Your best roadside tool find

My best was a bunch of new looking Craftsman metric combination wrenches spread all over the road. I also picked up a nice pair of Vice Grip locking pliers on a taxiway at the airport.
My friend stopped the airplane and I jumped out and grabbed 'em.

As for leaving stuff behind in cars, years ago I worked as an auto mechanic. I used a pair of vice grips which I clamped to a clutch cable I was adjusting, and then forgot them. A year
later the same car came back and I found them still clamped to the cable. Still have those pliers.
 
what I lost was a full set 29 piece drill bit set. drilled a hole under the hood to mount a mercury switch operated underhood light. drove off and heard a rattle as I drove 2 blocks away from my house. later I went to use my drills and couldn't find them. went back to where I heard the rattle and found my empty crushed drill index with 1 drill bit left. o well never did that again "yet" bill
 
Last week I was in Bozeman Montana for work. On our way back to the airport from the hotel we drove past a house and out in the field, right in front was a lathe. (Couldn't tell what
maker.) No sign, just sitting there. It was too big to slide into the hotel van! :)
 
I've found plenty of hand tools through the years. Found a big transport chain last year, much bigger than anything I have. Think it was used for excavators or dozers since there was some grading going on where I found it. Found diamond blades and fiber blades. Car jack with axle stands. Pintle hitch. Spare tires. Treadmill. Brass hammer. 1/2hp motor (works mint). I don't find as much stuff anymore, as a lot of the roads I drive to work and back are also driven by lots of Mennonites. They pick up everything before I can get there. Pretty sure one of them has my tailgate from my trailer too....
 
My best find was tool inserts for a tool that put studs in winter tires. I found a whole box of them on the road. I had no idea what they was until I googled them. I bet there was 300-400 on them in the box. I got $800.00 off E-bay for them.
 
Brand new 2" receiver with ball while in Florida and 4 medical oxygen bottles in ditch that probably bounced out the back of a truck that drove off the pavement.
 
txpilgrim said:
Can you top this?
Found a zipper bank bag laying in the middle of the street in front of our house. Picked it up - heavy for a bank bag - inside were assorted canceled checks, deposit slips - bank stuff. Also a revolver! Nice chrome plated S&W .357 revolver with a Houston police officers badge etched on the side including his badge number. I was able to trace it back to the officer from the names on the canceled checks. The bank bag had been left on the car roof by the officer, his girlfriend or his wife (depending on who was talking) and fell off by our house. I was able to track him down and got it returned to him.
In return he didn't even thank me rather accuse me of stealing it! What a jerk!!
Click to expand...
I think a note to his chief of police explaining what a ungrateful louse his officer was after your kindness might have made the officer think again, Unfortunately that aproach might have led to his buddies ganging up on you
 
I've found an 8" Craftsman adjustable wrench, a couple large open end wrenches, pliers. A large Buck knife up around lake Berryessa once.
Also camping once I was ripping around in the woods in my new '88 Mitsubishi 4X4 when my friend's chainsaw jumped out of the bed. We had to drive about a mile back, semi-drunk and trying to remember which way we had come when we turned a corner and lo and behold, there it was sitting in the road. We each proceeded to have another beer. Or two. Still have the truck, runs great
Mark
 
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