Home
I'm curious, what's a fair price to pay for wheelweights from a tire shop? The local shop has 2-3 buckets of weights that I've been wanting to buy for from them for some time, but they haven't yet given me a price. I know that a 5 gallon bucket full of wheel weights weights approx. 135# and that one of the big scrap buyers in the area is paying 25 cents/pound. So, any body bought WW's lately? Would you mind sharing the price?

Thanks,
Scott
Ive paid 15 cents-25 cents a pound most places, some places just charge $50 a full 5 gallon bucket, BTW bring your own buckets many shops are far easier to get to sell if you offer to just pour the owners buckets in your buckets and flash a $50 bill for each full bucket or two so he knows your serious
My sources of ww's have dried up, so if I had a source I'd gladly pay $50/bucket. WW ingots are selling for $1/lb, so if you can get a full bucket for $50 and get over 100#'s of ingots out of it, just pay the man and be happy to have a source.

Hoarding my last two buckets shocked
Be aware of Square wheel weights that are zinc, they will eat up the liner in a melting pot over time, will not fluz to boot!
square weights? I've used the square weights that are on a adhesive strip, It seemed like lead. Are those the weights made of zinc?
Thanks for the responses, guys.

10-4 on the non Pb wheel weights. My plan is to separate any non lead WWs during the smelting process by scooping off anything that fails to melt or melts slower than the majority of the metal in the pot.
for me, free

that's the going rate around here.
I just paid $40 for 2 over filled 5 gal buckets from my family mechanic. That said, New Yorkistan has made it a crime to sell wheel weights or any other form of lead. Seems they snuck it in under the Enviro laws to save the fishies and the loons. I've stopped in at least 20 shops over the last month and came up empty every time.
Those stick-on wheel weights are soft(er) lead.
Originally Posted by bruinruin

10-4 on the non Pb wheel weights. My plan is to separate any non lead WWs during the smelting process by scooping off anything that fails to melt or melts slower than the majority of the metal in the pot.


The last bucket of WW's I got at the local tire shop were about 60:40 lead:nonlead. I have no idea what metal the unleaded weights were, but they were a pain in the azz. After the first couple of pots I started sorting through and discarding anything that wasn't obviously lead.

BTW, I use an old cast aluminum pot over a propane stove to melt my WW's down... I found if I put that stuff into my "good" melting pot the dang thing cruds up something fierce. There's a LOT of dirt and crud in those WW's.
I bought a 5 gal. bucket at local metal yard a few weeks ago, not a month, paid 23.00 it weighted just past 100 lbs.
Well, the shop I was trying to buy wheel weights from doesn't want to give me a price to pay, so I checked into another local shop a couple minutes ago and lucked into a pretty good deal-he's got 4 buckets sitting on the shop floor and said he'll sell 'em for $25 each. I'm going back in a couple minutes with the truck and $100. Whoo-hoo. That'll give me somewhere in the neighborhood of about 500lbs of WW's to smelt and pour into ingots. Now I've gotta get some .430 and .358 moulds.
I have about 200-250 pounds of scrap lead sitting in my garage.
Anybody wants it, come get it. For nothing, just get it out of here.
PM incoming.
I got the WWs yesterday and brought them home. Today I weighed the buckets and it totaled up to 500 lbs. That makes close to 600lbs with the little bit of WWs I already had.

I should be set for a little while. grin
Now the fun part cleaning them up!! I hate to sort them but must do it. Clint


My source charges me 16 cents a pound for lead scrap - which includes clip-on wheel weights, and battery clamps, and lots of waste and crap I have to seperate before I get to the melt.

I avoid stick-on WW's as they are high in Zinc content!

But don't overlook sources for softer lead like battery clamps. wink
The stickon's that you can twist are lead. zinc and steel will not twist by hand . Clint
I picked up 55lbs of clean wheel weights today for $10.
I just picked up a bucket that looks like someone poured motor oil or something similar on them. I suppose they'll melt ok but it could get smokey. I'm a little worried about throwing more of them into an already hot melt. It might pop like water going in.

Bb
Scott, I bought seven buckets of WW from a tire store locally for $20/bucket just recently.
Originally Posted by Burleyboy
I just picked up a bucket that looks like someone poured motor oil or something similar on them. I suppose they'll melt ok but it could get smokey. I'm a little worried about throwing more of them into an already hot melt. It might pop like water going in.

Bb


Self-fluxing.

Alan
Originally Posted by MColeman
Scott, I bought seven buckets of WW from a tire store locally for $20/bucket just recently.


Heckuva deal ya' got there, Mickey. smile

And thanks again for the part you sent me. grin
Originally Posted by bruinruin
Originally Posted by MColeman
Scott, I bought seven buckets of WW from a tire store locally for $20/bucket just recently.


Heckuva deal ya' got there, Mickey. smile

And thanks again for the part you sent me. grin

You're more'n welcome but to be honest, I don't remember what it was but glad I could help. blush

PS: That ain't all I can't remember these days. smile
Quote
PS: That ain't all I can't remember these days.


As a neighbor of mine said. "I can't even remember all the stuff I've forgot." confused miles
Originally Posted by MColeman
Originally Posted by bruinruin
Originally Posted by MColeman
Scott, I bought seven buckets of WW from a tire store locally for $20/bucket just recently.


Heckuva deal ya' got there, Mickey. smile

And thanks again for the part you sent me. grin

You're more'n welcome but to be honest, I don't remember what it was but glad I could help. blush

PS: That ain't all I can't remember these days. smile


It was the stock bolt for my 10/22. smile

Originally Posted by bruinruin
Originally Posted by MColeman
Originally Posted by bruinruin
Originally Posted by MColeman
Scott, I bought seven buckets of WW from a tire store locally for $20/bucket just recently.


Heckuva deal ya' got there, Mickey. smile

And thanks again for the part you sent me. grin

You're more'n welcome but to be honest, I don't remember what it was but glad I could help. blush

PS: That ain't all I can't remember these days. smile


It was the stock bolt for my 10/22. smile


Aha! The "collector's item". Glad I could be a friend. smile
Originally Posted by bruinruin
Originally Posted by MColeman
Scott, I bought seven buckets of WW from a tire store locally for $20/bucket just recently.


Heckuva deal ya' got there, Mickey. smile

And thanks again for the part you sent me. grin

I didn't realize at the time that it was a great deal. I just wanted some wheel weights and that was about the only place in town that had some. I've since located a couple hundred pounds of pure lead that I'll mix with the wheel weights so I'm good to go for what time's left for me.
I've ordered three new moulds, a lubrisizer among other things. Just in case........
© 24hourcampfire