[Chipmaker]

I have an old friend up the road from me that suffers from Alzheimers. He bought a brand new VAC case when they first came out and added various implements to it over the many years. Its always been well taken care of and stored in side. Anyway his condition is getting much worse and his wife decided that they needed to sell the place and move to Texas and live with their daughter.......I do drop in to see them and also told his wife that if there was anything that she needed taken care of to let me know and I would gladly do what I could. Well anyhow they put the place up for sale and the realtor barely even got a sign put out and had a buyer for it..........So Friday I get a phone call from my friends wife asking if I could replace the top on their picnic table. I said I probably could and would take a look, so Saturday moring I go up to check out the picnic table. This is when she told me that they had sold the place and were going to be moving to Texas.............I asked if she was interested in selling any of the implements or tractor and to make a long story short a fellow stopped by when he spotted the for sale sign, and asked about the various implements that were in the front of the barn, and wound up hauling them all off for free along with the tractor and a heap of other stuff..................Reason being she figured they were so old and all, that they would not be of much value to anyone and that it could easily break down with it being old.
She said if she knew I had wanted any of them I could have had it, as she was only to glad to have this total stranger "clean up her place" but she figured I probably would not want the stuff as it was so old, and I had a newer tractor etc.............This fellow also removed a nice set of steel ramps (the types that used to be used in service stations years ago that you drove up on to get your oil etc changed. There were two sets of them placed end to end supported on an steel framework which made changing oil etc simple. One set of ramps formed the ramp itself and the other set made the horizontal portion the vehicle parked on whille working on it. Concept was this fellow was good natured enough to remove "junk" for free and thus enable her to get her property cleaned up quicker so they could move...

One item that also left was a head catch (automatic type) for cattle. Back in the late 30's and early 40's Alabama Prison Systems used to manufactur odds and ends that they would sell. They made a automatic cattle head catch that was hands above any headcatch I have ever seen. None of this typical pipe and thinwalled tube stuff, but heavy solid steel sections, that the biggest baddest bull could not tear up. In all the eyars its been setting there it still functions perfectly and never rusted out anywhere.........weighs close to 1,200 or more pounds.

This fellows VAC was in terrific shape as it was never used hard or abused. He does not even realize its gone or if he does it means nothing to him at his stage of his alzheimers, as he does not even know who I am or his wife most of the time........Seems the only reason she wanted the top replaced on the table was so that it looked more presentable and she felt bad that it was rotted and chewed on my their two dogs, and decided to fix it for the new owners..............its nice to have feelings as such but I don;t think it was appropriate in this case with her wanting to make things perfect for the new owner, as odds are they got the place at a deal anyhow.......They owned 25 acres, nice barn, out buildings, a 2 acre orchard, and 4 acre pond.......old but nice and not run down.

 

[bontai Joe]

Ouch! That has to hurt when you could of had a shot at the Case. It also must hurt to see your friendly neighbors unknowingly giving stuff away that they could of made money on. They sound like nice folks. I hope the new neighbors are just as nice.

 

[memmurphy]

That same thing happens around here too. Many older folks just don't realize the price that some of the old farm items and antiques that they consider junk will go for if the right person or collector wants it. I've been in many high priced homes where they used pot belly stoves, cool buckets, copper wash boilers etc. all cleaned and polished up in their "country" kitchens and other rooms as decorations.

Mark

 

[artpb]

I do communnity Housing work as a project manager. Did a project with an elderly widow. her husband had a 24 x 24 wood working shop with commercial style 3 phase table saws, lathes, shapers planers etc.. along with many 50 year or older hand tools. I showed up on the job one day and the work shop was empty. Lady said contractor charged her $200.00 to haul it away! I was livid!, I told contractor he had 24 hours to return items or pay her $3,000.00 or I was caling Police, State Edlery Abuse Hotline and Attorney Generals office. He paid her the $3,000.00.

Table saws and shaper where worth that alone.

 

[bontai Joe]

Originally posted by artpb
I do communnity Housing work as a project manager. Did a project with an elderly widow. her husband had a 24 x 24 wood working shop with commercial style 3 phase table saws, lathes, shapers planers etc.. along with many 50 year or older hand tools. I showed up on the job one day and the work shop was empty. Lady said contractor charged her $200.00 to haul it away! I was livid!, I told contractor he had 24 hours to return items or pay her $3,000.00 or I was caling Police, State Edlery Abuse Hotline and Attorney Generals office. He paid her the $3,000.00.

Table saws and shaper where worth that alone.

Charged her to haul it away? That takes REALLY BIG brass ones!!! I'm glad you stepped in on her behalf.