Have you ever taken something "free" from the side of the road?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Have you ever taken something "free" from the side of the road? (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 12/31/2015 12:55:33 AM EDT

I felt like a total bum but while driving around the other day I came across a radial arm saw with a sign that said "free, works good". So I heaved this big contraption into the back of the truck and took it home. I plugged it in inside the garage when I got home and... It didn't work good or at all. I figured I'd replace the power cord because it was taped back together, gave another test and still did not work good. I took the motor apart and cleaned up some saw dust and noticed the overheat protection was busted and the reset button was jammed into the motor housing. I decided to super glue it back together and voila! It works! I gave it a shitty paint job and now just need to build a new table and fence and I have an extra saw just for the dado set. Not sure how I should build the fence or whether to reuse the legs it had.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:03:30 AM EDT

[#1]

I have several old dressers in the garage that make great parts cabinets

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:04:56 AM EDT

[#2]

Road kill stew?

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:12:19 AM EDT

[#3]

Sometimes people toss out perfectly good items. When I was a kid that's how we got our bikes.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:13:51 AM EDT

[#4]

I picked up a very nice old Honda mower that a neighbor down the street was setting out as I was driving by their house. It needed a new plug and fresh gas. It has lived another 8 years in my care and still runs. I let my renters use it sometimes. It's hard to beat Honda.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:17:22 AM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
I picked up a very nice old Honda mower that a neighbor down the street was setting out as I was driving by their house. It needed a new plug and fresh gas. It has lived another 8 years in my care and still runs. I let my renters use it sometimes. It's hard to beat Honda.

View Quote

That's a good find

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:23:59 AM EDT

[#6]

I picked up a riding mower sitting next to the road. It was still warm but I figured it had died there and they just left it. Got it home and the tank was bone dry. It just needed gas.

Not really. This almost happened to a coworker of mine. He was loading up a mower when the owner came walking out of his garage with a gas can. After explaining that he thought it was out there to get rid of and the owner telling him that it had ran out of gas, they had a laugh and my coworker left with a dumbass feeling for his troubles.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:25:55 AM EDT

[#7]

That is a keeper!!!! You are damn lucky!

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:26:21 AM EDT

[#8]

All I ever seem to find is dead hookers!

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:27:05 AM EDT

[#9]

A dresser, table, and a leather chair, yes. People toss decent furniture that's only got cosmetic blemishes - and if I've got a use for it, I'll be happy to take it.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:27:07 AM EDT

[#10]

That's where I do my best shopping

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:27:30 AM EDT

[#11]

Nice find.

I cant remember ever snagging one of the "free" deals on the side of the road. Once there was a nice looking barrel bbq with a free sign, but by the time I thought twice to turn around and go get it; it was already gone.

I have however put out quite abit of good stuff. Working lawn mower, tiller, nice couches, etc etc. I'd rather just give stuff away than deal with the headache of getting a hundred bucks or so on craigslist for it.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:28:45 AM EDT

[#12]

I picked up a pool cover once and made a kick ass portable ice shack with it...

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:29:31 AM EDT

[#13]

Also, just be damn sure you know what you are doing if try to rip boards with a RAS. The right blade and technique can be the difference between success and serious injury/death

ETA - where in MN did you find this?

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:29:43 AM EDT

[#14]

I have an 8 foot fiberglass step ladder I picked off the side of the road in the 80's. It was there in the early morning, and still there at the end of a long day flying, so I took it home.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:30:35 AM EDT

[#15]

A big ol' fresh opossum kill.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:33:26 AM EDT

[#16]

Also....

Radial Arm Saw "bible"

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:33:51 AM EDT

[#17]

I have gotten lots of treasures from along side the road though out the years..

FYI, if it looks like a dead hooker.... Pass...

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:36:44 AM EDT

[#18]

i grab blown semi-truck tires for hanging steel targets all the time.

i really like the ones that aren't steel belted.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:38:00 AM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
That's where I do my best shopping

View Quote

Roadside grills are the best. Already pre seasoned

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:39:06 AM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
I picked up a riding mower sitting next to the road. It was still warm but I figured it had died there and they just left it. Got it home and the tank was bone dry. It just needed gas.

Not really. This almost happened to a coworker of mine. He was loading up a mower when the owner came walking out of his garage with a gas can. After explaining that he thought it was out there to get rid of and the owner telling him that it had ran out of gas, they had a laugh and my coworker left with a dumbass feeling for his troubles.

View Quote

That's hilarious! "If it's not bolted down, or red hot, someone will take it."

I collected beer bottles as a kid for the 10 cent refund. I found a jewelry box. One of the lockets had a name and number so I was able to return it to the owner. She had been burglarized and it was the less expensive stuff that was tossed.

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Posted: 12/31/2015 1:40:28 AM EDT

[#21]

Toro bagging mower, took it home had it running in 20 minutes, used it for 5 years.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:40:35 AM EDT

[#22]

a hubcap one time, used it as a target

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:49:07 AM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:
I picked up a riding mower sitting next to the road. It was still warm but I figured it had died there and they just left it. Got it home and the tank was bone dry. It just needed gas.

Not really. This almost happened to a coworker of mine. He was loading up a mower when the owner came walking out of his garage with a gas can. After explaining that he thought it was out there to get rid of and the owner telling him that it had ran out of gas, they had a laugh and my coworker left with a dumbass feeling for his troubles.

View Quote

I did this once. Picked up an old push mower sitting next to a dumpster (on trash night) at an apartment complex local to me. Mower was warm, but it was a 90+ degree day >shrug<. Added it to my scrap/project pile, and heard the next day it had been reported stolen. Returned it immediately, and all was well. Next to the dumpster was where it had run out of gas.

I always cruise other's trash, I have made bank on the scrap value (when scrap was worth picking up) and I have several welding projects that include neighbors' discarded bed frames. I keep sandpaper and 'craft' stuff in 2 filing cabinets I found on the side of the road. One man's trash....

ETA: The days before July 4th are a good time to look for discarded grills. My current gas grill was garbage that I put $50 into, and had a like new unit that was ~$700 new.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:50:16 AM EDT

[#24]

Nice score. Free radial arm saw.

Posted: 12/31/2015 1:55:19 AM EDT

[#25]

It's a standard where I live. Instead of hauling unwanted stuff to goodwill or risk a crapslist murder, just set it to the curb. It's always gone by evening. Beds, furniture, mowers, etc, Seen it all.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:08:25 AM EDT

[#26]

Deer. It was still warm and bleeding, having just been tenderized by Peterbilt about 5 minutes earlier. I threw it in the back of the truck and took it to the station and field dressed it. One front shoulder and ribcage were trash / bloodshot, but otherwise, it was good meat.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:10:11 AM EDT

[#27]

Quote History

Quoted:
Also, just be damn sure you know what you are doing if try to rip boards with a RAS. The right blade and technique can be the difference between success and serious injury/death

ETA - where in MN did you find this?

View Quote

I don't plan to rip anything on it, I have some out feed rollers for the table saw and that's probably a lot safer. I started out driving on St. Paul's east side but I think I was in Maplewood when I found it.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:14:18 AM EDT

[#28]

In middle school, I found a free office task chair along a road. I took it home and used it as my desk chair for a while. It broke years later when I was fapping way too hard.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:16:22 AM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

Quoted:
In middle school, I found a free office task chair along a road. I took it home and used it as my desk chair for a while. It broke years later when I was fapping way too hard.

View Quote

Not free, but the nice office chair in which my ass currently rests came out of a raided and shut down "game room."

Got it super cheap from another arfcommer.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:17:35 AM EDT

[#30]

All the time, got a ten foot zodiac (real zodiac) a few years ago.. Just needed a couple of air valves and a few pinholes patched...had the hard deck and everything. Picked up bikes, mowers, antiques... All good reasons to own a truck

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:18:35 AM EDT

[#31]

Yeah, living rural people seem to do this all the time when they don't want to deal with CL or a trip to the local Goodwill or SVDePaul. I have given all kinds of good stuff away as well this way. I figure if a neighbor can use it then why not.

In the late summer we have so much produce from our garden we put all kinds of stuff out too. Got some pumpkins that way this year.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:19:23 AM EDT

[#32]

As a cyclist, I have found all sorts of tools along the roadside.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:24:31 AM EDT

[#33]

No one has said it yet??

"One man's trash is another man's treasure."

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:24:42 AM EDT

[#34]

I took a sweet leather couch that an uppity private school had put out. It was covered with marker stains, that didn't take 10 minutes to clean off. It was WAYYY nicer than the couch we had in our little shitbox house.

Also snagged a craftsman blower that had the pull cord ripped out. Fixed it for 6 dollars.

good snag OP

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:24:55 AM EDT

[#35]

We put out our Christmas tree we've had for close to 20 years out the other day.

It got picked up before I made it back to the house.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:25:43 AM EDT

[#36]

Picked up an old evinrude outboard by the curb. Made money on that deal. I've picked up three 20lb propane tanks from people throwing away grills.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:26:48 AM EDT

[#37]

most recently a three year old Dell Optiplex left on the side of the road. right now just waiting for a 8 gigabyte stick of ram + 2 case fans and she'll be good to go. The service contract just expired on it so either somebody stole it, or it belonged to a business that was extremely fancy.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:30:45 AM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:
All I ever seem to find is dead hookers!

View Quote

Well that's good too! As long as they aren't too dead!

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:32:10 AM EDT

[#39]

someones home built air compressor, table saw, bikes for the kids, motorcycle, surveyors tripod, numerous lawnmowers, 3 brand new pyrex baking dishes with carrying bags.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:32:31 AM EDT

[#40]

Got a craftsman 18"x24" power tool stand when a wood worker down the street sold his house.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:32:57 AM EDT

[#41]

Fireplace poker/shovel set. It was wobbly. Tightened the knob in center by hand good as new. It had never been used. I actually needed o e so it worked out great.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:41:02 AM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:
I felt like a total bum but while driving around the other day I came across a radial arm saw with a sign that said "free, works good". So I heaved this big contraption into the back of the truck and took it home. I plugged it in inside the garage when I got home and... It didn't work good or at all. I figured I'd replace the power cord because it was taped back together, gave another test and still did not work good. I took the motor apart and cleaned up some saw dust and noticed the overheat protection was busted and the reset button was jammed into the motor housing. I decided to super glue it back together and voila! It works! I gave it a shitty paint job and now just need to build a new table and fence and I have an extra saw just for the dado set. Not sure how I should build the fence or whether to reuse the legs it had.
http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a606/SEKE_R/A2B1ECED-CEE0-49A9-96E0-ECC110FDD43B_zpsbpylf4dl.jpg

View Quote

Hey OP, that looks just like my saw that was stole from a jobsite a couple weeks ago. Ole Earl works for me and he forgot to put it in the truck when we left. I can tell cause that cap up on top was replaced and I have the receipt for that. I'm calling in a police report on the theft in a couple minutes. I'll need you to meet me down at the sheriff's office to check the serial number.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:46:20 AM EDT

[#43]

We call that Garbage Gold, its an industry term.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:48:04 AM EDT

[#44]

Quote History

Quoted:
Sometimes people toss out perfectly good items. When I was a kid that's how we got our bikes.

View Quote

Exactly. I've put some very good items out with the same intent. Worth little to me but possibly valuable to someone else.

And I've picked up some items like that too. Mostly small potatoes like empty 20lb propane tanks, a battery charger my neighbor was tossing, etc.

But if it's being tossed and I can use it I'll grab it if it makes sense.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:53:29 AM EDT

[#45]

All the time, last year I found a year old lawnmower on the curb with a free sign. I happened to ask the lady what was wrong with it and said she bought a new one.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:54:22 AM EDT

[#46]

My Dad picked up two older, but little used snow blowers at the curbs, listed as free.
The only thing wrong with them, was the rubber primers had disintegrated, and people couldn't get them started.
The rubber parts ended up costing about $5 each, and the blowers run like new.

Last year I found a near new mower at the side of the road, and a bunch of other stuff. Someone was obviously moving out in a hurry.
I think the mower had only been used once, as it had a half a bag of grass still in it, and the pull cord/handle, hadn't even been run up through the screw eye yet, to the top of the push handle.

In the past, file cabinets, good wood or other construction materials, and all kinds of stuff has been gotten.

Just don't take the carpet, padding, tv sets, IKEA garbage, cheap particle board shelving/tv stands, and matresses, and you'll almost always come out ahead, and can throw anything of reasonable size,
in your own garbage, if it doesn't work when you get it home.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:55:52 AM EDT

[#47]

My friend found a S&W .38 in a ditch once. He knew I liked guns so he gave it to me.

Posted: 12/31/2015 2:55:58 AM EDT

[#48]

I got a bunch of bungee cords and ratchet straps as a kid, dad always had me running through traffic to grab them.

Living on base means there's always good shit laying out, people PCS'ing every week and leaving shit around.

Posted: 12/31/2015 3:16:43 AM EDT

[#49]

Just in the last few months I found several hand tools (hammers, etc) five gallon buckets, plastic gas cans, and fold up portable camp table. I commute about 40 miles to work daily so I spend a lot of time on the roads. Just tonight there were several milk crates strewn on the shoulder, but I didn't stop. Probably should have though.

Posted: 12/31/2015 3:27:25 AM EDT

[#50]

Only underwear.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Have you ever taken something "free" from the side of the road? (Page 1 of 2)

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