Today I acquired...........

[bigegg]

View attachment 256379

A pair of "pull down" ratchets that had been thrown on the floor at Scunthorpe steelworks, presumably because somebody just couldn't be bothered .

Nothing wrong with them that a few minutes with a wire brush and a few drops of gear oil won't sort out.

Any time i've needed ratchet straps, i take a drive around the Leeds motorways, coming off at each of the junctions between Ikea and bramham.
I can usually find a couple somewhere on that route.
Best day was six sets, all within 100yds of each other, just after where the M62 turns north to join the M1/M621.

 

[4String.]

Absolutely, never turn down a freebie

Just one of the many joys of being




.

And as they're pull down ratchets, they're much better for my back and shoulders. When I tighten the smaller "push up" types, it feels like someone is shoving a red hot javelin between my shoulder blades and almost has me crying with the pain. Not a good look for a butch truck driver .

Mind you, now I'm back on general haulage and moving a lot of steel sections, chains and Warwicks are the order of the day. And they're fairly hefty things:

 

[jimbo84]

Just one of the many joys of being


View attachment 256382

.

And as they're pull down ratchets, they're much better for my back and shoulders. When I tighten the smaller "push up" types, it feels like someone is shoving a red hot javelin between my shoulder blades and almost has me crying with the pain. Not a good look for a butch truck driver .

Mind you, now I'm back on general haulage and moving a lot of steel sections, chains and Warwicks are the order of the day. And they're fairly hefty things:


View attachment 256385

Every day's a school day, didn't know there were pull down and push up ones, thought they were all the same apart from SWLs

 

[Rannsachair]

£13.50 ebay buy, needed striped cleaned and lubricated - check with .250 slip gauge, almost set.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Any time i've needed ratchet straps, i take a drive around the Leeds motorways, coming off at each of the junctions between Ikea and bramham.

Even for a Yorkshire-man, wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy them instead of burning fuel?

 

[Shox Dr]

Mobility hoist. 200kg swl. For the workshop, it will cover 90%. Hopefully my son will fit it for me

 

[bigegg]

Even for a Yorkshire-man, wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy them instead of burning fuel?

Probably - although a decent ratchet strap is 10-15 quid at least.
I've seen ratty second hand ones go for a tenner apiece at murton auction.

Since i drive most of the route quite regularly anyway, it's probably only a couple of quid extra in petrol.
Plus, its the principle.

 

[Arc Tourist]

Probably - although a decent ratchet strap is 10-15 quid at least.
I've seen ratty second hand ones go for a tenner apiece at murton auction.

But since i drive most of the route quite regularly anyway, it's probably only a couple of quid extra in petrol.
Plus, its the principle.

And your helping the environment by picking up litter.

 

[bigegg]

And your helping the environment by picking up litter.

Safety!

I once ripped the engine liner off the bottom of the lexus running over a ratchet strap.
In a traffic jam, so didnt see it until last second - i was only doing 10mph. Dog knows what would have happened at 60!
I did hear of someone smashing the suspension on a transit pickup when the loose end of a strap got caught around the rear wheel.

 

[4String.]

Every day's a school day, didn't know there were pull down and push up ones, thought they were all the same apart from SWLs

Pull down type, sometimes known as "Ergo" ratchets, are also longer than push up ones, so a well as being better for your back, they give you more leverage.

You'll see them being used by the chaps who carry bales of straw because their load by its nature is very compressible and needs more tightening down. I use them purely for the benefits to my aging back muscles rather than their restraining capacity, and if it needs more oomph, the heavy chains are deployed.

 

[4String.]

Safety!

I once ripped the engine liner off the bottom of the lexus running over a ratchet strap.
In a traffic jam, so didnt see it until last second - i was only doing 10mph. Dog knows what would have happened at 60!
I did hear of someone smashing the suspension on a transit pickup when a strap got caught around the rear wheel.

I'm genuinely appalled at the number of straps and ratchets that litter the roadside, Leeds notwithstanding .

The vast majority of them are lost because the strap has rubbed through on a sharp edge, which is why I carry a box of rubber pads about 6" square by 1/4" thick that were, err, acquired from the railway where they normally fit between the rail and the sleeper. But there are plenty of cheap/free alternatives such as condemned lifting slings cut to length, pieces of old lay flat hose, or even cardboard at a push. There really is no excuse for losing straps in my (anything but humble...) opinion.

 

[4String.]

Even for a Yorkshire-man, wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy them

Buy???

I'll have you know that's tantamount to swearing .

 

[bigegg]

I'm genuinely appalled at the number of straps and ratchets that litter the roadside, Leeds notwithstanding .

The vast majority of them are lost because the strap has rubbed through on a sharp edge, which is why I carry a box of rubber pads about 6" square by 1/4" thick that were, err, acquired from the railway where they normally fit between the rail and the sleeper. But there are plenty of cheap/free alternatives such as condemned lifting slings cut to length, pieces of old lay flat hose, or even cardboard at a push. There really is no excuse for losing straps in my (anything but humble...) opinion.

Most of the ones i've picked up look as though tbey've just been left loose on the back of wagons, and come off going round corners (always the best place to find them!)

I'd say 1 in 10 i get have "worn through" - maybe you're finding discarded ones at truck stops/loading areas? Rather than roadside? (I can't imagine you'd stop just to pick one up off the hard shoulder)

 

[Lewis_RX8]

View attachment 256306
Made this for my ER32, JOKE can do approximately 1mm 45 degree chamfer in one go and with some practice and concentration makes it neat.
Was tempted to write my name in it.
Gedore and Snapp on don't need to worry yet.

If i had that i would fill it in with black paint then sand flat over the top leaving just black paint in the engraving will help it stand out

 

[bigegg]

Buy???

I'll have you know that's tantamount to swearing .

And from a Scot, too.

 

[bigegg]

If i had that i would fill it in with black paint then sand flat over the top leaving just black paint in the engraving will help it stand out

Like this.

 

[steviec_lj]

Awwww spectacles, the Mrs was in the yard when this turned up..



Wadkin AGS saw in need of fettling, and will be put in use quite quickly as I’m losing access to the SCM that’s in the barn currently.

Thanks @julianf

 

[daleyd]

Got a tub of this given to me yesterday - anyone used it before? It’s like a hard waxy stuff, apparently good for drilling/tapping/machining.

Will give it a whirl and see how it goes

 

[julianf]

Awwww spectacles, the Mrs was in the yard when this turned up..

View attachment 256440

Wadkin AGS saw in need of fettling, and will be put in use quite quickly as I’m losing access to the SCM that’s in the barn currently.

Thanks @julianf

Nice to see it arrive at yours in the same state as it left here - always a bonus!

 

[Maker]

View attachment 256441

Got a tub of this given to me yesterday - anyone used it before? It’s like a hard waxy stuff, apparently good for drilling/tapping/machining.

Will give it a whirl and see how it goes

Someone recommended it probably five or six years ago for carbide burrs in die grinders, I never actually got any though, couldn't find it in the UK and got bored of looking. God knows how I remember that, I can't remember what I ate yesterday.