Scrappers

[MaxMan]

Out where we live there are a number of people who drive the neighborhood before the garbage collection days and on weekends who look for things to collect to salvage whole or part or sell to recycling. I have met a few of them just from being out when they were circling. Once I helped a guy about 5'4"" thin but very rugged get a stove I threw out into the back of his windowless E 150 van. He said he might get about $8 for it.
Anyway amazed me kinda. Yesterday I finally got my old HD 120 out. Had many many hours and the tranny was shot deck rusted, had a few patches. Starter acting up. Anyway about a year ago I said forget it after failing to fix the tranny myself. A got a new mower. But never got around to putting this one out. Anyway finally got it out about 3 PM, This morning when going to church about 8:30 it was gone. I'm glad one of these guys got it and not the dump. Probably a boring post but may it's needed after what's going on in the Concealed carry/politics thread.

 

[hittman]

They couldn't scrap that Harley here without a clean title!

 

[MaxMan]

They couldn't scrap that Harley here without a clean title!

My wife took pity on a couple of scrappers that came into her drugstore on a regular basis. Anyway, when our AC conked, I thought I would give them the old one rather than have the installer haul it off. Come to find out they couldn't scape the AC with a note from me and a copy of some ID. Aint gonna do that. So they had to chop it up into unrecognizable parts as A/C part and scrap it a little bit at a time.

 

[hittman]

Yep, ID required in many areas. And with things like A/C gotta certify no Freon left in it to pollute the air.
Govt makes it hard to scrap stuff and still whines that too few recycle items.

 

[MaxMan]

Yep, ID required in many areas. And with things like A/C gotta certify no Freon left in it to pollute the air.
Govt makes it hard to scrap stuff and still whines that too few recycle items.

Your tax dollars at work. Sleep well tonight.

 

[Dan in MI]

I know some scrappers and a scrap buyer. You can thank thieves for the ID requirements. When they take a whole reel of wire from the power company and turn it in somebody needs to pay attention. No one did until the ID requirements kicked in.

 

[Mobuck]

Couple of years back I walked into a salvage/scrap/recycling place, asked a few questions about documenting purchases in a 'not so discreet fashion', and half the 'dudes' standing around waiting to sell catalytic converters exited the back like rats in a grain bin. Business owner just shrugged and said "Oh, they'll be back as soon as you leave. Most are in here 3-5 times a week". Another time, I was cruising the backroads looking for a questionable address when I noticed an old pickup and 3 grubby looking guys at a remote building where 3 derelict compact cars were parked. Ten minutes later as I cruised past again, one of those cars was on it's side and they were cutting off the converter. I called my friend the county Deputy and waited up the road a piece. The guys were almost finished cutting the third converter off when a Deputy pulled in blocking the exit.

 

[Watertender]

My neighbor was mowing the lawn when the mower ran out of gas next to the street. He left it there and walked to his garage to get the gas can. By the time he came out of the garage there was a curb buzzard loading his mower onto a truck. He hollered at the guy and the guy said he thought it was there for the taking. My neighbor asked the guy if he noticed that the mower was still hot and the grass was being cut.... It takes all kinds...

 

[Slyk Willy]

I don't mind the pickers around here. I've assisted some in putting things I've discarded into their vehicles too. I just have to be careful regarding WHEN I put stuff to the road so my next door neighbor doesn't grab it and decorate her yard with it.

 

[Watertender]

I don't mind the pickers around here. I've assisted some in putting things I've discarded into their vehicles too. I just have to be careful regarding WHEN I put stuff to the road so my next door neighbor doesn't grab it and decorate her yard with it.

My brother in law used to have several old toilets in his yard for flower planters. His wife finally got fed up with it and made him get rid of them.

 

[Slyk Willy]

I've seen many toilet planters around here. Many other yard decor include old tires. Bonus points if they're BIG tires.

 

[contender]

I don't drive around looking for scrap to haul away. But I do try & scrap the stuff I no longer need myself. In essence,, I try to recycle as much as I can. But I have been known to hit a couple of my friendly contractors dumpsters WITH THEIR PERMISSION for material they are scrapping. Often,, a cut off board, older but still very usable lumber etc has been recovered & repurposed. And when doing that,, if I see metal stuff I can easily get & recycle,, I grab it too.

I look at it like &'m trying to reduce the landfill waste,, or reusing stuff myself,, or selling a load of scrap to be recycled. But when I go to the scrap yard,, I often find lead or maybe other materials I can use here. I've been known to sell scrap,, then buy other stuff,, and it has cost me money to go to a scrap yard.

 

[hittman]

My daughter set at the curb a pretty nice loveseat she had no use for.
Put a big FREE sign on it hoping to help somebody out,
It sat there about a week and even got rained on twice.
I told her to put a sign on it with $20.00 printed.
Yep …. Somebody "stole" it later that day. LOL.

 

[Kevin]

I've gotten some nice stuff from the curb. Such as a solid mahogany dresser that I refinished and is absolutely beautiful! Or things like brand new lamp shades.

And we have those guys around here looking for metal scraps as well. Sometimes their pickups are loaded far far too heavy. Looks like an accident waiting to happen.

 

[buckeyeshooter]

Back when my father was alive, last century, he had a refrigerator go bad and he bought a new one. The company he bought it from wanted $50. to take the old one away. He said, "watch this". He had me move it to the end of the driveway and put a sign on it..... For sale $100. Next morning, we got up and look outside.... gone. Someone took it away for him. (stole it).

 

[epags]

My brother in law used to have several old toilets in his yard for flower planters. His wife finally got fed up with it and made him get rid of them.

I've seen many toilet planters around here. Many other yard decor include old tires. Bonus points if they're BIG tires.

My town is kinda divided into an affluent neighborhod and a pretty poor one. On Saturdays the yard/grage sales happen and bargin hunters and scrappers are out. I have put two toilets (different times) and a kitchen sink out on the curb and within 2 hours they are gone.
A neighbor used to sit in front of his garage watching traffic go by.....went into the house for something and came out to find the chair was gone.....happily I had several old folding chairs and he was back in the watching business wthin minutes. LOL

 

[foolslife]

I have in laws who are "dumpster divers". They go behind stores in the late night/early morning hours and search for "good stuff" thrown away. Their home is stacked with boxes of "good stuff" with very little room to walk thru. They also do domestic "curb runs" to find things homeowners put out to the curb. Never really understood it, it's like an addiction to them.

 

[WanderLust]

Favorite story like this was a family friend who had to sell off the estate items when his parents passed away. After 5 straight weeks of "Yardsale This Weekend" he was tired of trying to get the last bit sold. My dad told him to go there one Friday evening and stack everything on tables, cover them with sheets and leave a sign saying "Yard Sale Tomorrow'". Around noon on Saturday he drove over to check. They had taken everything on the tables, most of the tables themselves, and even took the Yard Sale signs! Mission accomplished.

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

They couldn't scrap that Harley here without a clean title!

Can be sold as parts, though....

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

My son is a contractor, and can do anything himself if need be. When he does a demo, he brings me all copper and brass. I process it to make it worth more ( These metals have different levels of value. unstripped copper wire is worth maybe 50 cents pound. Stripped wire ( the copper in which has to be pure by law) is called Bare Bright, and goes for $4.37 a pound today. If I clean up pipes removing tarnish and paint it becomes #1 copper ( can't get bare bright pipe) at around ?$3.60 a pound instead of a dollar and change. I do this in my spare time in my shop, TV on, cold fluids in the mini fridge. We split the money. Not a million dollars, but thousands per year.

All that being said, I too hop in the truck and pick, but more for items that I can use myself. Got a beautiful firepit with stone edges last time. Looks brand new, price in store was around $180. It's just fun to find freebies.