Posted by Tim Holloway on Thursday, September 06, 2007 at 19:56:57 :
I recently finshed parting out a Power Wagon, not much left of it when I got done. I had also been accumulating assorted scrap metal. I got the idea to drag an old Plymouth 12 passenger van that I aquired years ago as a parts van for the Boy Scout van. As we never ended up needing anything off it after all these years I figured it would be a good scrap metal receptacle and then haul it to the metal recyclers all neat and tidy like. I have taken plenty of scrap to them, just never an intact vehicle. A friend who does take whole cars to them told me they really ding you if it still has its tires on it. I have taken tires to the local transfer station in the past and nothing was ever said. So, I drag the van out from behind the shop and go to start loading it up with scrap. I open up the back door and there is a set of 4 mounted tires. Darn. Lacking a tire machine I get out the sawsall. 10 minutes a piece and they are just rims. Get the van filled and loaded onto the trailer. Then I picked up the rear with the front bucket of the backhoe, pull the rear wheels, cut off the tires, remount the rims. Then the same on the front. I have close to 2 hours into this stupid tire project by now, but by golly its done!
I made a dump run today, among which was the 8 tires. I dumped the trailer and the attendant asks if I really wanted to leave the tires? Why I asked. Because we charge $7.00 each for them. Back into the trailer the tires went. On the way back to the shop I stopped by the metal recyclers and asked what they hit you for vehicles with their tires on. $3.00 each. Okaaay, starting to feel really foolish now. I asked him if I could leave him the 8 tires, and pay him the $3 each and he said no way, tires are too big a hassle. Then off to a friends car repair shop. I asked him what he does with his used tires. He says a guy shows up about once a month and picks them up. He charges them $3.00 per tire. I paid him $24, left the tires and will take the tire-less van to the recyclers tomorrow. Boy am I glad I went through all that work to take the tires of those rims!
Not to mention that the bare rims are wreaking havok with the wood decking on my trailer!
Live and learn!
Tim
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