Quote Originally Posted by jennija View Post
Hey all, new to the forum, I've been scrapping in the summers and off and on throughout college, started abut two years ago and its amazing how fast you learn, and how many people have you running all over town to pick up metal! word of mouth really helps! I love scrapping, Im currently in school for a business degree and if it was possible, someday I would love to be able to recycle metal full time, working for myself. Now, i know in this business, to make money, you have to make sure your costs are as LITTLE as possible! (gas tools time being key) now my question is about my work truck, a 1991 mazda b2600i 4x4. This has been a great truck and is my second mazda, LOVE these trucks because they seeminly run forever.....I NEVER have to put any money into this thing, it just keeps puttin along. That being said, would it benefit me to get a larger truck?? the way i see it, yes my mazda is has smaller bed capacity, but the way i see it, im saving a ton on gas! I get around 19 mpg in town.....worthy trade off for lack of hauling space?? or would the bigger truck help more?? thanks!
very dependent on how much weight you haul around.

I drive a 94 dodge ram 3500 Cummins 12v diesel. It's also a dually. If I were to turn the pump back down, I'd get around 20 city, 23-24 highway. Not bad for a 6500# truck. This is meant to be my tow pig for my 4x4 off road rig, but it's also my DD for now.

I would avoid a gasser with a larger motor if that becomes a major factor in your scrapping, a 6.0L chevy typically gets 10-13 no matter what you do to it.

If you were to pick up a diesel on the cheap, and do your own wmo setup (waste motor oil), you can beat the snot out of a gasser for price. You have to be able to find the WMO though, and build a dedicated setup for filtering and mixing. I'm planning to build one, but I haven't gotten that far yet. Mainly because I haven't found a location to do it (currently renting).

If you have problems filling up the mazda on a run to the scrap yard, I wouldn't invest in a bigger truck. If you have a problem with it overflowing or a collection run, I would look for a bigger truck, or a small trailer.



Hope this helps you out to some extent. You really need to factor in your daily miles driven into the whole ordeal. I can help you break it down if you throw some #s out there.