Oil filter crushing

[dirtbikedude]

ok here is my situation.... I work in a bus garage and we produce an incredible amount of oil filters, all of which just get pitched in the dumpster. I know that ,if they are crushed, they can be turned in for scrap. I have been told that I can take all the filters I want. I have looked for a filter crusher but have been a little deterred because of the insane prices. I have seen some set ups that use a 20 ton shop press, but not really good pictures or descriptions. I am able to fabricate quite a bit. does anybody have any info or any ideas? I just thought that it could be "free" money with little work

 

[metaleltr]

Well 20 ton press+ a couple plates and a container to catch the oil i believe you would have an oil filter crusher. I can't imaging it taking more than a couple tons. you may want to upgrade to an electric over hydraulic press for speed sake.

 

[LGMechanical]

I know a guy who turned a log splitter into a filter crusher. Lets just say it didn't last long.

 

[kiatech]

Cant see that being worth your time.

 

[trexdoink]

I worked in a shop once that had a machine that cut the base off so the paper could be removed and the rest was recycled for scrap after the oil dripped off. It used 2 gears with fine teeth set side by side and driven by a reduction motor. The cutter was a wheel off a pipe cutter mounted on an arm. When turned on the filter was pushed against the gears ( both turning the same direction) by the operator pushing the cutter against the filter on the other side (opposite the gears) making it rotate. It cut the bottoms right off for paper removal and the rest went to scrap. It was expensive but I always thought one could be made fairly easily. This begs the question, is filter scrap the same price with or without the paper? It really is a waste of time also but interesting.

 

[Skin]

most of the weight to a filter is the media, not the metal, so its going to take you a heck of a long time to make that worth your while.

 

[davesnothere]

Cant see that being worth your time.

Agreed. I can't even believe our scrap guy takes the crushed oil filters. Seems like a waste of time even for a scrap guy.

 

[Guns R Tools]

I have seen shops crush oil filters so they can fit more into a 55 gal drum. I was told that they, waste oil company, charges by drum. That would be only incentive to crush filters.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Agreed. I can't even believe our scrap guy takes the crushed oil filters. Seems like a waste of time even for a scrap guy.

I don't generate a lot of filters, but my scrap guy takes un crushed filters.

Chris

 

[jdsac]

Why would you want that slimy scrap at your place? There's not enough money in it to even make it worthwhile. Call the scrap yard & get the current price per TON (2000 lbs) of scrap & remember you would have to have a truck or trailer big enough to take enough weight to make it pay. Plus there may be a paper trail & you don't want a visit to see how you store/ handle them.

 

[srmofo]

plus the risk involved with driving your vehicle into the scrap yard. Theres nothing worse than spending $200 on a tire while making $150 in scrap money that took you hours upon hours to crush, store, load , and haul.

Want some extra coin? Get a job on a college campus and check out all the pretty ladies walking by.

 

[JKady]

If there was money in it, the shop would probably have figured that out before you did and already have a setup in place. Just not worth the time. We save our scrap where I work but it's engines, transmissions, rear axles and brake parts that go in that trailer most of the time. Heavy stuff that actually brings money but even then we only take it in once or twice a year. But, as someone who used to scrap full time when I was outta work, there's something WAY cool about rolling into the yard in the boss's lifted Duramax with a 25 foot trailer loaded with aluminum, even if the check don't come out of the office with my name on it.

 

[ATC]

Build a crusher. I made one for aluminum cans (click on it for video):

 

[tylerae40]

Build a crusher. I made one for aluminum cans (click on it for video):

That is cool mate, what parts, did you make it with? and is it operating on air? at what psi?

 

[ATC]

That is cool mate, what parts, did you make it with? and is it operating on air? at what psi?

I had the 4x4 angle iron and the end plates laying around, so I welded them together as the main frame. I sourced the ram off Ebay for $20. It's a 2" diameter ram with a 6" throw. The valve is an IR unit I sourced online also. Some misc. fittings I had laying around and some air line from Lowes and she was done! It's running on about 90psi. It's crushed several thousand cans to date!

If I had to do it over again, I'd go with a 2.5" or 3" ram with a longer 10" throw so I can crush the larger cans (Arizona teas, 22oz beer cans, and the Coors light bullet bottles come to mind)

 

[harrytbagger]

ATC...Love the can crusher. Great idea!! A+

 

[kiatech]

I have seen shops crush oil filters so they can fit more into a 55 gal drum. I was told that they, waste oil company, charges by drum. That would be only incentive to crush filters.

Ive heard the same.

 

[jfcasey]

If you are thrifty you should dig around for a motor, pump, valve, and cylinder. Don't get too picky and then just get yourself the correct hoses and lovejoy coupler and your in business!

 

[Zeke]

Just run over them with a bus.

 

[sickjuice]

DAMM!!! FREE USED FILTERS???? JACKPOT!!!! Scrap steel is like .15/lb and I'm not sure if you would even get that price cause there would be still filter elements mixed in with the steel. HUMMMMMMM worth your time???

 

[JMcFly]

That is cool mate, what parts, did you make it with? and is it operating on air? at what psi?

Have you made an auto loader for it yet? 50 cpm!

 

[tslabaugh]

Fwiw, our oil collection company has left us with 3 large roll around trash cans for nothing but oil filters. I know they recycle the oil and they now take our filters too. They just come and swap out a full can for a empty.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I can imagine truck and bus filters are rather heavy, even when new. Steel adds up. I just took a bunch of stuff to scrap that had been accumulating for a couple of years now. 42 lbs of aluminum cans, crushed, and some other aluminum, brass, bronze, and a bunch of mixed metal, mostly steel. Don't recall the weight on the brass, bronze and aluminum, it was rather minor actually, but the mixed steel/scrap was 400 lbs, some old rusted metal shelving, a couple of brake rotors, some brake shoes, etc, and it all added up to $125. The two scrap places I go both are clean and neat and I'm yet to have or hear of a tire problem from anyone I know who goes there.

A long air cylinder and you could crush two or three aluminum cans at a time.

Charles