scrapping a big rig, tractor trailer, 18 wheeler

okay guys i know i just wore you guys out with the tow truck. i done a quick search and didnt really see anything. got a call 5 minutes ago to scrap 6 big trucks just the tractor not the trailer. ive got my concrete saw, cutting torch, bobcat excavator, my car hauler my equipment trailerand both my trucks. gonna do them on the half (split the money with the owner) as i didn't know the weights to make a fair offer. they are road trucks with sleepers so im assuming they are long. gonna meet the owner on saturday. go ahead let me have it all opinions advice are accepted thanks again cory couch

Why not throw a few hundred his way for one of them...take it in, see what it is..then you have an idea for the rest of them, unless they are all different.

Granted, 1/2 is better than 0, but that is just a thought.

The very FEW times I have bought scrap, that is what I did.

I think I would do this on the easy and call your local yard and see if they can do the pickup of these trucks. then split that cash with the owner. No work on your end other than a phone call. Quick easy buck and your not tied up for a week tearing them apart unless you have nothing else pending.

he said they have done them before but were too busy to now. he said they ranged between 2500 and 3000 scrap value sounded kinda high to me but im willing to try. we almost always pay unless we do other jobs while we are there then take the scrap as payment.

Spit the profit after costs are covered. Cost = fuel, and labor. No one will work for free...there is X amount of labor that is needed along with fuel and trucking costs.

Work fast and dont drag your feet and it should be good.

And if you do tie up a week and use all your own equipment (saws, cutting rigs, bob cats, haulers, gas, etc.) then the half split should come after your expenses. Not before.

we dont drag our feet they rarely hit theground :) we have done farm equipment on the half and done pretty good we cover all the explenses ourselves. im gonna check the yards and see what they say i like the pickup idea, i may just have to spend a day ripping the good stuff off.

should ne easy google gvw and the truck type it might be on the door on the inside of it. keep in mind the cab is shredd the rezt is hms. tires cost money to dispose of.

Lookey there easy. I musta been typing my 2 cents while you were posting yours. They sure do look similar. lol

Lol I see that sky....my thought and the way I see things....why should someone get half of the money when they do nothing to help? Yes it may be there stuff but it was my know how, labor, tools and trucks...so unless they are jumping into it as well and putting 50% of the work....then it should be 50% after cost....now..I don't think I would have a tool rental costs...but any blades or gasses used for the cut up should be replaced. Just my thought.

I changed my original answer because i was wrong a tractor weighs about 23,000 lbs.

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Originally Posted by Ptscrapper

Ive been a trucker for 10 years and if im not mistaken a tractor/big rig weighs in the 30,000 lb range. I know it sounds crazy but i think im right.

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Not to crazy if you sit down and take a good look at them....there under body is crazy and there over all built is heavy duty...they can haul as much as 30 some odd tons...but..I am not a trucker so not 100% sure on weights.

Guess I should have mentioned the hydraulic tank if it has a wet kit and the diesel tank plus oil, brake, and radiator fluid. I have cut up what feels like a million of them they are one of my least favorite things to cut up. first thing cut the cab bolts second cut the steering columm third remove cab Now you have the body motor tranny and two rear ends with a few gallons of highly flammable oil them. Good luck.

Depending on the truck a lot of them have fiberglass cabs and sleepers. Might have alum rims, but I'm guessing steel.

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Originally Posted by PistoneScrapProcessing

should ne easy google gvw and the truck type it might be on the door on the inside of it. keep in mind the cab is shredd the rezt is hms. tires cost money to dispose of.

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Not my favorite aluminum scrap to prepare for clean aluminum, plenty of hidden steel braces and rivets hiding in the structure.

Then sometimes you find undercoating and glued carpet in the sleeper.The guy is baiting you into doing a job he wants no part of and will not complain when you had is tid bit share over to him once the job is completed.

Not a hope in he ll your going to gross the amounts he quoted you, closer to $1500.00 and that is the high end of my estimate.

If you have a yard nearby that has a shredder make a deal to get paid on aluminum shred then take the cab in whole, save yourself some grief.

Should you decide to prepare the cabs as clean aluminum it's a learning experience, have fun.

thanks again for the comments, i know im catching alot of heat for doing it on the half, but if these actually weigh out at 22000 to 30000 lbs even if steel falls to 10cents a lb next week if i do one a day my half would be 1100. we bear all expenses thats just the way we do it, if i use 10 concrete blades $60, 5 gallons of gas $18,5 bottles of 2stroke oil 10 about $100 in diesel a day between two trucks and the bobcat, just for kicks our eats throw in the $22 thats $210 a day. that $890 a day :) :) split between me and my partner thats not even counting if the rims are alum, batteries and all the goodies we all love but im sure it would go above a $1000. i like to play my numbers safe so im not dissappointed id much rather be suprised ( my motto since i started working is expect the worse hope for the best it has alway worked out) i have a job right now that i didnt think id get till spring. we usually pay for scrap but this was a big clean up job,charged him $400 to clean up took in a load today and got $283, ill get done sometime tomorrow and probably get another 2 to 300, thats good money to me and thats in 2 days. if this works out i would be more than twice the rate ill have gotten today and tomorrow. im not trying to beat you guys up, im for sure a rookie at scrapping (feel free to check my introduction) and we would love to have the knowledge all you guys have thats why im always so open to ideas. you guys that have your routes set up and get enough business for free congrats, for you new guys like me offer $5 for a washing machine its worth 12 not even taking the wires and motor out sending straight to the shredder and trust me one call leads to another and another. just my input for whatever its worth. keep the ideas coming please all of them are very much appreciated

ive goooogled all i care to tonight looks like they weight anywhere from 6000 lbs to 80000 lbs LOL but honestly looks like 17500 was the most consistent answer i seen or at least close to it still good money for me, good night i got a long day tomorrow

the low end on weight is probably a day cab with single axle. a day cab has no sleeper.

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Originally Posted by skylinejackjr

And if you do tie up a week and use all your own equipment (saws, cutting rigs, bob cats, haulers, gas, etc.) then the half split should come after your expenses. Not before.

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Correct, and if the guy is legit he will understand this and allow for it, most likely he would have to pay someone the same amount or more to do it if you didn't.

don't forget resale value of individual parts - depending on make and model the axles, dash gauges, hoods, king pin etc should be worth some money above scrap price.

Sounds like a great opportunity - I always wanted to play with a semi!

i called him for our meeting yesterday and no answer but he did say he and the wife may go to the casinos yesterday, i hope it didnt fall thru :(

23,000 would be an extremely heavy truck, even with a long wheelbase and really big sleeper.

I'm sure you don't leave home without a magnet......you will often find cabs & sleepers to be aluminum.

If you get a chance, scrap out a semi tractor for a "Michigan train". They usually have a triple frame and one of the biggest motors you could get in them. Everything is beefy.
http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pi...le0017_sml.jpg

i want to thank everyone for the comments and advice. i guess the deal won't happen the last time we talked he was on his way to the casino and hasnt answered the phone since, been super busy the last week though so it may have been a blessing in disguise :)

If by chance this deal does end up coming together and you wreck the trucks, take a minute to check the frame. Some frames, apparently from the mid 70's to very early 80's were aluminum. I've scrapped about 20-30 semi tractors and only ever seen 2 alum frames. But it's nice stuff, 8-10" aluminum C-channel about 3/8" thick. Not sure how much the frames ended up weighing, but it was worth it to completely break the trucks down and cut the frame. As well, check with your scrapyard or whoever you haul to first, to see what they'll pay you on those. A lot of yards (around here, it's all of them) will penalize you for a truck like that as being "oversize", and pay you a hell of a lot less than for an auto. For example, around here car bodies are currently at $165 a ton, whereas oversize like a semi will bring you $80-120 if it's not cut down (depending on the yard's mood that day).

I'll second what Gustavus said about taking the cab off complete and hauling it in as dirty aluminum. Not worth cleaning it unless you have a lot of spare time and nothing at all to do. Of course first double check to make sure the cab/sleeper are indeed aluminum.

Lastly, the trucks I hauled in weighed on average 14 000 to 16 000 scale weight, after being prepped and stuff like starters, rad, etc being removed

I took an old JB hunt Cabover with sleeper to the yard. We had it towed in whole, cost me $100. At $215 a ton we walked away after paying the driver with $1500 and it took an hour.

Just an FYI.

Yeah I called my yard today about large trucks and such they said they would pay #2 long for them at $273 a ton time to start looking for old buses :)

PTS, you have enough on your plate....if you get a bus, you might get a divorce !!!