Scrapping is a labor-intensive job. When you take apart your scrap metal and different materials at your shop or house, you know how many other tools are needed to get the job done. The simple task of taking apart a computer tower can take a few different tools. The same goes for scrap yards; they are just elevated. Scrap yards must have a much wider variety of tools and equipment on-site to complete the job. With the wider variety and higher quantity of scrap coming in, there is standard equipment at scrap yards across the globe.
Smaller Equipment at Scrap Yards
- Standard Toolbox—Like you, scrap yards need different handheld tools to disassemble things. A good example is when they receive sample materials and have to disassemble them to determine their recovery rate.
- Sawzall—A must-have scrapper looking to clean aluminum and copper for more money, it is also a very valuable tool for scrap yards. When scrap yards have radiators coming in bulk, if they want to make more money, just like you, they reach for their sawzall to clean up dirty rads.
- Wire Stripper—These machines Come in all sizes and varieties and are essential for the everyday scrapper and smaller to medium-sized scrap yards. Unless scrap yards have a grinder for wires, many of them will have a processing area for wire stripping. Usually using an electric one, the stripper at your local scrap yard should be capable of stripping various wire and cable sizes.
Larger Machinery at Scrap Yards
Depending on the scale of their operation, scrap yards often require more significant mechanical tools to handle and process substantial volumes of materials efficiently. The most common examples of these are:
- Fork truck—Many scrap yards will have a few of these driving around picking up pallets of materials and moving boxes and containers. These are a must for all scrap yards of any size. They are especially good for scrap yards that use dumping hoppers to move materials from customers to balers or containers.
- Balers—Seen at scrap yards, these convenient machines load the materials and package them to be shipped. Many different types of balers include standing balers, front-loading balers, and automatic balers. Their convenience is that various materials can be baled, including wire, aluminum, computer boards, and more.
- Material Handlers—The large machines found in the back of larger scrap yards come with a variety of attachments to move and sort materials. Magnets are used to pick up ferrous materials from piles and move them to the appropriate pile. Shears are used to slice through larger structures like steel to make them suitable for processing.
- Roll-Off Trucks & Trailers—Many scrap yards, large and small, can move material with their roll-off containers or trailers. Often used at job sites to be filled with metals, they can be picked up and are mobile to move the materials quickly and efficiently.
