Scrapyard Score!!

[HawkinsHollow]

I have been wanting tooth bar and think the Piranha tooth bars look like exactly what I need. I have a plasma cutter and and a 220 MIG welder so I have decided to try to make one myself. I went to the steel supply store the other day and they wanted $80 for a 60" piece of 3/8" bar stock 6 inches wide. Not awful, but not cheap. I decided I would go to the scrap yard to see if I could find something cheaper. BAM!! I found a 9" wide by 7/16 or 1/2" piece of bar stock that is 66" long. PERFECT!

:cool2::dance1::drink:

Also got a HUGE (like 1.5") piece of all thread with all the hardware. 3 nuts a couple of washers. Anyone have an idea what I can make out of that?

Got a bunch of other random stuff 2x2 square stock, 2x4 square stock, etc and only paid $44.

Anyway, stay tuned for the tooth bar build!

 

[metalbender]

You one lucky duck. Our scrap yards browsing days are over. Occupational health and safety regs prohibit the activity. Used to get lots of raw material for projects. Hate going to the supplier for loyyle bits of gold. Couple of manufacturing places let me do a little dumpster diving, I try ro limit my visits so as not to be a pia for them. A box of donuts does help though.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I hear ya! I think our days are numbered here as well. There are only 2 or 3 scrap yards that still allow it. The place I got this stuff is right next to a multi million dollar condo complex that is going up. The city will be squeezing them out soon I'm sure! This is my first time doing this, and I rather enjoyed it. I think I will be making regular stops there so stock up on material before it is a thing of the past here as well. $.20/pound can't beat that!

 

[radios1]

be aware, you don't know what kind of steel that is. a tooth bar should have hardened teeth to reduce wear, you could use a hardface rod if the steel won't curl on you. also, some cheap steel will curl up when heated!..

 

[HawkinsHollow]

be aware, you don't know what kind of steel that is. a tooth bar should have hardened teeth to reduce wear, you could use a hardface rod if the steel won't curl on you. also, some cheap steel will curl up when heated!..

For $15 or $20 I will take a chance.

 

[jaxs]

I hear ya! I think our days are numbered here as well. There are only 2 or 3 scrap yards that still allow it. The place I got this stuff is right next to a multi million dollar condo complex that is going up. The city will be squeezing them out soon I'm sure! This is my first time doing this, and I rather enjoyed it. I think I will be making regular stops there so stock up on material before it is a thing of the past here as well. $.20/pound can't beat that!

Yup, $.20 vs $.60 to $.75 at steel supply. The recycler currently get's $5 to $5.50 per hundred after delivering to exporter. I don't understand why they don't sort material and offer it outside yard where there's less liability for 30% of local new material. I take chips,candy and nuts during winter,pop and beer in styro cooler during summer. If a yard worker set's aside long straight angle and call's me,he get's a little cash.

 

[Gofast]

Nice find!
My surplus place is up to .45 a pound. A few months ago it was .31 a much better price. Still better deal than new.
I love to repurpose stuff/steel (and save money).

 

[Deere Dude]

Our recycle place gives a pittance for scrap steel but they do stick a lot of the somewhat usable stuff in front of the office for locals to buy. I think they buy for 3 cents a pound and sell it back for 10 cents. Not terrible.

 

[TractorGuy]

Neither of our yards sell to the public any more.

We do have a welding supply store that sells steel at a reasonable price but most is sold at a 10' minimum. I can often buy 10' for what I would pay for 5' at my second choice supplier so I end up with metal left over. About to use the leftover 5' of 4x4x1/4 angle I bought from them. Not all their employees know what they are doing. I had my SIL pick up what was supposed to be some 1" cold roll a while back and they sent hot roll. I ended up going to my other supplier and getting what I needed.

 

[radios1]

here's a nice score!. https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/311815-scrapyard-backhoe.html

 

[Smokeydog]

My smooth bucket original cutting blade was worn 2” back on the sides and 1” in the middle. Bevel was worn on the underside. Not a candidate for a bolt in toothbar. BXpanded made a special one to weld in. Unbelievable the digging difference in hard ground. Pulls up brush and trees with little effort. V-tooth design is perfect. Hit rocks hard enough to stall 60hp 4x4 tractor with no damage. Tough steel. Hot rolled or cold rolled would severely be damaged or worn.
Scrapyard is one of regular haunts for fabrication materials. Sometimes see old/new grader or snowplow blades.

 

[Thomas]

True so many times..."One mans junk another mans treasure" :thumbsup:

 

[yomax4]

For $15 or $20 I will take a chance.

Once you get it all cut out and holes drilled. It will be easy to harden it and or hard surface it or both. I'm making one too. I bought a tooth bar that's way too heavy duty for my tractor so I'm going to make a copy.

 

[tomplum]

I love it when I stumble upon stuff I actually need in the drops section! Good deal for you. The yard I deal with has a real cheap bin that not much you ever want is in but there 50-60 cent section does well enough. That's where my tooth bar came out of. It's done lots of leveling and scraping still looks and works great. I don't think the Piranha is hardened. Doesn't state something like heavy duty steel or something vague?

 

[Smokeydog]

Can’t harden hot rolled steel.

Met with the folks at BXpanded for them to make a custom weld on Piranha toothbar. Their steel, cutting and fabrication are trade secrets. Suspect AR500+ (120,000+psi) steel. Boast they hadn’t had a PTB price increase in over 10 years. Investing in equipment and techniques. Amazing product that greatly improves my farm work.

All for experimenting and trying new ideas. Please keep us informed on your progress and evaluation.

 

[PILOON]

Our main scrap yard cleaned up and closed shop.
A nice steel fabricator that also sold cut offs went bankrupt.
Major fabricator shop that was extremely well equipped was sold and they now won't service DIY guys.

So we are now down to one big (read full lengths only) supplier that always was the priciest but had everything in stock.

Trump tarifs (am in Canada) have not helped but also the newer generation is not much into the DIY as mine is.
They simply take out their CC and charge it up.

When my CUT breaks down I take out my tools and fix it.
New gen calls the dealer.

When I wanted a snow plow I had shop curl my blade from steel I had and I welded it up. That set me back all of $200. while this generation would charge up that $3000 blade and max out his CC.

Well my DIY days are about over anyway at my age but thankfully I can afford to retire as I want as my DIY days allowed me to save up enough to do so.
Unlike many I know I don't plan on the gov't to look after me, besides I have lots of bed frame angle sides to weld up many more projects, LOL.

 

[Reb954]

Can稚 harden hot rolled steel.

Met with the folks at BXpanded for them to make a custom weld on Piranha toothbar. Their steel, cutting and fabrication are trade secrets. Suspect AR500+ (120,000+psi) steel. Boast they hadn稚 had a PTB price increase in over 10 years. Investing in equipment and techniques. Amazing product that greatly improves my farm work.

All for experimenting and trying new ideas. Please keep us informed on your progress and evaluation.

Just for clarification, how the material is rolled, hot or cold, has nothing to do with whether it can be heat treated. High carbon material also comes hot rolled just as low carbon material.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I love it when I stumble upon stuff I actually need in the drops section! Good deal for you. The yard I deal with has a real cheap bin that not much you ever want is in but there 50-60 cent section does well enough. That's where my tooth bar came out of. It's done lots of leveling and scraping still looks and works great. I don't think the Piranha is hardened. Doesn't state something like heavy dutyView attachment 596313 steel or something vague?

Looks awesome! I have been doing some research on case hardening. But I think I will make it, use it and see if hardening is even necessary. Now I just need to find the time to fire up the plasma cutter.

 

[tomplum]

Thanks. You are really just drawing a bunch of W's. Just had to think about not over cutting the back of the tooth.

 

[Mace Canute]

Just for clarification, how the material is rolled, hot or cold, has nothing to do with whether it can be heat treated. High carbon material also comes hot rolled just as low carbon material.

This is true! :thumbsup: