Scrounger / scrapper websites?

All my life I've taken old discarded machinery and equipment and made them useful again. Old tractors are just one group, old tools and building materials are others. I guess growing up watching Dad get by with what we could scrounge up taught me to make do and fix it. I just can't stand to see items simply discarded in need a little fixing, and imagine many of you know what I'm talkiing about. Seems to me the waste of materials and equipment in this country is downright shameful. Anyway, are there any websites to share ideas and discuss such topics?

Yep, The folks on Craigs List have a "frugal forum"to share ideas on saving a buck.

Doug.You hit the nail on the head. Seems like the interest in fixing things has disappeared
the last few years. A lot of the failure to repair and make items is because people have become LAZY and ignorant. Seems like Lets buy NEW has been the rule.The end result is cheaply made things that won"t last lomg, then it"s back to buying new all over again, Like a dog chasing it"s tail. Glad to see some one is saying what"s what.
Thanks . LOU

Heard about this guy on the radio. (misterjalopy dot com)

This is from his website:

Empowering consumers to be able to repair, rebuild, reuse and reinvent the products they invest in is at the core of Mr. J’s philosophy. As part of the Maker’s Bill of Rights article in Make: Magazine, Jalopy declared, “if you can’t open it, you don’t own it.” Asserting that an individual should be able to open, repair and modify the products that they buy, the Maker’s Bill of Rights gave a clear voice to the Maker Movement’s frustration with increasingly disposable products that lock out consumers.

The problem I see with opening things up to fix, I agree, is partly laziness, but the major problem is lack of parts to fix them. I can't even begin to cound the number of times in the past few years I've tried to repair this or that when it was obvious that say a 10 cent part was the only problem, only to find that the part, was a priporitaty item and wasn't available. Sometimes you can find a replacement off the shelf, sometimes not. The problem there comes with the OEM's having their suppliers make the items with no part numbers, etc making it virtually impossible to find the part or to know the specs of the part to find a replacement.

Case in point I needed an expansion valve the other day for the AC system in an Ingersall Rand rock drill. The only way it was available through the OEM was to buy the complete evaporator core/housing assembly. The same went for the blower fan whan it went out several years back. The fan was repairable, an expansion valve wasn't. The complete unit had to come from overseas and was in the $1500 range. In other words $1500 to get a $100 fan or a $20 expansion valve. Enough research finally turned up an application for an expansion valve, with the same sized "nonstandard" metric threaded outlet port. Turned out it fit Geo Trackers and Metros back in the '90's so I was able to get it from NAPA using the application even when NOBODIES books showed it when searched for by size. After that mess was straightened out, don't even get me started on when the blower motor on the condensor on the same machine.....

Tried the other day to get a 40 pin AMP brand electrical connector to make a trobueshooting tool with. The only way they make them is where they can be mounted on a computer board. You can get a plug that can be connected to the harness but the recepticles are board mount only. needles to say soldering 40 wires to each of two reciepticles is turing out to be a royal PITA but when done i'll have a nice breakout box that will make troubleshooting alot easier.

True "laziness" plays a large part in people not repairing things but I think the "laziness" has been brough on, at least in my case, more as a by product of complete exaspiration of not being able to get the needed parts. After awhile it's simply easier to just say to heck with it than to waste days and dollars looking for parts that don't exist or going through multiple parts and wasting money looking for a workable replacement part......but that's jut my .02

I have heard of Freebay.com for items that you can get free. I looked there once but did not go back.

I've seen times when the oem part was no longer available , with no alternate part substituted for the original and times when it was just as cheap to buy it new again instead of fixing it because the parts , plus shipping and handling , was going to costs just as much as a new one , or more . Even if I can't fix something I love to take it apart to see what's wrong with it and to see if I can fix it or not as well as to see how it works . I will sometimes take it apart to see if I can salvage and use some of the parts.

Whizkidkyus

I have a small website along those lines, and would sure enjoy hearing your comments on what's there and how you think it could be improved.

Drop in an have a look around. Feel free to email me or give me a holler on this board.
Shopbuilt

That reply was intended for Doug, but it certainly applies to anybody that may be interested.

never ceases to amaze me what people will throw away. yesterday, i went over to the other farm to get a trailer, the neighbor on a little farmette comes over, hey i got something maybe you want, i was gonna throw it away. sure, i'll take it, what is it? 4000 watt generator with an 8 hp briggs. last time he used it, gas was leaking, so he went and bought a big honda genny with electric start. walk in to the garage to look at it, he says, you want a mower too?? sure, what is it? turns out its a craftsman 2000 series rider, 20 hp kohler twin, hydro with a 48 deck. he said it doesnt run. pickek em up, took em to the barn, carb was plugged on the generator. fuel tank on the mower was plugged. i'll post some pics tomorrow. both run great.