• If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!

Took Our AV To The Dump

pdxkevin

SM 2006
SM 2005
SM 2004
SM 2003
Full Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
8,410
Location
Elk Snout, Oregon, USA
The pile of things being tossed, out in the garage, had grown to a sizable amount. I didn't want to spread it out over several weeks for the garbage men to come haul it away so it was time to take out AV to the dump.

I called to find out how much it would be for a load and where the dump was located. They have a fairly extensive prices structure - what applied to us was the $25 for a small truck bed (car/minivan) or $35 for the full-size trucks.

I tried to pack everything into the bed with midgate up but it just wasn't going to fit. So with a slight mod (photos to follow with mod post once the photos are developed) and the midgate down, we packed it all in.

The pile filled the whole bed (extended) and stuck almost a foot above the top of the roof. This is where a tarp and several tiedowns came into use.

All tied in and down, it was off to the dump. We definately got some strange looks as we drove through town on the way to the dump. Trucks are for hauling stuff aren't they?

We waited in line, going single file up to the pay scale/window. The lady inside looked out and said; "Cute truck. Got any hazardous materials? Any food trash?". Nope. Nope. "OK that'll be 25 bucks."

Minivan pricing? I wasn't about to argue with her. So we paid what she asked for and proceeded on in.

We backed in mext to a nice fullsize new dodge truck. With the tailgate down, we drug most of the close stuff out of the AV. Already, our pile was nearing that of the dodges. Then we climbed on up to pull more stuff out and toss it onto the pile.

Even though his truck was now empty, the dodge guy remained there. Taking a breather? or just curious.

Tina had placed several nice large pieces of cardboard down first so that when the pile was light enough we could drag the cardboard and it load off. This worked very smoothly.

In no time, we had the whole pile out of the AV and stacked up on the ground. The guy came over and looked in to see where all the stuff had been packed in. We casually put the midgate up, window in, and panels back on. There were a couple suvs out there dumping loads, every one of them was using a trailer.

As we left you could not even tell that we had taken a trip to the dump.

This truely is the most versatile vehicle in the world.
 
Kev,

I haver used my AV a couple of times now to make dump runs. Lower the midgate and load`er up ;D However at my dump it only costs me $8 >:D
 
I took a trip the the dump on Wednesday of last week, and I'm going back tomorrow. I live in St. Louis City, and there is a free dump for residents, but you are limited to one trip per month. Had I known that, I would have had a larger load on Wednesday.

That trip consisted of 3 32 Gallon trash cans, a couple rolls of carpet and padding, and some baseboard and door/window moldings. Tomorrow's trip will consist of 6 32gallon trash cans filled with plaster and lath from the bedrooom demo work I did on Friday, a few pieces of plywood, more window/door trim, and a few old windows.

In the 2 1/2 months we've own the Av, and if you count tomorrow, we've *used* it by going to the dump twice, and 2 loads of lumber from Home Depot....

Fun vehicle...

Craig
 
Wow, that's cheap guys. :)

It's Either $135 or 175 (I forget) for 6 months of dump use in my town... :rolleyes:
 
Okay I may have you all beat, here in Needham, Ma. ? we don't have town pick up. You have to bring your trash to the RTS (Recycle Transfer Station).

$25 for the yearly pass.
$1 each for the special yellow 30 gal trash bag you have to use, or it's $5 for each non-yellow bag.
$105 a ton for bulk trash.
$10 each for TV's, Computer's, Microwaves, etc
$15 for washing machines, fridge.
and the list goes on.

Things that can be recycled, cans, bottles newspapers are free, the town makes money on them.

Needham is also a dry town, no beer or alcohol is sold.
 
You guys are doing it all wrong... just load up the AV and take it to the nearest large apartment complex, use their dumpsters for free ! >:D :0: ;)
 
pdx... how has our magazine editor not collared your writing prowess for the club magazine yet? I always enjoy your writings and I hope you keep them coming.

But hey on this story the topic actually did resemble the content... what's the story there?
 
Edward K said:
You guys are doing it all wrong... just load up the AV and take it to the nearest large apartment complex, use their dumpsters for free ! ?>:D ?:0: ?;)

Been There - Done That >:D >:D
 
Yeah, that's what we have... a transfer station. ?There are tons of stuff we can't throw away at ours. ?Exhaust parts, oil, oil filters... some construction material, old car parts... it's stupid. ?There are a few days out of the year where you can bring your tires or old car batteries down an pay something like $4-5 a pop to get rid of the stuff. ?

I'm too stubborn to have a quickie place change my vehicles oil, so I end up bringing cases of used oil back to the auto-parts places I bought it from. ?They aren't too fond of me doing that, but it's the law...

The dump's apparently too expensive for some people... in certain area's of the town, it's common to see batteries, tires, and (not as often) washing machines/appliances left near the side of the road. ?:rolleyes: They get picked up within a few days, so it's not trashy here, but still.

I like the apartment complex idea a lot. :)
 
WOW, we have transfer/drop off stations around here and you don't have to pay anything (unless you're dropping off a water heater or appliance, and then it's like $:cool: and can use it as much as you like. Even the water heater and appliance drop-offs are free if you take them to the actual dump yourself. Interesting to see how much it varies from state to state.
 
Back
Top