metal from the sticks - Page 4

Congrats the county got a great partner in you.

I highly recommend you take the refrigerant course offered on the forum.

I did take a refrigerant course from the local community college and got certified. Later i took the forum's course and learned far more about the use of equipment and what to buy etc.

The very least you will get out of it is a more complete understanding of the process which will help you decide if you want to be directly involved.

73 and mazel tov(yes I googled the spelling), Mike

Originally Posted by RagnBone

So if I read it right they're handling the refrigerant side of things and you're just handling the scrap itself?

I won't ask for actual numbers, but are you paying a flat rate per ton or is it broken down by category, ferrous, non-ferrous, etc?

If you're not dealing with the environmental side of things then that sounds like a fantastic arrangement you've scored for yourself! If you can avoid handling all that then you're in good shape as that sounds like a tremendous amount of material to be processing for a one man operation.

Congrats Patriot!

I do not know numbers but the land/lease agreement started back in the 1800's and typically gives the owner of the land 1/3 of the profit and the renter gets 2/3 and is responsible for all expenses. With this arrangement on land, the renter pays for seed, fertilizer, labor, fencing, etc. In my case I pay all expenses to sell the metal which includes hauling, labor, gases for torch, saw blades, etc. I will break down the air conditioners, pull motors, and sort non-ferrous which the owner (in this case the community) will get 1/3 of the profits.

The big advantage is the ability this provides for better pricing, I will get a better price for trailer loads of the same commodity because the scrap yard will only have to handle it once. The average load coming into a scrap yard includes a little bit of everything. It is unloaded in one place and then sorted and placed in specific piles to be prepared for shipment. When you bring in an entire load of water heaters they can unload it and put it directly into the shredder and bale it as the same commodity. A better example is electric motors. I bring in entire gaylords of electric motors that the yard knows they only have to load onto the truck and weigh once because they are properly prepared. Typically these end up going to a pile after being weighed to pay the customer, sorted, placed into a gaylord, reweighed, and then loaded. The amount of labor the yard saves is reflected in the price. If a scrapper knows this, they can negotiate a better price than even the business price we expect.

Originally Posted by Patriot76

Thank you to those that read my posts. My intent is to share what I am doing, hopefully to help others and solicit ideas on how to improve my operation. Any and all input is appreciated.

Wow. Just read through this. I feel the same as KzScrapper about hearing about metal from the sticks.

In the short time I have been here I have found your posts are very inspirational and helpful. Congrats on the new contract Mike!

I have my sights on a new tool that could replace my torches. Right now access is limited to the military and emergency services. When it is available to the public it will change the scrap game as we know it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/wond...ing/vi-BBng5zh

Many threads question whether it is worth breaking down specific items. Typically responses include it depends on individual variables (which are different for each situation even with the same scrapper) and what your time is worth. Many of us use the same strategy even though we may not realize it, regardless what our primary choice of scrap is. Once I admitted this strategy, my life has become easier. Time is the one variable we all deal with so the answer to this question is the time available.

The strategy starts with a general pile of scrap. If you do not have time the pile grows until you run out of room. Then it must be sold as is to make room for more valuable items. At this point it might be sold as a dirty non-ferrous load. If business is slow I start with the most valuable objects and sort into major categories. I prepare as time permits and when it must go it might be sold as aluminum breakage, dirty or # 2 copper, dirty brass, insulated wire, etc. As time permits it will get broken down into AU cast, AU sheet, AU extrusion, etc. or # 1 copper, yellow/red brass, # 1 or #2 copper, etc. At each level additional money is being made, but the opportunity costs might be higher and the net profit per hour lower. But I have the time and I am still making money.

With low prices and an injured wing, I am breaking things down into the smallest part. What use to be a gaylord of electric motors is now being broken down into copper, aluminum, and prepared metal. # 1 and # 2 copper tubing and wiring has already been separated. Next I will turn to the tubs of aluminum breakage and sort out the easier items. The more time I have, the more detailed my work becomes. I might even get to the point of stripping wire starting with the largest and working my way down. You might be doing the same thing without realizing it. Once you admit it is a strategy, the question of whether it is worth it to scrap is easy to answer.

I went back to respond to a concern raised in a post about the issue of politics being discussed. The thread has been deleted (as far as I can tell) which is good because this response will be in my thread and only those that are interested will read this.

First the author assumed it would fall on deaf ears which I can assure them it did not. I am guilty of referring to politics and their effect on the scrap business for there is a fine line between politics, economics, and scrap. When that line is defined on the forum, I will adhere to the guidelines. I have been careful not to interject my personal beliefs while providing documented information or questions to the subjects raised. The exception is when our country or veterans are attacked. Although I have held back in my responses out of respect for the forum these were definitely political statements.

I agree politics should be limited on this forum but suggest another topic area be created to include the impact politics/economics has on scrap metal prices. It is hard to talk about one without including the other. If this is not to be considered then maybe we need to remove the off topic discussion area. Although I enjoy the jokes, quotes, and even the goats, they very seldom have anything to do with scrap metal. Once again I am only questioning where the line should be drawn, not drawing the line. That is the advantage of a democratic republic, let the system decide.

I have a great deal of respect for the moderators although I am not sure who is serving that role. It is a tough position and no matter what they do, some of the members will think they made the wrong decision. I would offer the same advice I gave parents when I was in education, if you think you can do a better job, step up to the plate and volunteer. I cannot take this position because the next anti-American post will get me fired. I promise future posts will focus on rural scrapping.

I was just answering a question on another thread and remembered the value of the forum. We have many that read our threads and do not offer input. Their gain is limited to the information members are willing to share. Few on the forum share all their secrets and those that take and do not give get valuable information, but not always the entire story. Then there are those that have joined the forum and the information shared in the members only section is more valuable. The problem is this area has not reached it's potential. One advantage that few realize is in the members only area you can ask questions and not expect an answer of "read the old threads." I see it as members providing access to the information sought similar to the role Mechanic use to serve.

The real benefit of active membership is the ability to private message specific questions to the experts. I have done this several times and received detailed information that has not been shared on the forum. Actively participating on the forum opens many doors and provides unlimited networking opportunities. While traveling I have personally met several members of the forum and on one occasion a member helped me out in a tough situation. To this day they want to stay anonymous and I cannot share the story.

The point of this post is to highlight the additional benefits of giving back to the forum. You never know when your efforts will pay heavy dividends.

Time for an update. I officially took off my sling last Wed. and could drive. I thought this milestone was over a month before and needless to say, I did not follow directions. Today I picked up an old pickup from one of my earlier cleanups. Since prices are still low breaking things down further is the strategy. Hope to fill the tub trailer with prepared for a trip to the yard this week. Anyway it was a good opportunity to show how a vehicle can be broken down. If prices were good they would be hauled in whole.

Many individuals talk about only taking things worth resale value and easily accessible wire. This is the method I have found to be the easiest and fastest. First the fender is removed from the drivers side where most of the wiring is located and it allows easy access to the hood area without bending over.



After an hour and a half this is the result, most hoses, electric motors, wiring, and radiator have been removed.



All lugs and wheel nuts (except three) have been removed. When I am hauling whole I leave a few on each wheel which are removed at the yard. The wheels are 8 bolt 16 in. wheels which will provide additional spares for the trailers. Oil from oil changes of equipment is used on the threads to loosen them up before removal. Once the nut is loosened the back side of the threads get a coat of oil and the nut is tightened to ensure a coat of oil is on all threads then they come off easier. If the nuts are not loosened in the morning I will heat them up with the torch to allow the metal to expand to make it easy to remove them. You can do the same thing with a soldering torch.



The next picture is of the non-ferrous taken in an hour and half although it still needs to be cleaned up. This will wait until the truck is completely scrapped and moved to a trailer.

Originally Posted by Patriot76

Few on the forum share all their secrets and those that take and do not give get valuable information, but not always the entire story. Then there are those that have joined the forum and the information shared in the members only section is more valuable.

The real benefit of active membership is the ability to private message specific questions to the experts. I have done this several times and received detailed information that has not been shared on the forum. Actively participating on the forum opens many doors and provides unlimited networking opportunities.

The point of this post is to highlight the additional benefits of giving back to the forum. You never know when your efforts will pay heavy dividends.

If I weren't such a newbie I'd give back more valuable info. I would be lying if I were to say I've held back nothing cause I have learned a few tricks of my own that I haven't found on here related to how to acquire scrap metal on CL.

However, i've tried a few times to share what little I have learned from my experiences but most recently I was basically told what I said was BS, despite the fact that I personally witnessed it and would have nothing to gain for lying about it here.

I am very grateful that there are people like you here on this forum. I hope to run into a few people on these forums that live in my neck of the woods.

Originally Posted by SKWrapper

If I weren't such a newbie I'd give back more valuable info. I would be lying if I were to say I've held back nothing cause I have learned a few tricks of my own that I haven't found on here related to how to acquire scrap metal on CL.

However, i've tried a few times to share what little I have learned from my experiences but most recently I was basically told what I said was BS, despite the fact that I personally witnessed it and would have nothing to gain for lying about it here.

I am very grateful that there are people like you here on this forum. I hope to run into a few people on these forums that live in my neck of the woods.

First do not take things personal on forums because you never no who is on the other side of the screen. Some of our members have never scrapped a day in their lives, but because of search engines become experts. Your recent example of scale accuracy is legit and the more you read and learn first hand, the more this will become an advantage for you. They say you should never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins. Even at that you can not do it with his feet. Point is do not take anything on the forum personal.

I spend a great deal of time in Colorado because my family lives there. Some day I hope to meet up with you.

Trick that is used to save ware and tear on a transmission, brakes, and hitch is to leave the jack down until you finish loading the trailer. This allows machines or vehicles to be rolled onto the trailer without the truck having to deal with the stress. This also works on bumper hitches for snowmobiles, atv's, etc.

The truck project was delayed for a few days because of wind and fire danger. There was a thread that talked about scrapping a military vehicle. I made a recommendation based on my preferred method. After gutting the engine compart the vehicle is rolled to its side to access the bottom. This picture shows removing the truck frame as prepared partway through the process.



The rest of the main frame was torched, the aluminum transmission was separated from the motor, and the bolts that held the propane tank cut so it rolled away. This truck had a modified propane fuel system and contained a great deal of copper tubing. The starter, oil filter, oil plugs, and alternator were removed from this position. The truck was separated into three pieces including the flat bed, cab, and motor for easier loading.

Earlier the local city dump project was discussed. These are pictures of a years worth of metal that will be removed by another scrapper with a portable bale machine. After that it will be my responsibility.

During the high winds another project was tackled. The header on my scrap shed had rotted and the roof was about to buckle. A steel beam replaced the wooden header and this was a challenge with a one man crew. The use of two skid steers, one to raise the roof and a second to set the header. A railroad tie was used to brace the roof and the two supports in the second picture were removed at completion. The header is 16' and supports four rafters. I will be long gone before this header fails.





Wanted to add the steel beam was scrap and the railroad tie was obtained on a scrap deal.