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Falling Scrap Iron prices
- Thread starter Old Doug
- Start date
Around here I get paid to remove it from where its at and load it up for the owner or else just pile it up. There is no money in doing the hauling what so ever. Excavator and thumb is by far the best way to handle the removal and sorting.
Vehicles are far too bulky and too little value to mess around with in my opinion, those also require a junking certificate to go with the vehicle, that means the hassle and time of going to the court house and taking care of the paperwork, that junking certificate needs to be in the name of the person doing the hauling, so title transfer and then the junking certificate is given, a complete money losing deal from start to finish.
Vehicles are far too bulky and too little value to mess around with in my opinion, those also require a junking certificate to go with the vehicle, that means the hassle and time of going to the court house and taking care of the paperwork, that junking certificate needs to be in the name of the person doing the hauling, so title transfer and then the junking certificate is given, a complete money losing deal from start to finish.
How far are you from a scrap yard? I am 30 to 60 miles they will take most cars without a tittle here . When scrap got high they want tittles them they only needed them if they were 10 years old or newer then it was 15 years or newer. If things go right i can make a weeks wages hauling in one day but there are weeks were it takes a week to make a days wage. When i get a diffrent job someday i will slow down or quit scrapping.
Some do but you always have people that make a buck no matter what. If they were harder to get off that mite help.
John C.
Senior Member
The sales of stolen cats could be stopped tomorrow. Just require the vin number of the vehicle that it was removed from on the sales receipt at the yard that pays for it. It's not like they are scrap copper. They are not fungible! Also include jail time and felony convictions for people caught stealing them. Right now stealing a cat is only a misdemeanor with a fine and the thief likely just goes out to steal some more before they see a judge, that is if they ever see a judge.
Theres to much creminal market to sell to. When i sell they price them off the numbers on the cat if i had a cat to sell and the scrap yard looks it up and its off a car 2 years old or brand new this should raise a red flag why is a 2 year old or brand new car no longer need its cat? The car builders could make it harder i have run across exhaust pipe that a saw wouldnt cut. Some are so hard to get to that getting it off is a job not something you would want to do in a parking lot.
The whole VIN and title idea is that, only an idea to keep thieves at bay and to attempt to avoid thefts of vehicles. Most vehicle thefts in my area of much older vehicles, those 70-90 vintage vehicles that nobody would miss in the first place. They are stolen and sold for parts and nobody will ever go looking for them due to the low value to begin with.
There was a rash of those vehicles stolen the last few years, the thieves are after the engines, transmission, transfer cases in 4x4's and axles, the rest is cut up so small and mostly rusted out anyhow, nobody will require any documentation to go with them. Its mostly whole vehicles that require a junking certificate, so if I were to load up a whole load of smashed vehicles and have the glass, tires, batteries and gas tank removed, I have to have provide a junking certificate to go with each vehicle.
This came about in several ordeals, first I loaded up a whole load of junk vehicles a few years back, was told by the guy who had them, none were road worthy and he was sick of them laying around and just take them. So after the drop off, and after going through the crusher, it turns out someone did have a valid title to one of the vehicles and he pressed charges against the salvage yard for theft and got paid damages for his truck, the person who told me to load it and haul it got paid directly from the salvage yard [I was paid to load and haul only] so I avoided prosecution. The second time around, a property owners widow hired me to load up and haul everything in sight to salvage, which I did, turns out her husband had willed with titles four of the vehicles I hauled in for the widow, those too were paid damages to the owner who possessed the titles, I again avoided penalty and prosecution due to only doing what I was told and the vehicles were not considered modern enough and late model enough to warrant a fine or jail time for theft of private property in my state.
In talking with the salvage yard, they'd had dozens of cases against them over the years and found out if they requested a junking certificate, they avoided the hassle of the whole deal, not to mention the costs associated with it all. If you can't provide the junking certificate, they won't accept the vehicle, also the check gets written out to whoever the junking certificate is in, not the one selling it to the salvage yard. All the salvage yards in my area are now requiring junking certificates.
I sit midway between four or five salvage yards, the closest being 20 miles the farthest being 70 miles, they all pay about the same, so we tend to take the closest one, depending on where I'm loading and hauling it from.
Those stealing vehicles to part out and sell the parts, only have to cut up the remaining portion of the vehicles and scatter them out over several loads and nobody will ever look at VIN numbers ever, nor go looking for a stolen vehicle that's been parted out in the first place, who will spend time to go look for a 1975 rusted out ford pickup worth a couple hundred bucks in its whole form, when the thief can part it out, make a few thousand and sell the rest for 50 bucks in scrap out of state where nobody is looking for the remains of a cut up 1975 smashed cab and flattened box from a ford pickup in amongst a semi load of scrap headed to the crusher minutes after it arrives two years after being reported stolen two states away and long forgotten about.
I make more money doing the loading and hauling and it also sidesteps the liability issues with stolen vehicles to a certain extent. The last few years, vehicles can be free to me and I won't accept them, I'll only take them if I'm paid to haul them for the person who's trying to give them to me and then only if I know the person really well. All the rest of the drama and crap involving anything titled I want to avoid completely.
There was a rash of those vehicles stolen the last few years, the thieves are after the engines, transmission, transfer cases in 4x4's and axles, the rest is cut up so small and mostly rusted out anyhow, nobody will require any documentation to go with them. Its mostly whole vehicles that require a junking certificate, so if I were to load up a whole load of smashed vehicles and have the glass, tires, batteries and gas tank removed, I have to have provide a junking certificate to go with each vehicle.
This came about in several ordeals, first I loaded up a whole load of junk vehicles a few years back, was told by the guy who had them, none were road worthy and he was sick of them laying around and just take them. So after the drop off, and after going through the crusher, it turns out someone did have a valid title to one of the vehicles and he pressed charges against the salvage yard for theft and got paid damages for his truck, the person who told me to load it and haul it got paid directly from the salvage yard [I was paid to load and haul only] so I avoided prosecution. The second time around, a property owners widow hired me to load up and haul everything in sight to salvage, which I did, turns out her husband had willed with titles four of the vehicles I hauled in for the widow, those too were paid damages to the owner who possessed the titles, I again avoided penalty and prosecution due to only doing what I was told and the vehicles were not considered modern enough and late model enough to warrant a fine or jail time for theft of private property in my state.
In talking with the salvage yard, they'd had dozens of cases against them over the years and found out if they requested a junking certificate, they avoided the hassle of the whole deal, not to mention the costs associated with it all. If you can't provide the junking certificate, they won't accept the vehicle, also the check gets written out to whoever the junking certificate is in, not the one selling it to the salvage yard. All the salvage yards in my area are now requiring junking certificates.
I sit midway between four or five salvage yards, the closest being 20 miles the farthest being 70 miles, they all pay about the same, so we tend to take the closest one, depending on where I'm loading and hauling it from.
Those stealing vehicles to part out and sell the parts, only have to cut up the remaining portion of the vehicles and scatter them out over several loads and nobody will ever look at VIN numbers ever, nor go looking for a stolen vehicle that's been parted out in the first place, who will spend time to go look for a 1975 rusted out ford pickup worth a couple hundred bucks in its whole form, when the thief can part it out, make a few thousand and sell the rest for 50 bucks in scrap out of state where nobody is looking for the remains of a cut up 1975 smashed cab and flattened box from a ford pickup in amongst a semi load of scrap headed to the crusher minutes after it arrives two years after being reported stolen two states away and long forgotten about.
I make more money doing the loading and hauling and it also sidesteps the liability issues with stolen vehicles to a certain extent. The last few years, vehicles can be free to me and I won't accept them, I'll only take them if I'm paid to haul them for the person who's trying to give them to me and then only if I know the person really well. All the rest of the drama and crap involving anything titled I want to avoid completely.
DMiller
Senior Member
Several scrappers here shred them as arrive as well no VINs are recorded unless accompanied by title so have no records to be attacked against.
Birken Vogt
Charter Member
I had a Toyota that had the VIN stamped about 50 places on the car, on the doors and I don't remember what all, even a trip through the shredder and you would still have several examples of the VIN sticking out like a sore thumb with that car.
Here parts on anything will not sell unless its 5 years old or newer, Driveline parts engines trans dont sell its to hard to swap one out and by then the body is shot. There was a good market on 350 Chevy engines for race cars but thats about dried up. I will not touch a rig that i dont know the true owner any more. I did get one that was left on a property i moved it to a storage lot and let it set then got rid of it i was lucky on that one. I did get in to a deal on a car that was at a rental house. The house owner couldnt get the owner to move it he wanted me to scrap it. House owner ask me several times over a 6 month time period. I went and got it about a hour later i got a call from the sheriff i dont think i had unhooked it from the wrecker yet. They wanted me to take it back he was in a house 50 feet from the last house. I stuffed that car full of old tires and took it back.
hosspuller
Senior Member
I hauled a load of nonferrous yesterday. Aluminum was between .60 and .90 a pound the #2 copper was $3.90 a pound. It was about 4 hours on the road i went the back way i had a alot of aluminum and it seemed to catch alot of wind alot of hills and my well used pickup made for a long day.
old-iron-habit
Senior Member
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2012
- Messages
- 4,233
- Location
- Moose Lake, MN
- Occupation
- Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
Our local scrap yard is buying all they can get ahold of, but they are not hauling anything out. They usually have one, sometimes two trucks running steady outbound with up to 6 loads a day. A good friend that scraps for a living says that prices are supposed to go substantially up in the spring, so they are all holding the iron for now. Guess we will have to wait and see.
I have said this before i wish i knew what was going to happen. I have had guys that have made money in the scrap business say it was going up then the bottom fell out of it. I probably will not get alot more hauled between now and summer any way.
colson04
Senior Member
All commodities are that way. Grain, minerals, raw stock, energy, etc. My grandpa sold grain in December of 2020 at $4.30/bushel and was very happy about that price at the time. A month later, future contracts were almost $6/bushel. I asked if he was upset, he said "No. It could have gone the other way and went to $3/bushel just as easily."
Three times in my career in the oilfield, we were busy as all heck with prices climbing and profits booming. And three times, everything came crashing down with massive layoffs, bankruptcies, and an extended period of low prices following the boom. As a fourth boom cycle is developing, I'm sitting here today, with an open offer to go, and I'm wondering if it'll be worth it. Time will tell. Make money while you can, and set aside for a rainy day.
Three times in my career in the oilfield, we were busy as all heck with prices climbing and profits booming. And three times, everything came crashing down with massive layoffs, bankruptcies, and an extended period of low prices following the boom. As a fourth boom cycle is developing, I'm sitting here today, with an open offer to go, and I'm wondering if it'll be worth it. Time will tell. Make money while you can, and set aside for a rainy day.
I am always thinking about how can they do that. There is a guy that has a yard less than 2 miles from a place he can sell to. He gets a good price there because he can buy scrap off the general public and resell to the yard close by. But he often ships cars 500 miles away . He hires the trucking when he does this. I guess if he makes $200.00 or more shipping them its worth it.
The price is up i almost have a load of #2 loaded . Tomorrow i will buy the tags and permit for my truck . I Hope it stops raining my brother is going on a trip so i can use his big skid steer and trailer next week. I can haul a load a day if its dry and maybe 2 loads some days.