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RANT about part-out guys

O

Old F-14

Member
Forward: I have no issue with parting out stuff, as I realize it takes parts to keep something going. I also realize it's the American way to make a buck.

I'm getting real tired of these part out guys around here. I'm not sure if its that way everywhere, but its sure like that here in Michigan. They buy any equipment that is fair priced, even nice stuff take the tires/rims off, a few choice parts and scrap the rest for iron. Want any part (even not desirable), its $250 up, or they will "haul it in for iron". Attached is the picture of one of the such guys iron pile ready to be loaded into semi trucks. Made me shed a tear.

They seem to have no respect for anything other then a quick buck, even at the cost of history and the future of the hobby. My teenage cousin has been looking for a project tractor, and still is. ANYTHING within his price range quickly gets snapped up by these fellows. One part-outer even acted like a complete jerk and figuratively p*ssed circles around a tractor at a non-auction estate sale. Do they not realize that you can conduct business, buy something, sell stuff, but NOT go out of your way to p*ss others off and act like a jerk?

Inquired about that Allis on his iron pile. Figured I'd give it to my kid cousin for his project. Offered the guy $150 over Iron price (Iron is high now). He said I won't take less then a grand or I'll scrap it. Idiot. Doesn't he realize that $150 over iron price is better then iron price? I know he made out selling the rims and tires and the mag. I just don't get it.



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Don't you realize that where that Allis sits, is the last he'll have to handle it? If he sells it to you he has to get a machine out, figure out how to fish it down off the pile, and you probably want him to load it for you too. That's worth something, and he doesn't feel that $150 to go through all that trouble is enough to make it worth his while.
 
Yeah in your situation I dont see why he wouldn't. Make more profit and make someones day, I would've sold it to you.
 
I agree with you,If I had the money and time Id go to these sales and buy all of the sheet metal and parts for only a few bucks and sell the parts or even give them away just to help other who cant afford the hobby.When I started this you could buy parts or tractors reasonable.Very few people care about the history and agriculture,Its all about money.My wife and I try to donate a tractor each year at our local fair to a child thats trying to get a start
 
No offense but the way I see it is .....
1) It's really none of your concern what he does (so why get in a sweat), and
2) Once you start name-calling, I think you lose a LOT of credibility with your rant.

Hopefully when you come across a real honest-to-goodness stressful situation, you're able to handle it OK.
 
That is an Allis B, they made over 100,000 of them so I don't think we will run out. Certainly not rare. If you want to buy a tractor at a low price put the word out at a tractor club and among your friends. The more the tractors are used for parts the more your tractors are worth. Just think if you were selling these guys are driving up the price.
 
The bloom is off the tractor collecting hobby, the next generations have their own interests. In the next 5 to 20 years, as today's collectors liquidate, most old tractors like other obsolete equipment will likely end up on the scrap pile.
 
I agree the salvage guys aren't bad the modern scrapers are crooks I have had stuff stolen and broken by them a friend had a auction to get rid of old stuff they didn't use and two scrapers bought a bunch of stuff and they were trying to steal each other's stuff and things that were not on the sale
 
I thought it looked like the front of a huber . Also I see the front end and grill of a 6000 ford.
 
Sounds like you need a lesson in running a business. The tractor might be "worth more" as parts, but ONLY IF THOSE PARTS SELL.

A parts tractor sitting there isn't making any money, and when the choice parts are gone, it is unlikely that anyone will ever come after the rest. So he should sit on a couple tons of good scrap just in case someone might come along 10 years down the line?

A guy who has been doing this for a while knows what sells and what sits. They pull what sells and scrap what sits so they are not up to their eyeballs in junk that's only slowly sinking into the ground and rusting away.
 
I personally love the part out guys - imagine trying to find NOS parts for my 350 Farmall of 706. Without them most of my machinery would have been parked and junked years ago.
 
If you really wanted that particular tractor you could have negotiated a price you both agreed on. Your cousin would have spent several thousand dollars more to restore it than it will ever be worth again anyway.

Most of the current restored tractors were once headed for the scrap yard or sitting in a fence row when someone decided to "rescue" them. Someday most will head there again.
 
Low auction prices dont help matters. About 2 years ago a John Deere GP on full steel went for $300 at auction. Most GPs I have seen dont go under $1000. I have heard it said that folks dont want the old tractors which is a shame. Too much good stuff has gone to scrap but this isnt anything new. Scrap drives in the World Wars took out alot of stuff also.

Just curious, what kind of tractor is your cousin looking for?
 
I've noticed that with the Model T & Model A Fords. 25 years ago there seemed to be a lot more interest in them. I guess there were still a lot of people that remember their grandparents having them or seeing a number of them running up and down the streets. The demand for them and the prices have really gone down since then.
 
There are people like that take the legs of machine tools (lathes, etc.) to make furniture and scrap the rest of many times perfectly good or useable machine tools too. These guys are hated by the machine tool guys.
 
Yes, but the original poster made an offer for a parts tractor (Allis B) that seemed reasonable. If someone makes a reasonable offer, a good businessman will respond with a reasonable reply. If it is not reasonable, he will respond with a counter-offer that is or simply say "no thank you." But "$1000 or it's scrap" doesn't strike me as reasonable. That's basically saying "up your offer or I'll sell it for less (scrap price) to someone else." That is not reasonable and probably unethical--almost trying to extort the buyer.
 

I don't get your rant at all. If someone buys anything they have the right to drag it home and burn it up if they want, as long as they don't commit insurance fraud or cause fire danger elsewhere. But if you own something it is yours to do as you please. Most people have no "respect" for old junk, and if they can convert it to cash it is a blessed thing to do. You make it sound like converting articles to cash is a dirty thing to do. You should be thankful for the ones that let you buy a few parts.
 
Well if he tried to conduct business with someone, and that person responded in an unreasonable manner, then yes, it does affect him.

The scrap merchant was already intending to sell the tractor (for scrap), and took the original poster's interest in one item as an opportunity to price-gouge. All other factors being equal, demanding a higher price from one customer while agreeing to sell for a lower price to another is unethical. A fair marketplace would allow for a fair price. Everyone is hurt by unfair business practices.

The Allis B was just over 2000 lbs. At even $0.125 a pound for cast, that's $250. Demanding $1000 from one and agreeing to $250 from another?

Of course I do not know the whole story, but as presented, that is my conclusion based on the information provided.
 
As I read it, the original poster is complaining that the part-out/scrapper guys are selling for a MUCH lower price to the smelter than to an interested customer, and refusing to do business with him as a customer. The Allis B would bring maybe $250 as scrap cast iron. The original poster offered $400 (scrap +150).

If the tractor is for sale (which it was--for scrap), and all things being equal, to refuse to sell to one customer while agreeing to sell to another for a lower price is unethical. Yes, the smelter may get a volume discount, but asking 4x the price to an interested customer when the seller is in the business of selling parts tractors does not strike me as fair at all.
 
Well Dave, you describe the situation well I will say but my point is that the original poster was not really harmed by anything that happened, he was just denied something that he wanted. That happens on a daily basis to countless millions. In short, to rant (his words not mine) and accuse someone of being underhanded and bordering on dishonesty is I think unfair. When encountering such people, I think it best to simply turn around and walk away rather than fuss about it. I would certainly agree with your "as presented" comment, unfortunately a lot of stories we read here on the YT site are from one side of the story. A friend who was a family law attorney all his working life told me that a divorce is like a coin. Each side represents the story on each side of the dispute, the truth in fact lies along the edge of the coin somewhere.
 
The guy gets more enjoyment knowing you wanted it and not letting you have it, than the extra money you offered. Some people are just that way. As we all know, that's not normal.
 
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