Another interesting day.

[JDNSW]

Today I had to take my tandem trailer in to town for its annual roadworthiness. Hearing this, my next door neighbour (who is my nephew) said "You aren't taking it in empty are you?"

He has been trying to survive the drought by, among other things, taking scrap metal in to town gathered round his place. So yesterday I left the trailer there, and went over this morning to hitch it on. I said that it looked a bit heavy, but he assured me it was under two tonnes all up. So I set off, and aarranged to meet him at the scrap dealer's. He went and showered and changed and passed me on the way in, but was surprised when I phoned him to say I was almost there.

The County pulled the trailer quite happily at 90-100 as long as it was level, but slowed to about 60 on some of the hills. When unloaded it turned out I was carrying 900kg of old batteries plus 1200kg of ferrous scrap. A slight overload.

Got the rest of my business in town done (pink slip, paid rego, groceries, doctor, prescriptions, August LRO, etc), but very tired tonight - places you can park with a sixteen foot trailer are scarce and not close to where you want to go, so I did a lot of walking!

John

[Relay]

900kg of old batteries. :o At the price new lead is at the moment I think you should go hit your nephew up for a beer or something!

[JDNSW]

900kg of old batteries. :o At the price new lead is at the moment I think you should go hit your nephew up for a beer or something!

New lead might be - I'll find out what he got for it, but he was expecting to get about half the price per kilo that he got for the steel. I left him dealing with the paperwork, but I'll see him tomorrow.

Never mind about the quid pro quo - I have some welding needed and also plan on borrowing his front end loader and posthole digger (which he doesn't know about yet), not to mention the bulldozing he is going to do for me on a couple of fencelines, and ......

John

[Relay]

But he's family. He has to do such things whether he owes you or not!:D;) Beer on the other hand, must be bought through hard work!

[Bigbjorn]

My wrecking yard mates tell me this :-clean aluminium is fetching around $2 per kilo, clean means aluminium only, no steel or other metals attached like studs and brackets; ferrous metals around $150 per tonne; batteries are now almost worthless and are dumped, not being worth the storing and handling. The City Council requires they be stored under cover behind a bund wall like the waste oil. Easier to put them in the industrial bin.

30-40 years ago we clamped onto any batteries we came across as they fetched $2 to $3 at the scrap dealers. Apparently they then contained real lead plates and the vulcanised cases were resold to the many small local battery makers that have now disappeared. I am told they now contain a lead paste in fibreglass grids. I do not know how true this is.

[JDNSW]

..........
30-40 years ago we clamped onto any batteries we came across as they fetched $2 to $3 at the scrap dealers. Apparently they then contained real lead plates and the vulcanised cases were resold to the many small local battery makers that have now disappeared. I am told they now contain a lead paste in fibreglass grids. I do not know how true this is.

All lead-acid batteries (past and present) contain both "lead paste", actually lead peroxide and lead sulphate in a grid of metallic lead which acts as the conductor. What has happened in recent years is that computer aided design has enabled the amount of metallic lead to be reduced to a bare minimum, partly by using fibreglass or other plastic supports, so there is less in the battery than there used to be for the same rating, and also less metallic lead per kilo. Although the lead compounds should have significant value as lead "ore".

And as you indicate, the problems of storing and handling old batteris has added to the cost. But apparently the fact that old batteries are now saleable is because of environmental initiatives to subsidise the collection and processing of them! A year ago they were unsaleable, today they are worth the effort of taking into town.

John

[JohnE]

Better than letting the scrappies come in and take it away for 'free' .
Around here they advertise free pick up and cleaning up of old cars and machinery.
If they are worth something sell them.


john

[Captain_Rightfoot]

900kg of old batteries. :o At the price new lead is at the moment I think you should go hit your nephew up for a beer or something!

I bought a new battery for our defender the other week (nearly $300 :eek::eek: ). Anyway he said all batteries will be going up in the order of 20% next month due to the price of led. :(

[UncleHo]

G'day Captain Rightfoot :)

The price of Lead!!!!! more like the price of Profit:D

cheers

[Bigbjorn]

G'day Captain Rightfoot :)

The price of Lead!!!!! more like the price of Profit:D

cheers

Ho, you are a cynical, untrusting old man.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

G'day Captain Rightfoot :)

The price of Lead!!!!! more like the price of Profit:D

cheers
Quite probably!

I did find a cheaper battery but it was heaps 660cca whereas the one I ended up with was 830cca. It was a lead calcium battery.

I probably got ripped off but they've been around for ages this mob and they are usually pretty ok.

[JDNSW]

Found out the prices for the scrap yesterday - batteries were $220/ Tonne, ferrous scrap $140. Best prices he's got so far. Of course, the cost of batteries (as others have said) is on the way up, and so is fencing wire and posts.

John

[Relay]

You can accuse folks that sell ya batteries about the price hike all ya want. But fact is, that our prices have gone up too at work, and I get ta sign for all the batteries we sell. If we dont get them as cheap, neither do you guys.

Ironically you can blame Japan and China this time. They're screaming for lead for all the new cars they got goin' over there. On top of that some lunatics with too much money world wide decided lead was a very under-priced product, bought a whole lot of it and is now content to rake in many more millions off poor soles like us.

Enjoy, because the prices aren't gonna go back down. But never fear, lithium will be here soon enough!