Waldos are so twee
December 27, 2018 12:37 PM   Subscribe

Could you light two disposable lighters with a forklift? Could you do it if they're sitting on eggs?

If that's not tricksy enough, try it with an excavator: The Easy Way | The Hard Way
posted by Johnny Wallflower (15 comments total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
Yes. Well when I was a kid and had to move around crates into very constrained aisles.
posted by sammyo at 12:49 PM on December 27, 2018 [1 favorite]


So, uh, those lighters' safetys have been disabled?

Why even bother with the hardhats!!!?
posted by notyou at 12:59 PM on December 27, 2018 [9 favorites]




I spent 9 years driving a forklift in a paper mill, within confined spaces. I have zero desire to do it now, but I have no doubt I could have accomplished any of these tricks. Do anything for 12 hour shifts, day after day - you'll get pretty good at it.
posted by davebush at 2:46 PM on December 27, 2018 [6 favorites]


Don't forget the classic prepare a hot dog with an excavator video (which raises the "what is lettuce doing on a hot dog?" question, too). I've never spent a lot of time around forklifts, but I know several excavator operators who are easily good enough to do any of the precision tricks in these videos.
posted by Dip Flash at 3:01 PM on December 27, 2018 [5 favorites]


TIL that I have once again underestimated the depth and breadth of MeFites' skill sets.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:54 PM on December 27, 2018 [5 favorites]


I have to do forklift training and re-certification for my work in January. Guess what the practical exam is going to be??

(I am definitely going to make them watch this as if this is how they are going to be tested, just to see who's paying attention)
posted by Fig at 4:14 PM on December 27, 2018 [9 favorites]


Can't find the link now, but reminds me of the "open a bottle of beer with a helicopter" show I saw a few years back.
posted by Meatbomb at 5:09 PM on December 27, 2018


Could you light two disposable lighters with a forklift? Could you do it if they're sitting on eggs? 

Step 1: Attach flamethrower to forklift.
Step 2: Drive forklift within a few feet of disposable lighters.
Step 3: Light flamethrower with third lighter (not the disposable kind).
Step 4: Drive slowly forward until disposable lighters explode and eggs are cooked to preferred doneness.

What?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:03 PM on December 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


Paging Captain Disillusionment.
posted by es_de_bah at 6:51 PM on December 27, 2018


Saw the first vid, and thought about a mate who used to brag about picking up a 20c coin with a forklift.

Showed the vid to the SO and they immediately said: "That beats the shit out of picking up coins, no?"
posted by pompomtom at 4:05 AM on December 28, 2018 [2 favorites]


You know how, when you pass a highway construction zone, there will be two guys working, and about ten more standing around? Well, those two are digging the hole, or whatever, and the other ten are making videos of astounding feats using their backhoes and things.
posted by beagle at 6:54 AM on December 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


It is a saying that a good trackhoe operator could use it to give you a shave. Having spent part of my career watching them work, I almost believe it.

Like someone above said, you use a piece of machinery all day every day you get pretty good at it.
posted by lordrunningclam at 7:38 AM on December 28, 2018


Neat!

There aren't a whole lot of cultural interests I share with oil field contractors, but a passion for watching beautiful excavator stunts makes up for the rest of it. I'm grateful to have spent enough time with them to learn about such things. One can easily waste an evening watching excavator stunt videos.

I'll challenge anyone to a contest to see who can make the trickiest wirebond or hand-solder 0402 components most cleanly. But, both lack the *wow* factor that accompanies using ten thousands pounds of steel to do something delicate. The temptation to buy a chunk of land in the middle of nowhere and an excavator to play with in my retirement is very real.
posted by eotvos at 4:07 PM on December 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


Whatever you do, don't show this to Klaus.
posted by wordless reply at 10:29 PM on December 28, 2018 [2 favorites]


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