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I know this was done on another site but I'd rather post here, so.......

What have you found on the side of the road? Got for free?

On the way into work this morning I see a stack of plastic lattice in a yard by the road. I said to myself "self, if that's there on the way home I'm going to stop and ask" It was, I did and now I have enough to go around the bottom of my deck.

Also was doing some work for a company in Boston that makes tactical helmets. I asked a guy there where they get their rolls of webbing (used for the chin strap). He asks me if I needed some cause they got a bunch delivered in the wrong color. So he ends up giving me a whole 800ft roll.

Last one. I was also doing a job in Vermont about a month ago for a woodworking shop. They have a cnc router set up. On of the guys there is making me silhouettes for sea duck sleds out of scrap. He already sent me 18, enough for 9 sleds.

alright ASSA, you're up!

-broadcast spreader
-wheelbarrow
-commercial grade trash can
-burn barrel
-4-wheeler cover
-countless bungee cords and ratchet straps
-3-ball tow hitch

I'm sure there's more, but those were fresh on my mind.

-a pair of binoculars complete with a BLM logo on the side
-digital camera in a case
-cell phone - that still worked so we call the number saved as "MOM" and said "I have your phone". He got all pissy til he realized I found it in the center of the road and was trying to return it.


Oh, and a camo floating gun case (not in the road, but instead on an island)

Now we all wait for Clyde to come in and call us all criminals and thiefs

Flightstopper wrote:Now we all wait for Clyde to come in and call us all criminals and thiefs

To be quite honest, he's posted soooo much nonsense everywhere he's been I just cant take him seriously. Everybody else, I can tell when they are joking and when they are being serious, for the most part.

Free stuff from the dump counts too.

Broadcast spreader
Toro self propelled lawn mower, some idiot put mix gas in it. Runs perfect now!

The freezer in my garage was found on the side of the road. Works amazing.

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I honestly can't think of anything that I've found or gotten for free

How about this for a story, that comes about as close I have ever gotten.

I just finished up a deck job at an addition I did. They are about five minutes from leaving to go down to Florida for a few weeks. These people that live on this 3 mile stretch along the St. Lawrence are all loaded. So as they are getting ready to leave, I am out picking up for the day and their neighbor from 1/4 mile down the road pulls in, with a jet ski behind him. He walks up and asks for the homeowners, "hey you guys want this jet ski?, we are leaving for the summer and don't ever use so just seeing if anyone wants it before we take it to the dump" They had been stopping at every house on the way and no one wanted it...no one. It was an 2004 Sea-doo, just about perfect condition. So of course the home owner says, sure I'll take it, the guy tells him he doesn't even know if it runs. He unhitches the trailer and leaves, the home owner says, just think, if we weren't here you would have been next in line. Walks over to it, turns the key and it fires up on the first turn, within a second. SOB! Why can't this ever happen to me?

Eric Haynes wrote:I honestly can't think of anything that I've found or gotten for free

How about this for a story, that comes about as close I have ever gotten.

I just finished up a deck job at an addition I did. They are about five minutes from leaving to go down to Florida for a few weeks. These people that live on this 3 mile stretch along the St. Lawrence are all loaded. So as they are getting ready to leave, I am out picking up for the day and their neighbor from 1/4 mile down the road pulls in, with a jet ski behind him. He walks up and asks for the homeowners, "hey you guys want this jet ski?, we are leaving for the summer and don't ever use so just seeing if anyone wants it before we take it to the dump" They had been stopping at every house on the way and no one wanted it...no one. It was an 2004 Sea-doo, just about perfect condition. So of course the home owner says, sure I'll take it, the guy tells him he doesn't even know if it runs. He unhitches the trailer and leaves, the home owner says, just think, if we weren't here you would have been next in line. Walks over to it, turns the key and it fires up on the first turn, within a second. SOB! Why can't this ever happen to me?

Should have lit it on fire as soon as they left!

capt1972 wrote:

Eric Haynes wrote:I honestly can't think of anything that I've found or gotten for free

How about this for a story, that comes about as close I have ever gotten.

I just finished up a deck job at an addition I did. They are about five minutes from leaving to go down to Florida for a few weeks. These people that live on this 3 mile stretch along the St. Lawrence are all loaded. So as they are getting ready to leave, I am out picking up for the day and their neighbor from 1/4 mile down the road pulls in, with a jet ski behind him. He walks up and asks for the homeowners, "hey you guys want this jet ski?, we are leaving for the summer and don't ever use so just seeing if anyone wants it before we take it to the dump" They had been stopping at every house on the way and no one wanted it...no one. It was an 2004 Sea-doo, just about perfect condition. So of course the home owner says, sure I'll take it, the guy tells him he doesn't even know if it runs. He unhitches the trailer and leaves, the home owner says, just think, if we weren't here you would have been next in line. Walks over to it, turns the key and it fires up on the first turn, within a second. SOB! Why can't this ever happen to me?

Should have lit it on fire as soon as they left!

In all honesty, I really just wanted the trailer. Would have sold the Sea-doo. Someday I will inherit something sweet, until then, I'll go broke waiting.

Your story reminded me of this one:
About 6 years ago I'm working on a job in THE most prestigious area of Klamath Falls, the Running Y Ranch Resort. Just for an example any house in this area sells for double of what a similar house anywhere else in town would go for. The homeowner would regularly stop by for a walk through, really nice guy. Once he stopped by on a friday and announced he had donuts for everybody that was working on his house, another friday he showed up right about quitting time and said there is a cooler of beer in the back of his truck to help ourselves before we leave.

So one day he comes by and asks the framer if he can add a couple 2x12's in the wall framing above the gas fireplace. I asked how big of a tv he had if he needed that big of blocks in the wall. He tells me, "Only a 54", you should see the one I'm trying to get rid of". Since I started the conversation I asked "Does it work?", as soon as he said yes I told him I'd take it. The electrician was pissed I beat him to it. Then I asked how big it was, he said 88". It turns out it was a Mitsubishi 88" projection big screen. I rounded up a trailer and 3 buddies to help me get it home. The damn thing had 2 - 10" subs in the base. It was so big when 2 people were on the screen talking to each other they were larger than actual size, and I had to turn my head towards the left when that person spoke and vica versa. I watched a Duck Commander video on it, the ducks were the size of Canadas.

It was so big I hated it, gave me a headache to watch tv on it. The very next day I called one of the guys that helped me move it and told him if he wanted it to have it out of my house by the next day or it was getting scrapped. Before I got rid of it I called a tv store and gave them the model number to find out some info about it. First he didnt want to believe me that it was an 88", he said "No sir, you dont measure all the way around the screen, just diagonal". Once he found it it the book I think he told me it was MSRP $4000, I cant remember for sure anymore.

It was a good score even though I gave it away.

My dad found a bag if decoys. We posted on CL about it, and nobody claimed them. That was an easy way to get a bunch if decoys for starting out. He also found a boat cover that fit his boat just fine.

I haven't found jack, but he gave me all his decoys, so I kinda feel like it worked out for me.

I found the only two full body geese decoys I own on the high way last season.

Olly wrote:I found the only two full body geese decoys I own on the high way last season.

Goose hunt much up there in SSM?

No but I think they do over in Canada.

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Olly wrote:No but I think they do over in Canada.

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I'm sure they do. I live right on the St. Lawrence, I can see Canada as I walk outside. Since I got out of active duty I keep saying I'm going to hunt over there, but I always end up fishing, being jealous of all of the gunshots I am hearing. Their season is goes from September to January, it's long. This year I finally got my license again now that I have a layout boat and another guy to go over with me(who has a big boat to get across the river)

If you are ever up for the travel, I goose hunt a lot, anyone is welcome if they are in my area.

Now back to the free stuff!

a few wrenches, a few ratchet straps, a few bungee cords, a $1 winner scratch-it lotto ticket, chain binders, LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of truck tire chains 24.5 size and 22.5 size, truck mud flaps, cheater bars, chain binders, chain, spare tire and wheel for my boat trailer, 1/2 of a 16' wooden extension ladder (guess that is how you measure it. the piece I found was 8' long).

The tile for my bathroom.

Oh, I did find a bolt cutter. Just remembered that.

I almost forgot- a Mitsubishi 32" TV, with the remote taped to the top. I guess someone thought they should just throw away their old one when they got a new one, and set it out neatly next to their trash can at the curb. Wish I had that kind of money. Worked perfectly, until a sprinkler system in my apartment I lived in in MN burst, flooding the place. Then my renter's insurance picked up the tab for a brand new 32" TV, which I have to this day.

A friend of mine found a brand new 25 hp mercury outboard, gues it fell off a boat...being the honest guy he is he took it to the sheriffs dept and they said if it wasnt claimed in a month they'd call him and he could have it, motor wasnt claimed and he got to keep it.

assateague wrote:-commercial grade trash can

Hey they put those out at the curb for trash pickup, you should take that back where u found it assa!

I have never found much on the side of the road, but I work as a Tile Setter and I am in different houses all the time. I have had people try to give me all sorts of things. I had a couple offer me all of their kitchen appliances that were only 3 years old, because they were getting new ones. I should have taken them and just sold them, but I didn't want to have to pick them up and store them. I did take a brand new Tempur Pedic matress that a home owner decided to give away. He said they tried it and his wife didn't like it, so he gave it to me. I have had people give me boxes of shotgun shells, bags of hand tied flies, gifts for my kids (around Christmas), even had one young bored housewife "accidentally" show me almost all of what god had given her. The best so far though is a guy that wanted to know if I wanted to buy a gun he was thinking about getting rid of. He had a Winchester model 700 in .243 that he said he bought for around $300, and that he would sell to me for $250. He brought the gun out from his safe and it looked brand new, he had only shot about 10-15 shells through it since he bought it new. I didn't "need" the gun but for $250 I had to buy it. The only thing I couldn't figure out was how he had bought the gun for around $300, so I looked up the barrel code on the gun and found out it was made in 1964. I talked to the guy later and he told me he had owned the gun for a very long time and just never shot it. I think that is my best score so far, even if it wasn't "free" it was sure close to it.

coolers, gas cans, hand tools, ratchet straps, propane tanks, life jackets, transom mount, one those pop-up ground blinds, cell phone. i get all kinds of boat stuff out of the dumpsters around the boat shops. found a back pack full of hunting stuff during muzzle loader season. my buddy hasn't bought bullets or pyrodex pellets in 4 years. everything was for .45 muzzle loader.


in the marsh, i pick up a lot of decoys, wood for duck blinds, fishing lures, buoys, tennis balls

Tiler_J wrote:Ieven had one young bored housewife "accidentally" show me almost all of what god had given her.

This reminds me of a funny story. When we were both in our early 20's my buddy and I rented houses across the street from each other. The lady (and her husband) that lived next door to me (across from my buddy) was a hot blonde early 40's milf, we would drink beer on my buddies front porch and watch her work in her flower garden. My friend drove a garbage truck and picked up our neighborhood. One morning around 5:00 am he said he was coming down our street, she heard the garbage truck coming and came running out in a robe and slippers to drag out the can her husband forgot to put out the night before. She was dragging the can with one hand and holding the robe with the other, when he said a gust of wind completely opened up her robe.

The only time I was ever jealous that I wasnt a garbage man.

I've found a spoony decoy, a kershaw knife, found some guys keys and he gave me $100, found five or six abalone irons 10 feet deep in the ocean, 7 hammers on the side of the road (not at the same time), a mule halter, a spotting scope, and a deer a$$ remover.

What's an abalone iron?

assateague wrote:What's an abalone iron?

Maybe the deal they use to pry them open?

3legged_lab wrote:

assateague wrote:What's an abalone iron?

Maybe the deal they use to pry them open?

I'm assuming y'all know what an abalone is from my fishing pics thread.
The abalone sits on the rocks at the ocean floor.

You swim down to them an slide the abalone iron underneath them quickly. If you don't do it quickly, they will suck up to the rock, sometimes making it impossible to get them off. Then you take it to the surface and mesure it with a guage. If it it more that seven inches, it is legal and you put it in your tube, if not, you take it to the very same rock you found it at and put it back. If you put it back on the wrong rock, you could be fined.



Abalone Iron



Abalone all cooked up

That does look delicious! I always thought you just used a knife. And the "same rock" regulation is retarded.