1000 lb aluminum porch lift, noob needs advice

so my mom has this 1000 pound aluminum porch lift that was used for wheelchairs to get on the porch. It hasn't been used in years and she wants it gone and she said I could have the money for scrap. Now I have never done anything like this before and I tried calling the local scrap yard for what i should do and the guy wasn't that friendly.

He said if i bring the whole thing in its 10 cents a pound, so about 100 bucks. If i dismantle it its 40 cents a pound for the aluminum and then I would get copper prices for the electric motor.



Ive never scrapped before but im real broke and need the money so should i take my sawz all and tear it down or just be happy to make a 100 bucks[IMG][/IMG]? The guy also said the copper price was 2.40 a pound and i noticed on websites it was at 3.50? whats up with that? If anyone could get back to me i would greatly appreciate it
thanks
sean-

here is a picture to get that im talking about

Also, make sure you have a magnet handy. Use it to make sure you have no steel on your aluminum pieces. If you bring in a hunk of metal and it has something hanging off of it that attracts a magnet, the scrapyard guys will probably catch it and then you will get .10/lb for that piece instead of .50 or whatever.

Also, to get good prices for the copper, it has to be taken off the motor. This is sometimes a pain in the butt, but otherwise if you take the motor in whole you will get .25 a lb for it. Copper prices are falling quickly, as in by the day, so you might want to tear down that motor and go sell the copper first thing if you don't plan on getting the whole thing done quickly.

welcome clip. If a lot of the above advice sounds foreign, then you would really benefit from just scrolling through the threads and reading all you can before you even start. Some won't apply at all to this project of course, but you'll still be learning for future ones, and a LOT of it will apply. Best of luck with it and please keep us posted.

Yeah I would put that thing on craigslist and sell it.

Yeah even if it doesnt work call around to a couple of lift companies and see if they want it for parts. From your description I would think totaly scrapped out youd be looking in the $400 to $600 dollar range for it totaly scrapped out. So if you can get that from a company and only have to use the phone why not.

Are you sure it weights 1000pnds or is that how much it can lift. 1000 pnds of alum is alot.

Good luck

so i did the magnet thing and it turns out its steel, not aluminum. I called the manufacture and they were the ones that said it was made of aluminum, and it was 1000 pounds.

so now my problem is wayyyy compounded now cause i dont think ill get any money.

I live in racine WI, someone was asking about where i was from.

sorry if the link doesnt work, it was just google image for porch wheelchair lift, if you google it yourself you will see what im talking about.

so what do i do guys? is it still worth the trouble considering its steel and not aluminum like i thought? how much per pound is steel?
thanks again for all the help!
sean-

If you scrap it I'd still pull the motor and break it down, plus the wiring, and aluminum if there is any. Being steel you won't get as much, the prices vary from state to state and yard to yard. I think I'd list it on Craigslist and you'll probably get more than scrap price if it still works.

don't feel bad, clip...we've all been there (and sometimes back again). Can't wait to find out if the dam thing works though. And sure, you'll make some money...just not as much....but you are learning how to make a LOT !!

^^????? where did anyone say they cheated a yard?