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Falling Scrap Iron prices

AllDodge

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2011
Messages
2,288
Location
Kentucky
I really need to get rid of all the stuff I have piled around. Have rails, pads, sprocket segments and bolts from replacing the 955 last year. Two grills, hot water tank, complete 3 tom AC system, and a 30 pounds of misc copper. Never have brought in large loads of iron and such.

Biggest thing I run into, is the guy which is close to me offers half or less then a guy 30 miles away. Could load in the dump truck and hope it doesn't get hung up coming out the gate, or load on my tag and pull with the dump
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,484
Location
Mo
Biggest thing I run into, is the guy which is close to me offers half or less then a guy 30 miles away. Could load in the dump truck and hope it doesn't get hung up coming out the gate, or load on my tag and pull with the dump
Some times its not clear were a guy can haul more miles and make it work.At one time i was going to the far away more money place with every load even if i didnt have a big heavy load in the long run it worked out. I havent been going out of my way to find scrap to haul but i got a call about some light stuff 2 loads . After i started i thought i should have turned it down but i was only 2 miles from a place i could sell it to so in the end i mayed $50.00 a hour and got 2 drills one i fixed the other i may have fixed wilwaukees free.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,484
Location
Mo
The price has come up some its around $135.00 a ton on car bodys. I was told it would come up some more. I started hauling i dont want to take a chance on it going up then have it go down. Now the price has went up my truck has a head gasket leaking antifreze to the out side about half quart every trip and the weather has turned cold.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,484
Location
Mo
If i know what was going to happen and it was going to be up i would buy a truck and trailer. I would like to get deeper or out of the scrap trade.
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Last time the scrap prices got real high the big recession hit. Gas prices also hit almost $4 a gallon. Scrap seems to be getting better money now days.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,484
Location
Mo
Last time the scrap prices got real high the big recession hit. Gas prices also hit almost $4 a gallon. Scrap seems to be getting better money now days.
It didnt fill like a recession to me i was thinking about a small safe to put in my pickup i had a problem takeing time to go to the bank. The $4 gas was a deal i made sure i had $200.00 on me every morrning to keep 2 pickups going.
 

old-iron-habit

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
4,233
Location
Moose Lake, MN
Occupation
Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
I am waiting for that $200 a ton for anything to come back. I have a half dozen big loads of heavy torching to get rid of. I have patience.
 

old-iron-habit

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
4,233
Location
Moose Lake, MN
Occupation
Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
Last I hauled a few years ago was to Pine City. I took a bunch of copper and aluminum to Duluth. I don't like going into Duluth with ugly loads of burnt up slasher truck parts and turret. I can take the old highway to Pine City. Also been checking with Mora. A friend got a premium there when he committed to multiple loads.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,484
Location
Mo
The price has come up i have been trying to haul 2 loads a week but as luck would have it theres alot going on and i dont want to buy more but every ones calling wanting to clean up.
 

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
Good thing about scrap iron is it aint perishable . If ya don't like the currant rate just wait a few years for it to come back .
 

catman13

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2011
Messages
435
Location
oregon usa
Occupation
refrigeration engineer/excavation contractor
got to be careful , store it to long and you loose weight from rust :)
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,305
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
Do you all have a suggestion for a web site where I could track the market rates? I have a lot of

Iron/steel
Copper
Lead

and a little

Aluminum
Brass
 

Wes J

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2016
Messages
649
Location
Peoria, IL
I've found that scrap prices vary wildly by location. I have a chum in northern Ohio near some of the larger steel mills. He consistently gets 50% more than I do, sometimes more.

There's 3 large yards in my area and we have a wire mill, but our prices are always lower than I hear from other guys around the state.
 
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