OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Local tip cannibals

Not sure about other places, but I get more than a bit cranky about the amount of cannibalizing that goes on at our local tip shop. I refer to people trying to strip parts off and sticking them in their pockets instead of buying the whole mower. The staff catch a few of these miscreants but not all. I often get there too late. I bought a Pope base recently and wonder what might have been on it that others had knocked off. There were clear signs of things being stripped off it, such as the windrower. The amount of damage they do is another matter. They often round off the nuts and bolts and break things. They are only after one part sometimes and don't seem to care if they destroy other parts getting it off.

On the same day I bought the mower base, I lifted the red safety cone and discovered someone had hidden spanners and screwdrivers under it. So they obviously go there often stripping bits off. They hide the spanners nearby. I took the tools up to the counter. Next time they go there to strip bits off they will be short of the tools they need.

The thing is the dump only charges around $5 to $20 for old worn out mowers that are covered in grease, dirt, rust and oil and not going. If I want a part or two I buy the whole thing, take it home, strip off whatever parts I need, then take it back. That way it gets recycled and ends up back on sale. Someone else might need those other parts.

You're a rational human being with a social conscience, unlike those man rats who only get eradicated in wartime along with the good ones like yourself unfortunately.

They are just walking depleters of the planet's breathable atmosphere!

Hi vint_mow,
I think you expect too much of people, what you describe is pretty much the way of the world now

I agree, its annoying to find important parts missing.

I will admit I do occasionally pick a part of a severely roached mower to complete the one I am buying that day, due to the fact someone has beaten me to the fuel cap, etc.

Eg, last month, a comprehensively stuffed beyond any hope of restoration VC mustang, sacrificed its fuel cap and carby diaphragm cap to a PT ... but only because it was completely stuffed (including straight fueled and deck cracked in half).

Its those who pocket stuff off of the good condition or very old and potentially restorable mowers that annoy me

Yes, I agree and I've heard of this happening at vintage engine shows. You have to watch your vintage engine like a hawk because there are unscrupulous people who get around and pocket stuff while the owners backs are turned.