Above 1200 Sq/FT The Salvage Garage
- Thread starter Strouty
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
I’ll give ya that one, that’s a cool set up.
It is super versatile as well. In the picture I was definitely overweight (legally), but it handled well at 70 plus MPH and I drove it almost 8 hours back from New York. If I didn't have the knuckleboom, I would be fine or if I had another axle on the truck. Plan is to use the big fire truck to make a tandem axle hauler, but the front end of that fire truck is so heavy that if I add the knuckleboom, I have to add an intermediate steering axle. Funny part is that there is another guy that did almost exactly that, he randomly posts on youtube, it would definitely look interesting. I would install the intermediate axle much closer to the cab, then the knuckleboom would be behind that, then a fifth wheel on the back, not a big winch.
Link to his videos
casmurbax
Well-known member
- Because regular towing just wasn’t dramatic enough. Strouty needed something with the swagger of a professional-grade hauler.
- Strouty likes his weight distributed evenly—just like his breakfast portions. Tru-Hitch handles the heavy loads; Strouty handles the pancakes.
- Because when the apocalypse comes, someone has to tow the last truck standing. Might as well be Strouty .
- It was either this or carrying the trailer on his back. And let's be honest, that’s terrible for Strouty 's posture.
- Strouty enjoys the finer things in life: smooth rides, stability, and knowing his cargo won’t randomly detach halfway down the highway.
- Because Strouty doesn’t just tow things—he tows them with style. Ordinary hitches are fine, but Tru-Hitch is for connoisseurs of hauling excellence.
- Because pulling things the normal way was too mainstream. Strouty wanted something with substance.
- Strouty believes in stability, balance, and making sure histrailer doesn’t develop wanderlust mid-trip.
- Because one day, someone’s going to ask, “Can you tow that?”—and his answer will be “Oh, absolutely.”
- Strouty figured “Tru-Hitch” just sounded cooler than “Kinda-Hitch.” And he were right.
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It keeps raining, so I am inside working on stuff, then it stops, so I try to go outside and it starts raining again. I guess I am just going to wait until tomorrow to do the outside stuff. Have to final test the pressure washer, I replaced the last leaking quick connect and installed the brass float valve, fingers crossed that it fixes the issue. The plastic float needed a lot of pressure to close, the brass one feels like it closes much easier.
Prospecter
Well-known member
Exactly the same 200ish miles north of you. I also gave up on outside stuff today.
I am sure we both have plenty to do inside...
I am trying to make a dent in the mess we created the other day, it is a bit overwhelming, but I need to get things organized. My dang labels still haven't shown up, if I don't see them Monday, I may have to order some more and have them overnighted, today would have been the perfect day to be printing those labels.
I am trying to make a dent in the mess we created the other day, it is a bit overwhelming, but I need to get things organized. My dang labels still haven't shown up, if I don't see them Monday, I may have to order some more and have them overnighted, today would have been the perfect day to be printing those labels.
Prospecter
Well-known member
Arrgh. Too bad about your labels. Among other benefits, each label would be a step forward in organization, and a sign of progress. I need those to keep from getting overwhelmed. Come to think of it, I should be labeling wires as I figure them out, so I could see progress on my crazy wiring project.
Trying to sort a house wired to maybe the first ever version of the NEC, with codes being taken more as suggestions than requirements!
Trying to sort a house wired to maybe the first ever version of the NEC, with codes being taken more as suggestions than requirements!
That sounds fun.
I am using painters tape and a sharpie to at least put something on the totes as I sort stuff. I have label material to use, just not cut to size and the labels I ordered have rounded corners to help with accidental peeling. I may have to print and cut some, going to have a few different groups of the QR codes, one of them would be a "temporary", just so I know what is in a tote, then I can go through things later. At least I wouldn't need to open every tote to find one thing.
I am using painters tape and a sharpie to at least put something on the totes as I sort stuff. I have label material to use, just not cut to size and the labels I ordered have rounded corners to help with accidental peeling. I may have to print and cut some, going to have a few different groups of the QR codes, one of them would be a "temporary", just so I know what is in a tote, then I can go through things later. At least I wouldn't need to open every tote to find one thing.
Pressure washer functions without any leaks, but the brass valve still has a drip, much less than the plastic float valve, so it should be fine for my application, I think the only resolution would be to make a large tank allowing me to use a bigger float and longer arm. We can deal with that in the future.
Building upgrade update, the City had just sent a letter to me about revaluation of ALL commercial properties, they had just come out and taken recent pictures and measurements, kind of blew a hole in my plans. I decided to just say screw it and call them, they told me that I needed a full site plan, engineered drawings for everything, stormwater runoff, all the expensive stuff, then the guy says hold on a minute and literally put me on hold, but for ten minutes. I was expecting things to get much worse, but he came back on the line and said that he had talked to his boss and they will need me to apply for two permits, one 50% replacement and another 50% replacement. I was a bit confused at first, but he explained that since I was an oddball grandfathered commercial use in a residential zone I did not need the site plan, or any engineering at all. I just can't encroach any of the setbacks more than the building is currently. They just want drawings from me to show what the overall finished project will look like. I was honestly amazed at that answer, so I am good to go without having to try and hide things.
This lead into another rabbit hole, I decided that I would use this opportunity to install a larger bridge crane, one I didn't own yet. My engineer buddy will help me figure out the design and I already found a bridge crane that more than fits the bill. Now all I have to do is get equipment ready for the last weekend in May, then I just have to get the things dismantled in 48 hours, no problem, right???
When I went to look at the crane I was told that it was 80 or 100 feet long and 30' wide, it wasn't. It was a little under 30' wide and 200' long. There are two bridges, one is powered travel and has the 5 ton hoist, the other is manual and actually won't have any hoist as the owner is keeping it. Unfortunately it uses the building as uprights, so I am just getting the horizontal sections, but the price is right and I am not going to pass it up. Going to be a long weekend!
This lead into another rabbit hole, I decided that I would use this opportunity to install a larger bridge crane, one I didn't own yet. My engineer buddy will help me figure out the design and I already found a bridge crane that more than fits the bill. Now all I have to do is get equipment ready for the last weekend in May, then I just have to get the things dismantled in 48 hours, no problem, right???
When I went to look at the crane I was told that it was 80 or 100 feet long and 30' wide, it wasn't. It was a little under 30' wide and 200' long. There are two bridges, one is powered travel and has the 5 ton hoist, the other is manual and actually won't have any hoist as the owner is keeping it. Unfortunately it uses the building as uprights, so I am just getting the horizontal sections, but the price is right and I am not going to pass it up. Going to be a long weekend!
casmurbax
Well-known member
In drawers, on shelves, and even the floor,
He slaps on stickers, he craves even more.
Each hammer, each wrench, each socket set,
All marked so clear—no mix-ups yet.
"Hex bolts, wires, Lista drawers,
Label them all, I’ve got more in store!"
Every tool, machine, and gear,
Tagged precisely, no need to peer.
A torque wrench, a drill, a vise so strout,
Each with a sticker—there is no doubt.
The shelving, the bins, the cabinets tall,
A place for everything, labeled for all.
Yet late at night, he starts to ponder,
Is there a tag for dreams out yonder?
For some things, he finds, can’t be contained—
Like laughter, love, or summer rain.
Still, the urge persists, unshaken and able,
Perhaps one day he’ll label the label.
Strouty, I truly hope my posts aren't causing any offense. I realize that if I'm asking, there’s a chance they might be, but I wanted to check regardless.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
It’s late, I’m tired, but if that’s not a perfect Dr Suess impression then I’ll be a star bellied sneech.
No offense or stress Cas, I find them humorous with a touch of sarcastic sting, a good balance.
I am sure I will have a label for the labels, things will probably be a bit tough for most people, I know my OCD is going to scream at me, the Bin numbers are not going to have any relevance to the location. Some of the fixed drawer setups should at least have the numbers sequential, but the totes, movable shelves and most Lista drawers are going to be all over the place number wise. I guess the drawers might start off in some sort of sequence, but as they get moved around, that Bin number will stay with the drawer in theory, forever. We are using the folder name that the QR code links to as the actual locator and the location will be based on a color location, possibly a row, then a bay, then a rough numeric height measurement off the floor. As an example, if something is in the “Green” trailer, it could be located With a file name like this: Bin 00893-Green-A—C-4
This would designate the trailer, row A as in the left side, bay C, at about the 4’ level, looking for Bin number 893. The locations will have a basic map for reference and the contents will be searchable and the images should narrow things down.
Once I have “established” locations for certain types of things the drawer or tote might get another label that actually says something about the contents, like 3/8” Hardware or 12 Volt electrical supplies, but I think most won’t have that style label, just the Bin number and QR code. I am thinking about leaving the place holder zeroes off the actual labels, still need to see what I want to do with that.
I am sure I will have a label for the labels, things will probably be a bit tough for most people, I know my OCD is going to scream at me, the Bin numbers are not going to have any relevance to the location. Some of the fixed drawer setups should at least have the numbers sequential, but the totes, movable shelves and most Lista drawers are going to be all over the place number wise. I guess the drawers might start off in some sort of sequence, but as they get moved around, that Bin number will stay with the drawer in theory, forever. We are using the folder name that the QR code links to as the actual locator and the location will be based on a color location, possibly a row, then a bay, then a rough numeric height measurement off the floor. As an example, if something is in the “Green” trailer, it could be located With a file name like this: Bin 00893-Green-A—C-4
This would designate the trailer, row A as in the left side, bay C, at about the 4’ level, looking for Bin number 893. The locations will have a basic map for reference and the contents will be searchable and the images should narrow things down.
Once I have “established” locations for certain types of things the drawer or tote might get another label that actually says something about the contents, like 3/8” Hardware or 12 Volt electrical supplies, but I think most won’t have that style label, just the Bin number and QR code. I am thinking about leaving the place holder zeroes off the actual labels, still need to see what I want to do with that.
The Hyster H-130 has a mast that will pick to just about 15’ so I am going to have to make up a cradle to lift the bridge crane that is about 6’ tall going to need to make it a bit adjustable, but the weight of the bridge should not be an issue as the capacity is over 13000 pounds at 24” center, I might be a bit over that centerline, but I am guessing the bridge weighs around 7k pounds. Other option would be to not bring the forklift and bring the track crane, use both Perk and the track crane to lift, turn and lower the bridge, but I think the forklift would be more useful overall.
I will have to unpin the mast and tilt it forward to be legal height, it will be 13’ 9” and we are allowed 13’6”, so close. If I could find some longer rams it might be doable with a bit more tilt, I doubt I will find something that fits the frame easily, but who knows. They have a spacer to limit travel for the back tilt, I guess I could have longer rods made to get the tilt I want? Going to talk to the hydraulic guys and see what they say. I suspect this forklift will be around for a while and it would be nice to just tilt the mast to be under height.
I will have to unpin the mast and tilt it forward to be legal height, it will be 13’ 9” and we are allowed 13’6”, so close. If I could find some longer rams it might be doable with a bit more tilt, I doubt I will find something that fits the frame easily, but who knows. They have a spacer to limit travel for the back tilt, I guess I could have longer rods made to get the tilt I want? Going to talk to the hydraulic guys and see what they say. I suspect this forklift will be around for a while and it would be nice to just tilt the mast to be under height.
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I guess I will have to unpin it and tilt it forward to see how far it needs to go before making any decisions. Worst case the pins come out and it gets chained in place then strapped down to keep it from bouncing. The original mast was feet taller and had to be completely removed for transport.
casmurbax
Well-known member
Your dedication to securing a deal is genuinely impressive to me.
This one is going cost me fairly big, but half the costs are for upgrading equipment and things like that, the other half is the labor/fuel/tolls/hotel/food and then of course the actual purchase. Then I will pay again when I install it, that shouldn't be as costly, but there will still be costs. I look at it like it will hurt now, but long term it will be such a benefit that I won't feel bad about the time and money I invested getting it. Regardless, the cost to buy and setup a new one would be significantly higher.
Strouty. I’m having a bit of trouble following along on this bridge crane deal.
What are you actually getting? The whole deal on the bigger crane except the uprights. So traveler, trolley, bridge unit and hoist plus runway beams?
Or not that many parts?
Help please.
Ron
What are you actually getting? The whole deal on the bigger crane except the uprights. So traveler, trolley, bridge unit and hoist plus runway beams?
Or not that many parts?
Help please.
Ron
There are two bridges, one powered travel with a 5 ton Yale hoist one manual with no hoist (I think this one is a two ton capacity). Then there are the horizontal I beams that actually have the rails for the bridges on top, I get the rails, the horizontal beams, electrical track, both bridges, the 5 ton hoist and all the brackets that I can remove. It is 200’ long, so there is a lot of stuff to remove. I am not sure I will get everything based on the timeframe I have for removal, that is my gamble. The more of it I get, the more value I get out of the deal.
Well, ran into a bit of a wall, not going to stop me, but is going to make things more difficult. The Hyster H-130 needs new forks, badly, not only are they really rusted, but they are also too short for almost everything I need to do. I got quotes and while the price is higher than I would like, it is still within reason, but, no one can get them made in time for my project. I am going to probably swap some things around and see what I can make work. I have a set of five foot forks that has a carriage that positions the forks hydraulically, it is rated at 12k pounds, so it is close to the capacity of H-130. I think part of it will be a direct swap, except for the hydraulics, but it should be workable. I have enough valving to make side shift and fork positioning happen, but not sure I can make it work without some craziness. What's a little craziness matter, right?
All my deliveries (big ones) showed up today, good timing too. I have the trailer loaded to bring stuff to the Hill and I also have the Muv-All loaded to bring stuff to the Salvage Garage. It is supposed to be a bit of off an on rain for the next several days, most days have about a 20% chance, but all day. I expect that to adjust, but I am going to try and get a lot of inside cleanup done so I have room to work on the equipment, I can't let things pile up as I have the hard deadline to remove the bridge crane. I suspect there will be some excitement and bit of a mad scramble, four weeks to go!
jack stand
Well-known member
It's the old "getting ready to be ready" thing. 
dang it!
dang it!xtremek
Well-known member
Kirk's law of motorcycle riding #32, "If the weather channel says 20% of rain, I'm riding. If it says 30% chance of rain, I'm driving". I don't think it's ever been wrong in the 30+ years I've ridden motorcycles. So I think your chances are really good for clear weather.
The weather guessers are really good at their jobs.
I unpacked the toolboxes that arrived yesterday, they were packed well with no external damage, noticed a weird wave in one side, then the other side. The way they build them is almost embarrassing, and I am so not proud to see the made in USA sticker, these are aluminum boxes and there was no prep to the aluminum, none of the sharp edges are rounded even slightly, the hinges are “welded” on one side and I am using that term loosely, then the other side has self taping screws. The screws are regular ****, not stainless and you can feel the points of them. Not one weld was cleaned and the majority have discolored the polish on parts of the box. You can even see the sharpie marks on the outside that someone used for assembly. I would rather proudly display a “made in USA” sticker and have paid more for the box, but no one else offered one that would fit in this particular space. We are definitely doomed.
I unpacked the toolboxes that arrived yesterday, they were packed well with no external damage, noticed a weird wave in one side, then the other side. The way they build them is almost embarrassing, and I am so not proud to see the made in USA sticker, these are aluminum boxes and there was no prep to the aluminum, none of the sharp edges are rounded even slightly, the hinges are “welded” on one side and I am using that term loosely, then the other side has self taping screws. The screws are regular ****, not stainless and you can feel the points of them. Not one weld was cleaned and the majority have discolored the polish on parts of the box. You can even see the sharpie marks on the outside that someone used for assembly. I would rather proudly display a “made in USA” sticker and have paid more for the box, but no one else offered one that would fit in this particular space. We are definitely doomed.
casmurbax
Well-known member
just stating that for a friend.....
That does stink for you.
It really stinks for the manufacturer, they are the ones selling this ****. So in this instance, I would pay a lot more for a nice quality toolbox, but no one offers anything close to these. This is one of the reasons I want to be able to make my own stuff, at least then I can control some of the quality.
I understand that companies need to make a profit, I also understand that I am definitely not the customer that they are aimed at. Just ***** to see this ****, sharp corners should have no place on a toolbox, the self tap screws should have been rivets, and the welds should have been wiped down afterwards. The polished outside, well, it is what it is, I would prefer a non polished surface, between getting blinded and the look of the box being oxidized after a few years, it just seems like the better option. I suspect that the diamond plate and shiny surface hide a ton of imperfections. To me it looks like the two doors are not parallel to each other, but it started raining and I didn’t get to throw a tape measure at it.
And who doesn't like a bridge crane, very nice!Building upgrade update, the City had just sent a letter to me about revaluation of ALL commercial properties, they had just come out and taken recent pictures and measurements, kind of blew a hole in my plans. I decided to just say screw it and call them, they told me that I needed a full site plan, engineered drawings for everything, stormwater runoff, all the expensive stuff, then the guy says hold on a minute and literally put me on hold, but for ten minutes. I was expecting things to get much worse, but he came back on the line and said that he had talked to his boss and they will need me to apply for two permits, one 50% replacement and another 50% replacement. I was a bit confused at first, but he explained that since I was an oddball grandfathered commercial use in a residential zone I did not need the site plan, or any engineering at all. I just can't encroach any of the setbacks more than the building is currently. They just want drawings from me to show what the overall finished project will look like. I was honestly amazed at that answer, so I am good to go without having to try and hide things.
This lead into another rabbit hole, I decided that I would use this opportunity to install a larger bridge crane, one I didn't own yet. My engineer buddy will help me figure out the design and I already found a bridge crane that more than fits the bill. Now all I have to do is get equipment ready for the last weekend in May, then I just have to get the things dismantled in 48 hours, no problem, right???
When I went to look at the crane I was told that it was 80 or 100 feet long and 30' wide, it wasn't. It was a little under 30' wide and 200' long. There are two bridges, one is powered travel and has the 5 ton hoist, the other is manual and actually won't have any hoist as the owner is keeping it. Unfortunately it uses the building as uprights, so I am just getting the horizontal sections, but the price is right and I am not going to pass it up. Going to be a long weekend!
FullRaceMerc
Well-known member
It seems like the manufacturer was under the expectation that diamond plate would hide all imperfections. That's unbelieveable.
Honestly I doubt it took more than a couple hours for someone to slap these together, a little extra time could have made things a lot better. I will not be buying anything from Westin/Brute ever again. I wish I had the time to modify the boxes that I originally wanted, but I know I would never modify them and I needed a safe compartment for the light bars, both of these had the shallow box under the main compartment and the sizes were perfect. I am going to clean things up, remove the screws and smooth the sharp edges, then install rivets to hold the hinges on. Just ridiculous in my opinion, would make a really nice commercial for a box that is made to just a bit better specs. The one that I really wanted had two issues, about 4" too tall and the manufacturer told me that all dimensions were "approximate" when I asked for them. That set a red flag off, then I could have ordered the System One boxes, they would have been perfect size wise, but they were months away because I needed a 72" and a 60". I had been hunting for some on Marketplace, but everything was 96" and I really didn't want to cut them down, in hindsight they would have probably looked about as bad as these Westin boxes...
I was trying to use Perk and the knuckleboom to adjust a load that my forks just weren't long enough to handle, the remote appeared to be dead, I tried a spare battery and got nothing, they are 9 volt energizer lithium batteries, so I went into my stash, grabbed a new package, both said 2031 and while they made the remote "work", it was barely functional like they had no voltage. Now I have to do some testing and figure out if it is batteries or if it is the remote. I have had issues before, but never this issue, it either worked or it didn't, nothing halfway between. Fun stuff as always.
xtremek
Well-known member
Mine isn't a bridge crane, but I love my oversized jib/gantry crane. They are so useful.
xtremek
Well-known member
Do you think you'll ever catch a break? Sometimes I wonder.I was trying to use Perk and the knuckleboom to adjust a load that my forks just weren't long enough to handle, the remote appeared to be dead, I tried a spare battery and got nothing, they are 9 volt energizer lithium batteries, so I went into my stash, grabbed a new package, both said 2031 and while they made the remote "work", it was barely functional like they had no voltage. Now I have to do some testing and figure out if it is batteries or if it is the remote. I have had issues before, but never this issue, it either worked or it didn't, nothing halfway between. Fun stuff as always.
I catch breaks all the time, just not where they really help...
I forgot how much I actually had to do to make the regular trailer work on Perk, supposed to be picking up the truck I bought a couple weeks ago, my window is tomorrow afternoon. So now I have to get my Brother's trailer, wire up the lights and brakes for that style trailer, and make sure the remote is working. To top it off, it just started raining pretty good and I don't have any inside space to use unless I take over the quonset hut, that might happen at this point. I think I will go get a fresh 9 volt battery regardless of the dates on the Lithium ones and pick up the trailer, that will at least get me one step closer. I didn't want to just string wires together for a makeshift setup (again), I wanted to actually wire everything up permanently so that I have the 7 flat connector (RV style) with brakes and the 7 Round (commercial style) at both the middle and rear of Perk, that would cover me for about everything now and in the future. I am betting I am going to end up with a clusterfack that is temporary, I just have to get the dang truck, my Brother is going to be using his trailer for the next couple weeks and I have other **** to do myself. I was going to pay someone to pick it up, but the seller is a pain and has a trailer in the way and I couldn't get the confirmation it was moved, so I couldn't send someone to pick up the truck. What I need to do is clean out the main bay and pull Perk inside so I can actually work on things tonight and tomorrow morning. Only issue is I was in process of cleaning things up so of course there is a rather large messssssssss
I think I can deal with a good chunk of it, but, some of it needs to go into the other bay and that is a slight mess too. Next thing will be that I lose power from the storm and then I am SOL.
I forgot how much I actually had to do to make the regular trailer work on Perk, supposed to be picking up the truck I bought a couple weeks ago, my window is tomorrow afternoon. So now I have to get my Brother's trailer, wire up the lights and brakes for that style trailer, and make sure the remote is working. To top it off, it just started raining pretty good and I don't have any inside space to use unless I take over the quonset hut, that might happen at this point. I think I will go get a fresh 9 volt battery regardless of the dates on the Lithium ones and pick up the trailer, that will at least get me one step closer. I didn't want to just string wires together for a makeshift setup (again), I wanted to actually wire everything up permanently so that I have the 7 flat connector (RV style) with brakes and the 7 Round (commercial style) at both the middle and rear of Perk, that would cover me for about everything now and in the future. I am betting I am going to end up with a clusterfack that is temporary, I just have to get the dang truck, my Brother is going to be using his trailer for the next couple weeks and I have other **** to do myself. I was going to pay someone to pick it up, but the seller is a pain and has a trailer in the way and I couldn't get the confirmation it was moved, so I couldn't send someone to pick up the truck. What I need to do is clean out the main bay and pull Perk inside so I can actually work on things tonight and tomorrow morning. Only issue is I was in process of cleaning things up so of course there is a rather large messssssssss
I think I can deal with a good chunk of it, but, some of it needs to go into the other bay and that is a slight mess too. Next thing will be that I lose power from the storm and then I am SOL.