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Help !! Am I getting screwed ??

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  1. #1
    moneyfrommetal started this thread.
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    Help !! Am I getting screwed ??

    I took a 40ft aluminum 5th wheel flat trailer with dual tandem axles, gvwr=50,000. The total weight was 9100lbs. The entire trailer was aluminum except for the: dual tandem axles with the 8 tires, the landing gear, 5th wheel plate/hitch and spare tire bracket. I was figuring around 3500lbs for the steel and 5600lbs of aluminum. I came up with numbers by trying to estimate the weight of steel items and subtracting from total weight. It turns out according to the yard that there was only 3250lbs of aluminum and the remaining 5850lbs was the items listed above. Does this makes sense to anyone? I dont know the weight of the dual axle set up and rims, but for the 8 tires im thinking 800lbs rubber, spare tire bracket 75lbs, 5th wheel plate/hitch 250lbs. If these numbers are close 1150lbs that would mean the axles would have to weigh over 4600lbs to get to the 5850lbs steel. I wasnt there when they weighed up, I got the trailer there just before closing, and by the next morning it was already done. They seem like a repritable yard although this is my 1st time doing business with them. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? I just dont think there is more than 3500lbs of steel.



  2. #2
    Mechanic688's Avatar
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    The big 22.5 tires and rims run about 200 lb each.
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  4. #3
    Mick's Avatar
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    Take it over a certified scale yourself, then you'll know.
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  5. #4
    moneyfrommetal started this thread.
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    I know what the trailer weighed, 9100lbs, trying to find out the weight of the steel items. trailer has been seperated already.

  6. #5
    KzScrapper's Avatar
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    So you just dropped the trailer off and the processed it?
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    PartTimeScrapper's Avatar
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    Take it as a lesson learned. You should have been there when they weighed it. If you wernt then its your fault. Specialy if this was your first dealing with them.

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  9. #7
    moneyfrommetal started this thread.
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    it wasnt my plan not to be there, but i dropped it off at closing and snow prevented me from being there 1st thing the next morning. Any idea what the axles would way?

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    if you had scrapped it your self, you wouldnt have been screwed. the lazyer you get the lazyer the yard gets. not callin you lazy just sayin. the yard has to figgure the cost of breaking it down, the cost of disposal of unusable items, weight if #2 iron compaired to #1 etc. they are goung to error in their favor and leave plenty of room for mistakes. basically what you delivered was mixed scrap. if you dont have the equipment, or the time to seperate and break down then you have to accept the mixed scrap price. next time sell it to a scrapper like me. you will get paid more and we both will make money. research and see exactly how the scrap industry works from top to bottom, level to level, then decide what level you can or ,want to be on.

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  12. #9
    moneyfrommetal started this thread.
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    Any idea how much the axles might weigh?

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    my guess would be with tires and wheels on them 2000 pounds per axle.

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  15. #11
    moneyfrommetal started this thread.
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    if your right then that would be 4000lbs so i could see there possibly being 5500lbs of steel with the landing gear and plate. I didnt think they weighed that much i figured 2500lbs for both axles.

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    im just guessing. When I worked at the tire store and we did semi trailer tires those suckers weight a good 200 pounds plus each just tire and rim. So thats 800 pounds per axle right there just like m688 said above. That big axle has to be at least 1000 pounds. Just my estimated edumicated guess though.

  17. #13
    Mechanic688's Avatar
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    Just my estimated edumicated guess though.
    There's a cream for that,,,lol

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  19. #14
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    I tear down semi trailers. On a 40 foot trailer I average 5000 lbs steel and 1000 lbs aluminum. I separate all the metals by hand and prepare it to the size my yard wants. There are many factors to consider, like the flooring and the construction of the trailer (aluminum bows vrs. steel for example), as well as the size (height and length). If you drove it in they probably docked you 100 lbs per tire and 2000 lbs for the wood floor. Of course an alminum floor and aluminum floor joists would be a different story. I average about $1600-$1800 per trailer with wood floor and steel floor joists. I spend roughly 40 hrs per trailer and about $50 on blades wheels etc. I hope this clears things up. I get $300 per ton for prep heavy steel (3' x 5') and $0.65 for 4'x4' alum.


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