High scrap prices claim another M123A1C

[54reo]

I have been attempting to acquire a local M123A1C for over a year now. The owner had set a price in the spring of '10, but quickly changed his mind and decided to keep it as parts for another running M123A1C he owns and uses as in a civilian (haulage) role. I mentioned that if he ever changed his mind to let me know as I would be very interested in one or both trucks. I got the assurance that he would, and I had been in continuous contact with him since.

I decided to go past his yard today, as I actually got out of work during daylight hours for a change, and noticed that both trucks were missing. As I pulled into the lot, the owner was just about to leave. I asked him what had happened to the "old army trucks" and he proceeded to explain how the high scrap prices had tempted him to send some old "junk" to the torch. Now all that is left of the old Condec trucks are some ruts in the mud, and a few pictures I took last year.

I really hate high scrap prices...

 

[PaulbusMax]

So much for "letting you know".

 

[Flyingvan911]

That sucks. I'm sure he could have sold them to many people for more than scrap price. I'm sure someone, somewhere would want them.

 

[Floridianson]

Thats a shame. Yea with scrap as high as its been bet there will be more going down that road. When scrap goes way down they will be here on Steel Soldiers trying to sell them.

 

[Myopic]

You said when scrap prices go down... too funny!

 

[docfarmall]

DID YOU THANK HIM FOR THE PHONE CALL THAT "YOU NEVER GOT"

 

[G-Force]

I hate when it my nuts are in the mud......

 

[Andy1234]

@#$%^& moron! (editted to remove even more colorful descriptions)

Andy

 

[Brad Nitzke]

that just down rite sucks.

 

[WeBeJeepin]

I would have given him 20 bucks for that headlight switch

 

[wreckerman893]

If you want an M123 there are three withing 5 miles of my house...one is pretty thrashed and prob only good for parts.

The other two are fair and one good truck out of them...they actually belong to a scrap dealer but he has not sent them to China yet....I think he considers them "money in the bank" and is in no hurry to get rid of them.

PM if interested and I'll send contact info.

 

[AMGeneral]

I fear that we may see lots more of this in the coming months,with the rising cost of fuel and the rising price of scrap steel,and a prediction of rising inflation as well.

I have people stopping by every week asking if I want to get rid of all that "junk" back there.

With approx 189,000 lbs of steel sitting in the backyard,I expect to have to start sitting guard over my trucks soon.

 

[54reo]

I fear that we may see lots more of this in the coming months,with the rising cost of fuel and the rising price of scrap steel,and a prediction of rising inflation as well.

I have people stopping by every week asking if I want to get rid of all that "junk" back there.

With approx 189,000 lbs of steel sitting in the backyard,I expect to have to start sitting guard over my trucks soon.

Before I got into MVs full time I was always on the hunt for old construction equipment (like the 1951 Bucyrus-Erie 22BM that is patiently awaiting my attention again someday) but that stuff really started to dry up in 2001-2008. I recall watching three old draglines (a Lorain, a BE and an old Linkbelt) get cut up for scrap in '06. All three were running with good undercarriages and fairly new friction clutches. The Lorain even had all new rope on it. In '07 there were people going around and cleaning out generations old junk piles on farms around here. Stuff that had been left in hedge rows and sink holes since the war was loaded up and sent to China.

I agree Brandon, this is going to get a lot worse. I too have people beginning to "sniff" around out here a little too much for my liking.

We had a commercial stainless cooler that I had sitting behind the pizza shop get stolen two days before this last Christmas. I had taken it outside so my HVAC guy could fix a leaking line on it. When I called the Police the day it disappeared, they did nothing about it, asking me "what do you expect us to do?". I realize that it was already gone and more than likely at a scrap yard in St. Louis by that point, but I assumed they would be interested in making a report of a theft from a business in town.

The point of this is that as far as someone stealing something and turning it in for scrap, we are on our own. The authorities realize that most scrapyards don't care where this stuff comes from, even though they are supposed to take identification from people.

 

[NDT]

Can we see some pictures of your 22BM? I used to have a 1968 model and wish I never sold it.

 

[5tonpuller]

Here the scrap yards take and copy your D/L and staple it to the part they keep for there records. I do not know how long they have to keep it. I do know they have caught a lot of people steeling .

 

[Jimma]

What a turd......Did you tell him that if he was going to be a turn he should be lying in the yard

 

[pctrans]

Don't know about where you guys live, but down here in FL, steel prices have gone DOWN $2.50/hundred in the past two weeks.

 

[Jimma]

I ment to say turd................

 

[54reo]

Can we see some pictures of your 22BM? I used to have a 1968 model and wish I never sold it.

From what I have been able to gather from old Bucyrus-Erie records, there were two government contracts for the 22B, one in 1951 and another larger one in 1968. All of the later machines were diesel powered while the early contract machines were powered by Chyrsler 377 cid flathead six cylinder gas engines. The early machines all had AC powered interior and exterior spotlights, with a small single cylinder Kohler AC generator onboard to power the lights.

This particular one is a Corps of Engineers machine that I recovered from a Kansas junkyard years ago. It was destined for the scrap heap, and I couldn't let that happen. Long story short, once I finally got it home life seemed to always get in the way of actually getting it running again. Good thing is the fact that it is a very low hour machine with a great undercarriage. Unfortunately, the only front end I have for it is the original cable hoe front, but I am always looking for a shovel front.

As far as the diesel powered machines, a few of the later machines still come out of the Government via our favorite auction site on occasion.

 

[m16ty]

Here the scrap yards take and copy your D/L and staple it to the part they keep for there records. I do not know how long they have to keep it. I do know they have caught a lot of people steeling .

We have two local scrap yards around here. The one I use copies you DL, takes a pic of your tags, takes a pic of your load, and only pays by check. The other one you just unload your scrap and get paid cash. You can guess which one the thieves use. They passed a bunch of laws in TN to try and crack down on scrap theft but this guy just keeps paying cash and looking the other way.

It's one thing if you own a piece of equipment and decide to scrap it but it's a whole different story to steal somebody's stuff to scrap. It's getting awful around here with the slow economy and the crack heads have found a way for easy cash. We've been hit twice by scrap thieves. The big problem is the stuff they take and get $50 for cost us $1,000 to replace. The local police have been no help.