Aluminum Types and best method to scrap.

I brought a pretty heavy load of aluminum to the scrap yard a month or so ago. A full pickup truck along with a trailer full.

HERE IS A GOOD QUESTION : THIS LOAD WAS CLEAN AND PREPARED LOAD, NO RUBBER, OR PLASTIC ATTACHED TO ANYTHING AND NO STEEL NOTHING A MAGNET WOULD GRAB ONTO. AM I WASTING MY TIME PREPARING THE LOAD ?????????????

It was a mix of aluminum hoods, aluminum fenders, a few allow aluminum wheels, some various aluminum plates from 1/4" thick to 1/2" thick. screen doors, lawn chairs and what ever, all prepared.
They weighed me on the scale then I dumped the material in a few different piles.
One pile had all allow wheels.
Another had screen doors and thin aluminum.
And the last pile was the heavier material.
They paid me for aluminum ??????
Why is it every time I go to any scrap yard I FEEL LIKE A NEW BRIDE?
They really don't tell you what they are paying you for until you are leaving the yard and your at the office.
Up until that point you are just weighing in and unloading and then going back on the scale for your tare weight.
Like everyone on her, we are putting in the time to collect, prepare and we want the max dollar for the load, but I feel I can't get there !!!!!

You're mixing aluminum types. They will apply the lowest value to the whole load unless you weigh and unload each separately. The car doors and fenders are Sheet Aluminum. The wheels are separate. The window frames may be Extruded Aluminum. And it sounds like there may be some Cast Aluminum in there. Do a search here on each type to learn how to distinquish them.

Yes, worth it to prepare your ali, dirty ali sometimes brings less that shred. (depending on the yard)
It is best to call ahead and ask what the prices are before you even leave the house, and if you have multiple yards in your area call them all.
When I lived in Jersey, the yard I used had no difference it their ali prices, one price across the board and it all went in the same pile. (prices were awesome)
Down here everything has to be separated, extruded (screen door frames), sheet (fenders, hoods), and cast. (prices are crap)
Your thick plate should go with extruded.

There is 2 yards I go to yard #1 and yard #2. #1 separates all aluminum and #2 mixes it altogether. I take my sheet and cast to get mixed because yard # 1 pays less. #2 don't care if there is screws as long as there is no plastic or wire, then its breakage. yard #1 I take my wheels, radiators, extruded, and steel because yard #2 mixes it all as shred and #1 buys it as clean with no plastic or garbage, shred, auto cast, and heavy. The stuff that goes to #1 has to all be cleaned (non-ferrous) but the price on wheels, radiators, and extruded is higher than the mixed price at #2

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Originally Posted by Ironhead

Why is it every time I go to any scrap yard I FEEL LIKE A NEW BRIDE?

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You can easily have that annulled, up until the point where it's already been consummated ; )

The mistake you made was when you went to the first pile after you unloaded,you should have went back on the scale or the yard guy should have told you to do that,that said I would not go back to them again,some times I go back to the scale five or six times, you separated the load for them and they paid you for all sheet nice guys

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Originally Posted by 1956

The mistake you made was when you went to the first pile after you unloaded,you should have went back on the scale or the yard guy should have told you to do that,that said I would not go back to them again,some times I go back to the scale five or six times, you separated the load for them and they paid you for all sheet nice guys

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True Dat!

Like everyone said separate your aluminum into the difrant types. diffrant type diffrant price. I allways ask the prices before I unload,if I don't like the prices or know I can get better price else where I'll leave. My .02