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Where do machines get scrapped in SE Michigan?

ChriS2000

Aluminum
Joined
Nov 15, 2019
Edit - Crap, pretty sure I posted this in the wrong forum. Mods - Can you move this to the appropriate area? FNG...

Hey guys,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I see a lot of guys mentioning large scale shops scrapping older manually operated equipment, even if it's still working because it's less hassle.

I'm a sucker for a good deal (aka moneypit/headache) and I just like wandering around junkyards anyway. Anything like that in SE Michigan that still lets randoms look around?
 
The short answer is no. Unless your willing to spend the time and effort to develop a relationship with the yard your not going to get past the front office. No yard will let some hobbyist just wander around for entertainment.

South East Michigan is a big place, where you at?
 
Edit - Crap, pretty sure I posted this in the wrong forum. Mods - Can you move this to the appropriate area? FNG...

Hey guys,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I see a lot of guys mentioning large scale shops scrapping older manually operated equipment, even if it's still working because it's less hassle.

I'm a sucker for a good deal (aka moneypit/headache) and I just like wandering around junkyards anyway. Anything like that in SE Michigan that still lets randoms look around?

My Clemens Recycling will allow you to "shop around", never saw any type of machines there. There are two yards in Howell you can call to see if they ever get any machines.
 
Haggerty Metals in Plymouth lets you look around, saw some gutted out machine bases there, but it was specialized stuff, never anything like mills or lathes.

Not machinery related, but one nice thing about that yard is that they keep all the copper, brass, etc. inside. You can peruse the bins at your leisure, and I've gotten uncommon/obsolete pluming parts there that I needed for like 2 bucks.
 
Haggerty Metals in Plymouth lets you look around, saw some gutted out machine bases there, but it was specialized stuff, never anything like mills or lathes.

Not machinery related, but one nice thing about that yard is that they keep all the copper, brass, etc. inside. You can peruse the bins at your leisure, and I've gotten uncommon/obsolete pluming parts there that I needed for like 2 bucks.

No machines right now. Most machines when they show up are beyond repair.

Actually, most metals are pretty rough for supply. No good extruded aluminum, brass drops are down considerably.
 
You would be better off shopping the local auctions and craigslist, that is where the scrappers find them. As mentioned above, the scrappers could care less about beating up a machine getting it loaded, and the guys at the yard care even less and will use the grapple to move it. Most of the machines I see in scrapyards are beyond repair and at best might be a parts source. I have one machine in my shop that came from a yard, not sure how it made it through relatively unscathed, only thing I found wrong with it was PO never bothered to clean it. Like gold, machines are where you find them, keep turning stones till you find one.
 
I recently got a Andrychow/Toolmex 17.5x60 toolroom lathe from the scrapyard.

The scrapper actually handles stuff like that as delicately as they can with a monster grapple hoping to sell it intact for a better price than they would get from the Chinese and avoid the cost of torching it up.
It suffered only minor damage.
 
Thanks for the info guys, sounds about right. I'm not really ready for a lathe or a mill yet but it's in the plans for the next year or so. I'm located in Holly, just trying to equip my personal shop for general fabrication projects.

The only exception would be if something was found for a super low investment, but a machine like that probably wouldn't worth the trouble to get running. It would be nice to know of a yard like that as a potential parts source though as mentioned.
 
You would be shocked at what gets scrapped.

Brand new material, brand new bearings, brand new usable shop and project 'stuff'. Plus plenty of good used things.

Two trips back I bought a brand new Kubota 5ft loader bucket, a complete 5hp 3phase hydraulic power pack, stripped the CAT pump and electric motor off a commercial pressure washer (both work fine), for 30 cents a pound.

I passed on a large steady rest that I would later figure out was for the lathe that showed up and I got the following trip. Kicking myself for not getting that steady too!

I consider going the scrapyard like playing the lottery, only you don't even have to buy a $2 ticket. LOL
 
Every scrap yard is different and some of their yes/no/will/won't are really random. One large yard will let anyone look through brass/stainless/aluminum bins. However if one finds an automotive part, it's not for sale. Yes, going to be scrapped, but some technicality of their license is being enforced by the large local automotive wrecking yard.

jack vines
 
You would be shocked at what gets scrapped.

Brand new material, brand new bearings, brand new usable shop and project 'stuff'. Plus plenty of good used things.

Two trips back I bought a brand new Kubota 5ft loader bucket, a complete 5hp 3phase hydraulic power pack, stripped the CAT pump and electric motor off a commercial pressure washer (both work fine), for 30 cents a pound.

I passed on a large steady rest that I would later figure out was for the lathe that showed up and I got the following trip. Kicking myself for not getting that steady too!

I consider going the scrapyard like playing the lottery, only you don't even have to buy a $2 ticket. LOL


I would agree about the shock and disappointment of seeing perfectly good machinery and inventory being scrapped. In many cases machines and inventory are scrapped to avoid paying excessive taxes. The company I worked for regularly went through their warehouses and scrapped anything that had been there more than 4 years. When machines are taken out of production they continue to be assessed at the same value as their last date in service. Since the machines aren't working the government doesn't allow their value to depreciate. In many cases the taxes paid for a non producing machine can exceed the retail value of that machine in 5 years or less.

The same is true of inventory like bearings, flat stock, round stock and any other spare parts. They are all assessed for tax purposes at their original purchase price until they go into service. If they sit on the shelf long enough the taxes paid will exceed the value of the items. It always killed me to see truck loads of good machinery and new spare parts go to the scrap yards.

Fortunately for me when the company decided to close 2 of their machine shops I was able to buy a number of machines for scrap value. The first course of action was to make an inventory list with the current assessed machine values. Any machine on the list could be transferred to another company location with the new location taking on the asset at it's assessed value. If no one wanted the machines they were initially to be scrapped. All of the scrappers in the area wanted not only to get the machines at no cost, they also wanted to charge our company a fee for hauling them away.

Myself and another employee offered to buy the machines at scrap price and haul them away at our expense. We ended up with several lathes, milling machines, surface grinders, drill presses, air compressors and other assets that other company facilities were unwilling to have transferred to their locations at assessed values. Nearly 20 years later 90+% of the machinery is still working in our shops. A couple mills and lathes had to be retired in that the cost to repair them exceeded their value, and they would never be productive enough in the future to return the investment.
 
We're 1/4 mile from the scrap yard we use. They don't mind selling off the pile by the pound. Last time I was there I saw what looked like a small VTL and a very large cylindrical grinder. Both had been very roughly handled. Not just broken handles and bent guards, I'm talking hole sections of the cast iron frames ripped off and rolled into the pile. It was kinda sad:ack2:.

It's worth keeping your eyes open, but I'd only see it as a slim possibility of finding a good machine in a recycling yard.
 
This is not about a scrap yard, but HGR has inventory at good prices. Nice thing is that what they have is in reasonable good condition.

Tom

Some would question that.
I like the Huge Giant Rat and have bought but some stuff is certainly scrap metal.
Downside you have to go visit to know, upside not a long drive from SE Michigan.
While in the neighborhood and you may as well visit McKean.

I have a friend who is scrapper of machine tools, plants and others. Loading it fast into the open top semi dumpster is a first concern.
Then to save time and money it is dumped on the receiving end at the yard into a big ole pile.
I have wanted to cry.
Bob
 
In many cases machines and inventory are scrapped to avoid paying excessive taxes. The company I worked for regularly went through their warehouses and scrapped anything that had been there more than 4 years. When machines are taken out of production they continue to be assessed at the same value as their last date in service. Since the machines aren't working the government doesn't allow their value to depreciate. In many cases the taxes paid for a non producing machine can exceed the retail value of that machine in 5 years or less.

The same is true of inventory like bearings, flat stock, round stock and any other spare parts. They are all assessed for tax purposes at their original purchase price until they go into service. If they sit on the shelf long enough the taxes paid will exceed the value of the items. It always killed me to see truck loads of good machinery and new spare parts go to the scrap yards.

Yes, it seems there are many reasons and tax distortions (Cash for Clunkers) why machines and stuff is scrapped, even though it isn't really scrap.

Obviously a seriously flawed use of the planets limited resources.
 








 
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