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What do we do in the winter ???

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    Happy-Scrappy started this thread.
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    What do we do in the winter ???

    So......I live in the PNW where the snow fly's hard some years and we always get at least a prett harsh amount :eek:

    So since I have been doing this for a living the last couple years and not just a side job I have some stratagies for winter. I have been gathering items to strip and sort the last month or so. I have not been worrying about doing it as I get it I have been spending more time hunting and gathering and only selling the stuff I need out of the way.

    I have a seperate trailer I throw all my junk tin (light iron) in and it fills pretty fast so I haul it in as needed.

    I have found the last couple years I still get some scrap but not near as much once the snow flies, so the dog and I build the stove up in the shop and tinker around tearing stuff apart and sorting.

    What do you guy's/lady's do ????

    Happy Scrappin !!


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    I got a massive pile of insulated wire sitting in my shed. Just need to cut a hole in one shed to the other shed. 1 shed was build off the other shed, but no door was put in it. That was how it was when I bought the place. So I will cut the hole and make a door way back and forth. Beings I don't scrap for a full time career, I hold on to projects that require more attention to get to the aluminum, copper, and brass as long as the items aren't to big. I have all the wire to strip. I have some printers, VCR's and DVD players out there. I will take the time to break them down completely and what not. Basically, you just need some time away from the woman, and that is my get away. LOL

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    Pretty much the same as tjlock. Sort out copper wiring and tubing that needs stripped or separated. Move it to the basement by the woodstove. Also, sort out stuff that might sell on Craig's List. I was plowing snow, but quit after last year. Mostly hibernate.
    People may laugh at me, but that's ok. I laugh all the way to the bank.

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    well i reside in a elbow to elbow area with some what good snow removal crews so the scrap is still out there and the part timers don't go out but the dedicated usually end up digging each other out lol. around this time i usually reload all the ammo i shoot up in the summer.

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    I have just started scraping and I have alot of wire to strip. I have been saving it for the winter months.

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    It's already started snowing near me. That means one thing: Snow Plowing! I hook my plow up to my truck and plow all night! Because I am experienced, if it snows hard for a few days I can make over $1000 without a problem. I would suggest to everyone with the time and commitment (and of course snow) to take up snow plowing! Plus, If I come across some scrap I can throw it in the back of my truck!

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    As the name implies, I'm an excavator.

    In the winter, I also am a snow plower. As a matter of fact, I suspect I know Mick from the snowplowing boards. Hi, Mick! (Although I haven't spent much time there over the past few years. I'm pretty much burned out on plowing. I just don't enjoy talking about it like I used to. This winter though, it might be all I have to do because excavating is so slow.)

    I would suggest to everyone with the time and commitment (and of course snow) to take up snow plowing! Plus, If I come across some scrap I can throw it in the back of my truck!
    We used to do a medical supply place, and I'd always make a point of checking the dumpster. I picked up more than a few wheelchairs, a patient lift, and a few oxygen cylinder carts. Got lowballed out of that account last year though...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ditchdigger View Post
    As the name implies, I'm an excavator. In the winter, I also am a snow plower. As a matter of fact, I suspect I know Mick from the snowplowing boards. Hi, Mick! (Although I haven't spent much time there over the past few years. I'm pretty much burned out on plowing. I just don't enjoy talking about it like I used to. This winter though, it might be all I have to do because excavating is so slow.)
    Could be - PS and/or LTS?

    Hi - welcome to my "new" world. Send me a PM if you want. I think being from PA, the "excavator" and "medical supply place" were pretty good clues, but not sure. I really have given up plowing after last winter.
    Last edited by Mick; 11-17-2010 at 09:10 PM.

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    I can't think of any context where the "medical supply place" would've given you a clue, but I PMed you to clear up any mystery.

    BTW, the family and I spent a week of vacation in July up there in Maine. It was the first time I'd been there. I really liked it, but all week, I kept thinking, "Man, I wouldn't want to be here in January..."

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    This is my first year scrapping and my only method so far is to drive around on trash night. Since I've only done it in warm weather so far I don't know what to expect in the winter. Should I expect to find less on the curb during the winter months? I live in Ohio and it's getting below freezing at night.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Happy-Scrappy View Post
    So......I live in the PNW where the snow fly's hard some years and we always get at least a prett harsh amount :eek:

    So since I have been doing this for a living the last couple years and not just a side job I have some stratagies for winter. I have been gathering items to strip and sort the last month or so. I have not been worrying about doing it as I get it I have been spending more time hunting and gathering and only selling the stuff I need out of the way.

    I have a seperate trailer I throw all my junk tin (light iron) in and it fills pretty fast so I haul it in as needed.

    I have found the last couple years I still get some scrap but not near as much once the snow flies, so the dog and I build the stove up in the shop and tinker around tearing stuff apart and sorting.

    What do you guy's/lady's do ????

    Happy Scrappin !!
    Better question is where in the PNW can you get decent prices for scrap?!? I'm in MT. and the prices here are a little more than half what most on this forum are getting. #2 uninsulated copper is like $1.70 a lb.

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    i have been trying to stay in and wait it out lol.I am always slow in the winter though just because i want to be.

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    Its a really old thread, but it was brought back up. Wonder if any of the posters from 3+ years ago are even here anymore!!!
    Ne ways, I usually have all kinds of breakdown stuff stored up. This past year has been a bad year dues to finicial changes, and not having a truck for a while, even not having a car for a couple months. A lot of stuff has happened, and I really don't have anything to break down. I have found myself on here a lot on the really cold days,(0 and below). In about 2 weeks I will have my tax money and then ill have my truck up and running, and have some money to play with/flip. Prob start buying escrap again off my local yard.

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    IF nothing else study your craft, that is a sure money maker too.
    "anyone who thinks scrappin is easy money ain't doin it right!"

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    More time is dedicated to research and trying to move up the ladder in the scrap metal world. Tater provided the idea of stock piling the nonferrous metals and preparing them in the winter. So during good weather, I gather nonferrous and stock pile it in my shed. During brutal cold or storms, I prepare the metal. In the spring I plan to load my flat bed goose neck with chemical tubs and haul it in. Should be three months of profit and a great party this spring.

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    Motors, fans and transformers...oh my!
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