Listing By State, Is It Hard For You To Aquire WW Lead??

[Greenhorn44]

North Georgia. Cant find any tire shops willing to come of WW. Everyone says there is a new law

[462]

Greenhorn44,
Lead wheel weights have been banned in many states and others are either in the process or looking into it. The EPA, at the federal level, has been pursuing it for some time. I think that the wheel weight manufacturers are taking the easy way out and going completely to steel and zinc. State or local laws may require a tire store to dispose of their used lead weights through an approved recycler. The national stores have contracts with their suppliers or battery companies that collect the used weights.

That's the bad news. The good news is that there are untold millions of vehicles that still have lead weights on their wheels, so it'll be some time before they are entirely gone.

Your local tire store owners/managers may be leary of a stranger walking in and asking for used weights. They may think that you are a bureaucrat out to bust them for illegally disposing of used lead weights. Perhaps you need to develop a business relationship with them. Let them know your intentions and make it worth their while to help you out.

Good luck.

[Lead Fred]

Washington State just banned WW. For the sake of nature

Yet you can find it on the side of the road in eastern Washington where there are mine and such.

Another lie that no one stopped.

[JesseCJC]

Texas

Not in the slightest. It would take about 1 in 5 shops to get you a 5 gal bucket full for either free or under 40 bucks.

[Rock]

California bans the use of lead wheel weights.

Old ones can be acquired from tire shops after you establish a relationship.

[fredj338]

California bans the use of lead wheel weights.

Old ones can be acquired from tire shops after you establish a relationship.

Well I had such a deal going, but then someone came in & offered 3x what I was paying. So if you have such a deal, work it hard.
FWIW, the bucketd I was getting 1/09 were 80% useable ww/ The last buckets I got in Sept. were only about 65% useable. More & more zinc & steel wts. All Eruo cars have non lead ww from the factory. I suspect most Japanese cars mad in Japan as well. So again, location matters. In S.Cal very slim pickings.

[Rex]

Got my oil changed today at the local co-op and ask for their old weights. There weren't many this time but I was welcome to them. Get them every time I stop in and if the bucket is heavy the young fellow who works there helps this old man load them. Today I gave him a gift certificate for a large pizza at the local Godfather's. Bet I get more weights.
Rex

[sheepdog]

Dallas Texas here. Pretty easy, even at chains.

[MJR007]

NY sucks for ME.

[John D]

NY sucks for ME.

+1 what MJR007 said.

[220swiftfn]

Doing ok in NY here, and guarding my sources like they're, well, gold......

Dan

[357maximum]

I have "magically" 8-12 buckets show up on my porch every year(good to have friends). I search out another dozen or so per year, have been doing it for several decades. I think I may have enough, but I am unsure so I keep getting them. Someday I will be able to trade the "extinct wheelweight" for pure lead I hope. I shoot mostly 50/50 ww/pure and my ww supply far outbalances my pure lead supply.........so I am a hopin I can make that trade someday.

[stubshaft]

Hawaii isn't too hard as I just tell the Tire Shop owners that I am casting fishing weights.

[evan price]

Took me six months to get a lead farm set up. Now I have 400# of smelted ingots and 600# of WW waiting to be smelted.
I guard my lead farms jealously. Quantity of iron and zinc weights is up, but also more lead stick-ons. So far I am not paying more than $20 a bucket.

Most of the shops won't let lead go because they are under contract with their battery supplier. A few already have somebody taking them. One guy wants a ridiculous price for his.
I'm lucky to have what I can get.

[Dollar Bill]

My area of Tennessee is tough. Goodyear dealers have to sign a binding agreement to recycle through a registered hazmat facility. Other chains won't give or sell. One Bridgestone dealer sells 5gal for $90, because he has a constant customer who pays that much. Finally found one independant who gives me about 10# a week. I take it. Farmer's Co-op sells it $40 a bucket, but they rarely have a full one and still charge 40 for a partial.

[Alexander]

not sure sorry

[Hardcast416taylor]

I still have a friend or two still living. I get ww from them, car dealerships, found lead in vacant home cleaning or worst case buying them.Robert

[edsmith]

I don't have any problem, I buy ingots from our vendors.

[Greg in Malad]

Even though I have a good source for WW's, I by all the ingots I can afford. After you figure in time and propane to melt WW's, buying ingots is pretty cheap.

[.357]

New Mexico I live in a car culture! tire shops every where. a little beer/$$ and a little spanish and i have all the wheel weights i need. Also two of my former students and one of my current students work in/own tire shops. So after that happened i don't even have to pay. I just bring them donuts or help them with their math work.