Best Roadside Find

**The Big-E** · April 24th, 2011, 12:28 AM

I met up with one of my locators to troubleshoot a difficult locate and while we were trying other access pts. down the street, the locator found $350.00 in cash laying next to a concrete parking curb in a strip mall...

I myself was locating 2 cables that ran under an interstate over pass and as I got to the off-ramp on what would've been the passenger side, I found a pistol-grip sawed-off mossburg shotgun... I turned that one into the local police station immediately, pretty sure it was used in some kind of crime...

**Wingfoot** · April 24th, 2011, 03:06 AM

In 1998, I was locating in front of a demolished house that was surrounded by heavy brush and trees. I found an almost new Weber One Touch Charcoal Grill tossed along the rear easement tree line. I'm still using it today:

I also found a very nice 60" long steel T-handle soil probe back in 1999. I'm still using it today:

I have found 2 purses with busted straps; each with IDs and misc girly crap, minus cash and credit cards. I called the cops in both incidences.

**paintitnow** · April 24th, 2011, 03:00 PM

One of the guys in my old crew was at a house where the bank was throwing out this guys things they evicted. There was a heavy box and the bank told the guys once they leave they do not care what happens to the things. The locators came back and retrieved the box. Had over $5K in gold coins so far

**GroundScope** · April 25th, 2011, 06:54 AM

Instructor doing the NULCA Training said he was on a locate along a freeway & found a human skeleton in the undergrowth !!

**Wingfoot** · April 27th, 2011, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by TheCableVine

Those are some damn fine cones.

Hey Steve - Forgive me for stealing one of your posts from another thread, chopping it up and then using it for this thread.

On my first day in the field as a locator I was given my equipment. Part of my company-issue inventory was 2 huge, funky looking orange cones. One cone was black with sticky road tar and the other had the logo of the gas company on it and looked as if it had been drug under a trash truck for 2 blocks. Over the years, I have been constantly updating (trading up - the old Switcheroo) and adding to my cone inventory (the old 2-fer-1). Today, I have 8 "damn fine" matching cones - all roadside finds................

----------------------------------------------------------

**ProfessionalLocator** · April 29th, 2011, 08:26 PM

My best find as a wristwatch, brand fossil. Someone must have set it on the roof or trunk of their car and drove off, found in roadway. Just needed a smack with a hammer to straighten out the band and it ran fine for about five years.

A gameboy which worked well. Gave that to someone in the hospital who was bored.

A leather jacket in my size. It was on a pad-mounted transformer, after seeing it for three days I
claimed it. Still in my closet.

An 810 transmitter which I left a note for and was able to return to that locator.

A cell phone from which I was able to call one of the stored numbers and get back to it's owner.

Various hand tools,knives, a digging bar, two shovels.

A box of road flares, the 30 minute burn size.

A bore rod for installing underground cable. Had no need for this so I told a contractor I knew where to find it.

A number of loose bills in the bushes of an apartment complex, somewhere over $20.

An envelope with over $200 in it in a parking lot. Saw a guy come buy a little while later looking under all the cars. Asked him what he was looking for and he described my find, got that back to him.

A ladies wallet with ID. drove to that address and returned it, she did not know she had lost it.

A blasting cap for which I flagged down a passing police cruiser. I did not keep the cap but
I kept all my fingers.

**Wingfoot** · April 29th, 2011, 10:59 PM

Hey ProLoc - I was blown away by your post........ You did the right thing by returning to the rightful owners that which was not yours! I can think of only a handful of people who would have done the same as you in these situations. Way to Go!

"Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking."

--------------------- Jackson Browne

--------------------------------------------------

**Dave72** · April 29th, 2011, 11:46 PM

Mainly Ive found small tools.. sockets, an antique can wrench (collapses and has screwdriver bits built into the ends.. odd thing.. and its made of wood ?).. a few wrenches hammers etc.
Found a lady's purse in a shopping cart, returned that to the Customer service of the store it was in front of..

Best non-work find so far was a <4 yr old super-premium gas clothes dryer at the local dump (in metal scrap area).
This $1200 baby has a history of problems with the main circuit board (all digital etc), where a micro switch gets damp and kills the whole dryer.
The normal solution is to have a serviceman come and replace one of 2 boards (at $350 a pop). If the intermittent problem comes back, replace the other board.
Someone elected to toss the whole unit, I guess.
$0.50 microswitch later, and we have a really cool dryer !!

**Enjoythefall** · April 30th, 2011, 09:46 AM

The coolest thing I've found on the side of the road was a 900 pair Telephone cable...

**UULC** · April 30th, 2011, 11:20 AM

Enjoythefall,

Would that be before or after it was hit?

**Enjoythefall** · April 30th, 2011, 12:50 PM

Ha...

You know, no matter how I answer that one, it sounds like there's a chance that it'll get hit. Maybe after my marks fade.

... So before.

**TMINTH** · April 4th, 2012, 01:24 PM

Besides the various small hand-tools, phones, and magnets, I once found a fake $50. How did I know it was fake? It was only the back half, still printed on regular printer paper. I put it right back where I found it.

**sauroke** · April 5th, 2012, 07:13 PM

I found a 160 lb pit bull once. Pulled over to do a locate, opened the door to get out, and suddenly I was being crushed by this dog trying to get in to my truck! Probably the nicest dog ever, all it wanted to do was go for a ride. The owner came running over, and leashed the dog, explaining that his son had left the door open, and the dog took off like a rocket. Scared the Bejesus out of me though, I've had a couple of close calls with other dogs, and one that got too close.