How to junk an RV

[Frank_Murch]

Hi

I am trying to replace a worn out 460 and transmission. I have an idea to purchase an older RV and take the low mileage Ford 460 Engine and transmission. I am trying to think this through

I found one 1992 ford 30 foot Class C for “free” with the correct engine tranny now. The living space is trashed. I see a 2nd one, but the back is burned (not totally, but badly)

If I take it, I am having difficulty figuring out how to dispose of the frame, body and RV. I have a couple of ideas – maybe you all have better ideas?

Idea one – junk yard, but there doesn’t seem to be a junk yard willing to take in in San Diego. They tell me the dismantling and disposal is expensive. One told me they used to charge $1000 to take it, but don’t do even that any more.

Idea two – Get a huge dumpster and a large circular saw and dismantle it. It is a lot of work, but a cab and chassis is something junk yards and scrap dealers will take. It is the wood, tanks and structure in the back that is the problem

Idea three – Take both vehicles to Tijuana Mexico, have all the work done there and junk the RV down there. I am not a Spanish speaker and don’t know how, but, this may be possible

Idea four – donate it, I am looking into this now

Idea five – no idea

What is the best way to dispose of an RV??

[Frank_Murch]

Lwiddis wrote:
"Idea four – donate it, I am looking into this now"

Please don't. It has no value to the charity. It will cost the charity money to properly dispose of it...your RV. Why do you believe charities want your worthless RV that even a junkyard won't take any longer for a thousand bucks?

I am looking for a disposal method. I don't know the charity's situation. Maybe they are in the best position to look out for the charity. I lack their perspective.

If they are towing them down to Mexico and housing people with these, In that case it might really help.

Maybe they are doing what I am doing, they need a part and want a fee cab or 6 wheels and tires or the appliances.

Some people and organizations have different needs and desires. It is interesting you concluded it has no value for an unnamed charity. I do not know that - do you?

For me, somebody else's dead RV has a drive line valuable to me. Why can this not be true for anybody else??

[Frank_Murch]

DrewE wrote:
Have you looked for the engine and transmission you need in some other type of donor vehicle? If you could find a plain ordinary van or maybe a truck with the same parts, it would be much less hassle to get rid of the carcass after you're done with it.

The RV world is one of just a few sources of low mileage drive lines, In this case - free. I am starting to understand the reason is the disposal issue. It appears RV parks are having difficulties getting rid on parked RVs after the owners disappear. Also, many of these have really bad interiors (leaks, trash, sewage) that are - in theory - salvageable, but in practice nobody is interested. The other sources are: government auctions, failed hotrod projects. I do not know any other sources.

A ford rebuilt 460 is about $2600, a E4OD is about $1400 and the install is about $1000. So a free drive train, with a $1000 swap cost is about $4000 less than rebuild. Many of the vehicles of this age are not worth $5000 in cost. So it is really a math issue

[Frank_Murch]

Matt_Colie wrote:
First, Being in California adds to an already difficult problem.

Thank you, I think you have scripted my plan.

[Frank_Murch]

midnightsadie wrote:
I set washer, dryers out front of my house ,with a sign that says free ,there gone before the day is over.

Great point, free "sells" well

[toedtoes]

ScottG wrote:
Towing company's in my area will take stuff like this for free or when the price of metal was up, they'd pay you for it. It sitll has lots of metal in it so it's worth something to them.
I got rid of an ancient Ford Courier and a Datsun B210 this way.
I would call one one of these company's.

It's different with a regular vehicle and an RV. The RV has all that extra stuff that has to be removed in order to recycle the metal. With the Courier or B210, all they have to do is remove the seats, carpet, dash and trim to get to the frame. With an RV, they have to remove the entire house portion. A lot less work to get to less metal.

[ScottG]

Towing company's in my area will take stuff like this for free or when the price of metal was up, they'd pay you for it. It sitll has lots of metal in it so it's worth something to them.
I got rid of an ancient Ford Courier and a Datsun B210 this way.
I would call one one of these company's.

[toedtoes]

Do you really want to put in an engine from a "free to good home" RV? That engine is likely going to be as worthless as the rest of the RV. You'll end up having to rebuild it - just like you would your current engine and tranny.

Most RVs sit for a long time before their house becomes that trashed. That means their engine has been ignored for a long time. And if they're offering it for free, that means no one wants it - so even more no ones are going to want it after you remove the engine and tranny.

It sounds like you are willing to do a lot of work to get an inexpensive engine. Have you considered looking for a newer van or truck at a junkyard that was in an accident but the engine was undamaged and retrofit your RV to fit it? It's a lot of work, but you could walk away with a better engine for not much money if you do the work yourself. Or could you just rebuild the engine and tranny you already have? Or look for a van from the same model years as your chassis at a junkyard and grab it's engine and tranny?

[Tyler0215]

Find a pickup of the same year with the same motor and transmission. It will be a direct swap, and much easier to dispose of the pu.
DO NOT DONATE ANY JUNK MH CAR or TRUCK.

[wrgrs50s]

It seems like it would be much easier to just take the engine and transmission you have now out and send it to a rebuilder and be done with it.

The engine and trans in most motorhomes that have sat for long periods of time have dried out seals and gaskets that may require a rebuild anyway. It would be a shame to do all that and still not work out.

[Lwiddis]

"Idea four – donate it, I am looking into this now"

Please don't. It has no value to the charity. It will cost the charity money to properly dispose of it...your RV. Why do you believe charities want your worthless RV that even a junkyard won't take any longer for a thousand bucks?

[DrewE]

Have you looked for the engine and transmission you need in some other type of donor vehicle? If you could find a plain ordinary van or maybe a truck with the same parts, it would be much less hassle to get rid of the carcass after you're done with it.

[Matt_Colie]

First, Being in California adds to an already difficult problem.
No scrapper will take it because of the mixed materials.
This has worked for friends here in Michigan.
Do you have a SawzAll? Get one.

To scrap a dead RV:
Pull the appliances and anything else that might be useful and get a digital camera and sell as much as you can on Craig's list.
Rip the insides out, most of that will be plywood and particle board and can be cut in little pieces and treated as trash.
If you can remove the windows with minimal damage, they can be sold off too.
bunches of bad masonite walls and insulation will have to be put out with trash over a couple of months unless you want to rent a bin. The wood can be burned at a campfire when you get the running coach out on the road.
Pull the gas plumbing and wire aside as that has scrap value.
The skin is Aluminum and that alone has scrap value. So, peal it off and cut it into pieces that you can transport easily.

Now you have a frame and cab-cutaway. A vehicle scraper can take that. And you now know why you see old RVs dissolving into the woods in so many places.

Matt

[midnightsadie]

I set washer, dryers out front of my house ,with a sign that says free ,there gone before the day is over.