Went South Again

NOT ME............the PRICE

Looked at a job today of a farm cleanout. Failed to get the party to go with it two years ago when the price was good, but a death in the family brought it about. There is probably 8 ton of machinery, tin, wire and appliances. They're in a big hurry as the backhoe got there and dug a giant hole to bury the buildings and house.

Some hog equipment in there can't be removed. I was gung-ho to get going on it this morning (with horrible prices of $40/ton prepared), and then I called the yard and they said there was a new drop in prices today. Prepared iron is now $30/ton and unprepared is $15/ton. Wire, tin and appliances yield no return. We decided to remove only what is in the way and leave the rest til things improve. It's a shame as I love to do those jobs.

Guess I'll have to keep working on my riding lawnmowers and pressure washer, putting up hay, making music and keeping track of the cows. Always something to do on the farm.

Farm life can keep you busy for sure. The good thing about farming is that all my equipment can find a use in the farm, and with prices where they are that is the primary use these days. My local yard said they were dropping prices as well. Which sucks as I have another trailer to cut up and clean out.

Originally Posted by Yunkman

NOT ME............the PRICE

Looked at a job today of a farm cleanout. Failed to get the party to go with it two years ago when the price was good, but a death in the family brought it about. There is probably 8 ton of machinery, tin, wire and appliances. They're in a big hurry as the backhoe got there and dug a giant hole to bury the buildings and house.

Some hog equipment in there can't be removed. I was gung-ho to get going on it this morning (with horrible prices of $40/ton prepared), and then I called the yard and they said there was a new drop in prices today. Prepared iron is now $30/ton and unprepared is $15/ton. Wire, tin and appliances yield no return. We decided to remove only what is in the way and leave the rest til things improve. It's a shame as I love to do those jobs.

Guess I'll have to keep working on my riding lawnmowers and pressure washer, putting up hay, making music and keeping track of the cows. Always something to do on the farm.

Most of the scrap value in appliances isn't with the steel. Wire, motors, aluminium, etc. in appliances still make them worthwhile. Stockpile them and strip them down in the winter when things slow down on the farm. Even if you have to throw the steel away, you'll still be ahead.

Originally Posted by dsroten

Farm life can keep you busy for sure. The good thing about farming is that all my equipment can find a use in the farm, and with prices where they are that is the primary use these days. My local yard said they were dropping prices as well. Which sucks as I have another trailer to cut up and clean out.

Hi, if you're pertaining to trailer houses, I'd be interested in knowing how you go about it. I've turned down a few as they leave such a mess and the frames are light.....lots of work.

Originally Posted by Otto

Most of the scrap value in appliances isn't with the steel. Wire, motors, aluminium, etc. in appliances still make them worthwhile. Stockpile them and strip them down in the winter when things slow down on the farm. Even if you have to throw the steel away, you'll still be ahead.

I follow you there. I do that and just hope I can get some stuff out of the house before it goes in the pit. Thanks for the good advice. My wife is beginning to frown on the word ''stockpile''. Haha

Have you priced the parts from the equipment?
People throw away a lot of money worth of parts !

Edit: real tin is worth over $5/lb

Maybe its this part of the Midwest but when these yards are talking about "tin" they mean light steel, what some of you call "shred". It took me a while to wrap my head around it as well.

That sucks H, you're in a tough spot without many places to sell unless you want to put on some road miles. Your "local" buyer is probably low on the food chain as well. Just a thought, but have you ever determined what yards in Neber land sells to NuCor (or whatever they're called now even if they're still operating) in Norfolk?? Or are they choosey on what they'll take? That young kid (can't remember his handle right now) from the Omaha burbs used to get a lot higher price for his various steel stuff then what Sioux Falls was offering at the time. I often wondered if the yard he sold to sold to NuCor or some other nearby end-user of steel scrap. He hasn't posted for quite a while...

Originally Posted by DakotaRog

Maybe its this part of the Midwest but when these yards are talking about "tin" they mean light steel, what some of you call "shred". It took me a while to wrap my head around it as well.

That sucks H, you're in a tough spot without many places to sell unless you want to put on some road miles. Your "local" buyer is probably low on the food chain as well. Just a thought, but have you ever determined what yards in Neber land sells to NuCor (or whatever they're called now even if they're still operating) in Norfolk?? Or are they choosey on what they'll take? That young kid (can't remember his handle right now) from the Omaha burbs used to get a lot higher price for his various steel stuff then what Sioux Falls was offering at the time. I often wondered if the yard he sold to sold to NuCor or some other nearby end-user of steel scrap. He hasn't posted for quite a while...

Hi Rog, to my knowledge Nucor doesn't buy from individuals. It's a terminal for the big yards and then they're quite fussy about what they get. (Scanning for radiation etc.) There were two yards buying there in Norfolk (one went broke last year), so if they were paying a premium at Nucor, it seems everyone would have been going there. I think they only buy in bulk and they're not easy to please so I hear.