# Watch For Tools On The Road!



## KosinTrouble (Jul 18, 2005)

So the other weekend we finally got the ol Outback out into a camping site. Was a great weekend, burned myself to a crisp! (Dont fall asleep in a lounge chair with outlaws, they just sit and laugh about how red you get).

But this about what happened on the way out there. It was just me and buddy (son), we decided to ditch the ladies of the family and have a night of just us MEN! (buddy is 6yrs old). So on the way out we are going around a bend and are just about to hit the summer construction zone on Highway 9 east (near calgary).

All of a sudden WHAM, BANG, CLANG. PING PINg PIng Ping ping... Look out the mirrors and see something go flying towards the ditch. First though was Ohh crap I broke something in my truck which is 1year 3days old at the time. So slam on the brakes head towards the side of the road. Son is big eyed going, "Holy popcorn, what was that?".

Stop the truck get out and look under the truck, no fluids leaking out. Nothing looks out of place. Look at the outback, no holes in the front of the trailer, no dings or anything. (I did find later a big scratch in the hitch a-frame of the trailer. Go to the ditch and what do I find, a 1 1/8inch wrench!!!! Someone droped/fell out of truck or something on the middle of the road and I happened to run over it.

Thankfully I had the trailer and the wrench hit the a-frame and no one was behind me or coming the other way because that would have gone right through someone's windshield and may have done some serious damage. And thankfully it didnt hurt my beloved outback, that would have brought me to tears. The truck is under warrenty so wasnt worried about that. BUT MY OUTBACK!

Kos


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## ALASKA PFLOCK (Jun 24, 2007)




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## jcat67 (Aug 8, 2008)

It is amazing some of the stuff you see.....or unfortunately sometimes don't see in the road. You wonder, "How'd they miss it, and why didn't I?"


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

I rounded the corner one day, and a hand truck was laying in the road (the type that Coca Cola truck drivers have strapped to the back of their trucks). Swerved and missed, backed up, and threw it in the back of my truck. I figured he couldn't have gotten too far ahead of me, so off I went to catch him... 1 hour later, no truck. I left my name with the State Police, in case someone called saying theirs was missing. 3 Months later, the SP called me and said "congrats, you can now work for Coca Cola cause you now own a red hand truck!"


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## Lmbevard (Mar 18, 2006)

The DW and I was coming back from camping in MO and ran across tire pieces in the middle of the road. Not just little pieces but big pieces! and not just a few but looked like the simi had lost every tire. A few miles up the road saw a super trooper at the side of the road picking up some of the smaller pieces. there was no one coming either way so stopped and let him know about the stuff back a few miles. After leaving him about 1/2 mile up found a battery box off of the truck right on the side of the road.

Of Course that is nothing. A few weeks ago read in the paper that 8 miles up in Iowa from the boarder some trucker lost a bucket loader off his flat bed trailer and some woman ran into it. The troopers started trying to find the trucker who by that time had stopped at the Flying J a few miles down the road, got out and discovered that someone had stoled his bucket loader! He called the MO troopers who informed him that it was about 15 miles back up the road. Funny things that gets lost on the side of the road.

So then I went camping and had thrown my rug in the back of the truck like I always did and ended up not having it there when we got started setting up. It's somewhere between here and Muscatine.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Look at the bright side, you got a free 1 1/8 wrench now. You did go pick it up, right?


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

battalionchief3 said:


> Look at the bright side, you got a free 1 1/8 wrench now. You did go pick it up, right?


Isn't that the size you need for the nut on the hitch ball or the bolts for tilting the hitch head??


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Wasn't your wrench, was it? Maybe left it on the bumper? I did that with a crescent wrench, once, and it was still there, 20 miles later, when I went to off-load the boat!

Glad to hear nothing major happened to your truck or trailer - or anyone behind you. You must be livin' right!

Mike


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## MO7Bs (Apr 11, 2009)

Wasn't sure what kind of 'tools' you were referring to at first.

I have run into several 'tools' between Missouri and Florida in that last 9 days!!

Paul


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## vtxbud (Apr 4, 2009)

Hey KOS,
The minimum fine in Alberta for insecure cargo on a commercial vehicle is $575.00, on a private vehicle, $375.00. Used to write those tickets when I was in the biz, never caught a repeat offender . The thought of some of these objects ramming through a windshield at highway speeds would just make me shudder. Too many people have no idea how lethal even a small object can be coming off a vehicle at 110K/70MPH. Don't hesitate to get on the blower and call Law Enforcement when your chuggin down the road and see some clown with loose objects on his truck/or deck/or trailer deck.

I investigated far too many fatal collisions, most of which were caused by nothing but human stupidity or booze or the deadly combination of both.









Drive CAREFUL out there everyone Please.....


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

We had a county truck lose a mud flap and hanger a while back. Needless to say the lady driving behind this county truck is no longer with us. It was easy finding the truck since the mud flap had El Paso County written on it..

Sad story... The hanger had rusted and broke..

Carey


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

The strangest one I came across was a truck topper in the middle of the expressway at night (You know like the leer fiberglass caps). It was either dark blue or black. Let me tell, you it's a good thing I had a nice little car that could jog around that thing. You didn't see it until the last second and if I had the truck I now drive, I would have hit it for sure. I called the police and hope that they got out there before someone didn't see it in time. I've always wondered how you lose one of those...


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## KosinTrouble (Jul 18, 2005)

battalionchief3 said:


> Look at the bright side, you got a free 1 1/8 wrench now. You did go pick it up, right?


Ohh Yeah I kept it. Even though I already have 2 of that size. Never hurts to keep more tools than you need! I thought the nuts on the hitch were 1 3/16 or 1 1/4.. dang I cant remember now, have to go try it tonight.

No the tool didnt belong to me, All of mine have "Kos" engraved on them. That and this one was pretty grubby so I am guessing it belonged to the road workers doing the summer construction.

Yes there are many different types of "tools" on the road, both inanimate and animate!

Kos


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## 2lman (Nov 24, 2008)

I was on 23 heading to Columbus, OH and saw a pickup with a full bed go by pretty fast. A few miles later, I came up over a rise in the passing lane while I was getting ready to go around a transport carrying Tahoes, Burbs, and Escalades. An 8' fiberglass step ladder from the pickup was in the transport's lane. He had nowhere to go and ran over it. His trailer swayed back and forth a little, the breaks smoked, and he pulled over onto the yellow stripes between the highway and the off ramp to check his load and probably clean his drawers. A mile or so later, I passed the pickup heading back to get his ladder. Too late. That could have been really expensive.


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Q: What's Black and Silver and goes SHHHHRuuuuuffffff (exaggerated pause) clinkity clink (Sounds like glass breaking) tinkity, tinkity tink....Screeeaaachhhh!!!!!!?
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A: A Craftsman Standard and Metric Wrench set sliding off the pickup camper shell hitting the road and scattering in as many directions as there are wrenches followed by 2 cars trying to avoid the mayhem and a third stopping, passengers bailing out and gathering said set and whizzing off into the sunset.....


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

I think everyone has a "swerve to avoid stuff" while towing. We had finished up a great camping trip (they are all great) and we were heading out and down the highway following this large 5'er when a large plastic cooler came bounding from somewhere off the 5'er and smashed all over the road. We were lucky and managed to not get any of those sharp plastic pieces stuck anywhere, but the guy in front me was oblivious: he just kept going. I at one point has tried to catch up to him, but he was gunning it for home. I can see it when they are unpacking and asking the question "Where is the cooler? Did you leave it at the campground?"


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

The list of tools I have found on the road is too long. Also a few 20 ft lengths of chain. Hand truck. Cordless drill, wish he had dropped the charger too







Usually when I sit in traffic, I like to be in the left lane so I can look for wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.


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## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

tdvffjohn said:


> The list of tools I have found on the road is too long. Also a few 20 ft lengths of chain. Hand truck. Cordless drill, wish he had dropped the charger too
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I live in Houston and have NEVER thought of this before! What a GREAT idea!


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