,

You guys are right.

I was just outside moving things around and thought, :What if I had NONE of this stuff?"

We could be an old married couple, going out for breakfast at the diner on a Saturday morning and spending our evenings either going out to social events or snuggled up together, watching a movie. All our repairs would be done by others. No need for tools other than a hammer and a pair of pliers and two screwdrivers.

That sounds like a special kind of HELL to me.

I LOVE the capability of doing things, even if I don't.

Balancing things is hard.

I know a little bit how a mother with a career must feel. Torn in different directions. Not able to give either thing your full attention, or feel you are doing a good job in either area.

So like Strouty, I strive to do the things I must, to free up time, space and responsibility, so I can clear out places in my life. Then I can fill those spaces with things I REALLY want to do. Being a warehouse manager isn't my desired career. But managing things is required, as long as I have things. So I must choose how much I want to have.

Based on that, I still have way too much.

It's always easy to see these problems in others. I'm watching Strouty and his flipping of good deals. He is constantly on the lookout for them. And the money he makes contributes to improving his shop and it's capabilities. When will it reach a stable point? When is it big and well equipped enough? It's like, when is a company or any enterprise big enough for the person who is operating it.

I guess each person has to decide on what kind of lifestyle he wants to live.

Bill

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: nicely done last night so even if you don't get anything done today and just rest and chase your gal around the house you are ready for the week. Somehow i bet you'll get something done even if it's just updating your TO DO list.

Dragster: nice post and so true. i don't have all the vehicles you and Strouty and others do, but i do have quite a bit of stuff i shuffle around and need to get from here to there and in and out of the weather. good luck with finding the happy medium because i think we all like to have some stuff.

have a great day all

 

[Strouty]

Apparently the fork extension are going to be the undoing of me today.

When I went to my Dad's to weld them up, I thought I should grab my welding helmet, then I forgot. Well the one at his place was different than mine and I did not set it right. Looks like I welded for a bit on shade 8, I can feel it for sure now. I got me some flash burn, I have only had it once before and this is definitely mild in comparison, but I don't know how much I will be able to do today. The more I blink, the worse it will get, so I am better off going to sleep. I have some sunglasses on with no lights, but it is still a bit sore. I thought I was not going to even make it to the shop, I did not have sunglasses and it kept getting worse. The feeling of having sand in your eyes is unmistakeable, now I wish I had brought my helmet.