Experienced Scrapper
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What are the most important things you use for scrapping, including your truck of course.
Mine would be
Angle Grinder,
Sawzall,
Sledgehammer,
screwgun(with the 3/8 socket adapter, and alll neccesary sockets ang bits),
Finally I would say A magnet, Because on somethings i can tell but other times it just gives me some confidence.
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If you mean NOT including the truck, the very first thing I had was a MAGNET. I learned VERY EARLY to ALWAYS use it. Then:
Trailer
Straps
Sawzall/Angle Grinder
People may laugh at me, but that's ok. I laugh all the way to the bank.
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I agree with Mick. I started out with a Magnet, and my truck. In my opinion, since most of it is scrap, the angle grinder somewhat eliminates the need for the drill and assorted bits (but I love tools, and have it anyways now).
Experienced Scrapper
This is pretty redundant since we have the other thread discussing tools of the trade, but i'll bite.....
Of course its different for everyone depending what you scrap and how you do it.
I'll list what I use maybe you will get some ideas, but I don't think I could run it down to a "TOP 5" list.
Here's what I consider essential to my work (or at least very great to have, a lot I could do without):
1992 Dodge 1 ton diesel
1993 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel
24' gooseneck trailer with winch, dual batteries, toolbox loaded with chains, boomers, straps, jacks, etc.
12' utility trailer
2 car garage mostly full of crap but also holds my tools and I move out the tractor and quad to strip appliances and wire and such when its colder out. Also store my non ferrous and core items in here.
Air compressor, with impact wrench, air ratchet, air chisel, etc.
Manual tire changer
18V cordless drill with the full monte of driver bits etc. Step drill bits can also be handy for scrapping but I haven't used them much. Sooner or later it'll be priceless.
Two full toolboxes of tools. Everything and then some. Don't need it all for scrapping but again sooner or later it will get used, and I do use all of it frequently doing repairs and fabrication.
Chop saw. Again don't use a lot for scrapping, but sometimes great to have.
Sawzall. Priceless.
2 angle grinders- usually one has cut off wheel and the other has grinding disc.
2 wheel Hand truck (aka appliance truck or cart)
Digital 400 lb. bathroom scales, sometimes I use it to see how much of something I have, or if I am out buying stuff I might use it (buying core parts, not bulk steel)
A boatload of 5 gallon buckets- I use them to store and transport core items, non ferrous, etc. Also a couple of larger totes are handy for unstripped wire and aluminum. I don't usually get loads of non ferrous and don't have a lot of room to store it or I would move up to plastic 55 gallon drums.
I also use a wheelbarrow around the garage to tote stuff back and forth to the truck and temporarily store stuff in.
I scrap cars for the most part, and I back them up to the garage, and start stripping them on the trailer. I throw all the stuff I remove into the wheelbarrow and roll it to the garage for later sorting.
Experienced Scrapper
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Great so far! And I meant without the truck.
Experienced Scrapper
Im new but what ive found helpful so far is
most deffinally a magnet
sawsaw
Utility knife
wire cutters
sledge
Experienced Scrapper
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My scale and calculator are my top two!
Without math we just get handed some money!
Experienced Scrapper
you all forgot about gps
Experienced Scrapper
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Oh dang you are right... i started using a gps. made me do my scrap routes atleast 50 percent faster.
I agree with gps. I know it's been discussed on another thread.
Got mine 2 years ago for birthday and it's already outdated. It won't find some addresses, yet my Blackberry will.
If anyone feels they can't afford one, the gas savings will pay for it pretty quick. Also a definite time saver.
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On the GPS note - I wouldn't even do this if I didn't have GPS! Especially with $4+ gallon fuel.
Tool wise, I would have to add bolt cutters in there. I find that I use them a lot more than I thought I would.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Excluding trucks, trailers, wreckers, loader (only have 1), forklift (only have 1), and magnets (no self respecting scrap man is caught without a few of those)
Torch sets
Sawzall (only have 1)
Grinders
Sledges
Prybars
and a few other "can't work without" items
............
In the last 10 years, not having gps has cost me a grand total of maybe 10 hours, probably way less....know your area. If I bought one, it probably wouldn't last long enough to pay for itself.
Last edited by c4f5; 04-28-2011 at 09:49 PM. Reason: added comment
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With all due respect, it's one thing to "know your area" (I think most of us do), but when you're talking about large cities and not to mention the suburbs of each city...I don't care what anyone says, I'd much rather have a GPS loaded with an address AND alerts for traffic, so that I can decide on the fly if the shorter route is actually the fastest route or not. My opinion anyway.Originally Posted by c4f5
In my area, we had a large housing boom in the last 5/10 years. I'm always finding new streets.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Fair enough. Respect duly noted and returned. I am over 100 miles from the nearest city with more than 20,000 people, and didn't take it into consideration. This is why I rarely haul directly from a job site to a yard. My different materials go 4 different directions to 4 different yards. Everything comes to the back 40 for sorting and disassembly.
Directions to my place include, "follow that dirt road for 10, maybe 15 mile...then when you get to where that old elm tree used to be...yeah, ya gotta turn about a half mile before that...then go down blah blah blah...bout a hundred cars in the yard & a hundred tons of junk piled up outside the shop...can't miss it"
...........
2500 souls in my whole county, and most of them know me.
Last edited by c4f5; 04-28-2011 at 11:18 PM. Reason: added comment
Northeast CO...Sedgwick perhaps? I have family all over Colorado.
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Don't forget that a colorful vocabulary always comes in handy to loosen stuck parts.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Good guess. South central Sedgwick County. Sedgwick is about 23 miles northwest of my house.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Essential tools?
Magnet, - The one I got as a keyring from the scrappers, then broken microwave magnets, 3x stronger than a speaker magnet.
I also put my tools in a icecream container when I'm working on cars. Then I get another Icecream container & put some magnets in the bottom of it, then I put the tool container into it.
That way the magnets hold the tools inside the container & I can have the magnets stick the container to the cars body so It won't move & I keep my tools.
Axe, - Actually a log splitter head (1 square end & 1 axe end) with metal tube welded on as a handle & a gusset from head to handle, curved end on handle.
Great for smashing Ali parts up & hacking car dashes off & out.
Sidecutters, - Great for cutting wires under dashs & seats & thru car panels. Or Tinsnips. I keep loosing them....
Screwdriver,- The sort thats in car tool kits, double ended. At least two of them.
Loose em - find em. Easy.
Torch,- Great at night. I also paint all the tools with dayglo UV paint & have a UV LED torch too.
That way I can find the tools in the darkness. Bloody great idea eh?
However, I have stripped the wiring out of 3 trucks & more cars than I can remember,
IN COMPLETE DARKNESS.!!!
Cresant- Adjustable spanner, 6 inch. Small socket set from $2 shop. Handy. Maybe Allen (Hex) keys too.
Angle Grinder,- 9 Inch cutting off disc (on special @ NZ$3.50 at the moment). Need I say more?
Crowbar,- When I don't have the axe & have to carry my tools.
Plastic sacks,- used. White for Stainless, Dirty white for Ali, clean Orange for Brass, dirty Orange for (burnt) Copper.
I like sacks, I can put all the scrap metalscrap metalscrap metalscrap metal in them & carry it home 15 - 20 min walk, then clean everything down & sort into sacks.
Sacks don't weigh much so they don't take the weight into consideration when weighing the metal.
They take off a Kg for plastic paint pails... means a $9 loss with copper.
I try & cram as much Ali into them as possible.
When not full of Copper etc, I cut the sack down & make a handle on it too.
Sack Scale,- Its a hanging spring scale, goes up to 12 Kg. Accurate too.
To weigh more than 12Kg, I put the hook into one top corner of the sack & grab the other top corner & lift it up, level like, then double the reading, still accurate.
Bench Vise,- keeps thing where you put them.
Last edited by eesakiwi; 04-29-2011 at 07:42 PM.
New Guy
5 crack heads bringing me precious metals!!! Jk lol
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