TODAY'S DUMPSTER TOOL

[jose bagge]

Found a Sears-Roebuck cement Mixer out by the dumpster today...made back when Sears meant something. Plugged it in and top pulley spun on the shaft...tightened it up, thing works fine!
Surprisingly, no key or keyway- anchored only by a single allen.

Now...I gotta find a reason to pour some cement!
love trash can finds! I am always amazed at the stuff people toss out!

 

[old]

Be careful doing that. Most states its not legal to pick up things like that and you can end up in jail for stealing. Now if you take the time to stop and knock on the persons door and they say have at it thats a different story
Hobby farm

 

[bill mart]

in my town once you haul it the curb it becomes property of the town, would like to see them force that issue if i decided to take it back myself.Bill m.

 

[jose bagge]

ahhhh...but it was MY dumpster! Out here, you can't put a dumpster out behind your business without every bozo in town thinking it's an invite to toss their trash!
On any given week, about 75% of the trash is ours...25% the community's.
I can't help it, though...I'm a genetic dumpster diver...and worse- I'll pick stuff up off the side of the highway! Tie down straps, chains, ladders, wrenches, surfboards...you name it!

 

[Bob Huntress]

I use to dumpster dive. I got all kinds of great stuff. Even if I wasn't going to use it, if it was good, I would sell it. I assume that your mixer actually came from the side of the road, which I feel is where the higher quality trash can be harvested from.

 

[charles(mo)]

Here in Mo, it must be legal to take anything you see. It doesn"t matter if it is in your shop with the door locked.

I called the sheriff"s dept when I got broke into and they told me to call my insurance co. The insurance co ripped me too.

 

[Pat-CT]

as soon as it hits the side of the road here its legal to take not like put that shovel down but if its clearly abanodoned like a free sign or ina can or something along those lines its free

 

[old]

Not rue but then you also have to have a good cop shop which is a thing of the past. But if your in the wrong place at the right time you can end up behind bars

 

[Charles (in GA)]

My brother lives in Fargo, ND, and swears he's never seen anything like it. Everyone puts their junk out by the curb and then they go driving around till they find someone elses junk they like, and load it up and take it home. He says it just a huge exchange of everyone's junk.

Charles

 

[Sam from WA]

I"ve got a couple tools and things from the dumpster. My favorite battery charger came from a dumpster. Big ol" 60 amp charger that will charge up to four (!) 12 volt batteries at a time. Great find, I can have a dead battery, put that charger on it for an hour, and have a fully charged battery.

The best thing about dumpster diving is you can get some good stuff for real cheap!!

 

[Doug in Illinois]

Once a year the town on my mail route has a city wide clean up day when everyone gets a chance to get rid of stuff too big or heavy for regular garbage pickup. You would think Santa came to town and left presents next to the curb, by the time all the scrap haulers practically fight each other for metal, and the Amish get done pulling out what they want, there really isn't much left for the city wide cleanup to deal with. DOUG

 

[Anonymous-0]

Lot of people get their weeks food from dumpsters behind supermarkets,heard them on radio.talk of having the best of steaks, once the use by date comes round,out it goes,but it is still good.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I know a guy that had an old refrigerator he wanted to give away and set it by the curb with a FREE sign and had no takers. He changed the sign to For Sale $100.00 and it was gone the next morning.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I was at the port and I see a mechanic come out to the dumpster and throw a large Wilton vise away.I had to use two six foot ladders but I get it and its jammed.So about a month later someone here on tool talk mentions the pins being driven out for Wilton vises.Found the pins unjammed it,lubed it up and bolted it to the bench.This year at the recycling center got some tin Quaker stste gallon cans and some early British motorcycle parts books.That night my freind comes over and I tell him.He says I have a 1961 BSA.So I said well now you can have the parts book too.I feel like Im missing something if dont keep checking certain dumpsters.Yesterday 41 inch tool steel cutting blade from a paper cutting machine in its own oak holder.Im not sure what I need it for but its in the corner of my shop now.

 

[wfw]

I one time got a brand new 24 four foot heavy duty extension ladder from a dumpster one time,still had the tags on it, friend got a rotor tiller from a neighbor who said it was no good, changed the spark plug and it ran for five years.


Frank

 

[Anonymous-0]

I know a guy that built a house from blocks from a landfill (cleaned every one with a hammer and chisel) and form wood from a construction site. Paid for everything else to include furniture from aluminum cans picked up off the side of the road. You'd be surprised what you find in dumpsters in a military community, I've found complete toolsets at inspection time.

Dave

 

[jose bagge]

I looked in the metal dumpster once and it was empty- except for about 50 license plates, from mid 40s thru 72, in both car and truck- matched pairs. In Va, you can register your antique vehicle with model year plates- I paid for many a rod run by selling tags to folks in the following years for their rods and restos.

 

[jose bagge]

When I was about 13, we would dumpster dive at the Frito-Lay distributor- they would toss all the expired stuff they collected from stores in a huge dumpster out back. Now, the ACTUAL shelf life of Fritos, Doritos and Ruffles is about that of nuclear waste, too much grease and salt for anything to go wrong- we ALWAYS had an ample supply of chips around.
By the way, did you know Fritoes were flamable? They make great fire starters!

 

[Dick2]

I carry a garden hoe in the back of my truck so I don't have to climb into the dumpster. I just hook things with the hoe and pull them to where I can reach them. That hoe has made me more money "fetching" from the dumpster than it ever did working in the garden.

 

[Anonymous-0]

so is custard powder with suitable air pressure applied.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Parked Cars??

 

[Anonymous-0]

I drve a fuel truck for many years.Once I was droping some fuel at a local fire house. Next to the fuel tank was a dumpster. It was raining and some red stuff was running out of the dumpster.I knew it was blood and a body was in the dumpster.I kept telling myself don't look,stay out of this.Well,I could not hold back,I had to look in the dumpster. What I saw is still burned into my mind after all this time. It was two cases of empty ATF cans that where draining and running out of the dumpster.I'm telling you it looked like blood running out of that dumpster.

 

[tg in VA]

One man's garbage is another man's gold!

 

[Irv ( Ia)]

We've got the same yearly town clean up. Right in the thick of the clean up, a guy stopped his push mower in the yard, and when he come out from lunch it was gone. Ya kind of had to know it woulda still been warm!!
I had 2 parts Lawn Boy's a couple of years ago I set out front and some guy asked if he could have them, and I said sure.
I then took my junk tires to the city shop drop off, and there on the curb was an old Lawn Boy complete and some other junk. I threw it in, and had it running in a half and hour.
Good trade. I love it!!
Irv*

 

[Madscotsman]

Yeah, I used to "dum"pster dive too, till I Got a tiny cut on the back of my hand and contracted Leptospirosis and spent a month in the hospital, real fun stuff, almost lost my liver and my life, if it's outside somewheres away from the dumpster, I Might look at it, but the gloves go on first. no gloves, no touch. Just a word to the wise to be careful. That dumpster dive cost me $59,000 at the Hospital. Be careful out there.