When something you use every day breaks, you have a choice to make. Do you replace it, pay for it to be fixed, or apply a little good old fashioned redneck engineering and hope for the best? Well, if you’re the type of person who likes the last option, then here’s a list of 50 times when a little redneck ingenuity went a long way. Enjoy, and maybe even keep a notebook handy. You may just get a few new ideas!
1) High grade medical equipment.
Wait a dog-gone minute! That ain’t no scratch cone! This good boy looks like he isn’t all that happy about his recent surgery, so in order to stop him from scratching himself while saving a few extra dollars, his owner has come up with this ingenious (and fashionable) solution. Then when doggo is all better, he gets a sweet new hat with a special sun-roof.
2) Now that’s a multi-tool!
It’s not every day you see a wrench with this much…versatility. It turns out the purpose of the tool is in the eye of the wielder. IT seems like this little hole in the wrench gave it the ability to be used as a seemingly perfect lock bolt. You just need a little imagination.
3) One battery to power them all.
Apparently all you need is duct tape and a few extra wires to mix and match any old battery to whatever power tool you happen to need. As anyone could tell you, with duct tape you can do anything.
4) That’s great neck-xercise.
Well, that sure is one way to stay refreshed while you mow the lawn. I mean, I’ve seen beer helmets before, but this is something else entirely. One thing’s for sure; this would definitely be the best way to guzzle down the cold stuff while you do your yard-work.
5) That’s one way to do it!
Apparently, all you have to do is attach a water pump to a heat exchanger, and light a wee little fire underneath it. Then, voila! Before you know it, you’ll lounging around jacuzzi-style in your redneck powered heated pool. That’s a low-fi heating solution if I’ve ver seen one!
6) Where there’s a wheel, there’s a way
Who wants to go through all the trouble of replacing a single wheel, when nature is always ready to supply. Now, it may not be perfectly round, but for sure it’s…something! With just a little enginuity and some spare logs, you can just whip up a new wheel.
7) Wheelin’ away!
You’d think that it would be easy enough to attach a wheel where they normally go…the bottom. Apparently however, with a little lateral thinking, you can attach the wheel anywhere you like. You just need the technical skill to pull off whatever this is.
8) Spring has sprung
Well, this may not be exactly “safe”, but you do have to give some points for being inventive. I don’t know what the strength rating is on those rings, but this spring may be sprung again soon.
9) “No excuse for dirty hands”
We need ingenuity like this in the time of Covid, so that we can have hand washing stations at every street corner. Or maybe the sink is here, the toilet is on the next intersection, and the shower another street over.
10) Get a handle of yourself.
Well, better than just remaining inside, trapped forever is to fashion this MacGyver-style door handle. Sometimes, all you need is a section of wire to replace a piece of your automobile. Forget overpriced contractors, just keep some number 8 wire ready!
11) No tow bar? No problem!
What do you do when you get the boat you’ve always dreamt of, but you overlook the fact that you don’t actually have a tow bar? Well, you grab the nearest two-by-four and fashion up this monstrosity. It may be unsightly, but don’t worry! It’s also very unsafe.
12) Once again, it’s duct to the rescue.
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a hundred times. There is nothing you can’t do with duct tape. Exhibit a) turning a common household drill into an electric beater. Duct tape just simply cannot be beat!
13) Vape DIY
I’m not sure how, and I’m not even sure why, but this ingenious vaper decided to make a few adjustments to his rig. I’m not saying that having a giant light switch to use on your vape isn’t as effective as just getting a new one, but it does seem a little…cumbersome.
14) Clip off the old block.
As it turns out, you can save a few extra dollars by avoiding taking your busted laptop hinge in to get repaired. All you need to do is take an old bag clip and apply to the affected area. A little applied MacGyvering goes a long way.
15) Another inventive set of hinges.
If you wanted your replaced hinges to have a little extra pizzaz, you could always get a couple of old cabinet hinges to do the trick. I guess by the looks of it, it’s as easy as throwing a few old screws in and you’re good to go!
I was told I should post this here. The hinges are screwed into the battery. They’re lucky they didn’t blow up. from hardwaregore
16) A fetching alternative
Sometimes, you just got to do what you got to do. When what you’ve got to do is wear a mask in order to get down to the gym, that can mean that you have to find an alternative if you don’t have an actual mask. While I can’t verify how effective this mask is, I certainly hope he put it through the wash first.
17) No need to reinvent the wheel…
…especially when you can just rip one off of a shopping cart. Those wheels are notoriously prone to wiggling around, so I guess this one wiggled its way right off of a cart and attach it to a door.
18) Thrifty Thrifty Bang Bang
Well, it may look cool but I’m not sure how well it’ll do without a motor. In fact, the wheels on this bus seem a little less than attached.
19) Not to be mist
What’s better than a mist-station? A portable mist-station. What’s better than a portable mist-station? One that doesn’t cost real mist-station prices!
20) Yet another win for duct tape
Just when you thought duct tape had reached the limit of its capabilities, once again it steps up to the plate. From here it even looks like the duct tape is holding together the two halves of this car.
21) So what do you do when the duct tape is gone?
When the duct tape runs out, you’re just going to have to go back to good old fashioned ingenuity. You know what they say: when in doubt, close a precariously thin piece of string in your door to hold up a large piece of equipment in place…or something like that.
22) A ratchet set
I know these are technically wrenches but…still ratchet in another way. I guess it’s good to have cutlery that’s multi-purpose. So next time you need to drop everything in the workshop because it’s time for lunch, you should be using these.
23) Burn notice
What do you do when you burn your hand, but need to get out to the cinema ASAP? Just take the cold water bath with you of course!
24) Who needs the auto shop anyway?
If you’ve got a skill, even if it’s not the one you need for the task at hand per se, you can still find a way to apply it! This car owner put his woodworking skills to use in making his own bumper.
25) If it works it ain’t stupid
Everyone knows that Nokia phones can be nearly indestructible. Sometimes, however, they can prove to be at least a little…destructible. If you’re easily satisfied, you’ll love how perfectly this coin fits in the gap to keep this replacement battery in place.
26) No shade, but…
Now that’s using your thinking cap! This guy was halfway through his new poolside deck when he decided the heat was just too much. With a few planks of wood however, he managed to extend a platform for his shelter.
27) It’s not duct tape, but close enough!
I guess it doesn’t need to be duct tape! Perhaps the utility is in the eye of the tape holder?
28) Skewer sushi mat
I’m not sure if making sushi is necessarily a “redneck” activity, but if it were, guess what magical material is here to help you? That’s right: duct tape! With some of that good shiny stuff and a few skewers, you can make all the sushi you could want!
29) “There is a light and it never goes out”
When the unfortunate happens and your last light blows, it helps to have a decent supply of camping equipment. In theory, everything you need to survive should be in there, so keeping the essentials (such as light) close at hand is always a good idea. Or you could pop down to the store to pick up a new lightbulb…
30) The lap of luxury
Is this what the trailer park boys dream of when they picture living in luxury apartments? My guess is; yeah probably. This elaborate version of a trailer park is the next step on the property ladder. Also, it would appear, on literal ladders.
31) From gate to cage
At what point does it stop being a “gate”, and technically become a car “cage”? I guess this is some new gate/cage hybrid, you can open it right up, yet it wraps around half of the car. One thing is certain however, it ain’t stupid if it works.
32) A spit off the old block
What else would you do with a huge pile of chewing tobacco tins, but make a huge beer pong table? Two things that go really well together- chewing tobacco and a table full of cups to spit it into.
33) Wait a minute…
Something is slightly off about this tow truck. Maybe it’s the disproportionate sizes, or maybe its the fact that the truck itself was ripped from the chassis of a children’s electric car.
34) Maybe just call someone…
Well you gotta hand it to this country gal, she fixed the problem. A few concerns around health and safety, but hey that is pretty ingenious!
35) Take me to the river!
Do you have a spare cooler knocking around that you just don’t know what to do with? Well, why not hook it up with a bunch of old speakers, and turn in into a giant boombox. Apparently it easily floats down the river, although I’d be a little concerned about the electronic involved while being submerged in water.
36) Beef scented candle
What’s more American than eating a burger no matter what? This patriotic individual was so inspired by the 4th of July that he decided to make a tiny grill out of foil, a candle and a wee ball of burger. This is redneck excellence (…redneckcellence?).
For the fourth of July I decided to cook a burger with a candle because that’s my god given right as an American from redneckengineering
37) “Umbrella stand” is an “umbrella term”
When your umbrella is too short, you’ve gotta go back to the drawing board. Or, maybe rather the workshop. A few chunks of wood later and a new hole drilled, you’ve got a spiffing new umbrella stand. Now you’ve got room enough to swing a cat (not recommended).
Forgot I needed to buy one of those canopies. Had an old table umbrella that wasn’t tall enough to walk under. from redneckengineering
38) Exchange for heat, not cash.
Here’s another smart cookie with a mind for heat exchange. By running water through this modified fire pit, it heats it up ready for a lovely swim in the pool. Not only do you save on the cost of the heater itself, but you don’t have to pay for electricity to heat your pool water.
39) Just make the whole pool!
If you have already built your makeshift heater, but have forgotten that you don’t actually have a pool to heat, don’t worry, you can whip up one of those two. All you need is a tarp, a few plastic boxes and a bit of rope.
40) A little DIY on the AC
I don’t think I could say anything as flattering about this particular DIY job as this passionate Reddit commenter. “It’s tasteful in appearance with the added benefit of being readily-accessible from the fold-down bench in the rear. If repairing your van’s A/C system is too expensive (and that does happen), this is the way to do it.”-ihavenopeopleskills
41) Every penny counts!
You know those 3.5 mm audio jack adaptors that cost a few dollars? Well, if you don’t want to part with those few dollars, you can always just fashion your own. All you need is a cable-tie, and a little bit of soldering wire. It’s a little..ungainly, but if it works, it works.
42) Nice try, battery company!
There are two types of people in this world: People who believe the “only use the specified charger” warning, and people who do things like this. Once again, if it works, it ain’t stupid. In fact, it may even qualify as rather clever.
43) Getting crafty
You don’t need special leather, or indeed any extra materials to make a very, very fancy knife sheath. All you need is a creative mind, and a handful of household items.
44) Loosen up you big lug!
When you don’t have a good old breaker bar, you just have you use your noggin. Well, maybe your noggin, a wrench, a strap and a whole other truck. Then…no problem!
45) Another “cool” AC fix
You don’t have to hang an AC out of the back of your van to get a little cool air in a hot car. Just use a 100W converter to turn your cigarette lighter into an outlet for a house fan. Works a charm!
Had to drive 50 miles to the shop to get my car’s a/c fixed in 90 degree weather from redneckengineering
46) Hold that tyre would ya?
Getting a tyre off of a rim can be very difficult if you don’t have the tools. Of course, it doesn’t have to be if you have a knack for a little MacGyvery. You can just fashion one from an old car jack and a few blocks of wood.
47) A fitting replacement
Well, I don’t know what you have to do to break the rear door of your truck bed, but there’s always a simple or cost effective solution (sometimes both). This truck bed even has an appropriate headboard.
48) Can you handle this?
So…I can’t even tell you what went into making whatever this attempt at a door handle. I’m guessing a plastic coke bottle cap and some string. Hey, this may just be an art installation. A very, very creative art installation.
49) Top gear
When it’s time to shift gears (literally, not like…in life), you need a stick that won’t break on you. Breaking is for the parking break after all. If however it does break, make sure to keep a welder handy and a large, unwieldy piece of scrap metal.
50) The King of duct tape jobs
For our final picture, I present to you, the ultimate duct tape job. I would hazard a guess that this car is practically 60% made of duct tape. Even so, that’s not as much of a hazard as this absolute creature of a car is on the road.
Well, there you have it! Hopefully you’ll be inspired to do your own fix-em-ups the next time something breaks. Just remember, if you keep nothing else handy, make sure you’ve always got plenty of duct tape stashed away. You WILL need it!
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