If I strip the motor and electronics, is it still considered an appliance?

The driver isn't going to climb into the bin to check if you pulled the motor or the PCB out. If they look in the mirror or glance over the side and see the distinct shape of a white washing machine, they’re going to assume it’s a whole appliance and either leave the bin sitting in your driveway or hit you with a massive fine. Most of these haulers have a strict policy becuase the transfer stations charge them extra for appliances regardless of wheather the internal components are missing. If you realy want to put it in the roll-off, you need to make it unrecognizable. A **Sawzall with a metal-cutting blade** is your best friend here. If you cut that washer cabinet into four flat panels and toss them at the bottom, nobody will ever know it was an appliance. Same goes for the treadmill frame—cut it into three or four pieces of scrap steel and bury it under the shingles and debris from your roof repair. Once it's just flat pieces of metal, it’s just construction waste.

But honestly, the easiest way to handle this is to drag both items to the curb right now. Scrap metal guys roam most neighborhoods looking for exactly this stuff. Even a hollowed-out washer and a steel treadmill frame have value at a yard. Usually, within a few hours of putting it on the curb, someone in a beat-up pickup truck will have loaded it up for you. It saves you the manual labor of cutting it up and saves space in your 20-yarder for the actual trash you need to get rid of.

One word of caution on the treadmill: some of those frames are heavy-gauge steel and can be a nightmare to cut thru. If you decide to hide it in the bin without cutting it, make sure it’s at the very bottom or buried in the middle. If it’s sitting right on top when they pull the tarp over, you’re asking for a surcharge. Most haulers are looking for any reason to tack on an extra $50 or $100 for special handling of prohibited items, so don't give them an easy target.

I'm also wondering about the weight limits for these things. I've heard roofing shingles are crazy heavy, so adding a bunch of steel scrap might put you over the ton limit fast. Do they weigh the truck right there in your driveway, or do you just get a surprise bill later? Also, if the treadmill pieces stick up past the fill line on the side, will they just drive off? I'm trying to avoid any extra fees because this whole project is allready costing way more than I expected.

They definitely don't weigh it at your house; the driver hits the scales at the transfer station and you'll just get a bill for the overage later. Shingles are the real killer—a single square is like 240 lbs—so you'll hit your weight limit way faster than you think.

Also, keep everythign below the top rail. If that treadmill is poking out, the driver won't be able to get the tarp over it and they'll hit you with a 'dry run' fee and leave the bin sitting there. It's a massive pain to get them back out once they skip you.

Just a heads up, if you do bury that metal under shingles, make sure it's dead center. If the driver feels the load shift weirdly when they're winching it up, they might get suspicious and take a closer look. I once got dinged for a hidden water heater becasue the weight distribution was wonky.

Also, check if your contract is specifically for a 'clean' shingle load. Some haulers give a better rate for just shingles because they can recycle them. The second you toss in a treadmill frame or garage junk, the whole bin gets reclassified as a mixed-waste load, and that price jump is usally way more than any overweight fee.