Author Topic: Acquiring Wheelweights (Read 1498 times)

Dusty Miller · « **on:** April 12, 2004, 10:18:38 AM »

Maybe I'm just short of charm or other important personality traits but on the few occasions when I've attempted to get a tire shop to give/sell me some wheel weights, I'm told that they have somebody who comes around on a regular basis to pick up the weights (and pay for them). Is the wheel weight business locked up by commercial interests or do I need to smile more?

RayO · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2004, 11:33:45 AM »

Try gas stations that still have mechanics and sell tires.They usually have a bucket of wheelweights laying around.Offer to buy it,they might give it to you or sell it cheap.In my work I get around to a lot of differant business and I found out if you want something,be nice, offer to pay and they just might give it to you.I went to a business once,that had two 55gal. drums of wheelweights,The man there gave me a 5gal. bucket full because I told him I made bullets.He said he had guns and liked to shoot.

Flash · « **Reply #2 on:** April 12, 2004, 12:53:16 PM »

The red tape with disposal of wheel weights by commercial establishments is rather thick and lengthy. I attempted to get some from a tire dealer once and was politely informed that lead wheel weights are considered a hazzardous substance and their disposal is controled by the federal government. The transfer of wheel weights from a tire dealer's posession to your posssesion is considered disposal. Uncontroled disposal, which is what the dealer is doing is a federal offense. This can explain why many tire dealers are reluctant to sell you wheel weights.

myronman3 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 12, 2004, 05:24:51 PM »

it could be that they are shooting you straight and they already made arrangements with someone else. keep trying, sooner or later you will hit the jackpot. tell them why you are asking and offer to either buy or trade for soda or beer. it the guy shoots; offer some of your bullets in trade; or buy a mold for sinkers and offer up a bunch of them. not everyone shoots but everyone around here fishes. i suspect it is the same in other areas. i dont know if i get more excited over game or hitting the jackpot with lead.

grendel · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2004, 08:15:13 PM »

If your in the Sierra Foothills forget. They belong to me (as my Computer Geek friends would say, "All your lead are belong to us"). On the other hand if you live elsewhere then try the smaller tire shops. Forget Big0, WalMart and the like. They will not do squat for you. I get full 5gal buckets at the smaller shops for about $10-$15 a bucket, depending on the shop. Each bucket seems to melt out to around 140+- pounds of WW.

Hope this helps

Grendel

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #5 on:** April 13, 2004, 01:29:30 AM »

You gotta hit the independent tire shops and garages. Being an obvious good ol' boy helps. Fresh $10 bills helps. Being known helps. If you got a dog, take him along. Take along a small box of cast .38s in case you run into a handloader. Take along a stack of mud buckets because folks are often more concerned about the buckets than the WW.

And you gotta spread the word. Garbage men run into lead scrap. Plumbers run into lead scrap. Hospital remodel jobs produce lots of lead scrap. Flea market operators run into lead and, better yet, scrap solder and pewter.

You get fifty folks knowing that you are looking for lead scrap and it'll start trickling in.

jgalar · « **Reply #6 on:** April 13, 2004, 02:37:19 AM »

The only place around me that I have found is Goodyear. All the others have contracts with the battery guys or similar or their corporate office has contracts with whoever.

It just takes some legwork. Make sure you have an empty bucket or 2 to exchange. If you don't have an empty bucket to leave you won't be very popular.

jh45gun · « **Reply #7 on:** April 13, 2004, 03:43:43 AM »

I used to have the same problem with "we are saving for some one else syndrome" :cry: Then one day while getting a tire changed at my local garage/lube service center which I never thought of checking before I spyed a 3# coffee can full of wheel weights by the tire machine. I asked my buddy who owns the shop what do you want for them he said take them and there is a bunch more over in the corner. Man I hit the jackpot!! I got about 10 cans full of wheel weights for free. maybe more I cannot remember they are in my storage shed it may have been over 10 cans just know they added up in a hurry. I told him I would take anymore that they got off of their hands it worked for them as they told me it was not worth their time to scrap them out so they were happy and so was I. So keep looking and you will find some and when you do I bet it will be enough to make it worth your while for the time you looked. Another source of pure lead is roofers. Old houses used lead flashing on the roofs and it is pure lead. It might take a while for them to get a old house that has some but if they do not cast them selves it is a good source for lead that is Good for muzzle loaders or your own alloys!! Jim

West Creek Charlie · « **Reply #8 on:** April 13, 2004, 04:13:01 AM »

I have gotten the same answer from alot of shops - we already have someone dispose of them or we have a contract. One local shop I stopped at and asked said they already have someone pick them up. Although that same local shop is now my regular supplier - while I was in there getting a tire fixed and pricing new tires for my truck - I asked if I could get any old wheel weights form them. Low and behold they had 3 buckets already cleaned of the stems and junk. The shop foreman said they toss'em or scrap'em but they only git a $20 fer a whole truck load. I stop in there about onced a month with a case of beer - and they gives me a 5gal pailfull - sometimes it aint full but its a good supply and a bit cheaper than the local scrap yard that sells them for 20cent/pound. The very same weights ta boot.

It might be a bit easier to get a big pile form the scrap yard but the 500% profit they ask is a bit harder to swallow. The beer washes it down slick as a whistle.

dakotashooter2 · « **Reply #9 on:** April 13, 2004, 04:58:24 AM »

Next time you need tires make a bucketfull of ww part of the deal(even if you have to pay for them). Even if they are providing them to someone else you could make that a deal breaker. No tire store is going to give up a tire sale over a bucket of ww's.

larry357 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 13, 2004, 04:58:31 PM »

I had a bit of luck this morning, the first shop I stopped at sells em when he gets a full bucket, first come first serve 20$. I said yea ok and went across the street bossman says the tire shop down the road buys his for 25$ a bucket we talked for a minute and I told him I needed em to make bullets for my ole 44 he says, bullets? back your truck in over there.
got a full bucket for 10$ also got a place that doesnt do much tire bussiness saving for me for free.

jgalar · « **Reply #11 on:** April 14, 2004, 02:38:01 AM »

$25 for a bucket :eek:

I feel generous giving them $5

flintman · « **Reply #12 on:** April 14, 2004, 08:10:23 AM »

From a tire dealer in Marion,Virginia.Also paid the help $10.00 to deliver,as I do not have a pickm up truck.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #13 on:** April 14, 2004, 01:31:01 PM »

Quote from: dakotashooter2

Next time you need tires make a bucketfull of ww part of the deal(even if you have to pay for them). Even if they are providing them to someone else you could make that a deal breaker. No tire store is going to give up a tire sale over a bucket of ww's.

THAT'S INOVATION! Great idea!

Cactus Cris · « **Reply #14 on:** April 14, 2004, 05:05:20 PM »

You guys are missing a great place for them. You know them big yellow things that haul kids around? Go to where they service them & I'll bet they gots buckets full of WW. Plus they are HUGE!!!! Don't take many to make a pound. I get mine from my school dist. service yard for free. They have to pay someone to take them for disposal & would rather just get rid of them. I take empty 5 gal. paint buckets back to them to refill. BTW the dist. has 128 big yellow units with 6 big tires on each. Adds up quick! :eek:

mellow_1 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 14, 2004, 08:47:27 PM »

I could be wrong on this so please tell me if I am, but doesnt the old washer machines have a lead weight counter balance? This is what I heard a some point and I am not completely sure.
If they do in fact , they would be a great source if you came accross an old washer or two. I would imagine that the lead counter balance would have to be of significant size...... anyway just a thought.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #16 on:** April 15, 2004, 12:37:25 AM »

Go for the GOLD - there are two ballest weights of LEAD that are 2' wide 2' high x about 8' long under each diesel-electric train engine!

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #17 on:** April 15, 2004, 05:20:48 AM »

Quote from: mellow_1

I could be wrong on this so please tell me if I am, but doesnt the old washer machines have a lead weight counter balance? This is what I heard a some point and I am not completely sure.

Have to be a mighty old one. I just had occasion to move one and thought to look. Counterweight was concrete.

Lazarus Longshot · « **Reply #18 on:** April 15, 2004, 08:01:19 AM »

Quote from: Cat Whisperer

Go for the GOLD - there are two ballest weights of LEAD that are 2' wide 2' high x about 8' long under each diesel-electric train engine!

Boy, that'd give my truck a hernia...... :eek:

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #19 on:** April 15, 2004, 09:16:58 AM »

Quote from: Cat Whisperer

Go for the GOLD - there are two ballest weights of LEAD that are 2' wide 2' high x about 8' long under each diesel-electric train engine!

Applying fuzzy math, my SWAG puts that at between three and four tons per weight.

Edit: My math was a little too fuzzy. That's 32 cubic feet of lead at 712 pounds per c.f., or a bit over 10 tons per weight.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #20 on:** April 15, 2004, 12:07:48 PM »

Quote from: Leftoverdj

That's 32 cubic feet of lead at 712 pounds per c.f., or a bit over 10 tons per weight.

That sounds about right. Needed to provide friction so the engine(s) can pull the loooong trains.

dakotashooter2 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 15, 2004, 03:02:27 PM »

If you live in an older community also check with the local water deparment or their contractor. I get a small supply of pure lead from old water pipes that have to be replaced when service lines break. Don't use it myself but trade or sell it to smokepole shooters.

EDG · « **Reply #22 on:** April 15, 2004, 03:04:34 PM »

>>Edit: My math was a little too fuzzy. That's 32 cubic feet of lead at 712 pounds per c.f., or a bit over 10 tons per weight.<<

Assuming you don't have much waste that is 280,000 bullets of 500 grains each.
Consider how many buffalo were wiped out by the market hunters.
"If" they killed 30 million buffalo it would have required about 1071 tons of lead. At 708 lbs/cu ft = 3026 cu ft.
The cube root of 3026 = a cube or block of lead 14.46 ft on a side.

Ed