East Kentucky Scapper

Hey everybody, I'm the new guy. I go by Retro on the CB radio, so that's the username I picked here as well. I was referred to this forum by Sidewinder. We live pretty close to one another, and have worked together on a couple of scrap metal jobs that were too big for me to handle by myself. I live in a rural county in eastern Kentucky. I served 6 years in the US Army, 1 of which was in Iraq, and received my honorable discharge in 2012. I also have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Upon coming back I've worked several different jobs, and haul off scrap metal to supplement my income, especially when regular work is scarce. Sometimes I use it just to have a little extra pocket money for the "extra" things I want.

I use a 1999 Dodge Dakota, 3.9L V-6, 5 speed manual transmission, 2WD, with 211,000 miles as my work truck. I have a toolbox in the back with everything in the world to help me load scrap metal, rescue cars, and generally get work done. I've got a CB radio in it with a 102" whip antenna that I use for communicating with friends and family members, especially while driving because it's a lot less distracting than a cell phone.

I enjoy hunting, talking on the CB radio, working on my truck, scrapping, etc.

The project that "really" got me into hauling scrap metal was a camper trailer my uncle used to live in. My uncle Earn died several years ago, and he lived the majority of his life way out in the woods in a small 16 foot camper trailer. The guy who owned the land, about 10 years later, told me that he wanted it moved, so he told me if I'd get rid of it and clean up for him, I could have the metal. So I cut the aluminum siding off, burned the wood and paper parts, and bagged up the insulation and glass to take to the local waste management people. When I got down to the floor, I realized that the frame of the thing was 2x4" C channel steel that was still in pretty good shape, even after sitting in the same spot for 30+ years, and the axle even still had grease in it and the bearings were in good shape, so I took a bunch of deck boards and put a fresh floor on it, put some brake lights on it, and turned it into a flatbed trailer to pull around with my truck for hauling everything from my riding lawn mower to scrap metal. That first scrapping project made me a couple hundred dollars in aluminum, and got me a trailer with an insanely strong frame that I've used ever since for all sorts of other projects.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself as the FNG. Looking forward to being an active part of the community, :-)

Welcome from the Dakota's. Thank you for your service to our country. It sounds like you got a great start in this "hobby" or "profession" which ever you select. When I started I thought it was a profession, but was having so much fun it became a hobby. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

Basically, Retro and I kinda have our "Own way of doing things" when it comes to scrapping.

We both recycle cans, etc religiously, and both will take a load of shred off for an extra few bucks.

Personally, I'm more of a "Get an old fridge, fill it full of random odds and ends and get a decent payday" type guy.

But as he mentioned, we've worked on a couple projects that 1 guy alone simply couldn't have managed (within the time frame we got the job finished) and have had 0 issues with money distribution.

Would be nice to have a few more scrapper friends to network with, and help everyone make some extra funds.

Welcome from Ontario.

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Retro, good to have you aboard and a wave of the hand from a lifelong CB'er in northern Ind. You might like to add your service info here;

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/off-t...roll-call.html

Done, :-)

I have 3 Cobra 148 GTL radios that I talk on, one in the house with a Solarcon (Antron) A-99 about 30 feet in the air, one in my truck with a 102" whip, and one in the Ford Taurus (family car) with a 36" Lil' Wil'. I've thought about getting one of those new Cobra 29 LXs because they look pretty sharp and have weather band, but I'm happy with my 148s, especially during daytime when skip starts rolling on 38 LSB. When talking skip I just go by 323. Maybe I'll hear you on the airwaves sometime. Skip between here and Indiana is kind of rare, but ya never know.

Welcome to the board i am in Louisville ky.

I heard there is all kinds of scrap in eastern ky

Originally Posted by Focker

Welcome to the board i am in Louisville ky.

I heard there is all kinds of scrap in eastern ky

Depends really. A lot of what I've been collecting is on family private property that has long been abandoned. Between myself, my dad, uncle, and a family friend, we own a little over 300 acres, and a lot of that "used" to be inhabited, and I've been finding 50 year old washing machines, cars buried in water-holes, etc.

There's plenty of people around here that scrap though, so it's hard to find publicly accessible land that hasn't already been picked to death. The other day when I sold the body to the Datsun pickup truck, I showed up around noon and there was 3 or 4 people in line to get weighed in before me. When I finally got unloaded and went to leave, there had to have been 50 people in line. T&B Recycling here in Salyersville bought and then closed Mr. Metal on new 460, so there's no competition within a reasonable driving distance of here. They still pay alright, but it forces everybody to go to the one scrap dealer left in the county.

BUT T & B had the best prices even when Mr. Metal was in. EASILY .20 more per lb on cans, consistently.

They also have a location in Louisa, and Allen, KY so we could expand; And drop the loads on the way home.

Not to mention, the yard workers are very helpful if you need a part cut out to sell separately; Or have a lot of plastic, they're MORE than leinient.

Originally Posted by Sidewinder

BUT T & B had the best prices even when Mr. Metal was in. EASILY .20 more per lb on cans, consistently.

They also have a location in Louisa, and Allen, KY so we could expand; And drop the loads on the way home.

Not to mention, the yard workers are very helpful if you need a part cut out to sell separately; Or have a lot of plastic, they're MORE than leinient.

Oh I'm not dogging on T&B, I love going to them because they're good people, but if I had been an hour later that day I sold the car body, I would have just had to turn around and come back another day cause' I'd have burned $20 worth of gas and a clutch pad inching down the hill toward the scale-house, lol.

how much do u get per ton?

Originally Posted by Focker

how much do u get per ton?

Really depends on what you bring. I don't think I've ever taken in a ton at one time. I've taken close to a ton (~1,800 pounds), but I just drive a little Dodge Dakota with a pull-behind flatbed.

Anyway, right now they pay 8 cents a pound for sheet metal. That includes any and all thin steel such as appliances, car bodies, any steel that does not otherwise qualify as #1 or #2. They used to pay 9 and 10 cents for that, but prices have gone down lately.

thats 160 per ton.I need to make me a trip there and buy some cars lol

yeah go get me about 10 lined up and i will pay you for everyone i get.Extra money for you and u don't even have to work lol

Originally Posted by Focker

yeah go get me about 10 lined up and i will pay you for everyone i get.Extra money for you and u don't even have to work lol

I could take you to 3 right now that wouldn't cost you a dime to purchase. The problem is getting to them, especially since I had to sell my 4 wheeler to pay the bills. Can't get to them with a regular vehicle because there's nothing but a 4 wheeler trail through the hills, and they're about a mile or so from the closest spot where you can get even a small pickup truck like mine. I mean if I worked like a dog I could have them cleaned out in 3 or 4 days, which would be well worth the money I'd make, but that would be a lot of walking back and forth with just what I could drag on a sled, :P I was using my 4 wheeler to haul pieces of them out on a small trailer, but I had to buy a new clutch master/slave cylinder for my truck and my regular job isn't paying me through the summer, so I sold the 4 wheeler.

i have a off road nissan pathfinder and a suzuki sidekick we could take one of them back there