Darn shame

It was pitiful what they wasted. This was/is a very successful international company so I guess it was cheaper than trying to keep track of every part and piece at each plant. These pumps are used for many of their processes world wide. When they closed down the plant I worked at they filled a warehouse or two with parts and pieces and tooling and machinery. Some was shipped to the new plants they where building to replace ours. They had a pallet with probably 9 Kurt milling vices in good to like new condition sitting on it. They where bigger than I would prefer (at least 6" and especially since I don't even own a mill) but I tried and tried to buy one. They ended up selling them along with everything left in the warehouse to a scrap dealer. :cry:
 
I worked for a company that did the same thing - with plant equipment as well as with maintenance supplies.

The bone yards were full of discarded motors, pumps, compressors, valves, piping - you name it. Many built with alloys capable of withstanding high temperature, high pressure and corrosive environments. Every one of those "old" machines were loaded with useful parts that could have been salvaged with a little time and effort.

And B-8 studs, washers, and nuts were all over the place. So what did we do? We allowed the local scrap dealers to take the stuff off our hands for the equivalent of carbon steel value. And the scrappers sorted out the hastelloy, monel, inconel, stainless, and titanium and sold them for a very nice profit.
 
There was a place outside of Santa Margarita here local that some nut had a huge plot of land where it seemed like the OP's post except way worse. There were acres of machinery sitting out in the weather. Mills, lathes, screw machines, CNC machines, lapping stations with all kinds of other crazy stuff. He had the domain bidslo.com where he had the prices and I guess you were supposed to bid. He'd have prices of what the thing might be worth if it hadn't been outside with notes of it just needs a little cleaning up. Yeah, right...... It was beyond sad. It was a little like watching a train wreck, horrified by what I saw but unable to look away. I'd always got suckered in because he'd have something on the CL and it would redirect you to his site. Then curiosity would get the best of me and I'd have to see what else he was ruining. When I went to try the link it doesn't go there anymore and I remember seeing where they had a big fire up there and it destroyed everything I guess.

Every big place I've ever worked had an extensive bone yard or two. We got three containers full of obsolete parts from the mother co and they sat out in the weather. For a junk yard dog like myself it was facinating what they were throwing away, 99% of it new and still in boxes. I think they didn't know what to do with all of it so just pawned it off on us.
 
Depends on condition, if they are rusty AND worn out, not worth the bother, but if they are just rusty, cast iron does not lose metal to rust appreciably for many years, and as long as the electrics are thoroughly dried out, they will be fine too, I have saved pumps and control gear that has been immersed for a week or two, if they are not worn out, I would buy them (cheap) in a heartbeat!
 
When handling an estate there is high pressure on the executor to clean out the property and get it sold. Property taxes, insurance, utilities, etc can run a thousand or more a month. Uninhabited property is an invitation to thieves and vandalism, and is difficult to insure. Not to mention pressure on the executor from the everyone who stands to benefit from any inheritance. Sometimes there is no choice but to scrap valuable items.
 
If you could get them cheap enough and you had the time, they are probably repairable if they weren't worn out when they were put out there. I doubt the grinder has had much water intrusion into the ways, they are designed to keep out grinding dust. The BP would probably be worse. I've brought some back that were pretty bad, not that bad but pretty bad.
 
The stuff was probably destined to be brought in and restored but life (or death) got in the way. Funny how that happens. As I get older, I feel
more urgency to get stuff up and running, even if it isn't perfect- wait too long and suddenly 10 years gets behind you-like the Pink Floyd song
:cool 2:
My brother was always tossing together things fast, but I was the careful one, measuring everything to the n'th degree, planning every project carefully. But I find now I'm becoming more like him. Get it going now, cause tomorrow is uncertain. Plus I just discovered I'm developing macular degeneration, so who knows how long I'll be able to see. Getting old sucks. LOL
 
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. Sometimes there is no choice but to scrap valuable items.
Ya, I know. I work for the gubmint (county, big one). The "accountability" to the taxpayer, or in the private sector, the "Shareholder", means the accounting dept. CANNOT dispose of assets like an individual would. There is hope, tho- online auctions are becoming very popular, and are recognized as an acceptable way to liquidate these assets to the general public. We have been doing it for a few years, and have had a very good experience with it. Screaming deals, however, are fading, as word spreads about the quality of the items up for sale, and the general "auction" mentality. You would not drive from Texas to Northern Arizona to pick up your Lincoln AC buzzbox won at auction, would you? Before you answer that, run THIS thru your calculator- he paid $400, plus the 10% buyer's fee. I kid you not.
 
Is that the guy off Rocky Cyn Rd? I wondered if it was worth going there. Guess not

I never got far enough to go out there. From my experience things usually look better in photos than in real life. And all the pic's I saw on the bidslo site were more like the poor BP, except not dumped over in the dirt. They had been out there long enough the paint was gone besides the solid rust and that's way beyond "just need a little TLC" in my book. At this point in my machining hobby I don't need a 5,000lb boat anchor. But that's just me.

I spent my early years as a mechanic in two different wrecking yards and there are wrecking yards and there junk yards. Wrecking yards have good useable stuff with the expensive and valuable stuff covered or indoors. Junk yards it's junk. My impression was that stuff was junk. I have to admit I couldn't stand the heartache so never went.
 
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