Something just clicked…..

[Strouty]

I am slightly being foiled by snow and the threat of a big storm this weekend. I have to finish shoveling, the big forklift needs to go outside, and the F350 needs to come inside so I can look things over. I still have no working alternator, but the battery is holding well. I will put the float charger on it so it will be ready for the major storm, I want to slap the tire chains on the rear as well as change the oil. I have a feeling my organizing won't start until this weekend.

I will try and do a little bit before I leave tonight, but it is going to depend on how my elbow feels. I have an appointment for a steroid injection on Friday, not sure if that is going to make it worse for a while or make it better quickly. The only saving grace is that I understand this is a long term project and will not be something I complete overnight. Admitting that is the best thing I could ever do, I used to lie to myself saying that it was going to be easy and that I can put it off until later. Later, sometime, what if, those are all bad words as far as I am concerned.

 

[Strouty]

Well it is 3:00 and I am done with the snow. I brought the F350 inside and it is melting as we speak. I may take it outside tonight and squeegee the floor then bring it back in. It should be nice and dry by Thursday night.

I am now going to start cleaning an area for the sort bins. These are going to be labeled with very broad terms, I do not want a hundred bins to fill. I am also going to make some space for bins on a rack at the other end of the shop, I figure this will allow medium term storage for certain things while I sort through the shelves.

 

[dlcwent]

Sounds like you have a plan. Why haven't you got the alternator fixed yet on the F350?
Do you need a bracket?

 

[Thumper68]

These are the bins I started with, honestly they are not the best by far but they did the trick.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-12-Gal-Flip-Top-Storage-Tote-217227/204774847

 

[Strouty]

Sounds like you have a plan. Why haven't you got the alternator fixed yet on the F350?
Do you need a bracket?

I wish it was a simple job, it will most likely take a day for me to get it out. The bracket is no longer available and the alternator is seized in the bracket with a long bolt. I have to pull off everything above the alternator and use a sawzall to cut the alternator out of the bracket, then I have to get the remaining pieces of the bolt out of the bracket. Not looking forward to it at all. The truck will run for hours on a charged battery, the only time it would be a serious problem would be if I plowed in the dark. I have my suburban as well so it has not been top of the priority list, with everything else that has been going on, and my elbow being messed up, I just don't care about the alternator.

 

[Strouty]

Thumper, I have some like those, I have shied away from clear or translucent just because of the lifespan, I tend to break them. If I label things clear totes should not be needed.

 

[Strouty]

I found a picture of a forklift that has wider tires, I think I am going to change to something similar.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Start going to the military surplus sites, there is lots of them tires there.

 

[nine4gmc]

Military tires?

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

 

[Strouty]

I have been looking, but the size is a bit odd, so I have only found expensive surplus tires. They would need to be 12.50 R20 and I will still have to custom make the rim adapters for them. I figure that is best anyways because it will allow me to put the tire where it should be as far as backspacing. The equipment tires that I found are $850 shipped to my door for all four of them. The military tires are about $900 before shipping. I am in no rush, so I will be looking for them local. If the forklift had lower gears I could easily use bigger diameter tires, but I want to keep them at about 40" diameter.

 

[Strouty]

I am about spent, so I will post what I have for pictures. Nothing has been "organized" but I put a few things away. I took all of the 4" exhaust parts that I had bought out to the 5 ton, I figure that is the reason I bought them, might as well stay in the truck. I also brought out some parts that go to one of my wood working saws and put them with the saws. I did clean a small area up, so at least I started. Here are the pictures of winter grabbing hold of my yard.

 

[Strouty]

Here are the inside pictures, the F350 is melting nicely.






I did swap out a broken battery terminal on the F350 and I am charging the battery up now, so I figure between that and moving the forklift out I did do some stuff today.

 

[nine4gmc]

I don't think organization is your trouble, I think it is snow! All summer you are trying to get things done before winter when it snows. All winter you can't get things done due to snow...

You need to move to Arizona, you could get things done all year round! [emoji38]

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

 

[Strouty]

I have probably told you guys this before, one year I modified my sleep pattern so that I slept about 10 to 20 minutes every 4 hours. Once I got used to it I was very productive, the problem that I had was my back was really sore at that time so I was on my feet too much. If I got into a horizontal position too long I would fall asleep and have to start my cycle all over again. It was pretty interesting, my doctor was amazed, he thought I would be a zombie.

 

[Richard Cranium]

So what size are the tires on the 5ton --22.5s

 

[Strouty]

They are 20" rims, I am pretty sure they are 14.00 R 20. The 12.50 size is a lot smaller in diameter.

12.50 R20 is about 40" diameter
14.00 R20 is about 48" diameter

 

[Kev442]

You guys and your totes. I got rid of the few I had except for camping gear that needs to be portable. I admit I still have car parts in some boxes, but that's it.

Why? You have to pull them off the shelf, carry them somewhere or put them on the floor. Then you have to rummage through them and reverse the whole thing when done. So much wasted time. Just put things on a shelf, and when the shelf is full, quit buying ****. I dare anyone to walk into a professional shop, go to the tool/ parts bin and show me totes full of stuff.

Anyway, the taking of parts out to the 5 ton is pretty much what I did 2 years ago with the project cars. I put the parts specific to each one in the trunks and the interiors on top. This spring I was greeted by those piles which I did swap this year. Good interiors in, old junky ones tossed. That led to an engine swap, old engine junked, one sitting under the bench installed.

I wish I could say this opened up acres of room, but it didn't. It did allow things to look much more normal. Just about any time I go to move cars around I am fairly amazed to find things are not on top of, underneath, or packed inside. I would say I now am shaving 20 minutes off of those rearrangements and I am less angry with what a packrat I am.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I wish it was a simple job, it will most likely take a day for me to get it out. The bracket is no longer available and the alternator is seized in the bracket with a long bolt. I have to pull off everything above the alternator and use a sawzall to cut the alternator out of the bracket, then I have to get the remaining pieces of the bolt out of the bracket. Not looking forward to it at all. The truck will run for hours on a charged battery, the only time it would be a serious problem would be if I plowed in the dark. I have my suburban as well so it has not been top of the priority list, with everything else that has been going on, and my elbow being messed up, I just don't care about the alternator.

Quick question. Does the alternator flop back and forth on the frozen bolt when the adjuster bolt is loosened? Back in the day some of the Fords with a HO charging system had an alternator bracket where having a frozen base bolt was sort of SOP and you take the adjuster bolt and arm off the top of it and the alternator basically just lifted off the bracket. The alternators had a long slot where the bottom bolt went and gravity and the angle of things when the belt was tightened made it stay. I don't know if that carried on into later years or not.
I can remember being on the verge of tears over that particular truck when the alternator I thought was stuck sort fell off into my hands.

 

[Strouty]

Kev, the only reason I use totes is to keep the mice out of stuff when it goes out into the storage boxes. The totes we are talking about right now are only for the temporary sorting process. I understand what you are saying as it can be a real pain to get at stuff when I am out back, but I would prefer to have closed lids than mice. I started labeling those as well and it has made a big difference.

Kay, I will have to check, I did move it a bit, but it felt captured. Of course I would not have expected it to do as you described either, so I was not looking at it in that way.

 

[Strouty]

Kay, I went back and found some pictures of the alternator, it is captured, so no easy way.

 

[bczygan]

Strouty,

You have a nice fleet of vehicles, a solid array of equipment, multiple storage solutions, a workable shop, a clear and very usable yard.

Think of where you were a year ago this time.

And consider your mental state then, compared to now.

You have in place, coping mechanisms and habits that have changed the way you live and the way you feel about how you live.

Am I right?

Bill

 

[Kev442]

A few drops of kroil applied every other day and next week it would walk right out of there. Especially if you can already wiggle it a bit.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Sure glad I don't live in the rust belt, We have enough problems.

 

[Strouty]

So before I left, I took pictures of two sections of the stock room and then went and wrote down everything that was on the shelves. Of course I did not write down every individual item, just a broad view of what was on the shelves. So here are the pictures and then the list of what is there. I need to figure out what stays and what goes, how broad the categories should be, any input would be welcomed. In most cases the stuff that doesn't belong arrived there because I found an empty spot and just put it there.

Here is the office supply and office overflow area:







Here is the list:

Computer parts
Software
Video Games
Binder and supplies
Photo printer and supplies
Laminator and supplies
Printer supplies
Paper
Extra three ring binders
Automotive manuals
Cables -USB type
Computer tools
Power Supplies
CDs (music)
Extra hanging folders
Empty bins for paper
VCR/DVD player
Mailing Envelopes
Notebooks
Hard Drives
Barcode scanners
Barcode printers

 

[Strouty]

A few drops of kroil applied every other day and next week it would walk right out of there. Especially if you can already wiggle it a bit.

The bolt is broken off in the middle of the alternator, I can't even pull it out. The core charge is minimal so I am going to destroy the alternator to save the bracket.

 

[Richard Cranium]

looks great

 

[Strouty]

Here is the Electrical section:










This is what I found in there:

Rubber hose - fuel line
Wire nuts
Wire labels
Misc pipe fittings
Misc cast handles
Rubber bands
Scrap wire
Plastic water fittings
Hinges
Spring nuts
Oil Filters
Air Filters
Wire
Outlets
Outdoor electrical boxes
RC Car stuff
Bungee straps
Rubber hold down clamps
Cover plates
Sand paper
Lead anchors for concrete
Plastic caps and plugs
Tape
Misc hooks and hangers
Bungee material cord
Light bulbs
Paper towels
Fold out anchors
License plates
120 to 12 volt inverters
12 to 120 volt inverter
Tags
Q-tips
Fishing lures (for a project)
Paint Brushes
Automotive bolts and supplies
Transfer case parts
Military 24 volt jumper plugs
Vacuum line
Trailer and truck lights and wiring

 

[Strouty]

looks great

You're not supposed to say that, I haven't started yet.

 

[kaymccampbell]

The old HO alternator was cast iron now that I think on it. Yours is definitely not that model. Too bad the good stuff gets dropped to save a couple bucks. You can probably slice that out with a thin cutoff wheel. Maybe neat enough to get the core charge back if you're careful.
I'm impressed by your office supply organization. It's way better than any supply cabinet/closet I've ever seen.

 

[Richard Cranium]

What you have posted looks good, You will make it better.

 

[Kev442]

You're not supposed to say that, I haven't started yet.

But it does look fine. You are bogging yourself down redoing what you spent dozens of hours getting into a semblance of order last year. You need to work on the hardware sorting into your thousands of dollars of new storage you bought. And don't tell me its not quite set up the way you want or you need to buy some dohickey to make it perfect.

Several people have pointed out that first you get a semblance of order, then later on after it is out of buckets and boxes, you refine it again. You cannot tell me that throwing all the 1/4 into one bin, 5/16 into another, no matter what length, would not be an improvement.

 

[Strouty]

I can't explain it, but I need to do it this way. Every time I go looking for something in there I waste so much time. I just need to spend the time and get it done, I have been avoiding this for a long time. The new cabinets can wait a little longer. I hope to pair down things in the stock room and I know there are things that need to go in the new lista cabinets.

 

[dittle fart around]

You guys and your totes. Just put things on a shelf, and when the shelf is full, quit buying ****.
I dare anyone to walk into a professional shop, go to the tool/ parts bin and show me totes full of stuff.

I worked for a Mister Electric franchise for a few months. The owner had bought out the extras from an electrician who retired. All the **** was packed in totes and put on plastic shelving. Then he wanted me to stock the truck out of what was there.

Yeah he fired me.

Could be I was driving with the flow of traffic. The truck sends this message to his cell phone every time you exceed 55 MPH. He called me up after the eight message. I told him I could leave the truck right where he called me and he could pick it up.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Same goes for your other supplies.

Not to tell you your business, but I think you're overthinking what you already have organized pretty well. I bet if you went out in your shop and picked a single square foot at a time of mayhem and just put that away into your existing categories. I think that you'd find most of your stuff could be organized into your current model. Then, after you've completed that, if you really must, go into your now organized space, pull one shelf and restructure that. When complete, go to the next. That way you never have the whole place disassembled at once.
For me, even a non-optimal organization gives me peace of a sort, because I know where pretty much everything is. At least by general class. Then as I go through the shop, shelf by shelf, tote by tote,I can better contain and organize one small segment at a time until I get my place just a bit more organized. It seems like a time waster to make multiple passes, but I find more mental peace in working in a space with a lot of imperfect organization than one with widespread chaos and only a few islands of perfection. It allows me to concentrate on the shelf in front of me and not feel the need to flit all over the place accomplishing nothing.
This is not meant to be critical of your method, just sharing how I've brought my space back from **** piled hip deep to manageable for me.

 

[Strouty]

Apparently I am more messed up than most! I know you guys are not being critical, the stockroom has been a long process that I feel is almost there. The last round of major cleaning I did managed to make a mess of things. I want to fix that mess and label things as I go. The miscellaneous stuff needs a home and I hope as I work through this it will become more obvious where it needs to go.

I usually like to have things broken down way too detailed, so this exercise will be about broader categories. Think of this as a stepping stone in my personal progress, something I have to do.

 

[Strouty]

A long time ago when I worked out of my utility truck, everything had its place. I knew where everything was and I could easily tell anyone where to find something. Now when I have help I can't get anything accomplished because we are constantly looking for something. I can't tell you how much money I have spent buying duplicates because I could not find what I was looking for, then there is the time that I waste, it depresses me and things spiral out of control. I want this to stop, I need this to stop, I am going to make it stop.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: i've been watching for months now and you are going down the right path. once you have the shop set up and the roof fixed i'm sure you'll feel better.

good luck

 

[Strouty]

Thanks Drives

 

[Kev442]

Apparently I am more messed up than most! I know you guys are not being critical, the stockroom has been a long process that I feel is almost there. The last round of major cleaning I did managed to make a mess of things. I want to fix that mess and label things as I go. The miscellaneous stuff needs a home and I hope as I work through this it will become more obvious where it needs to go.

I usually like to have things broken down way too detailed, so this exercise will be about broader categories. Think of this as a stepping stone in my personal progress, something I have to do.

Actually, I was being critical. As resident azzhole of this thread, its my job.

Ultimately, its your shop and your choice, never forget that.

 

[Strouty]

I know you mean well, so it doesn't feel like criticism. You are definitely not an azzhole, you keep things grounded and I respect what you say.