Stolen tractor

[bgosh]

Was looking at local crags list an seen some B110 parts for sale and I called the fellow and after asking him if he had anything else then what was pictured he said that he was having trouble getting it started and took over to a friends to see what he could do with it ,and his friend called him to see if he came and picked it up and he said no. I wonder just how much of this is going on? Pretty sad. Stan

[perry]

shady scrappers and drug addicts will steal anything for a quick buck.

[TommyK]

It happens. We had a spate of farm machinery being stolen in out area, from old pull behind implements to gravity flow wagons. Turned out the culprit was stealing the items then taking them to the local scrap iron yard. Always a good idea to keep your serial numbers handy. Unlike automobiles, the government doesn't keep track of these things. He might check buyers of scrap iron. Many times a farmer might not 'miss' the item for months, especially if it is stored on a remote, uninhabited farm stead. As bad as the economy is, scrap metal prices are sky high. Anything salvageable is being salvaged. Chicargo looses cast iron man hole covers on a regular basis. Luckily the local scrap yards are wise to this... also the city's name is molded into the top of the covers. Thieves of this sort are not rocket scientists. Another target is those covers on fire plugs and fire department hook ups on the outside and inside of buildings.

[SimplicitySwede]

Ya i worry about it since dads an electrician

[TommyK]

My wife's sisters' husband works in a factory in Missouri. They were having trouble with their milling equipment. The machine oil wouldn't flow. Upon investigation, the cooling unit, outside the building, which cools the machining oil had been stolen for it's copper tubing. They just came in, cut the hoses and wiring, then carted it off.

[perry]

yep the old saying use to be they would take anything that is not bolted down. now they take anything bolted down or not.

[RayS]

quote:

---

Originally posted by TommyK
My wife's sisters' husband works in a factory in Missouri. They were having trouble with their milling equipment. The machine oil wouldn't flow. Upon investigation, the cooling unit, outside the building, which cools the machining oil had been stolen for it's copper tubing. They just came in, cut the hoses and wiring, then carted it off.

---

Probably an employee!

[huffy]

There's a power station not far from my hunting property. A couple of weeks ago some miscreants tried to steal one of the main lines so they could sell the copper. The thing was about 8 inches thick, so these yahoos decided to try to chop through it with an axe. This, of course, did not work, caused transformers and other equipment to blow, and created a massive power outage. Miraculously, and in my opinion unfortunately, somehow the idiots avoided getting electricuted. How hard up for cash, and stupid, do you have to be to attempt chopping through a main power line with an axe? Not to mention the fact that even if they'd have cut through it where it exited the facility, the rest of it was still buried underground.

[RayS]

I had a trailer full of scrap last fall. I had a guy stop every week begging me to let him have the steel on it. There was 3000 pounds on the trailer. After the third week of him bugging me, I went and got the digital camera took a picture of his license plate and asked him if I needed a picture of him and if I should chain my trailer to a tree. I haven`t seen him since.

[Mike]

Last week someone stole the copper gutters off our local church.

[Chuck_Woolery]

quote:

---

Originally posted by huffy
There's a power station not far from my hunting property. A couple of weeks ago some miscreants tried to steal one of the main lines so they could sell the copper. The thing was about 8 inches thick, so these yahoos decided to try to chop through it with an axe. This, of course, did not work, caused transformers and other equipment to blow, and created a massive power outage. Miraculously, and in my opinion unfortunately, somehow the idiots avoided getting electricuted. How hard up for cash, and stupid, do you have to be to attempt chopping through a main power line with an axe? Not to mention the fact that even if they'd have cut through it where it exited the facility, the rest of it was still buried underground.

---

This happens all too often. Usually they start with the grounds. Then they get greedy and move onto the live wire....usually it doesn't turn out too well for the thief though.

[Brettw]

quote:

---

Then they get greedy and move onto the live wire....usually it doesn't turn out too well for the thief though.

---

But is excellent for the gene pool!

[dav]

down here in the Tampa area, air conditioners are a favorite target. the strip mall up the street lost 4 over a weekend last year. one of the local schools got hit, too, but those theives got caught. our local pill pusher grabbed an aluminum john boat and cut it up. he got bagged for something else but not before he nabbed my golf car-it was recovered- and not before he sideswiped my wife in my daughter's new car. we had to pay the deductable, and the cops had no probable cause to drug test them. damn shame ya can't catch the scumbags alone at night. i have a nice little pond that i'd gladly pollute for the good of the comunity.

[cougar]

In order to stop these "*********" local law requires any person to present a drivers license and the strap yard to send a check to the address on the licence. No cash

[Chuck_Woolery]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brettw But is excellent for the gene pool!

---

Yes definitely!

[goatfarmer]

$245.00 a ton for tin yesterday, down from $260.00 2 weeks ago.

[DaveL]

copper pipes ripped out of our old hse in ripping out the water lines they broke a gas line and almost blew up the place and the neighbors--- appx one hour to combustion when friends found the damage We were told that the scrap value of the copper was probably $100---- ins cost to restore the water damage and new fixtures and A/C etc. just under $30,000. (we replaced with pex) The blunderhead police dept decided that was not really important to search scrapyards----AND listed the report as respond--- as ""assist a natural gas leak""" Absolutely unbelievable to us..... In the old days scrappers were legit....

[dentwizz]

A year or two ago a hick that graduated at the same time my wife did(somehow he graduated :O) climbed the 60 ft Amtrak power lines, since the rails are gone and its a rail trail to cut the feed wires. They are still carrying this end of the state's power feed for the trains, like 150kv and they audibly hum from the ground. He climbed up with a BOLT cutter. The coroner said he was dead before he hit the ground, wire undamaged.

[sierradriver]

Fly by night people is what we call them here. You can always tell when prices go up for scrap because you see trucks and trailers full (overfull) dragging down back roads.

[perry]

quote:

---

Originally posted by sierradriver
Fly by night people is what we call them here. You can always tell when prices go up for scrap because you see trucks and trailers full (overfull) dragging down back roads.

---

we just had our city spring clean-up. we get to put our household junk out at the curb. for those weeks the scrappers are out in flocks. i have seen some way over loaded cars/trucks. in the past years i have got some good stuff myself driving around, lawn equipment, garden attachments, and even complete tractors. but now the scrappers nab everything up. i think its funny when you go to the scrap yard and you can see anything from cadillacs too neon's packed with junk to the drivers seat:D i think they should have some type of scrappers license or shown as a business or something. there is alot of guys that make a living at it but also too many crooks. and maybe have a temp permit for home owners to get.

[comet66]

Around here the big item is catalytic converters. The primary targets apt. complexes and fleet parking lots.

[perry]

oh ya the invention of the cordless saws-all. movie theaters also a target.

[RayS]

quote:

---

Originally posted by perry

quote:

---

Originally posted by sierradriver
Fly by night people is what we call them here. You can always tell when prices go up for scrap because you see trucks and trailers full (overfull) dragging down back roads.

---

we just had our city spring clean-up. we get to put our household junk out at the curb. for those weeks the scrappers are out in flocks. i have seen some way over loaded cars/trucks. in the past years i have got some good stuff myself driving around, lawn equipment, garden attachments, and even complete tractors. but now the scrappers nab everything up. i think its funny when you go to the scrap yard and you can see anything from cadillacs too neon's packed with junk to the drivers seat:D i think they should have some type of scrappers license or shown as a business or something. there is alot of guys that make a living at it but also too many crooks. and maybe have a temp permit for home owners to get.

---

Then they would want a license to sell tractor parts next!:D There is nothing wrong with someone scraping if they are not stealing what they take in. I buy tractors now in then for parts for myself. If I have things left over that I don`t use it gets sold. If no one is interested in it, I take to the scrap yard. I will be thinning the herd my self and more than likely won`t be buying much any more. I have 5 spare 16hp Briggs, 2 or 3 spare BGB and enough NOS BGB to build a couple BGB if ever need be. And all the attachment I will ever need. I want to get down to 3 to 4 tractors tops.

[TommyK]

quote:

---

Originally posted by RayS

quote:

---

Originally posted by TommyK
My wife's sisters' husband works in a factory in Missouri. They were having trouble with their milling equipment. The machine oil wouldn't flow. Upon investigation, the cooling unit, outside the building, which cools the machining oil had been stolen for it's copper tubing. They just came in, cut the hoses and wiring, then carted it off.

---

Probably an employee!

---

You would be correct on that, it was an inside job.

[TommyK]

Years ago, when metals were peaking... the '80's,I think, I helped my dad tear down an old farm stead. He wanted to just burn the house, dismantle the barn and sheds for tin and barn siding then bury the rest. Being the industrious fellow, I 'rescued' the copper wiring. I threw it in a burn pile to burn off the insulation, wound it up then put it into a 5 gallon bucket, intending to take it to the scrap yard on my next trip to the big city (Peoria). I then heard about remote, uninhabited farmsteads being pilfered of copper. A neighbor had hogs on a distant barn uninhabited farmstead. He went to feed the hogs one day and the electric feed auger wouldn't turn on, neither would the lights. Upon investigation, all the electrical wire in the barn had been ripped out. Fearing having to explain my bucket of wire to the local jean-de-arms if I took it to the scrap yard, though legally salvaged, I never sold that bucket of copper. God only knows what happened to it.