Above 1200 Sq/FT The Salvage Garage

[Strouty]

Kay, it was decided that the building could be useful in the future and since it is weathertight and lockable we are going to leave it there for now. I didn't really need it and taking that off my plate was a nice bonus for sure.

 

[Richard Cranium]

what no update to day?

 

[kaymccampbell]

Strouty's hiding in the "new" fiberglass shed.

 

[Strouty]

Nothing to report. It is cold outside and I have been trying to catch up on things inside.

 

[Strouty]

Update, still very cold outside...

My Dad has hired someone to do demo on the old office so we can start getting things rebuilt, except I wasn't ready, I thought he was starting next Saturday, not today. I found out my misunderstanding yesterday at 4:30PM, so this morning I had to go and get some bagsters to handle the trash since my dump trailer is full. I am kind of tired of the way everything is being handled, Dad says do this, do that, then he does it too. It is so much better if one person takes control rather than two, I don't care if he takes control of this, but he won't......

Anyways, looks like I now have another mess to deal with, just when I was getting set to dedicate more time to the office paperwork side.

 

[Strouty]

The office demo is moving along nicely, I think it is going to become a very nice setup once completed. From one side to the middle of the room, about 12’, there is an inch and a half drop.

 

[xtremek]

How old is Dad? Mine seems to be mellowing toward me, but not toward my mom. Maybe there's hope for the future? How long is the remodel supposed to last?

 

[Strouty]

The guy doing the remodel is only working on Saturdays, he worked from 7:30 to 3:30 yesterday, so I would guess it will be done by summer..........

Dad is not typical for his age, he survived sepsis a few years back and that really changed things, he will be 74 in April. Most likely nothing will get better, it will get worse, very sad on all levels. Both his parents lived to 99 and 100, so we fully expect him to live a long life, just not sure how long he will be participating in it fully.

Today I am going to try and get the "bagster" down from the stairs and into the dump trailer, it isn't quite as cold for Perk and the hydraulics today. We are going to get a storm Monday night into Tuesday, they say 6 to 12" and 35 MPH winds so I would love to get the steel from the framework at the tower site picked up. I think the 550 and my smaller trailer will handle it all, I am not sure if I am going to shoot for today or tomorrow on that, I guess we will see how the day goes.

 

[Strouty]

So far today has not been what I expected at all, just getting started now with Perk and the bagster. The battery disconnect was a POS ordered off Amazon, I think it has been an issue for a long time. Looks like it can't handle the starting amperage and has cooked itself inside, the actual studs were loose, not the cables, it made a smokey mess. I changed it out with another one (used and heavy duty), started better, we will see if it solves the other intermittent issues I was having. Usually when things were warmed up it would crank hard or not at all, then start cranking fine on the next push of the ignition button. I had figured it was on the starter end, since everything else was new.......

Anyways, this morning I had to go to the MIL's house to setup a trickle charger for her convertible in storage, no big deal, just a time waster. Then I decided to see if the GF would go and pick up the Alaska burb with me, I guess I didn't realize how late it already was, by the time we got back it was 2PM. The good news is the truck goes and stops fine, as long as you only need through 2nd gear, after that the trans is junk, but I knew that, it just meant I couldn't go back the highway, so it took a lot longer on the way home. Other cool news is that it has a GT4 and G80 in the RPO codes, so it has 3.73 gears and posi, this will make it great for what I will be doing. No check engine codes, heater worked, brakes were decent, there are plenty of other issues, but for $650 and the fact that it isn't all rotted to hell it will be worth it.

I am headed back out to get the bagster down and start my second shift job.....

 

[Strouty]

The 550 remote (only way to control it) is telling me it is too cold, I looked at the manual and it says -40 Celsius (same as Fahrenheit). Now it is cold, but I know it isn’t that cold! I guess one of the sensors is out of whack or it is set for a different temperature. You get about 45 seconds to use it before it shuts off and you have to restart everything by shutting it off in the cab, then wait for the reboot and turn on the remote, wait for the connection, then GO! I had to unload the compressor tank, took me 40 minutes of messing around to get it unloaded and put the truck back so I can leave.

Now I am headed to the tower site to drop off a trailer for tomorrow, then headed home. Frustrating evening for sure.



This is from earlier, removing the trash from the upper stairs at the office.









I have been trying to figure out a better (read easier) way to get the hook put away, it probably weighs a solid 50 pounds and you have to essentially lift it over your head and turn it sideways to get it hooked back up. I think I can just use a steel cable to extend it, then it will be easier to get hooked back up. I used a nylon strap to test it out, worked really well.

 

[Strouty]

Got the trailer set for tomorrow, loaded up the power cables and headed home.

 

[Strouty]

And it is about 14 degrees at the tower site, it was about 7 at the SG. Only 12 miles away!

 

[xtremek]

Sounds like a busy day. It doesn't sound like it was productive. Bummer.

 

[Strouty]

I got a lot done, just not the things that I thought I was going to get done. I managed to get the white burb back from the repair shop, will have to decide what I am doing about that, need to pull the engine for sure, it is open to the world now and the mice will get in there before long.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a little warmer, I need to use the crane on the 550, if it won’t cooperate, I may need to buy some styrofoam and some hand warmers to try and bring the temperature up inside the control box. Fingers crossed it will work better tomorrow.

 

[Strouty]

First thing this morning, guess it was too cold to run still....



After the truck warmed up a bit it was fine, but the remote still timed out due to temps. A phone call to tech support confirmed it is a thermistor on the receiver board that is the culprit. I used a heat gun and proved it will work with some extra heat. Just stopped to get my receiver heaters at CVS, going to use styrofoam and these to keep it operating.



I am headed to the tower site now, picking up some lunch, hopefully I can still beat the storm and get everything loaded.

 

[racer-john]

Wishing you Good Luck, Strouty.

 

[xtremek]

I hope things are going smoothly. We got a whole 1"

 

[Strouty]

We haven’t been hit yet, but things are circling the drain now. I got all the steel loaded up, but the trailer got a flat, so I am going to leave it at the site. Kind of annoying after all that effort.

 

[Orionrising]

Here comes winterrrrrrr. Though they as usual can't decide if we are gonna get a minor storm and some sleet, or two feet....

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[Strouty]

I am still not ready, seems like no matter how many chances I get, I just can't get ready for winter before the snow hits..........

The Boston fire truck will not start, I put it on charge yesterday (8 amp float), but one of the disconnects was loose and it didn't really charge the batteries. Now I am trying to get some either to it, but it cranks way too slow, probably going to be a waste of effort, except that it is really in the way. Maybe the warmer temps will let it start tomorrow, happy thoughts..........

 

[Strouty]

Got BFD started! Now all I need to do is get it out of the way.

 

[slik560]

Victory!!

 

[xtremek]

Good luck with the big snow.

 

[steaks&anvils]

Got BFD started! Now all I need to do is get it out of the way.

Good job!

Did you run the siren or lights in celebration?

 

[Strouty]

No siren, I went home, took off my boots, started to relax, then realized I left the battery charger outside at the Hill.

Snow was coming down pretty hard, glad I remembered sooner rather than later.

 

[kaymccampbell]

That coulda been bad. Lucky you remembered it.

 

[Strouty]

Not that the pictures shows it, but there is a float charger on top and my big booster pack is in the tray under the charger, so it could have been expensive too. I just hope we don’t lose power, would be nice to take a break.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Not that the pictures shows it, but there is a float charger on top and my big booster pack is in the tray under the charger, so it could have been expensive too. I just hope we don’t lose power, would be nice to take a break.

I hope you catch one.

 

[xtremek]

Good luck today.

 

[Strouty]

Snow was way less than expected, my shoulder is junk, again.

Hopefully I can get a handle on it, last time it was like this it took a couple weeks before it got better. I have been using the new massage tool on it and it helps, but only for a limited amount of time.

 

[xtremek]

Any idea what caused your shoulder to go south? Try to start taking better care of the body. Sometime in your early to mid 50's things take another big step down the hill.

 

[Strouty]

I injured this one when I was young, it does it is loose, the nerve gets pinched when the muscles get tight and pull things out of place. It usually releases and then feels fine, but that is a random end of the issue. No clue what makes it better, I think last time I went to bed a bit buzzed and it let go while I was laying on my back.

 

[xtremek]

I remember you saying that before. You know the memory is the second thing to go.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Well time to get buzzed

 

[xtremek]

Did it help?

 

[Strouty]

I didn’t try, wasn’t in the mood.

Shoulder feels a little better, but I have more snow to shovel, that should make things worse.

 

[Strouty]

Shoveling definitely makes the shoulder worse. Had to do my final cleanup today, suppose to snow more tomorrow.

I found that the Boston fire truck had a bad connection and no low batteries, fixed that and it starts much better now. Also I got the traction control sorted out on OMO, and it will drive in slippery stuff now. I am thinking I will setup the bucket on the excavator again and start bailing the concrete chunks over the banking where they belong. If I can make that pile go away, then I can park both fire trucks out of the way again. Also need to move the Cascadia, it is just in the wrong spot, it will be tough to move as is, the brakes are fully engaged and I don't think that they can be caged (released with special bolt), so I may have to drag it out a bit, then get it turned around, at that point Clark should be able to move it by lifting the rear ends off the ground. I will not get to this today, but I am going to try and do it tomorrow.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Why can't you cage the brakes?

 

[Strouty]

Something is broken, would have to take the entire can off, might still be my only option.

 

[harley jim]

Can you back charge them through the glad hand with a portable air compressor.

Sent from my SM-A102U using The Garage Journal mobile app