What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
A yard holding a dozen transformers rarely has twelve matching units. Different kVA ratings, primary voltages, cooling arrangements, and conditions make the row a sorting job before it becomes a removal job.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 10 - 333 kVA | up to 25 kV | Liquid or dry |
| 3-phase | 15 - 20,000 kVA | 34.5 kV | Liquid or dry |
Who we buy from
Six kinds of seller
- Recyclers
- Electrical contractors
- Equipment dealers
- End users
- Demo contractors
- Distributors
Fast offers
A written offer the same business day, based on your photographs.
Dedicated logistics
Our own crew, trailer and crane, not a brokered haul.
No broker fees
One buyer from first call to cleared pad, with nothing skimmed.
How it works
Six steps from photograph to payment
- 01
Take pictures
Photograph the nameplate, the inside of the cabinet and the tank from both ends. Four frames on a phone are enough to price most units.
- 02
Send them to us
Email or text the photographs with the site address and whether the unit is still energised. We reply the same business day with questions or a number.
- 03
Review the offer
The offer names the unit, the site, the price and the pickup window. It is written, dated and good for thirty days unless the unit changes hands.
- 04
We schedule freight
A crew, a trailer and a crane if the pad needs one. You get the date and the arrival window, and the site does not have to close for it.
- 05
Testing on arrival
Winding resistance, insulation resistance and a turns ratio check, plus oil analysis where the unit is liquid-filled. Results travel with the unit.
- 06
Get paid
Payment is released against the signed bill of sale and the scale ticket, by check or ACH, with the paperwork copy left on site.
What we handle
The parts sellers dread
Rigging
Crane, skates and a route survey for anything that will not roll onto a trailer.
Oil containment
Pans, absorbent and a spill plan before a drain plug is touched.
Bill of sale
A document that clears a lien, a lease or a bankruptcy file, not a handwritten note.
PCB paperwork
Testing and manifesting for pre-1979 oil, handled before the unit moves.
On the ground
What happened
The row may have accumulated through plant upgrades, utility replacements, or several demolition jobs. A 75 kVA pole-mounted unit can sit beside a 1,000 kVA pad-mounted transformer and a dry-type enclosure.
Different origins mean the yard location alone does not establish condition, ownership, or electrical compatibility.
Some units still carry readable nameplates; others have faded tags, missing bushings, or detached radiator banks. A dozen units of different sizes and voltages should first receive individual identification numbers.
Those numbers connect each tank or enclosure to its photographs, records, and place in the row.
Local reality
How Mixed Lot affects value
A mixed lot can have greater recovery potential as a package for a rebuilder than as individual scrap units.
Complete tanks, serviceable cores, intact windings, and identifiable voltage combinations give a rebuilder options that disappear when bushings, tap changers, or radiator assemblies are stripped before review.
Package evaluation does not mean every transformer belongs on the same rebuild path. A failed winding, fire-damaged enclosure, or undocumented oil-filled tank may require separate handling.
Keeping the dozen units identifiable lets the assessment distinguish rebuild candidates from units suitable only for material recovery without dismantling the row.
Around the site
The paperwork
Ownership records need to cover the entire row, not just the largest pad-mounted unit. Asset disposal authorizations, demolition contract language, or trustee documentation can establish who may release each transformer.
If equipment came from several sites, match the source facility and asset number to each yard identification number.
Nameplate photographs are required for anything over 500 kVA, along with a photograph of the whole row. Capture serial numbers, primary and secondary voltages, kVA, phase, and fluid information where shown.
Existing test reports and removal records help separate a documented working takeout from an unexplained failed unit.
Where it sits
Liabilities to settle
Oil condition cannot be inferred from the neighbor in the row. One tank may have documented non-PCB fluid while another has no fluid history.
Gather available sampling records and identify leaks at drain valves, gaskets, and radiator joints before arranging movement across the yard or onto transport.
Release also depends on electrical isolation and site responsibility. A transformer parked near an active pad may still have cables attached or stored elbows in its compartment.
The owner must confirm disconnection, address access restrictions, and identify who controls spill response, lifting operations, and any required environmental documentation.
On the ground
The clock
A demolition deadline can turn a mixed row into several rushed removals unless the equipment list is settled early. Photograph the dozen units before fencing shifts, access lanes close, or demolition debris blocks the tanks.
Missing identification becomes harder to resolve after equipment moves between laydown areas.
Pickup timing depends on the heaviest unit, available lifting points, and the route through the yard. A lowboy cannot use a lane blocked by stored radiator banks or loose cable reels.
Rain-softened ground and limited crane setup space can require a different sequence for the same mixed lot.
Local reality
Our process for mixed lot
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed, and obsolete transformers across North Carolina. For a mixed lot, review starts with the whole-row photograph and nameplates for units over 500 kVA.
The first assessment separates known ratings and conditions from gaps that need closer photographs or supporting records.
Each unit stays tied to its yard number as the package is reviewed for rebuilding or material recovery. Removal planning then checks dimensions, documented weights, lifting provisions, fluid condition, and loading access.
Smaller pole-mounted tanks and larger pad-mounted units may need different rigging even when leaving together.
Around the site
Your first step
Stand far enough back to capture the whole row, including the space between units and the loading lane. Then photograph the nameplates on anything over 500 kVA.
If a plate is unreadable, record that limitation rather than guessing a rating from tank size or radiator count alone.
Prepare a short list matching yard numbers to known ratings, source locations, and condition notes. Mark missing bushings, visible leaks, detached parts, and any unit whose ownership is unresolved.
Include the North Carolina pickup location and clearance deadline so package review begins with the actual constraints of the row.
Get started
Get an offer in minutes
Five fields is all it takes. Photographs help, but a nameplate and a town are enough to start.
No fee, no obligation. We reply the same business day.
Tell us what you have
We reply the same business day.
Questions
Straight answers
Equipment types
Do all twelve transformers need matching voltages?
No. A mixed lot can include different primary and secondary voltages, kVA ratings, and construction types. Record those differences by yard number. The package is evaluated for rebuilding and recovery paths, not assumed to be a group that can operate together electrically.
Service area
What if the larger nameplates are unreadable?
Photograph the plate area and look for asset records, serial-number records, or earlier test reports. Anything over 500 kVA needs nameplate documentation where obtainable. Do not estimate kVA from enclosure dimensions; flag the missing information and keep that unit identifiable within the row.
Payment
Should we remove bushings before the lot review?
Leave bushings, radiator assemblies, and other attached components in place unless safety or environmental conditions require intervention by qualified personnel. Stripping parts can obscure rebuild potential.
Logistics
The clock: what should a seller know?
A demolition deadline can turn a mixed row into several rushed removals unless the equipment list is settled early. Photograph the dozen units before fencing shifts, access lanes close, or demolition debris blocks the tanks.