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Free Lead Ballast


New2Texas

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I wanted to share the following discovery with the Bu world, but first a short disclaimer: Water ballast is neutral weight in a boat, Lead is not. Use at your own discretion.

While I was waiting at the local tire shop to change out all 4 tires on the trailer I saw a technician struggling to move several buckets of lead weights from one side of the workshop to the other. The technician could not lift the buckets and was having to push them across the floor. Each bucket was 3/4 full with small pieces of lead, which had been removed from motor vehicle wheels where they were used as counter weight to balance the wheel. This little shop had 5 or six buckets of lead weights that I guestimate to be 200lbs per bucket! I asked the technician where these lead weights were heading and he said that a local guy picks them up every couple of weeks, but he did not know for what use. He then explained that the guy does not pay for them and that the tire shop was grateful for the removal.

I believe these weights could be used in the same way as "Pop Bags" if sealed inside a protective case/bag. Check into it at your local tire shop.

Edited by New2Texas
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There are a few threads on here where we've talked about using Pop bags filled with this lead. I have eight 40 lb bags in my own boat now.

In many states now, disposing of lead is considered hazardous waste & the tire shops have to actually keep track of where it goes. So it may or may not be very easy to get anymore. And due to the fact that it is hazardous to some extent, I don't think I'd melt it down, just put it in the bags, with the liners, duct tape it up good & let it be. Works well, easy to move & easy to hide in the boat.

Another place to get the bags is bombwake.com. I think I paid about $8 each for the Pop bags & liners.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just called a local tire shop and they sell 5gal buckets of old tire weights for $80. They guesstimated that the buckets weigh at least 200lbs. I'm thinking about bringing my scale down and weighing the buckets. I'm split between getting 2 buckets of old weights or buying a fat sack. Advantage of the fat sack is it's safer and I can move it to the side/back for surfing. Advantage of the lead is I can put it in the bow (where I need it for boarding) and not take up and valuable space...decisions decisions

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I just called a local tire shop and they sell 5gal buckets of old tire weights for $80. They guesstimated that the buckets weigh at least 200lbs. I'm thinking about bringing my scale down and weighing the buckets. I'm split between getting 2 buckets of old weights or buying a fat sack. Advantage of the fat sack is it's safer and I can move it to the side/back for surfing. Advantage of the lead is I can put it in the bow (where I need it for boarding) and not take up and valuable space...decisions decisions

I know you've seen all the pros & cons threads. Remember a sunk boat is a sunk boat, no matter if it's sunk just below the surface or sunk to the bottom. Getting it out is still a DNR issue & will cost you money, plus the resurrection of the boat is going to be spendy. Driver still has to be on the ball no matter what kind of ballast your using.

Also, the lead is pretty easy to move. Bags are like 40 or 50 lbs each so it can be moved from the bow to your surf side locker in a matter of minutes. Biggest issue for us has been moving all the other gear out of the way.

My buddy melted those down into the little bread loaf pans and uses them on his boat.

Keep in mind the stuff is toxic so do it in a well ventilated area with a little breeze..... and stand upwind! Or don't bother, don't even touch the stuff, put it in the bags with thick heavy liners & DONE.

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I'm not worried about 300-400lbs sinking the boat. If it catches on fire or floods I hope it goes to the bottom I don't want it back after something like that. I was more questioning having lead on the boat with small children. Is it even a concern if it's in bags and underseats?

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I'm not worried about 300-400lbs sinking the boat. If it catches on fire or floods I hope it goes to the bottom I don't want it back after something like that. I was more questioning having lead on the boat with small children. Is it even a concern if it's in bags and underseats?

Yea, I'm certainly no big authority on every way you can be lead poisoned, but I doubt that it's going to do anything if it's in a heavy plastic bag, inside a rubberized canvas bag, under the seat. I suppose the kids could open the seat, open the bag, open the liners & start munching away on it. I kinda hope they can find something more entertaining to do than that though.

I'd be more concerned about breathing the steam/smoke from melting it. Or if you somehow got splinters from it under your skin.

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Yea, I'm certainly no big authority on every way you can be lead poisoned, but I doubt that it's going to do anything if it's in a heavy plastic bag, inside a rubberized canvas bag, under the seat. I suppose the kids could open the seat, open the bag, open the liners & start munching away on it. I kinda hope they can find something more entertaining to do than that though. I'd be more concerned about breathing the steam/smoke from melting it. Or if you somehow got splinters from it under your skin.

Bill I'm gonna bet you don't have any kids (actually I know that's true). A kid would rather munch on a block of lead than play with the coolest toy in the world that you spent your entire paycheck on. But hopefully you catch them before they get to that point

Edited by Ndawg12
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Bill I'm gonna bet you don't have any kids (actually I know that's true). A kid would rather munch on a block of lead than play with the coolest toy in the world that you spent your entire paycheck on. But hopefully you catch them before they get to that point

Yea, Nate. I don't. You may very well be right.

The rubberized canvas bags are sealed with a velcro flap. I'd be willing to bet a guy could design a better way to seal the bag, possibly using several bolts & washers, making them more difficult to get into.

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BTW

Yea, Nate. I don't. You may very well be right.

The rubberized canvas bags are sealed with a velcro flap. I'd be willing to bet a guy could design a better way to seal the bag, possibly using several bolts & washers, making them more difficult to get into.

BTW, I forgot my smileys :biggrin:

I can also confirm your above post, tire dealers have to track and document that these lead weights are disposed of properly. I brought it up to a tire shop today after inquiring about new tires for my "new to me" truck and quickly got shot down :cry:

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BTW

BTW, I forgot my smileys :biggrin:

I can also confirm your above post, tire dealers have to track and document that these lead weights are disposed of properly. I brought it up to a tire shop today after inquiring about new tires for my "new to me" truck and quickly got shot down :cry:

They don't have to track if you go to smaller non-franchise tire dealership. My local dealer gives me 5 gallon buckets for 30bucks each. I got another smaller one that gave me a 5 gallon bucket for 20 dollars. I figure I have a few hundred pounds right now but I haven't done anything with them yet. My plan is to melt it down and pour it into a 4 in pipe with caps. My goal is to get about 100+ pounds per pipe. I can hide them under the seats and never have to worry about rips, tears, or leaks.

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Bill I'm gonna bet you don't have any kids (actually I know that's true). A kid would rather munch on a block of lead than play with the coolest toy in the world that you spent your entire paycheck on. But hopefully you catch them before they get to that point

It's the "found treasure" syndrome. Under the seat, inside a bag....cool, wonder what it is! Hey, it's chewy!

You could always go with the Mr. Yuk face on it, they'll know that one.

post-8942-0-70237900-1335358139.jpg

Edited by Michigan boarder
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They don't have to track if you go to smaller non-franchise tire dealership. My local dealer gives me 5 gallon buckets for 30bucks each. I got another smaller one that gave me a 5 gallon bucket for 20 dollars. I figure I have a few hundred pounds right now but I haven't done anything with them yet. My plan is to melt it down and pour it into a 4 in pipe with caps. My goal is to get about 100+ pounds per pipe. I can hide them under the seats and never have to worry about rips, tears, or leaks.

This is probably the best idea I have seen dealing with reclaimed lead. However you NEED to have a resperator on when melting the lead. They are cheep at most hardware and bigbox home improvement stores. Also make sure you clean up everything when done and if possible coat the pipes with something to seal them. used to be able to get that rubbery stuff tool handels are dipped in at the bigbox stores not sure if that is avalable any more. something similar would seal the pipes and offer a bit of protection forthe boat as welll.

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This is probably the best idea I have seen dealing with reclaimed lead. However you NEED to have a resperator on when melting the lead. They are cheep at most hardware and bigbox home improvement stores. Also make sure you clean up everything when done and if possible coat the pipes with something to seal them. used to be able to get that rubbery stuff tool handels are dipped in at the bigbox stores not sure if that is avalable any more. something similar would seal the pipes and offer a bit of protection forthe boat as welll.

I've been melting lead for several years now. I Duck hunt in the winter and we mold our own decoy weights. Yes a resperator is def a good idea. I also wear gloves. My buddies all do the same thing. We usually just get several fish cookers and a cooler of ice cold beers and melt it all down.. Also it's good to have some pliers or something to pick out the clips attached to lead weights. They don't usually melt down with the lead. My other idea instead of melting it, I was thought about putting the lead buckets in the deep freeze and getting them really cold then busting them up with a hammer. Then I could put the crushed up pieces in the pipe. I figure I could get a lot more dense pack with smaller pieces. Just a couple of idea's I've had. I'll play around with it and see what I can come up with.

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They don't have to track if you go to smaller non-franchise tire dealership. My local dealer gives me 5 gallon buckets for 30bucks each. I got another smaller one that gave me a 5 gallon bucket for 20 dollars. I figure I have a few hundred pounds right now but I haven't done anything with them yet. My plan is to melt it down and pour it into a 4 in pipe with caps. My goal is to get about 100+ pounds per pipe. I can hide them under the seats and never have to worry about rips, tears, or leaks.

Be sure to think about how much strain these pipes might create on your boats floor. This might concentrate the weight too much, unlike the bags that distribute the weight more evenly.

Also, the pipes might be prone to rolling around the cabin.

You might even think about making a mold of a location in your boat to place the lead. This could keep it in place and distribute the loads better.

Either way, I am interested to see how it turns out. :)

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Be sure to think about how much strain these pipes might create on your boats floor. This might concentrate the weight too much, unlike the bags that distribute the weight more evenly.

Would it be any different than a 200lb guy standing on one foot?

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Would it be any different than a 200lb guy standing on one foot?

Maybe not, but that guy wouldn't be standing there for thousands of hours on end without moving either. I was just thinking out loud.

I would probably figure out how to make some sort of foam padding to prevent it from rolling crushing toes and hitting the sides of the boat. Also to protect the boat in case it becomes airborne after hitting a roller or something.

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I've thought about the pressure the lead may put on the floor since it's so dense, but I wouldn't leave it in the boat all year or even all summer. It would probably just get thrown on the garage floor when the boat isn't going to be getting used regularly.

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Yeah I have the a dock right out from where we ride. They are basically just for putting in the boat when we ride. I don't plan on leaving the weight in for any extended period of time. They only thing I haven't planed out is how to make some sort of handles to move them in and out of the boat. I'll post some pics when I get everything going for it.

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I've been melting lead for several years now. I Duck hunt in the winter and we mold our own decoy weights. Yes a resperator is def a good idea. I also wear gloves. My buddies all do the same thing. We usually just get several fish cookers and a cooler of ice cold beers and melt it all down.. Also it's good to have some pliers or something to pick out the clips attached to lead weights. They don't usually melt down with the lead. My other idea instead of melting it, I was thought about putting the lead buckets in the deep freeze and getting them really cold then busting them up with a hammer. Then I could put the crushed up pieces in the pipe. I figure I could get a lot more dense pack with smaller pieces. Just a couple of idea's I've had. I'll play around with it and see what I can come up with.

This will create a lot of lead dust, I would melt.

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I have 12 aprox 50 lb cake pan shaped bars. I bought 12 cheap canvas tool bags at harbor freight ( 7.99 ea ) 1 bar per bag, and they are easy to move because of the bag handles. I originally just had the bars in the boat, but found them very difficult to move. I have never had any problems with cracking, but they are evenly distributed throughout the boat.

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  • 1 month later...

Went to a mom & pop tire shop. They had about 8 buckets, so I bought 2 ($50) and went through them today. Lots of scrap along with the tire weights. I sorted through them and took out the nails, valve stems, lug nuts, etc. Basically there were 2 types of tire weights - the lead weights with the clips and the small rectangular bars (imagine Hershey bar sections) with adhesive. The ones with the clips look like lead and the rectangular bars had "Fe" stamped on them. I assume that's iron? Incidentally, the big franchise tire shops would not sell the discarded weights to me and they all said that lead is no longer used as tire weights.

After sorting through the buckets and tossing the debris, I ended up with 160#. Found 4 old camera bags and distributed the weights in each.

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  • 8 months later...

I wanted to share the following discovery with the Bu world, but first a short disclaimer: Water ballast is neutral weight in a boat, Lead is not. Use at your own discretion.

Im curious, what do you mean by water is neutral weight in a boat? Isn't it all the same?

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Im curious, what do you mean by water is neutral weight in a boat? Isn't it all the same?

Meaning if you swamp a boat full of water ballast the water won't continue to push the boat underwater after the water ballast is submerged at the lakes surface.....lead will sink to the bottom.

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