Look what I found!

So I was taking a walk in a forest near my house, and I came upon a small stash of mixed metals. It looked as if someone had torn down an old shed or something because there was some other construction debris mixed in. So I piled it up and planned on getting it on the way back. I kept walking along an old road and pretty soon I came across a rusted out washing machine half buried in leaves. So I dragged it out onto the road and hoped I could find a way to possibly get a truck up there to get it. I kept going along the road untill I saw some more metal stuff. This was where I got excited. I saw some other stuff half buried in leaves, such as some iron alloy sheets and other miscellaneous items. They were on a hill, so I climbed up the hill and was starting to pile it all up when some other stuff caught my eye. I kept climbing the hill and found even more metal stuff! It was mostly rusted out iron with a bit of aluminum. This was in a field and I could see for about a mile before a large hill blocked my view. For the next 1/8 mile, all I could see was metal stuff near the tree line. I couldn't believe it. This was when I was just starting out scrapping and I considered 20 lbs of mixed metal a good day's haul, so you can imagine how I felt. I wasn't even bothering to pile it up and sort it at this point. I just wanted to see what was there. In total, I found 2 rusted out water heaters, some chain link fencing, an old 55 gallon barrel, an old CAST IRON SHED, about 6 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 5 feet in length (and about 1 ton), and several other things. There's about 2-3 large truckloads of stuff there. Over the next few days, I found the remains of an old car (it looked like some stuff had fallen off when they took the body) and a solid metal bathtub. Now all I have to do is find a way to fit a truck in there. I'm not carrying it the 3/4 mile back to my house.

Hey if someone got all that stuff up there at one point, then it is not impossible to get it out.
There has to be a way to get your truck closer.

Just an update on some other stuff I found up there:

I was up there again today for maybe 3-4 hours. At first, I didn't find anything and some guy came and yelled at me because I was on "private property" (I never saw any signs, swear to God). I was walking back home and out of the corner of my eye, I spot an entire car, just sitting there in the trees. I go down and check it out. It was in pretty bad shape. I was hoping it was maybe fixable and would possibly be a good first car for me, but it wasn't even close. Most of the under the hood contents were gone, except the engine block. I found the steering wheel about 50 feet away (it got some distance when the car crashed!). The doors were falling off and so were the tires. It's downhill about 100 yards from the nearest path, so I'm hoping to get a really long chain and a truck to pull it out. The hill isn't that steep, so it shouldn't be that hard. I made sure there were no houses around and that it couldn't possibly belong to anyone. Anyone know what a small sized car would go for as scrap? I'm not planning on sorting it out much, just putting it in general scrap.

On a side note, I'm hoping to get some if not all of the scrap that i mentioned in my first post to the junkyard on Wednesday.

Word of advice just because you found a old car in the woods don't mean it dosn't belong to someone your orginal post was great but then your second post beats all if I am understanding you correctly you went to this place in the woods and found all this stuff {1st Post} then in Second Post you was yelled at by the Owner.
now in {2nd} post you found a Car and you Said {I made sure there were no houses around and that it couldn't possibly belong to anyone} So if that is your train of Thought no houses around so it don't belong to anyone. So I guess if I break down on the highway and leave my car along the road and there is no houses around it is Yours for the Taking? I don't see you being in the scrap business long Maybe in Prison.

Thats just my take on it though.

I gave it some thought after i posted that last post and decided not to take the car because of legality. It's a shame to waste it, but it isn't mine.

Originally Posted by Scrap man

I gave it some thought after i posted that last post and decided not to take the car because of legality. It's a shame to waste it, but it isn't mine.

Just to play devil's advocate:

"Abandoned property


Property is generally deemed to have been abandoned if it is found in a place where the true owner likely intended to leave it, but is in such a condition that it is apparent that he or she has no intention of returning to claim it. Abandoned property generally becomes the property of whoever should find it and take possession of it first, although some states have enacted statutes under which certain kinds of abandoned property – usually cars, wrecked ships and wrecked aircraft – escheat, meaning that they become the property of the state"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost,_m...doned_property

The laws really do vary by state, but I'd encourage you to find out what the local laws are in your area.
I'd also encourage you to learn how to locate the owner of a property via tax records.
In the case of this car- it's already been stripped and/or deteriorated to the point of it being scrap. So if they're no VIN or license plate to track, you could contact the owner and see if they care if you remove it.

If it's not on private property, and is on a public right of way, there may be different rules that apply- like finders keepers.

Originally Posted by vamped400

id check with the land owner and see what they say. im sure (some of them) wont have a problem. this is how i find all my metal by walking around in the woods. i just come back at 1 or 2 in the morning with my fourwheeler and my snowsled trailer and pick it up, call it stealing or whatever you want, but i call it cleaning up the town and putting money in my pocket.

95% of this was found in the woods of exeter maine. 1,000 pounds of #2 and 1,000 pounds of #1 ppd

That type of stuff looks like people in town didn't want to pay dump fees, so they dumped it in the woods.

I was going to check the irrigation ditches around here. The canal company has jurisdiction over those. I may have to put in a call and see if they mind if I pick up scrap.

hey it works out good for me! and ive probably only put a dent into it. there is a bunch more stuff around here, i just got to get it out somehow

I have access to a skidsteer with a bucket, forks and grapple. Too bad I am no where near Maine, otherwise I'd help ya out.


Do you think there's enough there to warrant renting a machine for a day?

Is the 'state' land, public land???

What about a battery powered Sawzall??? cut it into smaller pieces and drag it out.

Originally Posted by Scrap man

No, it's not public land. There's actually several roads going in with thick cables blocking them to keep people out. But, there's also private property on all sides with nothing preventing those people from getting in.

I'm confused, are you looking in posted, inaccessible places for scrappable items??