Scrapping without a Pick-Up truck?

Hello scrappers. I have a silly question, but at the same time i know everyone understands. Right now i'm driving a Mercedes C-Class 4 door. And whenever i had to pick up scrap i just put the seats down and roughed it out. However, their we're times i had to leave alot of stuff behind because i had no more room left to fit in my car. And also their was times i had to turn down jobs completely because they wanted refrigerators and washers/dryers picked up and of course once again i had no space to fit them. So my question is, can i expect scrapping to support me full time? i don't have the money right now to afford a truck or van since i'm still paying my car off as a lease. Is their any other alternatives? P.S i'm from New Jersey.

Just an idea. Keep your present job until you can afford a truck or van. This will give you time to answer your own question. It is hard enough to scrap full time and survive, much less make a living. Even with all the equipment and two years advice from this forum, it would not be smart for me to go full time without a safety net. Just my .02 worth. Good luck on your decision and post the results. It might help another individual that might think this is the life style they want.

By the way, scraping in a Mercedes is going to cause you more problems than using a wagon.

If your car is up to pulling a small trailer consider that an option.

No way, Not here
I couldn't fathom making ends meet scrapping in a car.
Multiple, Daily trips would have to be made to keep up with the volume needed to support myself and family.Not enough hours in a day.
But I'm rural... and prices probably way lower.... and my bills are probably way different then yours.
It's gonna be up to you and your gut feelings on how much scrap $ you can get on a steady basis. Not scrap.. but scrap $ in total.
Thousands a month in scrap $... Perhaps one day :)

I have done some part time scrapping and when there was appliances then I would borrow a truck from a friend of mine. All I had to do was keep gas and oil in it and if it needed anything, I would tell him. The truck sat for months on end so I was at least keeping it running and lubed up. Occasionally I'd have to enlist the help of another friend. It was a gas hog tho, I'd put about half the load money in the gas tank (if it was tin,steel), cause it was a short bed. Not too many times did I have to turn down a load.

I now own a Ford Ranger with a 4 banger, it has the same size bed as the other one but will go to the yard on $5.00 worth of gas. But the Taurus is still my main pickup tool for a lot of smaller stuff.

I don't know how New Jersey is (Never been there), but here in Wyoming, you would need a truck or van.

I have an Audi A6 Avant as my daily driver. Even being a wagon, it wouldn't be large enough. I have a 1987 Chevrolet 1/2 ton, and I wish it was larger!

Cargo vans go for peanuts out here. You might look into that. Or, a trailer may be an option, depending on the car and your laws.

I'd use a trailer, we don't have large trucks in general, so most people have a car & use trailers when they need to carry extra stuff.
With a trailer you can leave the stuff on it at home & regain your car right away.
You can also haul people and the trailer at the same time.

To me, there seems to be a big difference between the USA & NZ concerning trailers.
I don't think its just fuel prices either.
And considering how you load trailers.........
We wouldn't get 3 blocks from home before getting pulled over by the Police & given a ticket for 'unsafe load'.......

Are there different rules for trailers over there, or in different states?
Any vehicle here can tow a trailer, you can hire trailers at gas stations. Over a certain size of trailer the have to have their own braking system.
For most of the time, such as shifting furniture, the trailer has a steel fence around the tray to hold the goods in.
You wouldn't be able to have a wooden fence around it as I have seen here.
Also, everything has to be strapped in, not just chucked in, but stacked and strapped in.

I scrap with a mid size car. However I have access to trucks and vans from family if needed.

Trailers are a very different thing here compared to other nations.

For example, my 2001 Audi A6 can legally pull a 1000# trailer here. In Europe, it's rated for 2100kg (4629#). In Europe there are a lot more manual transmission vehicles, but still....

In the USA, everyone uses trucks to tow. My 1/2 ton Chevrolet is considered a "Small truck" when it comes to towing.

But, towing with a car- here you'd be laughed out of the county for some reason.

Honestly if I didn't have a truck and trailers, I'd probably go out of business. However your question got me thinking. If I had to do it all over again from scratch without a truck, I would rebrand as an electronics recycler and go for all the small bits that could fit. At one point when my truck was down, I used my Grand AM to pickup a literal basement full of old PC parts. Lots of good stuff in there, wire, batteries, boards, even old PC towers with the Pentium Pros. :) If you can't scrape $500 for a beat up truck, keep it small then. Also as a bonus tip, seriously go out on Craigslist and buy the best runner $500 can get you. When it kicks out, you can scrap that truck for roughly your purchase price and buy another. That way your actual investment toward the vehicles comes out be more like $100.

Everyone who replied to this thread, you're opinions and personal experiences are very helpful. Thank you all and if anyone else wants to share on this plz do. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

I'd use a trailer, we don't have large trucks in general, so most people have a car & use trailers when they need to carry extra stuff.
With a trailer you can leave the stuff on it at home & regain your car right away.
You can also haul people and the trailer at the same time.

To me, there seems to be a big difference between the USA & NZ concerning trailers.
I don't think its just fuel prices either.
And considering how you load trailers.........
We wouldn't get 3 blocks from home before getting pulled over by the Police & given a ticket for 'unsafe load'.......

Are there different rules for trailers over there, or in different states?
Any vehicle here can tow a trailer, you can hire trailers at gas stations. Over a certain size of trailer the have to have their own braking system.
For most of the time, such as shifting furniture, the trailer has a steel fence around the tray to hold the goods in.
You wouldn't be able to have a wooden fence around it as I have seen here.
Also, everything has to be strapped in, not just chucked in, but stacked and strapped in.

---

And to answer you're question i'm not really sure yet what the laws and rules are for towing a trailer with a car? i do know as of right now i don't have the tow hitch on my car or if it's capable of having one if i do put a hitch on it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SparksTheScrapper

And to answer you're question i'm not really sure yet what the laws and rules are for towing a trailer with a car? i do know as of right now i don't have the tow hitch on my car or if it's capable of having one if i do put a hitch on it.

---

It's legal, as long as you're under the manufacturers gross trailer weight number. For example, my Audi could legally tow a 900# trailer (Loaded weight).

Check on your year/make/model to see what's possible.

Some cars have pretty large capabilities. For example, the 1992-1996 Buick Roadmaster can legally tow 5000#.
http://sierranevadaairstreams.org/me...nn-astream.jpg

People may look at you differently, but I'd have no problems with using a Roadmaster for towing. How else do you tow stuff while sitting on your couch?

I have a 2000 Ford Taurus wagon and that's hard enough scrapping out of. I can't imagine using anything smaller. Like others have said, use Craigslist. Its the easiest way to find a beater van for dirt cheap. I've bought 2 ton trucks on there for less

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SparksTheScrapper

Hello scrappers. I have a silly question, but at the same time i know everyone understands. Right now i'm driving a Mercedes C-Class 4 door. And whenever i had to pick up scrap i just put the seats down and roughed it out. However, their we're times i had to leave alot of stuff behind because i had no more room left to fit in my car. And also their was times i had to turn down jobs completely because they wanted refrigerators and washers/dryers picked up and of course once again i had no space to fit them Tow Truck Service. So my question is, can i expect scrapping to support me full time? i don't have the money right now to afford a truck or van since i'm still paying my car off as a lease. Is their any other alternatives? P.S i'm from New Jersey.

---

Hey there, It's not a silly question at all—it's a common challenge for many scrappers! Given your current situation with the Mercedes C-Class, transitioning to full-time scrapping might be tough without the proper vehicle. Large items like refrigerators and washers/dryers are essential for maximizing your earnings, and unfortunately, your car’s limited space restricts you from taking on those lucrative jobs. One alternative could be renting a truck or van only when you need to pick up larger items. Some rental companies offer hourly or daily rates that might be manageable. Additionally, consider partnering with someone who has a suitable vehicle and split the profits. This way, you can expand your hauling capacity without the immediate expense of purchasing a new vehicle.