Tools you've found at the roadside...

[goosey]

Found a 2ft long bacho adjustable spanner , a sledge hammer, a lump hammer and some good quality slings, shackles and straps in the outside lane at the Hagley lights a couple of years ago, I did have to stop the traffic to pick it all up though 

[goosey]

And I found a plastic box of Ratchet straps on the hard shoulder of the M6, the box was split but the 5 straps were in excellent condition, My guess was they fell off a HGV 

[Boycie]

Work toolbox now a lovely 10mm Snap on spanner , some mechanic had left it in the boot of a Crossland 

[EyesWeldedShut]

On 7/27/2022 at 12:39 PM, Datsuncog said:

I found an insulated electrical screwdriver under the back seat of a scrapped Triumph Dolomite in about 1997.

Still using it today. It's the right size for nearly any slot-head screw

A wee yellow one of those with the built in test light in a dumped Capri 1991, Staines town centre. Still got it (screwdriver not the car).
Sykes Pickavant imperial brake adjuster spanner in my old TL when I bought it - both made from girders/railway lines.

[stuboy]

Tooth pick.. covered in crud.. road debris

[ruffgeezer]

46 minutes ago, stuboy said:

Tooth pick.. covered in crud.. road debris

Offf, someone will be sore about that,  around £25 off the truck to replace it! 

[DavieW]

Years ago my Dad found a 3ft long spirit level. Still got it and used now and again. 

[Boycie]

A 170 car defleet at work has meant another top up of the work toolbox , couple of lovely snap on spanners included

[busmansholiday]

Found a US Pro 10mm combination spanner sat there smiling in the road at me last night when I took the dog a walk. Useful for taking the battery off the Matiz for its regular charging.

[Talbot]

Have found a few odds and sods at the side of the road before now, but mainly in cars I've bought.  Various cheapie screwdrivers, sockets, some crappy spanners etc.  I still have most of them.

The odd things I've found in cars I've bought have been things like battery chargers, air compressors and the like.   In one case one of the heaps I bought came with one of those quite expensive ABSAAR start-n-charge units that can do 200A boost for a short period.  I found out why when trying to do a cold start a couple of days later.

[catsinthewelder]

Found a 8mm Snap-on spanner in the scuttle of Miss Cats Corsa the other week.  No idea where that came from as it's only had tyres in months.

[sierraman]

Found my best ever 19mm socket on a rooftop of all places, no idea of the make but it’s been an absolute trooper over the years. Bahco adjustable spanner in a car I bought to break. 

[NorthernMonkey]

Was on the M60 last year heading to Costco when I spotted a bright light on the hard shoulder in the distance. There wasn’t much traffic so I slowed down and stopped level with it so the Mrs could open her door and lean out to investigate…it was a cordless LED work lamp.

Obviously there wasn’t a charger but the one for my iZettle machine works perfectly.

It’s still in daily use and lasts a week or so on one overnight charge.

[N19]

I gained one of these task lights a few months ago, left behind and not collected by contractor or contractors unknown.

The reviews talk about the battery life being shite which, unfortunately, is pretty true. Despite showing full charge, it'll normally only last 2-3 hours before flashing and giving up. Which is a shame because it's a bloody good light!

[Pieman]

Years ago I found a torch under the bonnet of my Rover 100 when checking the fluids.  I was quite pleased at first, until I remembered it was the same torch I'd left under there when topping up the brake fluid in fading light a couple of weeks earlier...

[Agila]

9 minutes ago, Pieman said:

Years ago I found a torch under the bonnet of my Rover 100 when checking the fluids.  I was quite pleased at first, until I remembered it was the same torch I'd left under there when topping up the brake fluid in fading light a couple of weeks earlier...

Same thing happened to a fitter who was working on my faulty tail lift.

Broke down for same fault a week apart and same fitter comes out and finds it still attached to the frame via worlds strongest magnet.

[omegod]

Many years before knowing him through this place I bought a Merc 190 off @Keymaster and sometime later found a 5 cell maglite in the bootwell , he'd never spotted it  

[ruffgeezer]

On 30/12/2023 at 20:54, omegod said:

Many years before knowing him through this place I bought a Merc 190 off @Keymaster and sometime later found a 5 cell maglite in the bootwell , he'd never spotted it  

Sam @beko1987 did that when I sold him my shit Laguna, he found a nice pair of binoculars hiding in it!

 

I'm reminded of the time I stopped on the A158 and retrieved a 1/2 drive ratchet and a 21mm socket.  They belonged to the garage I worked at and the boss had left them on the crank pulley of the van he'd asked me to test drive.  Didn't half make a row when that parted company!

[Tenmil Socket]

It must be at least 20 years ago now but I found a 10mm/11mm Snap-On ratchet spanner in a scrapyard in one of the cars. Still use it now.

[bezzabsa]

On 13/11/2023 at 22:07, NorthernMonkey said:

Was on the M60 last year heading to Costco when I spotted a bright light on the hard shoulder in the distance. There wasn’t much traffic so I slowed down and stopped level with it so the Mrs could open her door and lean out to investigate…it was a cordless LED work lamp.

Obviously there wasn’t a charger but the one for my iZettle machine works perfectly.

It’s still in daily use and lasts a week or so on one overnight charge.

I keep seeing those bloody vapes all over as the LED's are usually blue - so a quick glimpse gets the old ass pukkering!! 

[barefoot]

I found a Makita battery powered angry grinder without a battery hidden in the long grass nest to a padlocked stable yard gate.  1. It didn't have a battery and neither did I. And 2, I couldn't be trusted with such a tool, so I gave it to my favourite mechanic in exchange for potential discounts. 

[LoftyvRS]

6 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

It must be at least 20 years ago now but I found a 10mm/11mm Snap-On ratchet spanner in a scrapyard in one of the cars. Still use it now.

I think I've got the exact same 10mm Snap On spanner in my toolbox, that came from a salvage yard I was nosing round in the very early 90's. One of the very few Snap On things I have. Still engraved with some poor sods initials as well

[MikeR]

A few long reach sockets but the best was a small case socket set ..complete , pressed into the soil on a pull in !!  , pulled it up , wiped it down and it was ready to go 

non tool .. was I jumped over a gate for a piss , and there next to me was a part worn tyre  ( complete with price tag )  for the Micra I was driving !! 

[Soundwave]

Found this in a ditch on a country lane today. Given how overgrown and stuck in the ground it was, it's been there a good while. I'm guessing it was accidentally left behind by a roadwork crew at some point in the past. 

Probably looked a right nutter hefting this down the road in the middle of nowhere.

No idea what I'm going to do with it though, it's gone in the shed for now. 

 

[High Jetter]

Looks a bit ropey tho...