Years back I worked in a place that made shampoo and body wash. The IBC totes we'd get there had deposits on them. Like $300 deposits.
Just an fyi, a guy can find magnetic trailer light kit for 20 bucks or so. Real handy to have around.
Here in NY just north of NYC I paid $25 with the totes. Bought in pairs 3 times because I can only fit 2 in the bed of my Tacoma. Had to drive to pick them up.
Holy crap you guys, I can't get a beat-up, tar-filled, half-melted non-food-grade tote or cage for under $75 around here. The good ones go for $100-$125 now. I just bought two for rainwater collection at $100 each. If I could get a source for them at $25 or $30 each, even just the cages, I'd rent a trailer and drive for a day or two just to make it worth my while. I have ONE cage that I can use for firewood and I wish I had a dozen.
I'm sure you've tried already but I got 4 of mine via Craigslist and 2 via FB marketplace. Good luck finding a deal. I also get unlimited pallets for free as I have a close neighbor who drives a truck for Corona and is always looking to get rid of pallets.
Figured this picture will really upset some of y'all. Found in the metal bins at work. 3 or 4 ibc tote cages smashed.
Stopped to help a guy with a flat the other day. He was parked close to a farm. Ended up having to leave before him and the farmer got the tires swapped and left a socket with them said I'd pick it up later. Went by the next day grabbed the socket and asked what he was doing with all the ibc totes. He said, you want em? Y'all already know the answer to that. Picked a dozen up today and he still has more if I want them. He even loaded them for me. Total cost: $0 Now if only I had a tractor
Now that is an awesome score! Hopefully they were not filled with something caustic and instead something easy to clean out. I drill my totes (I have 4 with totes) and cut off the top to use as a lid and use them to store kindling. Great airflow and protection from rain. Ignore the fancy "lock" in the first pic. All you need is to make two vertical cuts and it works well as a door of sorts. I also cut the cage to make it easier to get to the bottom of the tote. I use 2 empty cages minus the totes as a staging area for emergency snow appearance situations.
As long as one can rummage thru recycling bins like that (we used to be able to here, but no more) any straight sections could be retrieved and repurposed.
Anybody else using the tubs for firewood? I was thinking of drilling bigger holes (2.5"). Drill a few in the bottom for drainage and put it on a pallet for my shorts and uglies.
