"Odd" sources for WWs?

[firescout]

According to the eco-sources, lead WWs that fall off of vehicles are a large source of lead pollution. Here in Calif, I see the state transportation dept (Caltrans) frequently cleaning the highways with mechanized sweepers.

Has anyone contacted their local DOT yard regarding the WWs from their road sweepings?

Do any of you collect roadside WWs?

How about the large self-service auto salvage yards? What do they do with the removed WWs?

[357maximum]

How many wheelweights have just "flown off" your vehicles in your driving career?

smoke and mirrors and outright lies......I spent 11 years along the edges of michigan's roadways.......I found 3 wheelweights in that time....2 were curb hits 1 was in the country. I have never had a wheelweight fly off have you?



Most salvage yards have a guy like me that shows up and buys them once a month. [smilie=1: It gives the hired help at the yard something to do when there is nothing else pressing to do.

[imashooter2]

I've said this several times before... If 2,000 tons of WW a year fell off vehicles, we wouldn't have to scrounge them. We'd take our bucket to the highway and shovel up as many as we wanted from the 4 foot piles lining the road.

To address firescout's question, the road sweepings would be tons of dirt and trash with 2 or 3 WW in it. Not viable.

[high standard 40]

I have actually picked up at least a dozen or so this year off of the roadside. I usually find them at intersections. If you think about it, a weight that comes off of the wheel of a vehicle moving at speed could land a considerable distance from the paved surface, never to be found. Finding them at intersections as I do suggests a low speed seperation possibly caused by wheel flex while turning. These were intersections without curbs. All had intact clips so clip failure was not the cause. Possibly the wrong contour weight for the wheel. I find a lot of tools on the highway at the same locations. Wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, etc.

Of course I do live in a somewhat rural area making it possible to retrieve these items without getting killed or cited.

[WILCO]

I've found two at the local train crossing on two seperate occasions during the last three months. Haven't seen any since...................:shock:

[mold maker]

I used to climb on a motorcycle with my Son, early in the mornings, and cruse about 40 miles of interstate. We would stop on each exit ramp and scrounge the edges up to the stop sign. We did it a couple times a month and always found 6-10 lbs of WWs. It was good exercise and something he and I enjoyed doing together.
My theory was that the pavement joint bouncing at high speed shook them loose, but centrifugal force held them in place till the vehicle slowed enough for them to simply fall off the rim.
The era of stick on weights, and dealers using new weights, has eliminated lots of the loss. Most highways are now paved with blacktop that has no joints to shake them loose.
A funny side note is that all those folks who passed all those dreaded lead, poisoning laws, talked about it for months through teeth filled with mercury fillings.

[sqlbullet]

I have found 2-3 since I started looking on my walks. That is over the past year.

I would think ones found in intersections would more likely be from accidents., and the ones at off-ramps from people changing flat tires and not paying attention. I am sure some do come off, but I would think that would be the exception, not the rule.

One other item I have noted. One I 'picked up' had to be dug out of the blacktop. Far from being ground into dust, it was well on it's way to becoming a permanent addition to the road.

[GSM]

Sam's Club parking lot - near the tire center. Found 3-4 nice ones (on the pavement) and a battery terminal somebody apparently ripped out of the battery.

[fredj338]

I do find them occasionally in parking lots, often at dips or parking bumpers. Yes, the rational of lead contamination is BS, after all, lead occurs in the ground naturally, it's just another green weenie, global warming, touchy feely, liberal feel good idea. It only matters to us bullet casters. The rest of the population could care less what ww are on their tires.
To the govt. agencies doing the sweeping, I would think they have a mandate to dispose of any "contaminate" in an approved manner. Junk yards woul dbe a good source, get a set of ww pliers & go ask if you can pull some.

[357maximum]

I'm thinking moldmaker should find the rusted out piece of crap that is hauling all the wheelweights to the junkyard and follow him to get the wheelweights falling through the box.

[Sturgell]

I gather them up all the time when riding the motorcycle around town. I have probably picked up 10-15 lbs in 3-4 months, not a whole lot but it gives me something to do.

[HeavyMetal]

While Cal Trans ( or some other state run agency depending on where you live) does indeed sweep the freeways Individual contractors do most of the sweeping for cities as they have found they can't afford to buy a machine and pay state graft/union/ wages.

As I sell sweepers to these contractors I can tell you that WW make up very little of what these guys pick up off the road.

I can also tell you that once you've seen what comes out of a sweeper thats cleaned up city streets all day your not gonna be in any hurry to sift through that mess to get 20 or 30 lbs of ww metal.

[Nose Dive]

Ok, here is 'simple enough'... go to a tire shop, I like 'home boy tire shops" that are local guys. No "Chain tire Shops'. Be sure to take along a case of beer. Maybe take along an old dune buggy rim and ask to see his used tires. Usually, you will be passed over to one of the 'guys' as obvisously, you not there to spend a bundle buying 4 new tires. Buy an old tire for 5 bucks from the guy, tell him you want his used WWs and have a nice case of beer for swap. I have done it twice, two different shops. Say 50 to 75 lbs of WWs for two $14 cases of beer. So, OK, now I have all the dune buggy tires i need, but, I have two contacts who are suseptable to free beer and I am suseptable to 'free wws'. I know, I know,,,they can 'sell back' the old ones for credit on new..but..if you time this right, say Friday evening about 4:30 or 5:00,,, well..timing is everything.