Above 1200 Sq/FT The Salvage Garage

[kaymccampbell]

Scare the Blue Burb straight!

Pallet racking is usually pretty deep, you would want something 24”, otherwise it gets pretty narrow in there really quick. In the end, it really depends on what you are trying to store in there.

Dome Hepot has 24" deep by about 6' high and about 6' long pallet racking, 4 shelves, rated at 2500 lbs per shelf, made by Husky. It's not the least expensive solution, ~$300, but it sure feels nice. I'm going to buy two this summer and make racks for my Dingo attachments.

 

[Strouty]

There are about ten companies that make similar racking, that is essentially what I use, I do like to put plywood over the wire decking, it really helps when you put something smaller, but heavy on there. Of course right now, the plywood may cost more than the racking. Lucky for me, I already have a lot of shelving and the plywood.

 

[Strouty]

Today I don’t feel like anything got accomplished, I ordered some parts, probably the wrong ones, then I researched some parts, but couldn’t make a decision. I started to do five things, finished none. The only saving grace may be that I am going to try and get a front driveshaft back in the blue Burb tonight, the original one was seized up completely and we couldn’t get it apart at all, going to pull the one out of the maroon Burb and hope it is better.

 

[Strouty]

Apparently 99 and maybe 98 (I don’t have any 98s) have a different front driveshaft, luckily I had plenty of other ones to choose from over at the SG. It took a little longer to get out, I will paint it tomorrow and install it, then we are back in business getting trailers moved up and down the Quonset hut hill.

Also pulled off a couple rims from one of the 16” dual wheel trailers, it appears that the hub diameter is correct to use the hub pilot wheels, since they discontinued the stud pilot ones a couple years ago, it is the only option now. I am going to order one wheel and see if it fits tight enough to the hub, if it is good, then I can order the rest of the wheels. That will make me a bit happier for sure, then the trailer will have single 17.5” tires and rims versus dual 16” tires and rims. Should cut down in tire costs as well as rolling resistance. Fingers crossed that they will work for me.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I bought these for my connex

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LNZ7T4Z/?tag=atomicindus08-20

We well see how they work.

 

[bowtiguy]

I bought these for my connex

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LNZ7T4Z/?tag=atomicindus08-20

We well see how they work.

Ooooh, I could SO use those. But, have you seen the price of Rubbermaid containers lately???

Good thing I have a couple dozen w/ once used moving blankets in them.

 

[Strouty]

Everything is expensive right now, but I don‘t see any relief in the short term, so if you need it, it probably won’t get any cheaper until you don’t need it anymore.

 

[Allenw]

Ooooh, I could SO use those. But, have you seen the price of Rubbermaid containers lately???

Good thing I have a couple dozen w/ once used moving blankets in them.

The shelf lumber won't be cheap.

 

[Strouty]

I ordered lights for the Muv-All trailer, of course they probably won't be here for two or more weeks, but I got exactly what I want and a decent price. I will have to do a few temporary fixes in the meantime, but no big deal. Should have the airbags in soon, then we can replace those and put the wheels and tires back on as well. I am not sure when I can add the E-Brake setup, but the airbags are needed so I can get an inspection sticker. After that stuff, I should be ready to take a couple trips to get the other two loaders.

 

[xtremek]

Sounds like with the warmer weather things are moving forward for you.

 

[Strouty]

Except it felt like 20 the last couple mornings with the wind chill.

I am trying to plug along, I have been extra distracted lately, so many projects going on that I am dropping the ball on a lot of things. I really need to get back to setting aside a decent amount of time to organize and review my to do lists. My brain can only handle so much info at once.

 

[Strouty]

Just ordered a bunch of battery terminals for the upgrades to the equipment, I will have a few days into adding disconnects and Anderson connectors, I still need to order those, but I wanted to confirm the amperage of the ones I am currently using before I order some, don't want to order ones that won't work together. Then I have to find a place that sells the terminal parts separately, I know NAPA has them, but they are way more expensive.

 

[Strouty]

Apparently diesel spiked over night, it went from about $5 a gallon to about $6, I guess I should have filled up last night.

 

[xtremek]

Makes you wonder how much gouging is being done by Big Oil. I know part of it is tied to the futures, but still.

 

[Allenw]

We're up 40 cents in the last 24 hours.

About three weeks ago I read an opinion that with investors pulling out of the stock market and getting into commodities that prices could increase 40%.

 

[Strouty]

Honestly, I think we are in for it, like a big course correction, we have had cheap fuel prices for a long time compared to most places. Ultimately it will change how we all function as the price of diesel will directly effect the price of everything else in the country. Self sustainability is going to be the future, and the high paying desk jobs are going to become minimum wage jobs while skilled labor will be invaluable and the wages will rise. Of course this is just the rambling of a knucklehead.

 

[harley jim]

Maybe, but I like the way you ramble. This country needs to pull up there ******* and go back to work. We have to be the laziest nation on the globe. JMHO

 

[Strouty]

I agree, it has been infiltrating the mindset for a while now. There are plenty of smart people out there, some of the smartest I know are also the laziest though, they just know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it with as little effort as possible. You have to watch out for the hardworking stupid people, they will cause more grief than you can imagine, and they work really hard at doing it.......

 

[bimmer1980]

I'll add to the rant.... Part of the reason for all of the desk jobs is all the paperwork that is "necessary" to push these days. One of the greatest impediments to getting anything done is the necessary permits from state and local governments. Also add in the legalize, documentation, drawings, etc that is necessary for variances, etc. Then there is all the accounting work, permissions and CYA to execute contracts for ordering capital equipment, etc. You should see the paper work that is necessary to pay bills, etc. We've done a decent job at trying to stream line, but it still adds up. Then you add in the verification and documentation to ensure that people are working "safe" on a jobsite to avoid accidents and casualties.......
And after all that, there is still more paperwork to allocate all the expenses, quarterly taxes, yearly taxes, etc. I guess I can't mention the main entity that makes much of the "necessary" paperwork, but I'm sure you can figure out the alphabet soup of the root causes.....

Candidly, I'm one of those people behind a desk most of the day, managing some of the above paperwork projects.....not all of it, but some of it. I also have insight to much of the other paperwork generation.....

Trust me, some days I would much rather be on the business seat of an excavator or skid steer.

Rant off.... back to your regular programming.... Always some interesting projects at the Strouty complexes.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

We have driven about 1200 miles between the trucks on trips back and forth while moving to the new property. I am filling up at least two trucks every other day. I refuse to add up the costs. It is ridiculous.

 

[Strouty]

I think with diesels, there is an underlying scheme to get rid of them by forcing people to stop driving with fuel costs. The main issue they will have is there are lots of households that heat using heating oil, (diesel with dye), so they are also going to crush them too. If we go into next winter with $6 or more heating oil, people are going to have serious issues. I only use about three tanks a season between all my locations, but there are houses that use a tank a month during the cold months. That would be $1500 a month at a minimum.

I have to stop, this is going to take a nasty turn if I keep going, so that is where I will leave it. I will have to fill up today, going to be almost $7 a gallon.

 

[Strouty]

I found that the cheap place had diesel for $5.99 a gallon, then after filling up the expensive place had it for $5.39 a gallon. Go figure.

I also got only half my order of the hydraulic crimping tools, they showed the same tracking number, but only one arrived, got to love it, now eBay says it was delivered, except it wasn't. Hopefully the seller will figure it out, I certainly don't want to be out another $175.

So far my day is great, how is yours?

I am headed to pick up a diamond laser 5000.



It is a diamond band saw that will cut stone and glass, I have been looking for something like it for a while, I need to cut dual layer safety glass, some of my equipment has rounded corners and no one seems to want to cut it for me.

 

[Strouty]

Got the cute little bandsaw, should be a nice addition to my tool kit.

I am headed to the SG now, need to do a bit of a clean up so I can get things organized in the shop.

 

[Roadbuster]

I found that the cheap place had diesel for $5.99 a gallon, then after filling up the expensive place had it for $5.39 a gallon. Go figure.

Strouty, there is a free app called gas buddy. Has almost real time fuel costs around you. Might save you a few $.

Thanks again for letting in on your daily adventures!

 

[jack stand]

No pictures?
You know better than that.

 

[Strouty]

The gas buddy app is an advertisement service, I use WEX to locate prices, as long as someone has purchased fuel through their card system, it pops up the price date and time. No ads. The prices were all over the place though and I honestly expected to see it well north of $6, but the most expensive stuff I saw was $6.49. Least expensive was $5.39, I am planning on filling up there tonight, also going to add some fuel to a few pieces of equipment and get my empty fuel jugs filled too.

I will post some pictures when I get the saw unloaded, it really isn’t anything special except the Diamond blade and water pump. They advertise that it will cut up to 3” thick granite. That seems impressive to me, I am sure I will use it for more than just the safety glass equipment windows, I have always wanted to do stained glass, someday, maybe.

 

[Firstram]

I need to cut dual layer safety glass, some of my equipment has rounded corners and no one seems to want to cut it for me.

FWIW you can mask the radius on both sides and sandblast the glass away. The plastic center can be cut with a razor knife after that.

 

[Strouty]

I hadn't seen that trick, at this point, it won't be an issue, I should be able to cut any shape now, besides, I don't have a working sandblasting setup yet. Another one of my "to do" projects.....

 

[harley jim]

I would like a saw like that. I cut laminate glass at times and I also think it would cut geodes, now we use a concrete blade in the angle grinder, not the safest thing to do.

 

[Strouty]

I suspect it will cut about anything that will fit in the throat. It is little, but built pretty well, they sell new for something like $1,500. I picked this up for a bit more than the cost of a new table top ring saw. I didn't really like the idea of the ring saw, but it would have been fine for thin stuff and glass. The bandsaw should have far less limitations, if you don't break the blade, it should last a while too, it is probably five feet long, so lots of surface area.

 

[walrus]

Fuel oil is 6 bucks right or close to that. This state is screwed next winter. I heat with wood but I expect pellets and wood will be real popular this summer so price goes up on those also

 

[Strouty]

My biggest issue right now is trying to focus my intentions on something, anything. I know that everyone has lots of tasks to get done, lots of projects, but I do think I have an exceptionally long list. I wish I could say it was all self created, except it isn't and the part that is out of my control is getting longer and longer. I started to do a full review of projects and I just got myself confused. It is like having a pile of rope that needs to be untangled, except there are thousands of ends so you just can't figure out where to start, makes me feel like I am not getting anything done. In reality I am getting things done, lots of things, things that don't always help get me where I need to be. Friday I tried to get some loose ends *******, it felt like I had some success, only time will tell. Definitely going to need several more days of dealing with loose ends, today I got the Blue Burb loaded up with my tools and supplies, I had to take things out of the Maroon Burb to get the plywood with all my packout stuff attached. It felt good, but there was really no place to put the stuff I pulled out of the Maroon burb. This created an entirely new level of annoying stuff, stuff I previously put in there so I wouldn't have to deal with it. I want to deal with it, I want to sort it, I want to store it, I want to throw it in the dumpster, I can't do all of those things. I really just want to get my sand blast cabinet functioning so I can get the trailer parts and wheels cleaned up and painted, of course now I have made a mess and now I just want to walk away. I am going to try and stick with it for a while longer, maybe things will turn around a bit and I can get through my new "old" mess. I can see that there is going to be a lot more of this exact same feeling over the next several months. It is amazing how quickly motivation can get drop kicked with some simple tasks that 99% of everyone else could handle in their sleep.

Next week I have help at least one day, the goal is to get the two trailers back to operational condition, I have to weigh what needs to be done with what I want to get done, this is always a tough one, I tend to overestimate what can and can't be done. The month of May should be a good test, there are several projects that need to get done and I should be able to manage (juggle?) all of them and still succeed. I have been pretty good about buying any new projects, I have been concentrating on buying the necessary parts and supplies to complete existing projects, the supply chain is doing its best to keep me from finishing things though. I know when I get too far off course someone is going to call me out, hopefully I will hear it.......

 

[Strouty]

The new mess:

 

[Strouty]

I started by cutting up the coax, then loaded up a few things that have to go back to the Hill. The good thing is that coax is worth almost $2 a pound. I have a bunch more to cut up at the Hill, probably do that tomorrow so I can trade it in for some green stuff on Monday.

I am now remembering that I need to install a trailer brake controller in the Blue Burb, then the heavier loads won't make me as nervous, I hate having no trailer brakes. I think I am going to have to pull the controller out of the Maroon Burb, not sure if I have another one and it isn't going to be hauling anything ever again, at least not over the road.

Then I remembered that the maroon burb has my good speakers in the front doors, plus my stereo in the Blue Burb needs some amplifiers to work right.

So now I have created four new tasks that weren't really on my radar in the last forty-eight hours. This is what makes me crazy, I can't seem to plan anything without getting totally derailed. I also can't say that none of those new tasks are important, all of them are, but for different reasons. It would be nice to have a radio in the Blue Burb again, it would be nice to get the scrap coax gone and have some cash, it would be great having the trailer brake setup, all these things are great, just one (technically four) more task to do to get there. Rinse and repeat. I just wish I could go to do one task and not have fifty others screaming, "look at me!", all I came to do was get a paper towel, now I am rebuilding a forklift, how did that happen!

 

[rvieceli]

Strouty you have gotten a lot of stuff accomplished and DONE in the last few weeks. Focus on what you have taken care of and not what gets you down. I know easy for me to say typing on my phone a couple of thousand miles away but stop take a breath a let it go for a second and then start again.

Ron

 

[Strouty]

I agree that I have gotten a lot done, it still doesn’t feel like I have accomplished anything that is really helping get me to my “current” goals, most of it was actually a distraction, things that weren’t even on my radar or were just added to the list for one reason or another. Clearing the trees and moving everything for the fill, that is a perfect example, it took up a few days that I really didn’t have to spare, long term it will be great, short term it is crushing me to lose those days. Now I am at the mercy of the guy delivering the fill, that will probably take up the better part of a week to deal with, plus I still haven’t pulled all the stumps and roughed in the road. I can’t argue that this isn’t making “progress” but it is like taking an aspirin for a broken leg instead of going to the hospital. Perfect example right here:


This is progress, one of the things in my short list.


How did this get into the mix, well I had to off load it from the ramp truck, I just got a couple batteries that will fit it and my curiosity is getting the best of me. I know it will turn over, but the guy I bought it from says it needs an injection pump, doubtful, so now it is in front of the shop with part of my attention.

 

[Strouty]

My curiosity is satisfied enough now, it cranks over, but doesn't try and kick at all. It is getting dark and I don't feel like it will get me anywhere to continue. At least the batteries are in there and I know I can crank it over when my next urge to work on it comes. Dash had a bunch of missing lights, nothing for the glow plugs, I could hear the fuel pump, better than nothing. I am guessing that there is no fuel in it at all, at least nothing good enough to get it started. Back burnered for now, at least it gets the good batteries a home and I can get rid of the two that came out of it, they are toast.

I am going to head home, 8:00 crept up on me......

 

[Strouty]

Now it is 8:30, I really need to leave.

 

[Monza Harry]

Strouty for your Anderson plugs/parts I have found that the lift truck places are by far the cheapest like half of the auto/truck places. Keep plugging away and stay focused you appear to be winning to us, 1 small victory at a time, still "Winning"! Harry

 

[legenddc]

Seems like you a need a DONE list so you can see what you've accomplished.