Possible job, need some opinions and advice please :)

So, my brother works for a lawn equipment place. He said they have mucho scrap sitting around and the guy that used to buy the scrap (he had a scale in his truck) hasn't come around any more. I don't know how much a lb. he paid for it but he paid straight steel price for it all (riding mowers, decks, etc.)

Anyways, he talked to his boss about my doing it for them now. However, with not having a scale in my truck, the guy would have to trust that I'd give him the money after I broke it all down and got the weights to give him his percentage. I figure if I loaded a couple mowers on my trailer at a time and filled my truck with *only* steel items I could turn and burn a day at a time and return with his percentage and a copy of the ticket weights. I could move a couple loads a day this way for him and this also lets him get to know me and see that I am trustworthy.

Where the problem comes in is trying to guess aluminum deck weights. I'd have to take my laptop with me and look them up if possible and give a guesstimated price for them if I didn't get them broke down that day - some of those just take some time you know? He'd have to trust my giving him steel weight price for them once I get them broke down and weights on what I turn in. I DO know of a scale at a place in between us that sells gravel and mulch but I do not know if they would let someone come in off the street loaded with mowers and weigh me. I'd also have to get an empty weight first. Do those places do that for people does anyone know?

Now, my brother told me that the first load is going to be 80/20 in HIS (owners) favor because there are 1 or 2 loads he already paid his mechanics to break down and wants the stuff gone and the money for it. After that is removed it would be 80/20 in MY favor at steel price for everything else he is willing to part with.

I haven't gone yet to see how much he has or wants gone, I am going on Thursday to talk to him. He wants someone he can rely on. I am a little mmmm.....suspicious about that first load in his favor thing though, I would basically only be making my gas money back pretty much and maybe even lose a bit after taxes are figured in.


My questions:

1) Would the 80/20 HIS favor 1st run thing turn YOU off from this job? Would it depend on supply of future loads? Do you feel that is fair of him to ask or would you look at it as a ...''test'' of workmanship/reliabilty and overlook the off putting feeling it gives you at first?

2) Do gravel/mulch places offer weight options for someone like this? Has anyone ever done that before? Even if they charged me to weigh (no clue lol) it would still be worth it I think in the long run if supply is guaranteed and plentiful.

The 80/20 split on the first load would be rough, but if it got you in the door..... As far as after that, if he doesn't want to get paid off the scale ticket I would walk away. I buy by rated tonnage or by eyeballing the load to be picked up. The only thing I use a scale for are refrigerants.

I do know that gravel pits and grain elevators has certified scales. Around here the guys that race circle track stop at the local elevator to weigh their truck/trailer.

How long has it been since the guy last bought from them? The pile could be large just from lack of someone bringing it to the yard. Once you take it all, how quickly will the pile refill? I mean it could be like 1 mower a week and some misc parts, ya never know

i have a great set of scales i got for 25 dollars on ebay...they are the size of a set of bathroom scales..they weigh up to 345 pounds...they are great...i use them for large ebay packages..when i started buying escrap items from locals i found the scales needed to be bigger... i just cut a good size square platform from a piece of plywood and i set it on top of them...they are very accurate..ive never had them more than an ounce off, and an ounce is no big deal when dealing with steel and aluminum....

you may want to browse ebay and see about high capacity portable scales...just make sure the model you get has a detachable screen..if it doesnt it is sometimes hard to read your scales when you have large or bulky items on them

jw, that is my concern as well. However, even if this is just going to be a huge summer job to get rid of what is already there I figure it would be guaranteed income for as long as it takes and then I'd get anything else he ever has. I could work there until its time to do my regular scrap routes. His shop is actually less than 10 miles from home so its not that far out of the way if it were ever only just one riding mower and I could also incorporate it into my route, its already on my Monday route actually. My brother said there is a full barn but like I said, I haven't seen it yet. I could have him call me when there is a full truck/trailer load to make it less time and space wasteful.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wadarbr549

i have a great set of scales i got for 25 dollars on ebay...they are the size of a set of bathroom scales..they weigh up to 345 pounds...they are great...i use them for large ebay packages..when i started buying escrap items from locals i found the scales needed to be bigger... i just cut a good size square platform from a piece of plywood and i set it on top of them...they are very accurate..ive never had them more than an ounce off, and an ounce is no big deal when dealing with steel and aluminum....

you may want to browse ebay and see about high capacity portable scales...just make sure the model you get has a detachable screen..if it doesnt it is sometimes hard to read your scales when you have large or bulky items on them

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Wow, this sounds like a great deal and easy too! Thanks!

Well in my opinion I would buy the load. By eye balling it and giving him a price.now if you don't have the knowledge or money than I would ofer him a 50/50 split, you are doing all the work and increasing the value on the whole load. He would do much better that way and he would not be taking advantage of you, there is a reason the guy that used to do it is not doing it any more, the owner of the scrap sounds to me to be a greedy person, really 80/20 and you do the work, sounds to me to be a great deal for the other guy
I wish I had a dollar for every time some one told me give me so much for this load and then the next load we would work out another deal, Don't sell your self or your time to short, Some times the best deal is a deal you pass on.

If you need more options on scales, fertilizer dealers, feed companies and farmers' cooperatives also have certified scales. The ones around here charge $5 per load to weigh, so you have to have a good load to be worth it.

The scrap yard that came to my house had a battery-operated scale in the truck bed. Looked a lot like my electric scales in the house. He said it cost a little over $100.

I would have to agree with 1956... 110%.

No way I would ever do an 80-20 split.

Ha Mick I just wanted to add that in Florida I don't know about where you are but legally the scale a dealer buys from has to
be Legal for Trade certified not like a bath room scale.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 1956

Ha Mick I just wanted to add that in Florida I don't know about where you are but legally the scale a dealer buys from has to
be Legal for Trade certified not like a bath room scale.

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That's the way it's supposed to be here, too. It's just that we do things a little differently here in Maine. Lots of business is done on a handshake.

Besides, it was HIS scale.

How large are these mowers? Would you have to weigh each one individually if you had a portable scale? Will he be there watching it get done? Are they full of fluids? Is he expecting you to weigh them first? I would try and do a price for the load. As for the first load of broken down ones, no way 80 / 20. I would say 50 / 50. And then after that you have a close idea what the first trailer load weighed. Use this number to give your best guess. Then 80 / 20 based on youe estimate. Good Luck

If you can do more than one load a day, I would get him to a 70/30 deal and a 30/70 deal on the next one. That way at least you don't lose money and have a good chance at picking up the client.

Are you breaking the mowers down at his shop? How well are you breaking them down? How much much time does it take to break down a single mower to the point you want it? Are you paying him different prices for steel, alum, stainless, batteries, spark plugs, ect? How much scrap does he generate in a week and in a month? Will he consider taking a base price per mower? Those are a few questions you'll want to have answered if you take on this job.

I don’t know newattitude ???
Two things about this brought up RED flags for me.

80/20 in his favor for the start sounds like he’s looking to profit at your expense. :(

the guy that used to buy the scrap (he had a scale in his truck) hasn't come around any more.
Did the guy die or wasn’t making any money because of being lowballed by the boss???

or did he get lazy an stop? Or did he just up an move? Lots of reasons why the old guy doesn't do it anymore. No need to think in the negative about it. My one thrift store used to have someone come by, guy just stopped doing so. No reason for why. He did the same thing I did, picked it up, an moved on with his day. Should I be worried? Cause if so..I don't think I will be, cause I'm doing good with my thirft stores.

Guess my point is...Just cause a guy dropped a client/route, it doesn't mean it was a bad reason why he stopped doing it. for all we know he retired, or you all could be right. This annoys me just like questions on partners. Just cause they didn't work for you, doesn't mean everyone will be screwed over by having a partner. ;)

If it's an 80/20 split, pick it up, haul it to the yard as is, an give him his cut. When it goes to your favor, take it home, break it down, then hit the yard. I see no issue here, unless your telling him you'll break it down an increase the profit margin.

Once again folks..what works for one, may not work for another. I have a partner in some of my scrap. It works for me. Mick an Mech both had partners an it ended badly. Jord could get a partner tomorrow, an there is no telling if it'll go my way or the Mick way.

This is why I use..YMMV a lot. It might work for me, an it might not work for you. Not selling on ebay works for me, but not for some of you.

As always...YMMV. oh, an good luck NA, keep us informed an at worse, you can walk away from the deal down the road if things don't go as you think they will.

Sirscrapalot - Renting soap boxes, 3 dollars per minute of rant, inquire within.

Another question. How does your yard buy the engine blocks? By me it coult be Dirty Alum $.25 a pound or Aluminimum Transmissions for only $.15 a pound.

they actually buy them as steel

Most certified scales will give you a weight ticket for $5-10. Best to call ahead of time instead of just showing up.

I sometimes use a portable scale that is NOT certified. I don't represent it as anything other that for my information not that of the customer. In other words I use it as a way to make an educated guess of how much I should offer. My customers understand that I am not using my scale in a way that would require it to be certified. Mike.

Thanks for all the input everyone! I go talk to the guy tomorrow.

First, I am going to see how much product he wants scrapped out, not counting the first ''clean up'' load. IF its a huge amount, I will tell him the first load will have to be at least 70/30 since I'm loading it all as well as driving it to the yard and unloading it myself. Even the 80/20 split wouldn't be bad if it contains aluminum, brass and batteries. I would probably agree to 80/20 if thats the case, otherwise, it will have to be a 70/30 split if its mostly steel. Steel is hella harder to load and unload!

ABuilder - thats what put me off and gave me the hinky feeling. I mean, so what he already paid his guys to break it down? IMO, HE should then have carted it to the yard. not my fault it didn't get done.

Good Luck & stand your ground. ;)

whelp. After careful consideration and no binding contract I decided to pass on this offer. There was nothing standing between my taking HIS first load in at his profit and my pulling into his driveway and him telling me ''sorry, changed my mind.''

there is a reason (sorry Sir) that the last person stopped showing up.

Good call New...don't lose any sleep over it now that you've decided, you always seem to be able to fill the truck regardless. Ball's in his court now and maybe he will step up.

Not surprised..I didn't know that at the time of my post. :p So someone can still file the advice for another day. Ha ha!

Go with your gut is what I always say.

Sirscrapalot - I don't have credibility, I'm a comedian. - Dennis Miller

Sorry you agonized over this for so long but glad you ended up at what sounds like the right decision!

Not to toot my own horn, Some times the best deal is the deal you did not make. Or something like that. To many scrapers do not value there time the right way it cost to much today to work for FREE!!!!!