Sell your surplus padmount transformers.
Highest volume category for us. Ground-level enclosure, dead-front, loop or radial feed.
Get an offerWhat we pay for and why
Value on a padmount transformer comes down to kVA, primary voltage, winding metal, age, and whether it still tests. New surplus on the skid is worth the most. Failed units are worth their metal and oil.
Ratings we buy
| Category | oil filled |
|---|---|
| Phases | 1 and 3 phase |
| Voltage class | medium |
| 1-phase kVA | 25, 50, 75, 100, 167 |
| 3-phase kVA | 45, 75, 112.5, 150, 225, 300, 500, 750, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3750, 5000 |
| Photos we need | Nameplate, open cabinet, exterior |
| Freight | Included in the offer |
What drives the number on this unit
A 12470GrdY/7200 primary into 480Y/277 is the workhorse of American distribution. Units on common ratings resell quickly, and the offer shows it. Odd primaries still sell, just slower and lower.
The nameplate or a test tells us which. Copper-wound units carry more value intact and as scrap.
Bushings, elbows, and the cabinet interior drive the refurb math. A clean interior photo can move an offer up a tier.
Loop-feed units fit more resale applications. It is on the nameplate and in the cabinet; we will spot it in your photos.
Reading the nameplate
On a padmount the nameplate is inside the cabinet, usually riveted to the door or the dead-front panel. Open the hood, photograph the whole plate straight on, and get the kVA, primary, secondary, and impedance in frame. If the door is locked or rusted shut, shoot the exterior and tell us; we price it as unverified and adjust after inspection.
Freight and rigging
A 75 kVA single-phase unit runs roughly 800 to 1,200 pounds and rides a liftgate flatbed. A 500 kVA three-phase runs 3,500 to 5,000 pounds and wants a forklift or a truck-mounted crane. At 2500 kVA and up you are in the 12,000-pound class and we plan rigging. All of it is our cost and our schedule to solve; what we need from you is honest access notes.
Six-step sell process
- 01Send three photos and a ZIP code
- 02We read the nameplate and reply
- 03You get a written offer
- 04We schedule freight and rigging
- 05Pickup and paperwork
- 06You get paid within 3 business days of a passed test
PCB and oil note
Oil-filled units built before 1980 may contain PCBs. If your unit is that age and has not been sampled, we sample before an offer is final. We do not give disposal instructions on this site. Call us and a person will walk you through it.
FAQ
Yes. The core, windings, tank steel, and oil all carry value. Tell us the failure mode if you know it.
Send the other two photos and whatever you know. Illegible nameplates route to a slower queue, but the lead still gets a call.
If it was built before 1980 and has never been sampled, possibly. We sample before an offer is final. We do not give disposal guidance on the web.
We do. Flatbed for most units, lowboy or crane for larger substation gear. Tell us if the unit is truck accessible.
Yes. Photos through the open cabinet plus the nameplate are enough for a written offer. Pickup happens after your electrician disconnects; we do not unhook energized gear.
No. We price the steel, the windings, and the test results, not the paint. Do not spend money dressing up a unit for us.