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Technical Tools/ Things found on the road!

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Boneyard51, Aug 28, 2019.

  1. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    One under the hood of a customer's 530i BMW, a long Snap-On 17mm combination wrench. Not tht uncommon, but mine had disappeared months before, so I was using my long 11/16" Snap-On combo wrench.
    Ahhh...Now I had it back!
    On the street mine tees into, a canvas 'packet'...Stopped, picked it up. Snap-On! A whole set of long SAE Snap-ons, from 1/4" up to 3/4"!
    A name was inside, 'MORA'. Drat! My good friend and neighbor, Mike Mora.
    He was glad to see both of us.
     
  2. Atwater, what happened to your earlier post? Hit like and it's gone. Geeze, story of my life. Learn something new and poof you never see it again.
     
  3. little red 50
    Joined: Feb 19, 2011
    Posts: 230

    little red 50
    Member

    I've found a lot of tools and seen a wheel borrow fall of a flat bed trailer. That was 25 years ago still using it to this day. (We stopped and pick it up and they were gone.) Following an ambulance on time and they crossed some really rough railroad tracks the back door comes open and out comes a box. It landed on the road, I stopped and pick it up. It was someone's big toe packed in ice. I didn't know what to do so I just called a tow truck. ;)
     
  4. deathrowdave
    Joined: May 27, 2014
    Posts: 3,518

    deathrowdave
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from NKy

    I have found tons of tools working pipelining along busy streets . I always , sold them in a garage sale every so often . I always told my Buddies , that stopped by “ you see anything with your name on it , 1/ 2 off the marked price to you , today only !”
     
  5. My best highway find was a Milwaukee cordless impact driver without battery, but I use the same m18 tools so all was good.

    Be careful what you pick up though. I live in oilfield country here and a couple years ago a special tool used in the oilfield that is radioactive was lost off a truck in the area. There was warnings over radio and tv to not touch it if found. Radioactive equipment is used in developing some wells.
     
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  6. Offset
    Joined: Nov 9, 2010
    Posts: 1,871

    Offset
    Member
    from Canada

    A badly beaten woman. Still troubles me.
     
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  7. seb fontana
    Joined: Sep 1, 2005
    Posts: 8,443

    seb fontana
    Member
    from ct

    Wow thats' a rough one! I would hope that you helped as you could and that should ease the "trouble" at least in my eyes..
     
  8. OLDTINPUSHER
    Joined: Apr 28, 2009
    Posts: 572

    OLDTINPUSHER
    Member

    What's a 10 MM socket. ;) Don't think I've ever seen or used one.
     
  9. no55mad
    Joined: Dec 15, 2006
    Posts: 1,956

    no55mad
    Member

    Sail rabbit.
     
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  10. Boneyard51
    Joined: Dec 10, 2017
    Posts: 6,440

    Boneyard51
    Member

    HRP, that fork looks like it’s giving you the finger! Ha







    Bones
     
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  11. Last year was the year for plastic gas cans of all sizes- found 3 and the 5 gallon one was even full of gas-
     
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  12. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,709

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    Picked up a couple of hammers over the years. A long drift punch where I park my truck sometimes. A cordless drill, just so happened I had a charger cord that fit it, used it for several years until the battery died.

    Never found a good aluminum ladder yet, they all look like spaghetti by the time I see them!
     
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  13. gene-koning
    Joined: Oct 28, 2016
    Posts: 4,040

    gene-koning
    Member

    About the only time I'm walking along a roadway is when my ride broke down, or something fell/flew off and I'm looking to retrieve the escaping item.

    On one of those break down walks I found a set of channel locks. I thought maybe my luck was changing, but it turned out that when you put the squeeze to the channel locks, they would slip to the next tooth. I figured someone probably got tired of pinching his fingers when they slipped and tossed them out his window. I know after about the 3rd or 4th time they slipped on me I tossed then into the scrap bin.

    I don't make much of a habit looking for things along the road to pick up, I don't need another set of slipping channel locks. I simply watch for stuff that might hurt someone (like me) if they hit it.

    I did see a guy in the intersection at a traffic light with a pickup and about a 1/2 load of sheets of plywood leaning on the ground behind his truck. He managed to get stopped before they were completely on the ground, but part of the load was still sitting where it was loaded to, and part of it was sliding off the back of the tailgate.
    He was standing there trying to figure out how he was going to get it all back on his truck. I had someplace I had to be, or I would have stopped and helped him load it back on his truck. I did go back by about an hour later and the truck was gone, so I figured he must have gotten it back on the truck. I'm betting he left the stop light a lot slower the next time, he may have even tried to secure his load the next time. Gene
     
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  14. Actually I just remembered the best thing I've ever found. Funny but long story. My wife and I went to bville in 1999. We were driving my in-laws anteater minivan and ran out of gas between the bend and gas station. My wife stayed with the van as we had all of our belongings in it. I'm walking down the highway to the gas station when a suburban pulls up and offers a ride. (I'm from a small area, so I just hopped right in to take them up on the ride). As soon as I jumped in and we are rolling down the highway my mind instantly went to the movie "breakdown" that was pretty fresh at the time. (Why would I just hop into some strangers vehicle in the middle of nowhere?). After getting dropped at the gas station and I've filled up my 2 quart water bottles with gas I'm walking back to the van, laughing to myself about the whole thing. Then I spotted this in the ditch. It's proudly stuck to my shop fridge now (magnetic).
     

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  15. 1953naegle
    Joined: Nov 18, 2013
    Posts: 281

    1953naegle
    Member

    Found a Leatherman multi-tool on the side of the road a few years back. I think it got thrown out by a frustrated prior owner as one jaw had broken off, but I picked it up and sent it off to Leatherman, invoking their no-questions-asked warrenty. Got a lot of use out of it until I forgot it in my pocket at airport security....
     
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  16. BuckeyeBuicks
    Joined: Jan 4, 2010
    Posts: 2,705

    BuckeyeBuicks
    Member
    from ohio

    I have found a bunch of tools and other stuff over the years, the best thing I ever found was an S-K Wayne 1/4 and 3/8 socket set, deep and shallow with ratchets, extensions and swivels. The 1/2 sockets, both deep and regular were missing ! I once found a 3/4 Snap-on Wrench in a town about 50 miles from home, a few weeks later I was talking to my buddy and he was telling me he had to catch a Snap-on truck as he had lost his 3/4 inch wrench that he had left on the running board of his 34 coupe on the way to GoodGuys in Columbus. I went to my truck and came back in the garage and asked him if his wrench had a number engraved on it. He said yea, the last four of my social, it was his wrench!:eek: What are the odds?
     
  17. wicarnut
    Joined: Oct 29, 2009
    Posts: 9,052

    wicarnut
    Member

    Your story brought up a memory. I was delivering a plastic injection mold with my company pick up, it was strapped to a skid, put in back of my truck with our forklift and off I go. Not thinking I took off from a controlled intersection quickly I guess and BANG ! the skid blew the tailgate off and the whole deal sitting in the middle of a very busy city intersection. I'm standing waving my arms so nobody drove into the mold, police are there quickly, their lights on directing traffic, officer asks can we pick up or move this, my answer, it weighs about 1800#, I had been thinking on what to do, I went gas station on corner, called customer, their shop less than a mile away, explained situation they sent their forklift on side streets to pick it up and they hauled to their shop. The police were fine, no ticket for me, nice guys. I then bought a thick rubber mat for box floor, installed a 6 X 6, 3 high in front of box so if I stopped quickly, Molds would not kill me, had a 6 X 6 cut to fit in back so if mold slid back would stop at 6 X 6, not tailgate, also some eyebolts in box that we would use straps to stop movement. This all worked, used this truck for several years, no more adventures.
     
  18. brasscarguy
    Joined: Jun 12, 2010
    Posts: 184

    brasscarguy
    Member
    from seattle

    Driving thru my neighborhood one morning my young son and I found on the side of the road a upright brand new airless complete. I stopped picked it up and when I got home I made a sign with my phone number "Found paint sprayer identify and its yours. Later that night I got a call and he identified it to a T . He was a professional house painter and had just purchased the new airless the day before. Took it out of the box and set it behind his truck, forgot to put it in the truck and just drove away. He came by and picked it up and offered to give me a reward. The best part of this was a real life experience for my young son in honesty.

    Not taking the reward, a few days later we received a letter from the painter hand written by his wife. She said that they had scrimped and saved for over a year to be able to purchase the airless and because I would not take a reward they felt they should do something for us to reward our honesty. So her offer was to paint the outside of our home any color we picked. She was most insistent, so we let them paint our house the next summer. I calculated the amount of paint and materials used and when he finished the job I slipped an envelope with that approx. amount of money in the glove box of his truck with a thank you note. We have referred him to many friends over the years with positive results.

    just sayin'
    brasscarguy .
     
  19. RmK57
    Joined: Dec 31, 2008
    Posts: 2,659

    RmK57
    Member

    Yesterday I missed on what looked like a Swiss Army knife. It was slightly crushed.
    Funny enough I found one at a gas station in Bakersfield about 40 years ago and still have it in my coat pocket.
     
  20. 51504bat
    Joined: May 22, 2010
    Posts: 4,755

    51504bat
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Probably 20 years ago I found a 6 foot fiberglass step ladder on the shoulder of the westbound I-10 in perfect shape. Stopped and put in the back of my OT blazer. This was back when I still carried a pager for work and unbeknownst to me my pager fell off my belt. It wasn't until I got home I realized it was gone so I drove back to where I picked up the ladder and sure enough it was still there on the shoulder. Later that day I drove past the same spot on my way to work and there was a broken down lumber truck on the shoulder right where I lost the pager. If I hadn't gone back when I did it would have been crushed for sure and I would have had a hell of a memo to write about loosing my work pager. Still have the ladder by the way.
     
  21. Rob28
    Joined: Oct 25, 2014
    Posts: 227

    Rob28
    Member
    from Calgary AB

    Running a service truck I seem to be the guy out their spreading the tools on the side of the road. that you forget on the out side of the truck during a rush job to get off the side of the road. You do learn the distinctive sound of a wrench hitting pavement. Had to pull over last week and run back to grab my 1 1/8 Snap-On had just replaced a few weeks back. Now I have a no name wrench tethered into my touch cabinet for putting regulators on.


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  22. 56sedandelivery
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 6,695

    56sedandelivery
    Member Emeritus

    I told him to go right at the fork in the road; instead, he ran it over, and then he throws me the international gesture of contempt! Some people!!! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
     
  23. 41rodderz
    Joined: Sep 27, 2010
    Posts: 6,540

    41rodderz
    Member
    from Oregon

    Kudos to you . I wish all people were like that instead of looking out only for themselves or how much they can get from you. :cool:
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2019
  24. 41rodderz
    Joined: Sep 27, 2010
    Posts: 6,540

    41rodderz
    Member
    from Oregon

    In a round about way , well maybe not but yes relatable. I went to a local garage sale for car parts which he never had ( neighbor posted and ) . So I guess I am like the third person there. In the middle of the driveway his a Snap On 40" top chest with metal cover that closes the top and front long drawers and overlays the second cover for multiple drawers down the right side. Had a couple dents and one side had scratches on the paint.
     
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  25. 41rodderz
    Joined: Sep 27, 2010
    Posts: 6,540

    41rodderz
    Member
    from Oregon

    t....rest of the story:D I said what happened to it. He said it fell onto the street out the back of the pick up when he was turning out from his driveway. Asked out much? He said , two twenty dollar bills and helped load it.
     
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  26. 41rodderz
    Joined: Sep 27, 2010
    Posts: 6,540

    41rodderz
    Member
    from Oregon

    Anyway , I could of shortened this post?:p
     
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  27. Fordors
    Joined: Sep 22, 2016
    Posts: 5,373

    Fordors
    Member

    What, and lose the advantage of two extra posts for that all important post count?
     
  28. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I found this cowl laying beside the road at an intersection two miles from my house about 15 years ago I had to run home and switch rigs and go back to get it. It's going to be the cowl on a roadster I am building.
    [​IMG]
    The list is pretty endless and reads like a couple of others.
    Years ago I was driving my wife 60 miles down the road from home to a doctors apt and spotted two log chains wrapped around the posts on the guard rail about half way there and didn't have time to stop.
    It took close to ten miles of retraced steps on the way back but I still have both of them
    I've got the aluminum and plywood piece you stand on a scaffold that I use all the time that I found hanging on the guard rail across the road from my house.
    Enough life jackets to equip a boat including one that is kids size that still had the tag on it from the store.
    A new spare for small trailer in the middle of the street that doesn't fit any trailer I have.
    Too many gas jugs and enough tools to fill a tool box.
    I stopped and picked up a couple of pieces of firewood one night and a buddy spotted me and asked later why I had taken the time to get a couple of chunks of wood, told him that they would keep my wife warm and off my butt for a few hours.
    Around here they use hard plastic molded liners for apple bins to haul grapes for processing into juice. Had one blow out of truck and hit my 48 one time but that wasn't the one I picked up off the side of the road and hauled home and rinsed out an filled with water for a 4x4x2 ft deep play pool that my son and dog had a lot of fun in.
    Years ago I was headed up the freeway in some nasty weather in my 4x4 crew cab with 2000lbs of scrap iron in the back when after pulling over on the shoulder a bit too far I ended up a bit off the side of the road and in the process of getting back on the road lost a Chevy small block block off the back. That truck was too high to manage to load it back on by hand so I left it. I went back the next day in the other truck an someone had already snagged it. Hope that they figured out it was cracked.
     
  29. seb fontana
    Joined: Sep 1, 2005
    Posts: 8,443

    seb fontana
    Member
    from ct

    Somewhere around 1980 I was riding my dirt bike along the shore of the Connecticut river; at low tide can go for quite a few miles..I found a Playboy small plastic ice chest..Took it home, cleaned it up and used it for a lunch box for work for the next 25 years, it gave up just as I retired..Man that thing carried some shit in it, believe me! A few years after I retired I would walk the Dog along the same river shore area..Guess what I found? Another exact same Playboy plastic ice chest! Perfectly usable; almost made me want to go back to work..
     
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  30. Found a chevy S.B. long block on a side street in Omaha....307 with a spun main bearing!
    Found a 55 Pontiac hood leaning up against a pole next to I-84 in Oregon...it was off a 55 I'd sold to my step brother. He was too lazy to retrieve it and bought another at the junk yard for $10.......
    a month later the new hood was also leaning against the same pole..
     
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