Delia and I went to an auction yesterday in Tower. It was one of the biggest I’ve ever been to. I can’t even describe how much stuff this guy had. There were two rings going at once and it still took 7 hours. Delia was soooo good. She and Eli sat and watched Yellow Submarine on her DVD player, and then they met another little boy. The three of them played really well together – climbing on rocks, making bird nests in the woods, etc.
There were 150 boat motors at this auction. Hundreds of traps (the guy made them). Hundreds and hundreds of tools, and often 5-10 duplicates of each. Trailers full of collectables. Boats. Heavy equipment. And lots, lots more.
I ended up spending just under $200, and man did I come home with some stuff. I got about 8 power drills, a circular saw (which I gave to Bryan), and a jigsaw, all for $6. I got several staple guns and a hammer stapler, a bunch of squares, chalk lines, hack saws, a lot of pulleys, a soldering iron, a ring compressor, some air guns and tire fillers, filter wrenches, telescoping magnet, a wood burning kit, and some other stuff, all for about $25. I wanted the pulleys specifically to teach Delia about mechanical advantage.
I got a nice grill for my tractor for only $5! However, I also had to take a big bucket of chimney dampers. There are probably 20, and I have no idea what to do with them. I really lucked out on that one. I was up with one ring and happened to walk down the hill to the other ring right when they held it up. I was amazed nobody bid, so I waited until they got down to $5, and I got it. I also picked up a trap shooting thrower and a spinning target.
I missed out on a collection of small vices and a great little bow and arrow for Delia because I was too slow. I also passed up a few things that I’m regretting now, such as front tires for my tractor, and a garden cart.
I also got two big things: an old Wards Powr Kraft 230 amp stick welder (60s vintage), and a 1979 Suzuki 185cc dirt bike! I haven’t fired up the welder yet, but it appears to be in good shape. The bike was my choice of about 5 for $100. I could have had more, and probably should have bought them and resold them. I opted for the dirt bike over the other road bikes, because none had titles and weren’t running, so I figured a dirt bike that I could ride on our property would be a better deal if I couldn’t get it licensed or if it proved unreliable. It was quite an impulse buy, and I regretted it at first, but I quickly got over it, and now I’m thrilled because it started right up when I put some gas in it! It runs great, especially considering that it probably hasn’t been used in years. It has lots of power and runs great once you get going, though I need to keep the choke half closed and it hesitates a bit low down. Nothing a little carb cleaner can’t solve. Other problems: It floods while it’s sitting, so the inlet valve is bad. The electrical system (except for ignition) isn’t working. The front brake cable is broken, and the speedometer doesn’t work (the cable is fine, but the gear on the wheel isn’t turning). It sounds like a lot of issues, but it’s actually not bad at all.
On the plus side, most machines I buy don’t run right off the bat like that! The tires are good, and the shocks are great. The gas tank isn’t rusty. Everything feels good and solid. The transmission works great and the shifting is right on. The seat and plastics are in great shape. The tank is supposed to be blue, but somebody stripped it at one point. Given a day to work on it, I could probably fix all the problems.
After the auction, I took Delia to Fortune Bay for dinner, swimming, and the arcade. She had a great time, and so did I. She was such a good girl, and I’m so excited to have such a great auction buddy.