Where can I get free pallets or tin for barnbuilding?

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Curious to know how others have gotten free pallets or tin.Where did you look?How can I find out who owns that old barn to see if I can tear it down for them?Any suggestions appreciated. Johna

-- Johna (marcnjohna@aol.com), February 19, 2002

Answers

Try your local newspaper printers/publishers.

-- George (wycowboy2@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

Many commerical companies have piles of pallets. Often available for the asking.

As for the barn, go to your county tax acessors. I am sure he knows who owns the property.

-- Gary in Ohio (gws@columbus.rr.com), February 19, 2002.


Johna, I've gotten some of my free pallets from Lowe's & Home Depo (both home improvement stores), in my neck of the woods both are about a 2 hr drive. Try Wally World (Wal-Mart)or you local farm supply store, that's my next two stops on my pallet shopping list. Good luck!

-- Pam in SE KS (psanford@terraworld.net), February 19, 2002.

johna, i go to appliance stores and get the frames that the washers and dryers, fridge and other appliances come in. sears is near us and they have them all the time. they are made of oak and are very sturdy. much more than pallets. have fun!! cody

-- cody (urbusted@alltel.net), February 19, 2002.

large window glass (as in commerical windows) are delivered to the retailer in oak crating. you might also call your local glass company otherwise they have to take it to the dump. some of those crates are of substanial size

-- paul (vonmantik@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.


where do you live johna, i only ask, because i knew a person named johna once.

-- randy in central missouri (rwybrant@coin.org), February 19, 2002.

The best we've gotten for building a barn was from Harley Davidson in town. Big motorcycle pallets. I built my new goat barn out of them. They are way over my head if standing on end, and they are all the same. We used cedar posts on the inside, and only had to buy the 16 foot long 2x4's for the roof. We covered the outside with barn wood from the old barn we are taking down. I told Steve to get me some more just Saturday, I'd like to make that barn bigger. It has 4 really huge stalls now.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), February 19, 2002.

They always have a few behind the office store in our small town. I guess their paper must come in on pallets. Anyway, we've gotten several from them. Also, you might check out the "free" section in your newspaper. I've seen free pallets advertised at various times. We built a decent little chicken tractor from them as well as a compost bin; not to mention we use them to stack our hay on them to keep it up off the barn floor! We used to find them occasionally in the dumpsters, but our dumpsters have gotten fancy, fenced, and it is all smashed now--ahhhh progress! I hope you find some.

-- Sharon (spangenberg@hovac.com), February 19, 2002.

There's a company here in town that has wood pallets in various sizes. There in excellent condition. The public can pick them up Monday through Thursday. And they're free.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002.

You might also want to check at the terminals of trucking cos. if you're near any. DH says there are always a bunch at his.

-- Terri in WV (mrs_swift_26547@yahoo.com), February 20, 2002.


Thanks Ya'll, I got some great suggestions,and hopefully will find alot of pallets!

-- Johna (marcnjohna@aol.com), February 20, 2002.

Others have suggested before to try garage door companies - they get the old doors when they install new, then have to dispose of them.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 20, 2002.

Don't know where you're from but the company I work for burns pallets once or twice a week we can't get rid of them. Sandy Lake Pa

-- Don Amon (peacelane@certainty.net), February 20, 2002.

I get mine at work- an auto parts manufacturing plant- but I don't know if the big places will allow "outsiders" to scrounge thru the pallet pile. I have seen piles of packing lumber and pallets outside my local farm store(TSC), farm equipment dealers and ATV/motorcycle dealers, occasionally w/ a "free" sign posted.

Personally, I find pallets to be far too much trouble to take apart- the good heavy ones seem to be put together w/ spiral or glue nails and they're almost impossible to get apart. I use them as is for stacking hay and firewood on. The chintzy pallets are too thin to be of any use.

Another idea for free lumber- an aquaintance picks up scrap lumber from construction sites and gets paid for hauling the stuff away. He keeps for himself what he needs and dumps the rest on my neighbors farm. We occasionally pick thru the pile and find lots of good stuff- almost full sheets of plywood and OSB, 2by stock in all widths and often several feet long and some nice 1by that dh used to make saddle and bridle racks with. The short chunks of 2X4 make great kindling, too. If you've got a truck and free time, this may be a way to get paid for picking up free lumber.

As far as tearing down an old barn, the first person I would ask is the nearest neighbor. The problem with tearing down old barns is that you usually can't just take what you want and leave the rest- they expect you to clean up the whole mess. It's a lot of work- by hand if there's no nearby electric- just be sure you have the ability to finish the job.

Happy Scrounging!!

-- shakeytails in KY (shakeytails@yahoo.com), February 21, 2002.


Come to NYC! You can find pallets on the streets of Manhattan all the time.

-- kathy n (squeakywheel2001@aol.com), February 21, 2002.


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