i've been seeing quite a few new "stealth scrappers" lately - Page 2

I do not use a cage. I'm in your general area and yes most guys trucks look like those ones. I just think it looks bad; I also like to cut risk by not calling attention to myself. I think if you have a professionally mounted mesh cage its acceptable. However, as you may have seen a lot of guys cages are very wobbley and looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen, wait till something falls out and causes harm.

If your insurance catches wind of what you are hauling and you are not carrying commercial insurance you might be up s*#!s creek without a paddle. I prefer to bed load the truck and transfer to my trailer. I also don't like the idea of parking what looks like people mistake as a garbage truck in my driveway. my trailer is parked in a lot a few miles a way. Instead of taking in 1,000 pounds a trip like most guys, I roll across the scales with payloads of 3 to 6 thousand, its a lot more efficient.

Originally Posted by Russell

I do not use a cage. Instead of taking in 1,000 pounds a trip like most guys, I roll across the scales with payloads of 3 to 6 thousand, its a lot more efficient.

This is what I do to. However I have taken a couple loads by pickup bed, but I'd rather just take a full trailer load of 3-4 tons usually. Someday I'll have a gooseneck and can haul even bigger loads lol

Originally Posted by Russell

I do not use a cage. I'm in your general area and yes most guys trucks look like those ones. I just think it looks bad; I also like to cut risk by not calling attention to myself. I think if you have a professionally mounted mesh cage its acceptable. However, as you may have seen a lot of guys cages are very wobbley and looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen, wait till something falls out and causes harm.

If your insurance catches wind of what you are hauling and you are not carrying commercial insurance you might be up s*#!s creek without a paddle. I prefer to bed load the truck and transfer to my trailer. I also don't like the idea of parking what looks like people mistake as a garbage truck in my driveway. my trailer is parked in a lot a few miles a way. Instead of taking in 1,000 pounds a trip like most guys, I roll across the scales with payloads of 3 to 6 thousand, its a lot more efficient.

i get where you're coming from, but if a cop ever stopped me for an unsafe load, id ask him to see how easy it is to try to pull something out. i pack my loads good. and nothing has ever fallen out. i think catching attention can be a good thing, people recognize you scrap, and they will stop you and give you something.

Ribbedroof noticed it too, that many of the trucks in the pics posted were way overloaded and most likely not safe vehicles. If you're gonna load up a truck it should be able to handle the load safely in accordance to the vehicle ratings and load registration. ie most of those those trucks in the pic would have a big problem if they had to stop on a commercial truck scale. I'm sure the fines would out-weigh the cargo load of scrap.

board r good to have ... also bed frames work quite well

i've been pulling my box trailer with my jeep libby instead of my truck. just about doubles my millage. and i don't get any funny looks when i'm curb shoppin.

What strikes me from the pic is how overloaded all those half-ton trucks are. Every one of them is squatting in the rear. Light duty trucks do not have the components to SAFELY carry that much weight...and given that many of them are older, it's just a matter of time before the axle bearings or undercapacity brakes give up. Remember years ago seeing a half-ton longbed loaded with bags of feed to the roofline. It was on the shoulder of I35 with the bedside on the pavement and no Rt rear wheel to be seen. At least 3/4 ton and up have the capacity to carry the weight, along with the brakes to safely stop a heavily-loaded truck.

To answer the question, scrappers around here that I see usually do it with a trailer...usually a really beat-up trailer.

Yes I have rack on my truck there have been a lot of times I needed it to save trips

2004 Buick Century. I make runs in 'illegal areas' and pack in what can't be seen. I call it 'ninja scrapping'. Then move to a 'scrapper friendly' area and pack in what I can.

Bad car in terms of load carrying and turning loads in, great for stealth!