Bucket Truck salvage yards are the best place to save money on parts. Some salvos will have bucket trucks available with salvage titles along with parts to pick and pull. A bucket truck salvo often deals in vocational medium duty class 4 and 5 trucks that weight between 16,000 and 19,000 pounds. You may find some overlap with class 6 as well such as beverage trucks, rack trucks, and single-axle trucks. In this article, I’ll share my experience with the bucket truck salvage yards near me.
Map of Bucket Truck Salvage Yards Near Me
For “Bucket Truck Salvage Yards Near Me” or “Bucket Truck Junkyards Near Me”, see the map below…
If you see limited bucket truck salvages in your area you can also consider looking for general truck junkyards or medium duty salvages. Your average local junkyard will likely not have parts for bucket trucks. Another good source of bucket trucks and used parts is auctions.
Operations of Bucket Truck Junk Yards Near Me
A bucket truck salvo is run like any other local business, except it has a business model like a thrift shop. They take in junked trucks and then sell them for used parts. Sometimes they may fix them and sell them with salvage titles or take them to auction. At the salvage near me, they carry more than just bucket trucks. They have a variety of medium duty trucks like box trucks, wreckers, city delivery trucks, and large walk-ins. You can also find some heavier trucks in class 5 that do construction and “fleet vehicle” work.
Why that is important to know is because it expands your list of parts to pull. For example, if you have a Ford F-550 boom truck and can’t find parts, you can pull certain pieces from the Ford E-450. The same goes for other manufacturers like Dodge Ram, Freightliner, GMC, International TerraStar, etc…
All these junked boom trucks will come to the salvage from different sources. They will mainly come from private owners, commercial businesses, auctions, and insurance companies. The reasons for being junked will vary from being inoperable and needing repairs to new vehicles that were wrecked in an accident. You may be surprised to find bucket trucks practically new and in great condition. This sometimes happens when a company goes out of business and they are forced to liquidate.
Bucket Truck Junk Yard Layouts
In the Bucket Truck salvage yards near me, there is some semblance of order. The vehicles are arranged by manufacturer, but then the classes are mixed and the type of work each performs is mixed. For example, you might find a GMC 4500 sitting next to a GMC 5500, which just happens to be the GMC section.
Yard organization is really important when it comes to finding what you need. It’s much easier when you have sections of manufacturers because the same parts are used across different models of different years and classes.
If bucket truck salvage is a well-run business, they will likely have their inventory of parts for sale online. This means you can find what you need and go pull it or order it online and have them pull it for you and send it. If your local salvo doesn’t have those options you can call. You can ask questions like “Do you have a hood for a 2002 Dodge Ram 5500”.
How Does a Bucket Truck Junkyard Manage Its Inventory
At a bucket truck junkyard vehicles have to be prepped before they get sent to the yard. This prep work involves draining the major fluids like oil, gasoline, wiper fluid, and antifreeze. Certain fluids will get bottled and resold, while others are recycled according to state environmental laws.
Next, the salvage will pull out some of the most valuable parts. Parts that are deemed valuable are usually used parts that corrode the fastest when left to sit. This is why the salvage will pull the battery, the alternator, the starter, and sometimes the entire motor. They want to pull these to sell them straight up or fix them and resell them. Pulling them before they send the truck for pick and pull allows the salvo to preserve the current condition and make a better profit.
If one of these trucks still runs or needs a little work, they may fix it. When a salvage fixes a truck they will either sell it with a salvage title or sell the vehicle at auction. Anything not worth fixing will be sent to the yard for functioning parts to be pulled and sold. The public can show up with tools, pull parts, and pay for only the used parts they need.
Once one of these medium duty boom trucks is stripped down, what remains will be sold for scrap metal. The practice of doing this is part of the total vehicle recycling process, allows the junkyard to make space for more trucks, and gets them the final scrap metal price from the vehicle.
Junking Your Bucket Truck at a Salvage Yard
If you have a boom truck that you want to junk, trying to sell it privately first will be your most lucrative option. It isn’t always easy to do that when you don’t have the buyers market or probably know someone who will buy it for parts. If the truck still runs, though you may have a better chance at that. If not, then a salvage yard that buys bucket trucks may be a good choice. Consider reading this article on how to get the most money out of junking a vehicle.
If you are ready to junk your bucket truck, consider the following:
- Remove all personal belongings
- Return the plates to your DMV, cancel the registration and insurance
- Find your title, you will need it to transfer ownership
- Estimate the weight of your vehicle and look up the scrap value
The first offer a salvage is going to make will be the scrap steel price based on the vehicle’s curb weight. You need to negotiate up from there if you feel there are components still attached that are worth money. If it runs, make sure you mention it, you can get more money for a running truck than one that isn’t. That also means you don’t need a tow and can get the truck to the salvage yard on your own.
Pros and Cons of Used Bucket Truck Parts in Scrap Yards
There are many good reasons to get used bucket truck parts. Sometimes used parts are your only option if your parts are old and no longer manufactured. You can find parts for all of the popular medium duty trucks like Dodge Ram 4500, Ford E-450, Ford F-450, GMC 4500, Dodge Ram 5500, Ford F-550, Freightliner M2, GMC 5500, and International TerraStar, Beyond that you will also find parts for heavier trucks like Chevrolet Kodiak C6500, Ford F-650, Freightliner M2 106, and International Durastar 4300.
Pros of Buying Salvage Parts
Obviously, the biggest reason for getting salvage bucket truck parts is to save money. You can get parts for 60% to 70% off versus getting them new from the manufacturer. Batteries can cost about $25, a chassis cab door costs about $90, and an alternator is $20 at the Bucket Truck salvage yards near me.
There are so many parts you can get. There is the standard stuff like mirrors, hoods, hitches, exhausts, intakes, body panels, etc. But then there are the special parts such as cab configurations, hydraulic booms, flat beds, chassis-mounted equipment, roll-offs, dollies, etc. Some of what you will find won’t even be manufactured anymore and the only place you can get them is at the salvage.
Another advantage is that you will get factory-assembled parts. When you pull parts off an Old For 5500 and you are getting parts for a newer 5500, you can feel good about this being the original part even if the year is different.
Some yards offer the ability to purchase a warranty on each used part, This may cost between $10 and $15 per piece. This can give you some assurance that the salvage part will work or you can return it for credit or an exchange.
Cons of Buying Salvage Parts
The downside of buying salvage parts for any type of vehicle is the potential for low quality. Bucket trucks specifically, these vehicles are made to do work and perform under extreme duress. You don’t really know how much stress the part you are pulling has been under or how many hours of hauling it has been through. Even a test of the part and the best visual inspection can fool some of the best junkyard pickers.
Efficient Bucket Truck Salvage Yards with Modern Technology
Bucket truck salvage yards are becoming increasingly efficient thanks to innovative technology like Ironclad Software. With features like the Ironclad Assurance Meter and a user-friendly buying format, users can quickly assess the condition of these trucks. Even with disabled cookies or the need for a third party browser plugin, the platform ensures immediate access and provides a seamless experience for watching compare meter data and notes compare, making the process of buying salvaged bucket truck parts virtual.
There are a few reasons when it comes to purchasing bucket truck parts from salvage yards, the buying format is made even more reliable and secure with the inclusion of “buying format ironclad assurance.” This assurance is not limited to any specific state; for example, Ironclad Assurance Texas, Ironclad Assurance Florida, Ironclad Assurance Arkansas, Ironclad Assurance Washington, Ironclad Assurance Minnesota, Ironclad Assurance Oklahoma, whether you’re in any other location, you can trust that the bucket trucks come with the standard level of quality assurance. Basically, Ironclad Software streamlines the buying format, ensuring a power user moving advantage that can immediately regain access to bucket truck salvage yard listings.
Bucket Truck Salvage Yards Near Me – Conclusion
Bucket Truck and generally any vocational truck are expensive to replace parts. Depending on the age of your vehicle a junkyard may be your only option. You can find a local medium duty salvage that has bucket trucks and other class 4 and 5 vehicles. Some places will have their part inventory online and may even offer a warranty standard when you order parts. That’s my experience with the bucket truck salvage yards near me.
