What companies get away with...

admin

I don't claim to be a big time professional welder, I've been taking course at college for a year now and I'm graduating next week. I'm not perfectly consistent with my welding, maybe slightly above average especially with aluminum, that is my strong-hold. But since the first week of school last year I began looking at welds on whatever I came across. Again, I don't claim to be high n mighty, but I know when it's wrong and I'm surprised at what I find sometimes. I'm taking a break from it now, but I race atv cross-country. The welds on my quad frame look like they pulled somebody random off the street, asked them if they wanted to "be a welder", took em to the assembly line and stuck a mig gun in their hand. "Here take this, sit down, weld here and here. That's all ya gotta do, just glue it together." lol! Same thing with our toy hauler: I was looking at some welds a few weeks ago, it was some aluminum tubing work. Sure it was consistent, but bad. I could tell within 2 seconds they had a contaminated tungsten, kept welding all day long with it, and never touched it with a brush later: black soot crap/contamination all the way down every weld. I just turned around and walked away. lol!It kinda goes hand in hand with the guy that recently posted about low pay rates. I've worked hard to be educated in the welding field, so when I do repairs and builds for people I hope they're willing to get a good deal for great welding, not a great deal for good welding. (Although that stuff I talked about above is sucky welding... lol!) Just because it holds together doesn't mean it's good. I'll get some pics of my quad frame when I get it back soon; a buddy has it right now... But what do you guys look at and have one of those speechless but "oh crap" moments? Lol!!
Reply:Everything you stand on, lean against, or ride in was built by the lowest bidder...Beck's Welding and Fabrication, Inc.-Misc. Metals Fabrication & Installation-
Reply:Originally Posted by OldSchoolPSDEverything you stand on, lean against, or ride in was built by the lowest bidder...
Reply:Originally Posted by JMcL213But what do you guys look at and have one of those speechless but "oh crap" moments? Lol!!
Reply:Yep, ya can't go anywhere without staring down the welds now. Kind of a weldor's curse. Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:welcome to the club.If you don't mind me asking, what kind of quad do you have?It's possible that the quad fram was assembled by robots. no one there to think, "Crap, I F'ed up that weld, gotta fix it". Just set and forget.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Shovelon,I love how they ground down some bits, but left the rest. classic. Probably used a regular grinding wheel and gave up when it was completely clogged with Ali...There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:"Yeah it's pretty... but will it hold?"
Reply:Quads and motorcycles are notorious examples of bad welding. I have repaired more than a few. It still amazes me how well they actually hold together. I was sitting on one two weeks ago at the dunes and realized the one next  to me didn't have a single weld that I would consider OK.Lincolin Power Wave 450, Lincoln Powermig 255, Lincoln Pro Mig 140, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 275, Miller Big 40 G(with Hobart Hefty suitcase), Thermal Arc 95S and Esab PCM875 in an already full machine shop.
Reply:Hammer, it's 2012 Honda 400X. Don't think it's robotics. If it is then the robot programmer guy doesn't know what he's doing. Some of the welds are decent, ones I don't mind. But most make me sad. And I race XC, I'm in the woods for nearly two hours straight and it's rough stuff out there. We could encounter any type of terrain in XC, including enduro tracks (I've seen it done...) I'd really like to have my own business within the next couple of years, and quad frames is something I want to be known for. hahaha  My first big project when I get my own welding equipment will be stripping that thing apart, gusseting the frame very well, and putting some other goodies on it. lol
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonYep, ya can't go anywhere without staring down the welds now. Kind of a weldor's curse.
Reply:In business welding is a means to an end, profit is king and its everywhere not just welding.
Reply:In many factories (welding or otherwise), parts per hour is the critical factor.  If you don't keep the numbers high, they will find someone who will.BUT when you go shopping, don't you look at the price first?   We have all become accustomed to shopping by price.  Stores know this, wholesalers know this, factories know this.   As a retired IT professional, I remember plenty of times my managers insisting on doing something "good enough" rather than taking the time to "do it right".
Reply:Yep, if I own a business making what I want to make I would rather have parts on backorder a few days than just get 'em done and out but the parts be bad. It might get hard convincing people that what they bought from another brand sucks and the welds are bad, but I have ideas... lol!