empty scrap yard

I went to my local yard today with a small load, and it was almost empty. Maybe 2 tons of shred were there and about a tractor trailer load of short steel that was being loaded. It was very odd.

Could they be expecting price changes, or is it weather? or maybe no one is turning in....Its a sims yard so it has quite a backing.

My yard is doing the same thing. I think they are getting ready for christmas break. There was about 3in of water in the middle of the yard too...haha

Originally Posted by MattInTheHat

I went to my local yard today with a small load, and it was almost empty. Maybe 2 tons of shred were there and about a tractor trailer load of short steel that was being loaded. It was very odd.

Could they be expecting price changes, or is it weather? or maybe no one is turning in....Its a sims yard so it has quite a backing.

same here bossman ... metal yard here have no line what-so-ever .... the county landfill's are empty as well -- mondays are usually bumper to bumper but i was in and out in less than 15 mins

My yard is doing the same. Getting rid of the inventory so they dont have to pay taxes on it at the end of the year.

Our yard is also empty except for a couple thousand ton of rebar which all three shears are chewing on. Today is the start of 5000 ton of oversize we just bought from a steel mill,but that should take a month to process. Typicaly things are slow this time of year because of the weather I think.
We hired a new burner yesterday and today is his first day,when I took him down last night to show him the work area,he asked if there was any smoke involved because he didnt like smoke. I figure he will be down the road by noon.

You have just answered a question I have had since last week. Our prices went up. I assume it is because the coasts are short of metal and drawing from the interior to fill quotas. Our yard is over flowing and wanting more. The price between prepared and unprepared has not been tighter.

As far as the burner I would recommend: You do not piss into the wind, do not cut into the wind unless you want to be an unemployment number.

I was pleasantly surprised with the new burner. I had him stand behind me this morning while I made a cut and explained the process and how long it should take. I also showed him that the smoke was being blown away by a 265# stream of oxygen. About and hour later I saw the familiar plume of orange smoke from the other end of the yard which tells me he is cutting full width (3 ft in this case). About four hours later,I hear the crane operator complaing the burner is done cutting and needs a cleanup and layout. I talked to him at 4:30 and he says he doesnt mind the job,its not as dirty as he thought but he thought he would need earplugs tomorrow. I offered to buy him headphones with and FM radio.
some days just sort of turn out right

headphones are a nice gesture but the provide very little hearing protection unless they are the fancy noise canceling kind. ear plugs or muffs would be better.

For the sheer tonnage this kid cut on his first day I think the company should own a high end noise canceling ,name brand headphones. Figure a couple hundred would buy a good set ? He keeps up at this rate and I may have to train him on my Cat T21 extended boom to break cast. What he seems to lack in brains he more than makes up for in enthusiasm.........my kind of burner.

As of today,I have one shearhead rebuilt and in production. The operator says it has never been this sharp and cut so fast. Guess my grade nine machine shop came in handy about cutting tool design

Originally Posted by parttimescrapperMD

headphones are a nice gesture but the provide very little hearing protection unless they are the fancy noise canceling kind. ear plugs or muffs would be better.

Headphones with an FM radio could also be a distraction and thereby a possible safety hazard in a yard with all sorts of heavy equipment running around as well.
Best to skip the radio and provide hearing protection only.

The burner works with his back to the bush that surrounds us and the cranes wont go near him for fear of getting spatter on their windows. I told him to sit in the Uhaul when the crane is cleaning up since rebar is nasty stuff to get slapped with.So I am not too worried about the safety factor. I would rather see him with headphones than a bluetooth.
Yes,we will see how long he can keep up the pace. He is thirty years my junior and drives a new car,so I figure he is motivated

Originally Posted by hmburner

The burner works with his back to the bush that surrounds us and the cranes wont go near him for fear of getting spatter on their windows. I told him to sit in the Uhaul when the crane is cleaning up since rebar is nasty stuff to get slapped with.So I am not too worried about the safety factor. I would rather see him with headphones than a bluetooth.
Yes,we will see how long he can keep up the pace. He is thirty years my junior and drives a new car,so I figure he is motivated

Its nice to hear about someone that actually wants to work. It is also great to hear about management/supervisor that notices it and appreciates it.

I'm the OP and I approve this hijack lol

There are 2 yards in my town, one is usually kept pretty clean. The other, I can barely get to the pile and unload anything without dropping it right into the path for vehicles. That yard has quite a bit more employees than the other as well. I don't take much there unless it is something my usual yard would question. Fridge full of food that has sat for a while, washer full of ice. Not messing with the weight to get more money, just not taking the time to clean these items out.

Truly sorry about the hijack. Even the wife complains when I get scrap on the brain it infects everything else. My Apoligys again