Above 1200 Sq/FT The Salvage Garage

[Strouty]

Started making a list of things I need to do, now I am all stressed out, I bet if I had a crew of three I still couldn’t get it all done in my timeframe.

I am going to pick at the worst first, then keep working on things until I can’t anymore. Today was a waste with the power outage and my shoulder, tomorrow I have to get some errands done and I have a walk through with a tenant at one of the company owned properties, the. I need to list the place for rent for the winter. Hope winter is slow to start this year!

 

[xtremek]

I hear you on the list/stress thing. It actually stopped me in my tracks today, I was totally overwhelmed by my to-do list for work...............and home. Glad you didn't sprayed, and I hope the shoulder feels better quickly.

 

[Strouty]

Thanks X, hope your list gets shorter without too much pain!

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Any pain is bad to try to work with. Hope you get it straightened out.

 

[Strouty]

I should be able to keep it calm for a couple days. Then if I baby it as much as possible, it may actually heal. If not, I may have to see a doctor.

I spoke with the guy about the NY knuckle boom and he says I can have the entire truck for the same price, might be a great opportunity (read excuse) to own the tru-hitch. That would make getting the boom back much easier.

Here is pic of a tru-hitch in operation. It works fine with a single axle truck like Perk too.

 

[xtremek]

Thanks Strouty. We just have to remember how to eat an elephant,.........................one bite at a time.

What kind of truck is it? Will it have parts that can fix/upgrade other vehicles?

 

[Strouty]

Honestly, I only think it is good because it will make it easier to get the boom home. It might have other parts that are worth something, won’t know until later. Seller told me they stole the driveshaft out of it, so it won’t actually drive, but the crane will function because the engine still runs.

 

[steaks&anvils]

Bummer on the shoulder pain. Rest it up, think Strouty health FIRST. Yes stuff needs to get done, but even less will get done if you totally F-up something by not resting it.

For me, lower back is acting up. Seems like something different everyday for me. At least my foot issue has gone away. LOL

 

[Strouty]

Back issues are awful, I haven’t had any major issues in a while, I tend to get debilitating back pain about 4 days a month, kind of like PMS.

I will be 44 in December, but My body sure feels older. I figure if I don’t start to get in shape, things are going to get exponentially worse, so it is really important to start working on myself. My GF is on my case too, I know a lot of the problem is stress, but I can’t, not blame myself, does that make sense?

I am building my arsenal so I can do what I need to do on my own, that way if things get too bad with Dad, I am still prepared. I am making a huge capital investment into things, they should pay off in the long run, only time will truly tell. I will have the capability to move just about anything with relative ease, this is huge when it comes to getting deals, I see “free” or really cheap things all the time, but you have to be able to move, lift, or haul it ASAP and having the equipment means I will be able to mobilize very quickly. I just look at what I have spent this year on hauling things or how many times I have had to borrow something to move something and it really does add up, money and time has been wasted for sure. My end goal is to have as few trucks on the road as possible, but have as much capability as possible. Think of Swiss Army knives, the 550 will be the small pocket sized one, Perk will be the medium sized one, and OMO will be the one that you keep in your backpack because it doesn’t fit in your pocket.

The trailers are where I get the most bang for the buck, in Maine you register the truck for all the weight, so it is expensive, but the trailers are only $22 a year. The tru-hitch is even better as it doesn’t need to be registered at all. Trailers are cheaper to maintain, cheaper to insure, and pretty maneuverable as a fifth wheel. I can make a nice fleet with those three trucks, Buck is the only oddball, but I think it will be worth having, plus I have access to a friend’s used car dealer license plate, so I can still move it from location to location easily. Then we have Bev, don’t know if I can ever get rid of Bev, we will see. I still think Bev could be a nice hot shot hauler for my lighter things, not sure I can justify the $1600 a year to register, inspect, and insure.

Sorry for the long post.....

 

[jack stand]

How difficult/ expensive is it to get a dealer or (not sure what Maine has) salvage or transporter? Plates?

 

[Strouty]

Transporter is easier, but it all ties into the town/city, you can't get a dealer plate without your local municipality signing off on it. Transporter plate, you can't own the vehicle being transported. The thing that would help me the most would be equipment dealer, you can use those plates on your "service truck" so I could own multiple trucks and move the plate between them.

 

[Strouty]

This morning I spoke with the owner of the Tru-Hitch company, he has a used unit that I think I am going to buy, it is much newer and nicer than the one I was looking at, has a winch, full hydraulic extension, wireless remote, independent 12 volt hydraulic setup and all the chains and hooks needed to hook up any truck. It is more money, but in this instance, you really get what you pay for. Great thing is it is only in Connecticut about 3.5 hours away. I am waiting on some dimensions and pictures, but it seems like it will be my best option, the "buy once, cry once" saying fits this scenario perfectly.

 

[XJSuperman]

Have you checked into insurance on using a TruHitch? It seems to me it would fall under a tow-truck category, and last I heard, towing insurance was mandatory before you lift a tire and also very expensive. Maybe its different in Maine, but certainly worth checking into to make sure you are playing by the rules.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I would think that as long as he is towing his stuff and not doing it commercially he would be ok.

 

[XJSuperman]

I would think that as long as he is towing his stuff and not doing it commercially he would be ok.

I know when I checked into buying a tow truck I was told it didn't matter commercial or private. Due to the method of transport. But again, state laws may vary?

 

[F451]

Started making a list of things I need to do, now I am all stressed out, I bet if I had a crew of three I still couldn’t get it all done in my timeframe.

I am going to pick at the worst first, then keep working on things until I can’t anymore. Today was a waste with the power outage and my shoulder, tomorrow I have to get some errands done and I have a walk through with a tenant at one of the company owned properties, the. I need to list the place for rent for the winter. Hope winter is slow to start this year!

You shouldn't have dismissed your new employee!

Yes, I know, he can be stinky at times, and has a weird hair do with the black and white stripes, but all the youngsters are flying their freak flags now.

I would imagine he would have been quite industrious with those claws and teeth, and he comes with his own winter jacket, no bitching at you to pay for his winter work clothes.

 

[Strouty]

I don’t know the answer to that, but I will have to find out. The way my insurance agent has handled things like this in the past is to deal with it afterwards, most policies are fairly general and only exclude certain things, if it isn’t excluded, you are covered, but if they have a big payout they can drop you the next year by increase your price until you cry uncle.

 

[Strouty]

Insurance agent says issue would be hauling other people's stuff, I would need a policy that covers that, then if I was going to haul "for hire" outside the state, it turns into a much larger policy where there are all kinds of extra things that need to be filed and dealt with. So for now we will stick with hauling my own junk.

 

[Strouty]

With the new shop mascot we could call the Hill “skunk works” literally.

 

[Strouty]

OK, so got the scales working, had an issue with one of the cables, (my fault, it was under a foot and chaffed through on the way home), Perk weighs a lot less than I thought, but the front is at capacity. Total weight is 21,150 with me on board. I do have a bit of chain and rigging in the front passenger side area as well, the cool thing is that I can see how much weight changes on the front when I add to the rear, the not so cool part is that I am over the front capacity the second anything touches the truck.

Also, the front is almost 3000 pounds heavier than the rear and the new transmission will add another 200 pounds...........

 

[xtremek]

...............hauling my...junk.

Dude, keep your "junk" between you and your gf. Sorry, I couldn't pass it up, it's been that kind of day.

 

[Strouty]

Law says that for any tire, you can't exceed 600 pounds per inch of width, my front tires are 11 inches wide so that means 6600 pounds per tire or 13,200 for the front. I can go with wider (heavier tires), that would give me more capacity than the weight that gets added. I can also go to aluminum rims and save some weight, the front axle I want to put under the truck also has disc brakes and I am relatively sure that they will be lighter than the drum brakes on it now. So with the bigger (floatation) tires I can carry 7800 per tire or 15,600 on the front end (technically), my actual door tag says 12,000 front axle. So it may be that Perk will be a problem child and I may have issues no matter what I do. I will need to call the DOT and ask some more questions. I won't get to weigh OMO tonight, but it could be worse, lots worse. OMO has the bigger tires and aluminum rims, but the engine is entirely in front of the axle, where Perk is closer to the middle of the engine. This is very interesting and I am sure glad I am doing it now.



I also want to set the scales up for wireless, that would be awesome.

 

[xtremek]

Sounds like the scales were the best buy of the Summer.

 

[steaks&anvils]

If the new Hill mascot learns to ride shotgun, then your DOT inspections will go way faster.

I knew someone from east Texas who claimed to have once had a barn cat/bobcat mix. Big, Texas sized, dog eating cat. It rode shotgun and nobody messed with the truck...

 

[jakemac]

If the new Hill mascot learns to ride shotgun, then your DOT inspections will go way faster.

I knew someone from east Texas who claimed to have once had a barn cat/bobcat mix. Big, Texas sized, dog eating cat. It rode shotgun and nobody messed with the truck...

I had an uncle who put a (really well done) stuffed lunging bobcat on the passenger seat and drove from Maine to Connecticut. He never paid a single toll. Every toll taker was terrified to reach for the money. My Aunt was driving the car behind him, and she didn’t have to pay any tolls because the toll takers were too traumatized to collect her money. She laughed all the way home.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Strouty]

The scales will be a great asset for a long time, they are a good brand made in Italy and are close to $10k new, I am going to call around tomorrow and find out what it will take to get them certified.

 

[loganb]

Not sure about your line of work...but for us "Farm Vehicle, Not For Hire" lettered on each door at the appropriate size gives us broad leeway on many things enforced more vigorously for commercial vehicles. Doesnt give leeway on weight limits total or per axle, but it normally does make the DOT agents less aggressive then they are on the for hire rigs.

Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Strouty]

When I had the conversation with the head of Maine’s DOT, he said if I put “not for hire” on the side it is a red flag, I just pulled all the lettering off. I know it will be a heated discussion, but I think I am well versed and know the rules so I can hold my own. Only time will tell, I ran past an open weigh station with the 550 on Tuesday, then I decided to stop at one in Connecticut and I didn’t get the signal to stop. With Perk, I don’t know if I would try to bypass one, but the signs say trucks and all commercial vehicles, I know RVs don’t have to stop, but I am not an RV. I think I probably should keep rolling past the one in Maine and see what happens, I can plead ignorance to a point. I have been only going out of state on weekends, never seen the DOT stop open on a weekend around here.

 

[neverdone]

OMO is the Pierce, right? I don’t know how it is up your way, but in PA fire trucks don’t have to follow axle loadings in the vehicle code if they are certified By the manufacturer, so that could be an issue when the truck becomes civilian owned

 

[Strouty]

Yeah, the front axle on OMO (the Pierce Quantum) has a rating of 21k and the most you can legally have is 20k, but the tires are only good for 15,600 as they are 13" wide and you can carry 600 pounds per inch maximum (this is federal rules). Fire trucks are part of an exempt status, but it isn't a fire truck anymore, so I have to follow regular rules. I may try and weigh OMO today, but I think the rain is going to screw me up. I will be curious to see what the front weighs in relation to the rear, OMO has the water pump still and the knuckle boom. IIRC the entire truck weighed 30,600 as it sat, and there are definitely hundreds of pounds of useless (to me) **** out past the front axle, I am also wondering if you put weight out past the front axle how it adds to things, is it straight 100% of the weight, or is it leveraged and actually adds a higher percentage? Doesn't seem like that would be possible, but leverage does do weird things, the rear of Perk seemed to add about 6% to the front when I stood on the rear tire. That didn't seem too bad, if you added 10k pounds of weight, it would put 600 pounds on the front. I did forget that my fuel tank was essentially empty, so that would add another 500 pounds at least.

 

[1Garageman]

Nice new weight scales. Can you also weigh what you are towing while weighing the truck? Basically does it have more than four scales that attach to it? Or do you weigh your cargo separately?

 

[Strouty]

This setup is just four scales, you would have to weigh the truck, then the trailer, I haven't really had a good chance to play around with it, but I think it will record weights, I know it gives the sum of all four. You can also just use two or one or three, the computer doesn't care. Once I make ramps for them, it will be much easier to setup, the wood worked, but I think a small ramp would be ideal, most likely make them out of aluminum. Then I need to make a nice case to carry everything. These are going to be some of the most used tools in my arsenal, really glad I bought them.

 

[legenddc]

Be honest, did you weigh yourself first? One one scale and two?

Yeah, I wouldn't have done that either...

 

[Strouty]

I think the resolution is 10 pounds, I bounced between 310 and 320, thought I was heavier, but I guess being lighter is a good thing.


I am over at the tower site, the one where the tower is being taken down, they unlocked the other building for me, lots of good stuff in there, probably bring some lights and tools over one evening and start taking all the wiring out. Then I have to remove the wall AC units, lastly I am going to remove the insulated panels, that way I can just break the building up and haul it off for fill out back at the Hill (that rhymed!).

 

[1Garageman]

Take some pics while your there and post them!

 

[Strouty]

This is the generator, I am back at the Hill now, needed to get some tools, I may be able to get it out tonight. Would be nice to have it secured in my possession, don’t want anyone messing with it.



Inside the old Verizon building.



This is the hybrid power and fiber optic cable, lots of copper in there!



AT&T has removed their shelter, I am going to deal with the rest of the slabs and stuff in exchange for a tower crew to help take the tower down.



The contractor that is hauling the big propane tank is crazy, it is busting through the trailer. They said they will have it gone today, we will see.

 

[xtremek]

It'll be gone, but they'll have to redo a few deck boards. THey don't care, it's company equipment and it can be written off.

 

[ttpete]

Can you hook that generator out with the knuckle boom?

Looks like there's a big HVAC unit in the back wall of the building. Might work good for a shop or something.

 

[Strouty]

I am glad it will be gone, I still have the smaller tank to deal with.

I wanted to print out my weights on the scale, but the printer shuts down the control unit. It reboots fine, but it only prints one or two lines before it shuts everything off. I messaged the seller, maybe he will discount, definitely not disclosed that way. Actually made a point about the printer.

I need to go to the bank, I want some lunch, I also need to go to Lowes, might just wait on the generator, I can already see something going wrong and then screwing the rest of my day up. Tomorrow is another long day of driving and my shoulder is still sore. Looks like almost 4 hours one way. I should probably take it a bit easy, Sunday I am going to bring Bev back, load up all the tools I will need for the tower and building removal. I then need to get the Mitsu over to the site, along with a few other larger tools, I would like to have most of the **** removed before the crane shows up. Problem will be the dump trailer, I don’t know if I will have enough time to actually get it functioning, I am going to try though.

 

[Strouty]

Pete, the 550 will handle the generator and there are actually four AC units between the two buildings and yes they will be put to good use.