What the scrap guy pays for scrap depends on several variables.. current national price for scrap, supply, local competition.
If you want to get a real feel for what the scrap guys are paying in your area, call 'em and tell them you have a '57 1/2 ton you wanna scrap and ask 'em how much they'll pay.
Also consider that some yards charge you (or deduct from the price) the cost of pickup.. other yards won't pickup stuff at all.
Factor these things in when determining what a scrap guy will pay at auction for a crusher vehicle.
If a particular scrap guy is going thru a lean time (fall and winter) they'll pay more since supply is lower (most people send stuff to the crusher in spring time, since they're outside more and their wives notice and complain about it more) by fall and winter, the grass and or snow is usually high enough that the old heap sitting in the back yard isn't as offensive.
Finally consider that the local scrap guy is just one dude in a chain of people.. he buys the scrap and picks the "good" stuff off, removes the fuel tank and tires, then sells to a crusher who crunches the vehicles and stacks them up, who sells them in bulk to another guy, who collects them to sell to yet another guy (or two) till they finally make it to the guy who does the melting down.
At a large auction, you may find dudes farther up the scrap chain buying stuff up to help carry them thru the lean winter months.. these dudes will generally pay more for stuff than the smaller (further down the chain) guys.
Then to further muddy the waters, you have dudes like yourself who show up and pay premium money for that old 1/2 ton truck because you want the body panels, glass, tranny, or whatever.
So don't assume just because it's a "crusher" sale that the only people showing up are people wanting to buy stuff to crush.
Also consider that what a junkyard pays for a vehicle (usually around $50 or so) is less than what a scrap/crusher guy will pay (generally 40% more)
