Above 1200 Sq/FT The Salvage Garage

[Strouty]

I think it will be a great trailer, I need to do a ton of things to it before it will be the way I actually want it to be, but that is a process that takes time. For now, I need to get the tire back on the rim, fix the leaking ram, figure out how to make the tail power down versus gravity, get all the lights swapped out for LED, design the headboard setup, measure for the larger winch, look at adding a wireless remote for the winch and tail, and many more things.......

The best part is that I can do this in stages so that the trailer doesn't get taken out of service for any real length of time. I would like to try and get the headboard and larger winch done while Perk is getting the transmission upgrade.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Pooping is important

 

[harley jim]

The trailer looks great, your upgrades should make it a great tool.

 

[xtremek]

Sounds like the trailer needs a ton of work, but you've got a decent plan.

 

[Strouty]

Only needs a ton of work because I am Strouty and I never like "stock" configurations....

 

[harley jim]

I completely understand that. Kinda like a shopping cart and a golf cart I've seen around

 

[Strouty]

Most people would say we have "issues".

Not quite enough rain or warmth yet to clear off the driveway up the Hill, definitely will be clear tomorrow, so I will have to wait to offload the new forklift. I guess I may have to call it Gringo due to the axle cap paint job.

I am doing a couple things in the office, but I am going to try and get some of the second bay cleaned up in the shop at the Hill, I will need that bay to do the transmission swap on Perk. I am not looking forward to the cleanup, not even sure where things are going to go, really need to get some of the new Lista assembled, but I am not sure I have enough room to work on things as is. I could always throw the radiator in the Blue Burb and just call it a day, but I really wanted to try and do a few things to that as well.

Too many decisions....

 

[xtremek]

I vote get the Blue 'Burb done, then knock out a big chunk of Lista Wall. Won't having some of the Lista wall up make further progress easier? And having something completed is always a morale booster.

 

[Strouty]

Both those things would make everything easier, but, I can't find a block heater and I am not sure about the crank sensor yet. Block heater replacement involves draining coolant (essentially all of it), so I wanted to do it at the same time. So far I have found nothing but back ordered units. I am about to give up on it, won't matter until next winter now anyways.

 

[Strouty]

I will say one thing, last week has taken its toll on me, I am going to stick with some relatively easy stuff today, tomorrow is office work for most of the day, after that, well, I am going to play it by ear.

 

[Strouty]

I feel like I could take a nap, is it weird that I am the same age as old people?

 

[bimmer1980]

Nothing wrong with a nap. I just woke up from one since I had a headache.... Btw, I'm 41.

 

[Strouty]

I have a few years on you, but I still feel much older today, heck, I feel that way most days now.

I have been organizing some tools, got some new wrench and socket organizers, they seem to be decent overall, some of them are not my cup of tea, they make the wrenches take up way too much room compared to my other organizers. The socket holders are nice, especially since you can add size markers as needed, they are removable, that is great, especially when you have a void because you don't actually own that size socket (that was why I got rid of the Hansen style holders). I may even be able to bring the forklift up top and unload it, going to see how the road looks now.

 

[TwoBytes]

"is it weird that I am the same age as old people?"

I think we're the same age, mate... and yes, it's weird!

 

[Strouty]

The Hill was passable, got the forklift unloaded a little before dark. The trailer is on the slab so when I get a chance, I can try and get the tire fixed.

 

[kent_323is]

Looks like that "new" trailer worked great for you other than the tire! And it looks good doing it too!

While you have many ideas for improvements.... I have to ask... on the gravity tail vs power down tail, how long does it actually take with gravity? 30 secs, 1 min, 3 mins, 5 mins? How many hours & dollars would it take to make it power down? An additional set of hoses, maybe a valve upgrade, plus the time to route, hookup, and bleed the system.... seems minimum a half day at best....which is 4-6 hrs. Assuming it takes 5 mins to gravity go down, and assuming you're super fast at swapping it over in 4 hrs, you could cycle the trailer 48 times. It seems like you're better off leaving it gravity than trying to make it power down.

 

[Strouty]

It is already plumbed correctly, I am just not sure if they have the spool setup to gravity down, or if something is broken. I am thinking they did this to prevent accidental damage from an idiot running the controls. I will say that today was mid 40s and it was significantly faster than the other day, so it may not be an issue unless it is really cold out.

 

[Strouty]

I almost forgot, I also have to paint the trailer blue...

 

[Strouty]

Hopefully I can get the office stuff done in a reasonable time so I can actually do something that moves my projects forward. I have been doing a lot of "long term investing" and it feels like a sideways movement right now, I know it will pay off in the end though.

 

[harley jim]

That is a sweet set up, it would look great color matched to the fleet. In due time.

 

[Strouty]

I guess it is very patriotic right now.

I found a safety latch that will fit the track crane hook, well, it needs to be modified a bit and it is actually two latches and springs that I have to combine to make one, then grind down the attachment point on the hook itself, plus drill a larger hole in the latch to accommodate the roll pin. No big deal, but it seems to be how everything is.....

 

[Strouty]

I am already annoyed, it isn't raining out like it was supposed to be, so now I don't want to be in the office. Tomorrow better be nicer than today.

 

[xtremek]

We're getting the S word right now, after being in the 60's yesterday.

 

[Strouty]

We had that last week, got almost a foot after being mid 60s.

I forgot to mention that Perk got 6.8 MPG on the last trip, that was empty trailer, an hour of idle time, loaded trailer, bobtail, empty box trailer. I suspect it would be almost 8 MPG if I had not idled and had the new transmission in there.

I wish I was ready to go and get the other loaders, fuel price increases are most likely not going to slow down anytime soon. I may buy some transfer tanks and start filling them up. Fun Just Beginning.

 

[xtremek]

Yeah, I'm guessing the longer the war in the Ukraine, the higher fuel will go. Not making a political statement, just a fiscal one. Same with steel.

 

[86turbodsl]

One thing power down is handy for on these is you can jack up the wheels with it, change tires, etc.

 

[Strouty]

The only good thing in my mind is that I probably have enough parts to complete a hundred projects, without needing any major investment. I am going to look at a couple trucks on Wednesday morning, it is a two for one type of deal, really only one is going to be a project. My used stuff is worth more, scrap prices are on the upside and climbing, I feel like this may be a decent year overall, but in a bad way, if that even makes sense. Basically, I am going to be forced into selling things to fund other projects, I shouldn't say forced, I will be coaxed into it by the price things are selling for.

 

[86turbodsl]

Scrap is heading up? Hadn't heard that. In fact, with inflation, i thought we're losing ground. I have a lot of scrap too.

 

[Strouty]

I have had two people tell me it is up, I have not brought a load in for a while, but I will be checking on prices myself. I have some things that are accessible, but most of it is tucked away and I won't be able to get to it for a while.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

It is up a tiny bit. It is up to $9/100 pounds here.

 

[Orionrising]

I can see most of my driveway now. Still a foot or so in the yard though.

 

[Strouty]

I bought some grade 100 chain hooks from a seller on eBay, first group of them arrived today, missing all the pins that attach them to the chain. Seller says that I can just go to the hardware store and buy some, I tried to explain that it was not that simple, I am going to see what the supplier I usually use has and if the manufacturer sells them separately. The hooks were a great price, if they had the pins, without the pins they are useless. While I feel bad, this seller is probably going to learn the hard way that they need to describe things correctly. They showed a hook in the sealed bag, but shipped loose hooks.

 

[bulletpruf]

I bought some grade 100 chain hooks from a seller on eBay, first group of them arrived today, missing all the pins that attach them to the chain. Seller says that I can just go to the hardware store and buy some, I tried to explain that it was not that simple, I am going to see what the supplier I usually use has and if the manufacturer sells them separately. The hooks were a great price, if they had the pins, without the pins they are useless. While I feel bad, this seller is probably going to learn the hard way that they need to describe things correctly. They showed a hook in the sealed bag, but shipped loose hooks.

Dude need to make it right. If he doesn't, he deserves negative feedback.

 

[Strouty]

I will have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest to find out how much my cost on the hooks with the correct pins and how much just the pin kits are going to be. I suspect that I will end up having to pay double what I thought I was going to pay, just a matter of seeing if it really is worth it as I bought way more than I needed because of the price. This is what I need and so far I haven't found any other pricing. If this holds true, I would be paying about $9 bucks for each kit, I bought 17 hooks with an average cost of $19.50 after shipping. The hooks retail for a bit over $40, so at half price I had no problem buying 17 of them, but it sounds like I will now have to shell out another $170 to get the pins.

Grade 100 Load pin kit




Original auction shows picture of one in the bag and one out of the bag, I assumed it was to show actual item, nothing about missing parts or the rest of them are out of the bag, just the part number.

 

[86turbodsl]

I just called my scrap yard, it's up 20 dollars to 200/ton. Meh.

I learned a long time ago on ebay, not to assume anything critical. CYA is the word of the day.

 

[Strouty]

Dear diary, I am writing to tell you that my next steps are unclear......

I have too many things going on, trying to figure things out makes my head hurt. Time to take a bite.

 

[xtremek]

Any luck on sourcing the parts for the blue Burb? Are you still only looking at GM parts, or are you looking at local auto parts stores? How's the Lista wall fairing in your plans. Pretty sure you can see where I'm thinking you should start. Especially storage and projects that are close to completion. Or anything that helps you get organized. Good luck. I've had that headache frequently as well

 

[Strouty]

This is where I stand.

 

[Strouty]

I ordered a block heater from Amazon that looks promising, but I expect to get a Chinese piece of **** instead of what the description and picture portrays.

 

[Strouty]

I also need to place a hardware order, I need 1/4-20, 5/16-18, 3/8-16 and metric 8 and 10mm hardware. I am constantly searching for it and it is getting old fast. I have a pretty good assortment at the SG, but I don’t want to rob it to stock the Hill. I will also need 1/2, 5/8, and 3/4” frame bolts and nuts, but those will be a bit later.