Scrounging.

[gggGary]

II'll start it off.
Rode my bicycle past a weed whip laying out by the curb, it had been there a while. Pulled the rope it had compression.
Rode home and that night went and grabbed it and stuck it in the Prius.

Ryobi 4 stroke straight shaft weed whip complete.
Dribbled some gas in the carb and it started and ran!
Changed the crankcase oil, (2.2Oz!) cleaned the plug, set the valves, cleaned the air filter, untangled the trimmer string. Filled with gas, took a bit to get it primed but it started and I used it to trim the whole yard. Score!
On a chainsaw forum I caught some grief for "stealing".
Was going by on the bike again today and there were cars in the driveway, stopped and asked. Yup boy friend got mad at it, went and bought a battery powered one, was glad I could fix it up.
Same model is selling for $300 at Home dumpoff.

What's YOUR scrounge?

 

[gggGary]

Went by it and started it yesterday great compression, started right up, grumpy about full throttle. Idles fine let it warm up. Gave it bit of throttle nursing for higher RPM and POP it quits, no compression. Oops. Will pop the valve cover later see what happened

 

[gggGary]

Well that was easy.

The rocker stud was loose on the head, backed out. Might of happened when I set valves, ground a 7mm open wrench to fit in the narrow space available this time. Vroom vroom.
These things are so cute inside! 31cc of power.

 

[atom4488]

We starting a scrounging thread? I'm in...!!!

 

[atom4488]

... problem is, I've got so many scrounging stories, I don't even know where to start!

 

[bosco659]

Several years ago I was driving out of our neighbourhood and I spotted a real nice commercial grade trimmer complete with a nice 2 gallon gas can. Was going by too quickly to stop so I make a run around the block to pick it up. Figured someone was switching from gas to battery powered. Quickly ran around the block and there was a pickup truck by the house. It was a landscaping company picking up their employee at the house where the trimmer was located. Boy, that would have been embarrassing if I grabbed it.

 

[atom4488]

Ok, I'll play...

• Motoring down the autoroute (equivalent to the interstate) towards Montreal in heavy traffic, I fly past what looks to be a ladder on the shoulder. Can't stop in traffic and back up on the shoulder, so I take the next exit and double back. Turns out to be a brand new fiberglass 6' step ladder by the side of the road. Been using it ever since!
• Creeping along in traffic towards an on ramp and see a glint of something shiny on the roadway... creep alongside, open the door and scoop it off the road. Turns out to be a name brand 1 5/16" wrench.
• Riding in the countryside through cornfields towards a windmill farm... glint in the ditch... spidey senses kick in and I pick up another large wrench, 1 1/8" if I recall
• "Big garbage" day in the community... see a big pile by the side of the road and see what appears to be a prop blade... stop, dig through the pile and find that the prop is attached to an 18 hp Evinrude, complete with its controls and cables!
• Garbage day again, spot a recent-looking Cub Cadet lawn more in amongst someone's pile of trash. Not too proud to investigate, find that its half torn apart because the recoil starter is inop and the cables are trashed... new cables and recoil starter assy and I've now got a self-propelled mulching mower!
• Driving to a local recreation area with the kids, see a foreign object in the ditch that appears to be a pulley... stop to check it out. Turns out to be a Beaver-Rockwell scroll saw!!! Now why would someone dump that in a ditch in some rural area??? Beats the hell out of me!

 

[46th Georgia]

II'll start it off.
Rode my bicycle past a weed whip laying out by the curb, it had been there a while. Pulled the rope it had compression.
Rode home and that night went and grabbed it and stuck it in the Prius.
View attachment 248571
Ryobi 4 stroke straight shaft weed whip complete.
Dribbled some gas in the carb and it started and ran!
Changed the crankcase oil, (2.2Oz!) cleaned the plug, set the valves, cleaned the air filter, untangled the trimmer string. Filled with gas, took a bit to get it primed but it started and I used it to trim the whole yard. Score!
On a chainsaw forum I caught some grief for "stealing".
Was going by on the bike again today and there were cars in the driveway, stopped and asked. Yup boy friend got mad at it, went and bought a battery powered one, was glad I could fix it up.
Same model is selling for $300 at Home dumpoff.

What's YOUR scrounge?
[/QUOTE

Ok, I'll play...

• Motoring down the autoroute (equivalent to the interstate) towards Montreal in heavy traffic, I fly past what looks to be a ladder on the shoulder. Can't stop in traffic and back up on the shoulder, so I take the next exit and double back. Turns out to be a brand new fiberglass 6' step ladder by the side of the road. Been using it ever since!
• Creeping along in traffic towards an on ramp and see a glint of something shiny on the roadway... creep alongside, open the door and scoop it off the road. Turns out to be a name brand 1 5/16" wrench.
• Riding in the countryside through cornfields towards a windmill farm... glint in the ditch... spidey senses kick in and I pick up another large wrench, 1 1/8" if I recall
• "Big garbage" day in the community... see a big pile by the side of the road and see what appears to be a prop blade... stop, dig through the pile and find that the prop is attached to an 18 hp Evinrude, complete with its controls and cables!
• Garbage day again, spot a recent-looking Cub Cadet lawn more in amongst someone's pile of trash. Not too proud to investigate, find that its half torn apart because the recoil starter is inop and the cables are trashed... new cables and recoil starter assy and I've now got a self-propelled mulching mower!
• Driving to a local recreation area with the kids, see a foreign object in the ditch that appears to be a pulley... stop to check it out. Turns out to be a Beaver-Rockwell scroll saw!!! Now why would someone dump that in a ditch in some rural area??? Beats the hell out of me!

You are truly the "King of Scroungers".

 

[40north]

Good topic!

Dunno zactly... nice forged cat's paw I scooped up rolling though an intersection back in 1986, still use it. Almost new chain saw also scooped up on the scooter, traded it for 100 dollars beer credits at the waterin' hole on the way back to digs. 5kw genset left behind by dope fiends when their lab got raided. Cabinet maker's draw knife. Longtimeago a very rusty single shot .22 rifle - 1964? Got it cleaned up and I have no idea what became of it. Best score was a electric shop "growler" I use it to demag tools. Used it today. 4# hammer I picked up from the gutter with broken shaft - since then that slug of forged steel has swung from hickory shaft after shaft, perhaps 50 years. Once a wallet with 4 hundred in cash and a eighth OZ of some very potent drug, but no ID... I don't recall what became of the dope...1989? Craftsman floor mounted bandsaw...fella wanted 50 bucks, but when we tried to run it the motor was locked up...so? So free. It was new old stock, motor sat for maybe 30 years as new and needed 3 drops of ISO 15... It lives in the shop today. Power supply for neon sign. Coyote skull. Regulated power supply. Nice rug all rolled up and free to take... (really ties the room together!). Propane forges, (two of these). 1200cc Sportster from the owner, which I gave to a pal...it had a wide glide front end I outta a kept. Very old bet up Kubota diesel tractor with gannon and bucket...still got it. Runs on 3, but 4 holes sometimes. Need mr clutch fixem. Later fellas. Best!

 

[Raymond]

It's a good topic and I'm amazed at some of the things you guys have found, acquired, been given.

In Britain, scrounging has a different meaning. A scrounger is a person who asks for things, the housewife from next door with an empty cup coz she needs some sugar was one of the old-time classic scrounges. Or the guy in the bar who's round it never is.

I've got loads of things I found or was given FOC. Me Mum used to call me 'a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles.' Mum had a way with words.

The Marvel key fob on my Bullet 500? Lying there on the pavement in our village it was . . .

 

[Downeaster]

Most recent scrounge of any significance was a 8 HP snowblower on tracks. Just needed a good carb cleaning and some cable adjustments. Gave it to the daughter.

Same daughter has a Ryobi 2-smoke weed whacker that needed new gas lines (damned ethanol) and the carb tweak.

Several push mowers of varying condition, some repaired, some stripped for parts, some directly to the metal recycler.

Uncounted wrenches, vise grips, screwdrivers, other hand tools and a come-along from the side of the road whilst taking our daily walks.

Also have been given a Stihl 011 chainsaw and a Polaris snow sled. Still have the saw, sold the sled as I had no place to ride it and no interest in trailering it all over the state while spending a small fortune on fuel, food and lodging.

 

[gggGary]

20' fiberglass extension ladder on the road at a busy freeway exit. Got over, got it off the road without getting killed and was taking my time strapping it in my short pick up with what I had available. Contractor van pulls up and was not in the least pleasant to the guy who had kept it from getting run over while he made the big loop to get back to where his poor lashings had let it fall off his truck.

 

[40north]

A pal called from a tiny village in Arizona, long way away... he had 5 XS650's for free...just come get them. So my pal was the scrounger, not me. I gave them to another pal, and he gave me the one runner XS I have...and a couple of others in the C-van - projects. 15 maybe 16 years ago.

gary, Sounds like the dude was projecting his internal anger, his anger at being so stupid. You gave it back? Yeah, I would too, but it'd upset my sense of justice.

 

[robtattoo]

I used to visit my local scrap yard pretty regularly, back in England. I picked up, free of charge, an old Allen Autoscythe one time. I don't recall the year exactly, but it was late 1930s vintage

It'd obviously been stood for a long time, but it was all complete. Stripped it all down, cleaned unrustified & painted everything back to (near enough) original colors. The engine was an old Villiers 2-stroke that turned freely, but wouldn't start. I gave it a complete year down & rebuild, making gaskets as I went.
Fresh gas, new oil & she fired up after about a week of pulling. It never was an easy pig to start, & when it did, you almost had to jog to keep up with it, but it ran & it cut.

I think I traded it off for either a GS550 or a Tiger 90 chop.

This isn't the actual one, but I don't think they came to the states, so y'all probably don't have a clue what I'm talking about!

 

[Downeaster]

I bought the US version of that - a Jari Mower - at a church yard sale. Gave 'em $100 for it and had to machine a new drive shaft and drive pin for the wobble box. The thinking was it would be just the ticket for trimming ditch banks.

About an hour of getting beat up by that thing disabused me of that notion. Sold it for $75 and never looked back.

 

[46th Georgia]

View attachment 248842

I bought the US version of that - a Jari Mower - at a church yard sale. Gave 'em $100 for it and had to machine a new drive shaft and drive pin for the wobble box. The thinking was it would be just the ticket for trimming ditch banks.

About an hour of getting beat up by that thing disabused me of that notion. Sold it for $75 and never looked back.

With business deals like that, prosperity is just around the corner!

 

[Jim]

Back in the 90's a Freddie Laker DC-4 (look it up) found it's way to the cargo ramp I worked. Stayed for 3 days without any ground support. That's a rather long and hilarious story in itself... for another day perhaps. Anyway....

They were just a half a step ahead of the feds when they departed. No ground support meant no boarding ladder. They gained access to the cabin with a 6ft step ladder.... precariously stacked on top of wheel chocks to gain enough height. After they had all 4 turnin', they kicked the ladder out of the way, closed the crew door and taxied out right over the top of it.

I used that ladder just yesterday.

 

[jetmechmarty]

Back in the 90's a Freddie Laker DC-4 (look it up) found it's way to the cargo ramp I worked. Stayed for 3 days without any ground support. That's a rather long and hilarious story in itself... for another day perhaps. Anyway....

They were just a half a step ahead of the feds when they departed. No ground support meant no boarding ladder. They gained access to the cabin with a 6ft step ladder.... precariously stacked on top of wheel chocks to gain enough height. After they had all 4 turnin', they kicked the ladder out of the way, closed the crew door and taxied out right over the top of it.

I used that ladder just yesterday.

One of the guys that got killed in that thing was also a lead mechanic I worked for. He was piloting when it crashed in Griffin, GA.

See @Jim! You can’t say little enough. Someone will run with it. This time, it’s me.

 

[atom4488]

My best scrounge...

I was looking for a trailer for an aluminum 14' fishing boat. Spoke to a colleague at work who tells me his brother may have one to sell. OK, call the brother, he tells me that he does have a trailer for a 14-footer, with title (!) and that I can have it for free. Catch is that I have to take it with the boat that's on it from his soon-to-be-divorced-wife's backyard about an hour away. No worries, I go have a look. Turns out that the trailer is perfect for my needs. The boat on the other hand has weeds growing out of the rotten plywood sole, but has an intact 40 hp Mercury on it with all controls, another 40 hp Mercury in it without it's foot, a gas tank, paddles and an anchor. It was last used as a duck blind. I take it home and decide to see if the Merc on it runs. Well, you can guess the rest, it runs like a champ!!! As picked up:



Decided that the hull was worth saving, given that the engine was a runner. Turned it into this, still in the fleet today: