Road scavengers

[skyhightree1]

Anyone else on here a roadway scavenger? I confess, I am. The wife and kids like to poke fun because I will pull over to pick up a tarp strap off the road. Some of my better scores have been a couple nice chains, bounty of assorted tarp straps, and just 2 weeks ago, I saw some shiny things in the road. Doubled back and collected an assortment of box wrenches from 1 1/4" down through 13/16" that were strewn across the road. Couple scratches but were the ratcheting type and all functional.
Worth noting, I don't stop on the major through ways for safety reasons.
Just curious if anyone else does it too?

I am I find shovels coolers chains the tractor trailer load straps lug wrenches lumber hand tools etc Heck yea I do it oh yea ive found a lot of gas cans there plastic and there 50/50 chance whether good or split.

 

[Rafter S]

I am 3/4 buzzard when it comes to hustling material.
When the county was changing out the wooden bridges I hustled the timbers

I have two power poles that broke off in the storm last May. The power company is more than happy to leave them when they put in new ones. They make real nice posts for corners, barns, working pens, etc.

Don't ever bust one up and use it for kindling in the fire place.

Thanks for the tip, but I didn't need to be told not to burn creosote treated wood in the house. I wouldn't barbecue with it either.

 

[Alan]

Heck yes I stop for anything in the road, with work I travel a lot of gravel logging roads, it's easy for things to fall off trucks. Two days ago it was a large set of channel locks, compress the brake calipers large. I find mostly tools, but did come across a nice newer 36 quart cooler on the side of the road, someone dump a dead goat kid in it a left the whole thing. It hadn't started stinking so I used my secret coyote call I learned from the PNW Indians, dumped the kid where the cooler set knowing the yotes would come in. Took the cooler home a pine sol bath and warm water and soap I have a newer cooler. BTW I had to go to the same job site the next day and the goat kid was gone, my coyote call must have worked, just a tip, it sounds like a four year old girl that saw a spider on her arm.

 

[Bigfoot]

Picked this jewel up this afternoon. (The gun rack, not the guns)

 

[Deepsouth]

Anyone else on here a roadway scavenger? I confess, I am. The wife and kids like to poke fun because I will pull over to pick up a tarp strap off the road. Some of my better scores have been a couple nice chains, bounty of assorted tarp straps, and just 2 weeks ago, I saw some shiny things in the road. Doubled back and collected an assortment of box wrenches from 1 1/4" down through 13/16" that were strewn across the road. Couple scratches but were the ratcheting type and all functional.
Worth noting, I don't stop on the major through ways for safety reasons.
Just curious if anyone else does it too?

Heck yeah! Roadside treasure!

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I don't do roadsides but I've collected a lot of amazing treasures left behind in the foreclosed properties I buy.

 

[cattle60]

TT- Ever find old money caches in the houses? Just curious.

Last find brand new needle nose vise grips. Always get kidded What did you see now?

 

[M.Magis]

"Found" a 10mm open end wrench once. Truck tire hit it just right and somehow jammed it straight through the tire as I drove about 50 mph. Thought I ran over a deer. Wasn't even a good wrench, Taiwanese junk.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

TT- Ever find old money caches in the houses? Just curious.

Last find brand new needle nose vise grips. Always get kidded What did you see now?

No cash stashes yet but found plenty of ammo, a gun or two, furniture with plenty of life left in it, tools, tool boxes, fishing tackle, pottery, dishware, etc...

One house had 15 1 and 2 gallon plastic gas containers all brand new and some with the tags still on them. I'll never buy a small gas can as long as I live, LOL!

 

[Rafter S]

I don't do roadsides but I've collected a lot of amazing treasures left behind in the foreclosed properties I buy.

I helped clean out one or two foreclosed houses. It's amazing what people will leave behind.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I don't do roadsides but I've collected a lot of amazing treasures left behind in the foreclosed properties I buy.

I helped clean out one or two foreclosed houses. It's amazing what people will leave behind.

Yes it is. Most of the time it's pure junk but sometimes you hit a good lick.

 

[pdfangus]

I once found a nice skill saw in the road....must have been 40 years ago I picked it up....

lost it in the barn fire in 2003 with a lot of other tools.

I will stop for a chain but not for a bungee...

 

[cattle60]

Some people just leave as fast as they can. I know I've been guilty of leaving in a hurry and think stuff is put away/tied and there it goes. Probably why people lose stuff on the highway so much.

 

[Rafter S]

I know I've been guilty of leaving in a hurry and think stuff is put away/tied and there it goes.

I once drove about 60 miles with one of these laying on my back bumper. I didn't know it was there until I stopped and saw it as I walked by the truck.

 

[lynnmcmahan]

Use to find wrenches on the road. Not much any more. People use to work on cars back when and they would leave tools under the hood. I have some tool sets with pieces missing. Guess I just traded with somebody.

 

[Rafter S]

I was driving home on highway 6 this evening and saw something on the shoulder. As I got up to it it looked like a 6' fiberglass stepladder in decent shape. I pulled over and walked back to check it out. My first impression was wrong. It was an 8' stepladder, not 6', and other than a little road rash it was in excellent shape. It followed me home.

 

[Luca Brasi]

Used to stop all the time, but seldom do anymore. It's just too dangerous on any road that is posted above 30. No good find is worth it. Cops and construction workers in full reflective gear still get killed on the sides of roads all the time. People just don't pay attention, and they don't slow down for anything.

Most interesting thing I found was a cockatiel one February. Since she stayed still long enough for me to pull over, and allowed me to just pick her up I figured the cold got to her and she wasn't long for the world. Turns out she was just very tame. Had her for a dozen years.

Was driving into the city one time and a very large extension ladder from a truck two vehicles in front of me flipped off the ladder rack and flew up in the air with some spectacular spinning action. It went high enough to clear the car in front of me, and me, crashing down on the highway behind me. Pretty scary.