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Thread: Typical weight of a bucket of wheel weights?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Dunross's Avatar
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    Typical weight of a bucket of wheel weights?

    Presuming all or nearly all lead wheel weights how much would a completely fulll five-gallon bucket weigh?

    I have a chance to buy possibly several buckets of what he assured me are all lead weights for $40 a bucket. Trying to decide how much of a deal this is.
    Chance favors the prepared mind.

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy
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    I'm guessing that it will weigh about 120#. But, from that you have to subtract the steel used for the clip-on and other associated trash. If they have been sorted and there is no trash, I feel this is a fair deal. If the bucket is truly full, it will be heavy and possibly the bottom of the bucket will blow-out if it a plastic bucket. My suggestion is to buy a couple and if you like them, buy more while you have the opportunity.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    You'll have to read thru a several empty type comments, but it seems folks are saying a full 5 gal bucket will go around 145 lb.

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-Weights-Weigh

    Seems like one time I did wheel weights I got about 60% or so of actual lead after cleaned, clips, etc were removed. I think this wasn't "pure lead" bucket of weights.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy

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    Considering if they are car sized WW 1/4 to 1 1/2 oz
    They pack more densely in the bucket than the larger truck WWs. A full bucket should push over 100 pounds. I moved a many of them when I was younger working in a service station but can't remember what they weigh exactly. I would think that $40 per bucket if close to full should be a good deal in these times.
    I quit trying to by them around here where I live. The last couple of buckets I picked up only had about 10 pounds of useable lead in them. Luckily they were free.
    Last edited by Kylongrifle32; 03-24-2021 at 02:40 PM.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    Full bucket, word HERNIA comes to mind.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy pacomdiver's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich/WIS View Post
    Full bucket, word HERNIA comes to mind.
    yup, have to pick your balls up after lifting it
    is it me, or does every bucket of wheel weights purposely not have the plastic handle piece left,

    i would grab them at $40 a bucket if it was me

  7. #7
    Boolit Bub
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    Should weigh 100-120 lbs. figure about 80%lead when done melting. I always liked truck weights, higher % of lead per bucket. I would be all over that if it is truly all lead wights.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    Roughly 120 pounds. There’s a sticky on it someplace if you search for it
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  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy Dunross's Avatar
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    Got two buckets full to the brim with wheelweights. And water!

    Split them up between five buckets to be able to move them. Didn't see much in the way of trash. Will have to spread them out in the sun to dry then I'll look for any irons or zincs. Didn't notice any at the time but they were wet.

    With the water poured off a full bucket was still more than I wanted to pick up more than a foot or so and I'm used to putting up feed and hay. Easily more than 100lbs per bucket. If I get the usual 80% I will have gotten my money's worth. My cursory examination looked to be about evenly split between clip-ons and stick-ons.

    Our next oil changes I will see if he has filled another bucket yet.

    Edited to add: Thanks for the price check folks!
    Last edited by Dunross; 03-24-2021 at 07:57 PM.
    Chance favors the prepared mind.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master

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    Always take along an extra bucket or two. 1/2 a bucket is easier to load and I have dumped a few in the bed of the truck when necessary.
    Spell check doesn't work in Chrome, so if something is spelled wrong, it's just a typo that I missed.

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master

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    A couple of years ago me and another member bought about 50 buckets. We drilled a series of holes around the bottom of the bucket to drain any water and weighed them. Looking at that old list I'm seeing weights between 120 and 155 pounds.

    There is a sticky about this that pretty much mirrors our experience.

    If your buckets are really all lead thats a decent price. I think we paid that much or a little more. We came out ok.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    I’m in the process of sorting. The Pb COWW are all car-sized, some as small as 1/4 oz.

    So far I’ve filled 2 5-gallon buckets that weigh in at 129 and 126.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    BTW that’s a good price if they’re at least mostly lead.

    I paid $400 for 1,000#.

    After sorting 400#, it’s shaking down to about 72% lead. If that trend holds, I’ll have paid 56-cents per lb for the COWW.

  14. #14
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    All Lead WW's in the raw...a heeping full 5 gallon pail will be 145lbs, from my experience.
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  15. #15
    Boolit Master

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    unless my bathroom scale is messing with me, I scored a true 5 gal bucket (couple inches taller than the large drywall mud buckets) full to the brim this morning which tipped the scale at 158 pounds. But I had halved it into two buckets for handling when I weighed them, though I don't expect a couple plastic buckets to weigh much.

    This is my first bucket of raw WWs and paid $25 bucks for them.
    “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.” Ronald Reagan


  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy Dunross's Avatar
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    Twenty five bucks is a good price. I'd be all over that.
    Chance favors the prepared mind.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dunross View Post
    Twenty five bucks is a good price. I'd be all over that.
    I went to a really small local tire shop to get a couple trailer tires mounted, glanced over by the tire machine and there sits an over flowing bucket. I asked him what do you do with your old wheel weights. He chuckles and says a lot of people ask me that and my answer is $25 bucks and a replacement bucket, first come first served. I whipped out $25 bucks for the weights and said keep my tires as hostage I'll run home and get a couple of buckets. 40 minutes later I've got the WWs in the back of the truck and another $20 bucks for mounting two tires. Pretty hard to beat either price.

    Sorted about a quarter of the bucket with limited numbers of Zn, but a good bunch of Fe. It looks like from a sorting stand point I'll get about 2/3s in lead weights. While sorting I was thinking that I wished there were more really poorly made tires n wheels out there so they could use more bigger weights. Have come across a few 8 ounce truck weights so far and not a single Zinc stick-on. Are stick-ons only lead or steel?

    Note to self, "keep a couple buckets in the tool box, just in case".

    edit: 3/4s sorted. by volume lead weights will probably be slightly less than half of the total.
    Last edited by oley55; 03-30-2021 at 08:07 PM.
    “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.” Ronald Reagan


  18. #18
    Boolit Bub


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    After 3 strike outs today I decided to try some smaller shops.
    The white buckets where free round one is 160# the square cat litter bucket was 152

    The blue one came in at an even 100# and was down 6 inches from the top, looks to be almost all lead. cost me a 20 because that was what I offered and he loaded it for me
    when I mentioned I was willing to swap with cold beverages next time he was all smiles and couldn't wait to get a name and #

    Just so ya know the F150 tailgate step will hold at least 330# just fine

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    at $40 a bucket, id be giving them a new home if I needed them or not. these days its getting harder and harder to find lead based wheel weights, many of the big time installers are switching over to zinc and steel and other stuff that is no good for casting bullets. when you got plenty of buckets full it makes it much easier on the mind to go out and shoot a whole bunch of big caliber bullets.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by oley55 View Post
    I went to a really small local tire shop to get a couple trailer tires mounted, glanced over by the tire machine and there sits an over flowing bucket. I asked him what do you do with your old wheel weights. He chuckles and says a lot of people ask me that and my answer is $25 bucks and a replacement bucket, first come first served. I whipped out $25 bucks for the weights and said keep my tires as hostage I'll run home and get a couple of buckets. 40 minutes later I've got the WWs in the back of the truck and another $20 bucks for mounting two tires. Pretty hard to beat either price.

    Sorted about a quarter of the bucket with limited numbers of Zn, but a good bunch of Fe. It looks like from a sorting stand point I'll get about 2/3s in lead weights. While sorting I was thinking that I wished there were more really poorly made tires n wheels out there so they could use more bigger weights. Have come across a few 8 ounce truck weights so far and not a single Zinc stick-on. Are stick-ons only lead or steel?

    Note to self, "keep a couple buckets in the tool box, just in case".

    edit: 3/4s sorted. by volume lead weights will probably be slightly less than half of the total.
    Completed my sort this morning. the raw unsorted 158# gave me 81.2#(51%) COWW, 9.2#(5.8%) SOWW, 51.8#(32.8%) Fe, 15.8#(1%) Zn. Total raw lead 90.4# equaling 57.2% of the unsorted weight.

    The tire store owner said a previous guy got 90# and that’s prezactly what I got.

    Does anyone have rule of thumb for how much weight will be lost to the steel clips?
    Last edited by oley55; 03-31-2021 at 07:13 PM.
    “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.” Ronald Reagan


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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check