Can Crushers

OzarkDetector

Senior Member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Messages
413
Location
the Ozarks, AR
So I've been through half a dozen (it seems), can crushers, and all never stood up to time, with some breaking within a month.
Anybody have a link to a really good one?
I have bought "good ones" in the past, only to be fooled.
Where is there a quality one for sale?
 
I made one using a small air cylinder and valve mounted on a heavy duty wood frame. My lady friend and hunting partner drops the can in, I hit the valve and it crushes the can which falls thru a hole at the end into a box below. Works great and never failed.
 
I know youre looking for a commercial product, but I made one with an old door hinge and a couple of 2x4's. Tacked on a couple of scrap pieces of thin plywood to keep the can from moving laterally and just stomp it good to flatten the can. I've probably put about 70-80# of Al cans thru it and it shows no signs of quitting on me.
I only flatten them for easier use in my homemade foundry. If youre selling them to a recycler, you probably don't need to go to the trouble.
 
As long as you're not concerned how fancy it looks, here are pics of a homemade can crusher I made months ago and it is holding up great.

I think most (if not all) of it was scrap material I already had sitting around and it works fine.

I could push it with my hand but it is even easier if I use my elbow to push down.

I do slightly bend the can in the center first (easy to do) which helps the can crush even easier.

I put some white duct tape on the bottom to cover the screw heads to keep it from marring the countertop.

Pics are pretty explanatory, but any questions just ask, hope this helps if you choose to make a homemade one !

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Sorry I’m no help, but never heard of a can crusher. You guyz don’t have a deposit program?

No deposit program here, but there are places that will pay per pound for scrap metal including aluminum cans, crushing them just helps them take up less spaces while you're saving up enough to be worthwhile to cash in as scrap.
 
Do what it seems they do at my local park...run it over with a lawnmower

:laughing::laughing: Thats actually brilliant! A mower with the grass bagger, a stack of cans, Easy!

In fact, I bet a guy could modify an old mower specifically to shred and capture aluminum cans for scrap!...like mount a mower deck on top of trash receptacle, drill a can sized hole through the upper deck, build a funnel of sorts to drop the cans into..Just sit there and shred the hell out of them!.:laughing: Or get a wood chipper already built!

Then, I bet a guy could take a standard power wood splitter, rig up a mold to compress all the shreddings into nice little blocks? Yeah..all sorts of ideas! Great topic!

Here in Mich we get a dime per empty, and they have to be pretty pristine and not smashed so the 'can scanner' can read the code bar....so we dont crush cans here..and we hate those that do it in field and just leave them..Its like, "Hey, heres a dime! Not!...".:laughing:
 
I unleash the power of Mjölnir. :laughing:

Built this hammer for my Thor fan 8-year old son: 4x4, curtain rod and an old belt.... some silver spray paint. Doubles as a can crusher, but I usually just stomp on them...the cans that is.
 

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If you crush your cans here in CT you are sent away to the tax reform peoples... All must be preapproved by the CT law for appropriate tax return.. That's how we do it here in CT
 
I have this one and it works great, smash one, then smash another on top of it, sometimes 3, really flat, extremely durable too..

https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Crus...50058&wl11=online&wl12=38471439&wl13=&veh=sem


The reviews say it all...

<°)))>{


Ok, a lot of you had some good solutions.
I forgot to mention space was an issue, as I need one that can bolt to a wall; wood framing stud (metal building).
So Ice Scratcher .. I think you found one. Odd I never saw that before.

sandgroper .. .. good stuff there !
 
Ok, a lot of you had some good solutions.
I forgot to mention space was an issue, as I need one that can bolt to a wall; wood framing stud (metal building).
So Ice Scratcher .. I think you found one. Odd I never saw that before.

sandgroper .. .. good stuff there !

Yeah, glad you like it, mine is screwed to the wall too. Really helps to slightly dent the can as your putting it in, keep a bagged garbage can right under it, goes pretty fast really..

Hopefully there still making them as good as mine, mine is about 20 years old.. Looking at the reviews, it appears they are still making them as good anyway..

<°)))>{
 
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