Hobby Thread - November 14, 2026 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. For this week, the Wheel of Hobbies (TM) is feeling round and decided on a surplus auction theme for this Hobby Thread.

Surplus auctions? Read on, fellow hobbyists...

[Top photo: Sam the Super Skeleton - could be yours! Auction ends November 19.]

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Shopping salvage and surplus auctions can be a hobby for people who those who like the hunt for a bargain. They aren't live with a fast-talking auctioneer. Instead, you're browsing online catalogs of government surplus, warehouse liquidations, insurance salvage, store returns, and overstock that companies need to clear. The appeal is in the mix of practical bargains and unexpected finds. Auctions also have a steady flow of new listings, so you never know what you'll find.

Some people look for novel finds - at a bargain price. Some focus on a specific type of item like military surplus, restaurant fixtures, or vehicles. Some try to outfit a shop or business with usable used equipment. Some opportunistically look for commercial opportunities where overlooked goods can be cleaned up and sold later for a profit.

Online surplus auctions, especially with government surplus items, can turn up unusual or otherwise hard to find items. Rightly or wrongly, the public sector often has different use cases than many others.

Are online auctions just the modern version of the estate or garage sale hobby? Perhaps, but the online surplus auctions often have items that would not be at a residential garage sale.

Does anyone haunt online surplus or salvage auctions? Even if you don't buy, do you regularly window shop just to see what's out there? You might not need a fire truck or Humvee (or have space) but it can be fun to browse. It can also be fun to see sales prices and compare with your personal estimate or the auction estimate.

One challenge is that some government auction sites do not keep listings after the auction has ended, so you can't tell if something sold or any selling prices. Links below worked when posted but no guarantees they still work.

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Give the content a chance before you judge and bail out. There's gotta be something that resonates with you. More importantly, what are you hobbying? Jump in with your hobbying, interests, stories and questions.

Anything (legal) you are hobbying is welcome. If not, offer something else relating to hobbying or just check in and say hello.

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Leave politics and religion to threads elsewhere (unless your hobby is building or restoring churches). Pants? Nope. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.

Play nice and do not be rude. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls.

Note: I have purposely avoided auction content with TSA seizures or unclaimed personal property such as lost luggage. Please also avoid turning this thread into commentary on the government's imprudent management of resources or how many things fall off the back of trucks or otherwise become "lost." Let's stick to hobbying.

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Equipment auctions are content-rich hunting grounds for YouTubers. What better content than "look at this bargain I scored!" or "we couldn't resist buying this disaster - can we get it running?" Diesel Creek regularly follows the local Ritchie Brothers auctions - lots of heavy equipment, trucks, forklifts, skid loaders, tractors and more.

Example:

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This auction was the inspiration for the theme. Where else could you buy used Southwest Airlines airport tugs?

What would you do if you could buy one for $750? More importantly what kind of mayhem might you have with a bunch of friends that have their own? There are a dozen of these on the auction website (and many other airport tugs and vehicles).

If I'm reading correctly, there is a monthly online auction of airport equipment, so there may be more chances if you let this one pass by.

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Football Ottoman LAST USED AT NEYLAND STADIUM, Knoxville, Tennessee

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I asked Grok for a list of popular salvage/surplus auction websites (Ace of Spades makes no endorsement):

1. GovDeals (govdeals.com) - One of the largest platforms for state, county, city, and local government surplus (vehicles, equipment, furniture, electronics).

2. GSA Auctions (gsaauctions.gov) - Official U.S. federal government surplus site run by the General Services Administration (no buyer's premium on most lots).

3. GovPlanet (govplanet.com) - Specializes in military, federal, and heavy equipment surplus (vehicles, machinery, tools).

4. Public Surplus (publicsurplus.com) - State and local government surplus marketplace with a wide range of smaller lots.

5. PropertyRoom (propertyroom.com) - Focuses on police-seized, forfeited, and unclaimed property (electronics, tools, jewelry, vehicles).

6. Copart (copart.com) - The largest U.S. salvage vehicle auction platform (insurance total-loss cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats).

7. IAAI / Insurance Auto Auctions (iaai.com) - Major competitor to Copart for salvage and insurance-loss vehicles.

8. Liquidation.com - Broad online marketplace for retail returns, overstock, surplus, and liquidation lots (electronics, housewares, apparel, etc.).

9. B-Stock (bstock.com) - Runs branded liquidation storefronts for major retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Target, Costco, Home Depot, and others).

10. Municibid (municibid.com) - Popular for smaller municipal, school district, and local government surplus sales.

Anyone have knowledge?

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I know what you're thinking. Stadium furniture is one thing but are there deals on fire trucks to be had? At last look, this running beauty in Arkansas has been bid to $5,000.

Presumably you would need a CDL to drive it for personal use.

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Where else can you buy 40 (used) traffic barrels? Buy 'em now for $125.

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On a previous Hobby Thread, we talked a little about using pallets to make things. This was a recent listing for 220 pallets but I can't tell if they sold and, if so, what the selling price was.

They need someone to remove the pallets more than they need to make money. There are a few listings for free pallets.

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I don't know enough to evaluate videos for quality and don't have any background on buying surplus military vehicles, but seems like we should have something from that genre in the content. If you're interested, there are a ton of YouTube videos about military vehicles.

Where do you go shopping? govplanet.com seems like the place to find used Humvees (105 for sale when I looked). Each has a minimum bid of $3,000. Grok says vehicles in running condition typically sell between $4 and $7,000 with more desirable examples (good condition, low miles) selling between $8 and $15,000.

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This children's ride was built in the style of an X-34 Landspeeder used by Luke Skywalker in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. The fiberglass bodywork is finished in yellow and orange and features three faux "Repulsorlift" engines mounted at the rear, a faux windscreen, and side-trim graphics. Other attributes include a single padded seat, a black base, and a speaker system that plays the Star Wars theme music. This Landspeeder children's ride was purchased by the seller in 2026 and is now offered at no reserve in Miami, Florida, on a bill of sale.

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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did a marble theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

Notable comments from last week:

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Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

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Reminder: if you put links in the comments, use a URL shortener and describe what you're linking to. Failing to do either or both makes you barrel-eligible. Don't make people click to find out what you're linking.

Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Or just email to say hello. Do mighty things.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Welcome Hobbiests

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2026 05:30 PM (Ia/+0)

2 I thought the topic was going to be "anatomy."

From Hee Haw:

Farmer 1: "What's 'anatomy'?"

Farmer 2: "Well, everybody has it, but it looks a lot better on girls."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 14, 2026 05:35 PM (56Qyq)

3 I thought the topic was going to be "anatomy."
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius

I thought we were getting a really early start on Halloween.

Posted by: mikeski at November 14, 2026 05:36 PM (VHUov)

4 Afternoon, Horde...How goes it?

In my continuing adventures in Lord of the Rings Online, I've finally made it to the fabled city of Minas Tirith in Gondor.

It's a HUGE map. It's also a complex maze of passages between levels, requiring a lot of running back and forth just to get from one level to the next.

Gorgeous city, though, with lots of things to find for achievements.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at November 14, 2026 05:38 PM (s2iZv)

5 Evening, all,

I rarely get involved in auctions, even on eBay. A few times I have, and have won, but it more often ends up with me getting sniped at the last half-second. "Buy It Now" works better for me.

In my own hobbies, the Laco pilot watch I was waiting for last week -- and which arrived, but the wrong watch was in the box! -- showed up on Wed. The strap fits well and the dial is legible even in daylight and at odd angles. It displays the hands to in the dimness of my bedroom even after some six hours. On top of that, it has been quite accurate for a handwinder: -1 to +2 seconds a day. I need to play with different positions to put it in at night, to see if I can get it to a steady average gain or loss.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 14, 2026 05:42 PM (56Qyq)

6 What would you do if you could buy one for $750? More importantly what kind of mayhem might you have with a bunch of friends that have their own? There are a dozen of these on the auction website (and many other airport tugs and vehicles).

If you can get a baggage trailer, too, they'd be the golf cart for the man who has everything.

Caddy, bring me the approach wedge.

The Calloway.

No, the 2018 Calloway.

No, the one with the blue grip. It's softer.

Posted by: mikeski at November 14, 2026 05:42 PM (VHUov)

7 I wonder if you could convert one of those baggage tugs into a decent garden runabout?

Posted by: FeatherBlade at November 14, 2026 05:43 PM (C0Nlv)

8 Wouldn't that be funny if Sam the Super Skelton was determined to be the remains of some Native American peon who Lived In Harmony With Nature?

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at November 14, 2026 05:44 PM (McHc8)

9 The other thing I've ordered recently were two LED flashlights, a Wuben C3 and a small Nicron with a mag base that will go onto the fridge. I still have another Wowtac A7 from 2020 that I keep in the bedroom.

The Wuben will go into the car's glove box for emergencies at night. I had another rechargeable in there, but some clever rat stole it earlier this year and substituted a non-rechargeable. I call it "The Changeling" and am buying some new batteries for it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 14, 2026 05:46 PM (56Qyq)

10 About ten years ago I was looking to buy a used armor truck . I thought I'd have fun turning it into a post apocalyptic vehicle. Unfortunately my job got in the way and I abandoned the idea.

Posted by: polynikes at November 14, 2026 05:47 PM (OXhw3)

11 There's a place not too far from here that is out in the middle of nowhere with a great view of the mountains. It has a Waffle House (not the chain, this place looks like a chalet), three separate mini golf courses, a driving range, a sit down restaurant and a large snack bar.

I bring it up because they have been buying Fire Engines for the last 50 years at salvage, gov auctions. They turned the fire engine into a ride for families (mostly kids). They have a 5 mile private road that goes up into the hills and back. You get to check out the wildlife (mostly herds of white tail deer and various hawks/ eagles. It's Free. Just part of the set-up to make it a nice family friendly place to visit.

Oh, and the owner has his own dairy farm. All dairy products are produced on sight (ice cream).

My only interaction with salvage sales may or may not count. Unclaimed Freight was how I furnished my abode all through college (and a little bit beyone).

Posted by: Orson at November 14, 2026 05:47 PM (dIske)

12 Charlatte seems to command the market in the world of baggage tugs.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at November 14, 2026 05:47 PM (McHc8)

13 Had the privilege to hear a cattle auctioneer live one time. Amazing. How can they talk so fast? Mexican Coca Cola?

Posted by: H at November 14, 2026 05:49 PM (tZXW+)

14 Re: the SW speeder . . . When I was a kid, nearly every grocery store had one of those mechanical coin-operated horses with Western saddle that I could ride. A big enough store would have one inside. Amazing how much our culture has degraded, that the very idea of leaving your kid out for a few minutes to play in front of the store is now an occasion for some Karen to call Child Services.

Not to mention, if we still had those horses, a five minute ride would cost $1-$2 now, instead of .10.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 14, 2026 05:51 PM (56Qyq)

15 Good evening hobbying Horde. Thanks for being here!

Posted by: TRex - airport tug driver dino at November 14, 2026 05:52 PM (XfIK1)

16 Not really a hobby but I do enjoy watching Musk shoot and catch rockets. Watching catch the Starship a while ago was one of the coolest things I've seen in a longtime. He's not just a genius, he knows how to put on a show.

Posted by: JackStraw at November 14, 2026 05:53 PM (viF8m)

17 16 Not really a hobby but I do enjoy watching Musk shoot and catch rockets. Watching catch the Starship a while ago was one of the coolest things I've seen in a longtime. He's not just a genius, he knows how to put on a show.

Posted by: JackStraw at November 14, 2026 05:53 PM
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Agreed. And they already know what happened to the booster and know how to fix it (or the fix was already contemplated in the next one). Engines burned a little rich on the way uphill so computers were concerned it didn't have enough fuel for the landing burn.

Posted by: TRex - heat shield dino at November 14, 2026 05:55 PM (XfIK1)

18
From the top picture it's clear that-

Ace's Meat Harvesting from his hobo kills has reached a new high water mark.

I stand in awe, sir!

Posted by: naturalfake at November 14, 2026 05:56 PM (YSUhf)

19 Unclaimed Freight was how I furnished my abode all through college (and a little bit beyone).
Posted by: Orson at November 14, 2026 05:47 PM (dIske)

---------

You rich guys with your fancy "abodes." I spent my college years living in a lean-to covered with leaves, and I dreamed of one day sleeping in a hogan.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at November 14, 2026 05:57 PM (McHc8)

20 Supper over
Not one much for auctions, but have seen lots of bargains so probably worth it to look in on it

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2026 05:59 PM (Ia/+0)

21 I haven't bought anything new in the shaving line in a long time.

The same is pretty much true of pipes and pipe tobacco. I have plenty of the latter stashed, and plenty of pipes. Already I've bought the classic shapes that appeal to me, sometimes two or more in the same shape. Now I concentrate on long-vanished vintage pipe brands with a good reputation: Marxman (I have one that might be as old as I am), Orlik, Colossal, Butz-Choquin, Dr. Grabow from the 1930s or 1940s, etc.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 14, 2026 06:01 PM (56Qyq)

22 >>Agreed. And they already know what happened to the booster and know how to fix it (or the fix was already contemplated in the next one). Engines burned a little rich on the way uphill so computers were concerned it didn't have enough fuel for the landing burn.

Did you watch the livestream on the SpaceX account? The camera views of the rocket descending were incredibly clear. Guess it helps when you have your own network of satellites.

I grew up with NASA and I don't think anyone even considered reusing rockets. Amazing stuff.

Posted by: JackStraw at November 14, 2026 06:04 PM (viF8m)

23 Miss Linda and I were going to walk over to the Chik-Fil-A near our complex. She says we've earned enough points for one free meal. I'll walk quite a way for a good free chicken sandwich.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 14, 2026 06:05 PM (56Qyq)

24 All of the plumbing under the sink is back together.
Poured 38 oz of water in the drain and waiting to see
if it comes out in the pantry. If it's still dry the amount
will be doubled on and on until, hopefully, it stays dry.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at November 14, 2026 06:07 PM (jU8k8)

25 From the top picture it's clear that-

Ace's Meat Harvesting from his hobo kills has reached a new high water mark.

I stand in awe, sir!

Posted by: naturalfake

More efficient than ants.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at November 14, 2026 06:09 PM (Ta4DE)

26 Another of my pastimes is taking care of my Buick LaCrosse. Now that the weather has improved, and presuming it doesn't get hot and humid again or rain, I can wash the car thoroughly this week, clay the horizontal surfaces to remove contaminants, and hand-wax the whole car. It's a big vehicle, so to do it right and not wear my muscles out, I usually do it over two days.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 14, 2026 06:10 PM (56Qyq)

27 I used to go to a lot of farm auctions. You could call them surplus auctions because the farmer didn't need the stuff any longer.

Posted by: Ronster at November 14, 2026 06:13 PM (QQf1O)

28
Not to mention, if we still had those horses, a five minute ride would cost $1-$2 now, instead of .10.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

Meijer still has Sandy the pony. For a penny.
Pennies may be hard to find though.

https://t.ly/P0PmN

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at November 14, 2026 06:16 PM (Cqx++)

29 Did you watch the livestream on the SpaceX account? The camera views of the rocket descending were incredibly clear. Guess it helps when you have your own network of satellites.

I grew up with NASA and I don't think anyone even considered reusing rockets. Amazing stuff.

Posted by: JackStraw at November 14, 2026 06:04 PM
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Yep. Game changing stuff. Amazing that the starlink system can show high quality and stable live shots of the ship in orbit and descending from orbit.

Posted by: TRex - starlink dino at November 14, 2026 06:17 PM (XfIK1)

30 27 I used to go to a lot of farm auctions.

Posted by: Ronster at November 14, 2026 06:13 PM
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These are in our future...

Posted by: TRex - pretend farmer dino at November 14, 2026 06:18 PM (XfIK1)

31 NASA did consider reusing parts of rockets early on but found out that when a really really hot rocket engine was dunked in salt water, what is left isn't worth even looking for.

Posted by: pawn at November 14, 2026 06:19 PM (Ytebf)

32 Awesome Space X video at TGP.

Played "Baby Come Back" while docking. Totally awesome.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at November 14, 2026 06:20 PM (Ta4DE)

33 I have picked up a few tools at farm auctions

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2026 06:21 PM (Ia/+0)

34 Still waiting for a surplus Ontos to show up.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 14, 2026 06:22 PM (XeU6L)

35 Please also avoid turning this thread into commentary on the government's imprudent management of resources or how many things fall off the back of trucks or otherwise become "lost."
======

It ain't lost pal, its "found."

Posted by: San Franpsycho at November 14, 2026 06:22 PM (RIvkX)

36 Ritchie Bros has a big place between Dayton and Columbus on I-70.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at November 14, 2026 06:22 PM (Cqx++)

37 Waiting for a calm morning outside to melt some led scraps I have. Make another ingot getting impurities out

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2026 06:24 PM (Ia/+0)

38 The government autions at space centers are sometimes loaded with really great stuff. A friend of mine walked away with a pallet of Cornelius kegs for around a hundred bucks. Sold them to local homebrewer supply stores for a couple of grand.

Posted by: pawn at November 14, 2026 06:26 PM (Ytebf)

39 I used to enjoy browsing American Science & Surplus site. Lots of neat stuff, including European military items.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 14, 2026 06:28 PM (XeU6L)

40 A slightly used rocket would be nice to have

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2026 06:32 PM (Ia/+0)

41 >>Played "Baby Come Back" while docking. Totally awesome.

That was a nice touch. What a fun place to work.

Posted by: JackStraw at November 14, 2026 06:33 PM (viF8m)

42 I almost bid on a commercial food dehydrator on Proxibid last week, especially when I realized it could be a couple of grand for a $7,000 unit. Just, it was really late in the bidding, I would have had to ask my Niece's husband to set it up in his shop, and I would have had to arrange shipping.

It is not really a surplus site, it is a place a lot of auction and estate places use to sell lots of stuff that is surplussed. I recently bid on a .58 cal replica matchlock there.

Posted by: Kindltot at November 14, 2026 06:33 PM (rbvCR)

43 40 A slightly used rocket would be nice to have

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2026 06:32 PM
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I bet people would pay a lot of money for a used SpaceX gridfin from a Falcon 9 or booster.

Posted by: TRex - starship dino at November 14, 2026 06:46 PM (XfIK1)

44 The Ship catch was just awesome. And it streamed high quality video of the entire reentry. As it was coming down over Mexico, lots of footage of the ground below.

Starship is so big that leaves a little "hole" right above and behind in the plasma of reentry, and that's enough for it to transmit video, and at high bandwidth, to the Starlinks orbiting above, which then send it back to the ground. Seeing reentry in real time is just awesome. And it only peaked just a little under 2g during the whole process according to the display. So a pretty gentle ride down.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at November 14, 2026 06:50 PM (w6EFb)

45
Small capsules, like Apollo, Orion, and Dragon can't transmit through reentry like this. They aren't big enough and don't make that nice little clear hole for any signal to get through. The ability is to get data through like this is a nice side effect of Starship being so honking YUGE.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at November 14, 2026 06:52 PM (w6EFb)

46 Hope he left some skid marks as that whale passed over China.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at November 14, 2026 06:53 PM (jU8k8)

47 Some cool stuff on this thread. I'm still trying to focus on rehoming 'perfectly good stuff that I'm never going to use' and hauling the 'why did mom, dad or myself hang on to this? to the dumpster or scrap metal place down the road.

I used to watch those hoarder episodes on TLC once in a while 15-20 years ago. It was A) 'hey at least we are not nearly that bad' plus B) 'but I better watch it or that could be this place in 10-15 years'

Posted by: PaleRider at November 14, 2026 06:54 PM (PV+Zw)

48 They need someone to remove the pallets more than they need to make money.

Not a single one of You People has yet suggested fire?

And you could buy a fire truck just in case...

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at November 14, 2026 06:54 PM (PgV1+)

49 https://tinyurl.com/ymfpr8ss
Short video of games from Fall In HGMS convention last Saturday, that I missed as well.

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2026 06:57 PM (Ia/+0)

50 Used pallets came up at work yesterday, as lots of stuff gets delivered with them. Used ones are worth a few bucks

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2026 06:58 PM (Ia/+0)

51 Good one Dino.
We may have a surplus fire truck in our yard at work.

Posted by: scampydog woods are winning at November 14, 2026 06:59 PM (WTmBO)

52 I used to burn pallets in a wood stove in the shop. They burn nice and hot but too fast, and are a pain to bust up. The pieces are good for getting some bigger logs started though.

Posted by: fd at November 14, 2026 07:00 PM (MWfyi)

53 51 We may have a surplus fire truck in our yard at work.

Posted by: scampydog woods are winning at November 14, 2026 06:59 PM
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Save it for me!

Posted by: TRex - lights and bells dino at November 14, 2026 07:00 PM (XfIK1)

54 My neighbor takes home pallets from his job and burns them in his fire pit. Pallets are nice to stack hay on. Even with a hay shed the ground is often wet enough to get some rot on on the bottom bales. When mom had our big hay shed that could accommodate stacker loads she asked the stack hauler for advice and put down river rock. The rock has settled some now, so I try to get some 2x4s down before hay is put down. If I were faster and stronger I could use pallets now that I switched to buying 3x3x8 bales and get extra protection from moisture, but for now the 2x4s do enough in our arid area.

Posted by: PaleRider at November 14, 2026 07:01 PM (PV+Zw)

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