how much would you charge

admin

my neibor brought this hay fork over to be repaired i have no idea how much to charge,do you all charge by the hour or by the job??what i need to do is heat it up,pull it back in place,reweld it and straiten the 3 point conectors any idea how much to charge?? Attached Images
Reply:That thing lives a rough life. I would add a LOT more gussets.  I would charge by the hour.  Maybe 5-8 hours?  You have to cut ALL the old crap off and basically rebuild it.  Do you have an arc air or Carbon arc gouge?Edit:  and a box of grinding wheels?Looks like some were welded down and some almost not at all.DavidLast edited by David R; 02-04-2008 at 05:13 PM.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:If the neighbour can live with it, I'd shorten those tines by cutting at the end of the gussets to save half an hour of grinding. Charge by the hour for sure, that way you can get him to wander over and have a look when you've done the first pass. But try to find out whether he wants a "just add another round to the existing repairs" or a "try to stop it breaking again" job.
Reply:ok how much per hour
Reply:and whats a gussett and whats gouging,i have a miller 210 and an o/c outfit and plasma and a grinder
Reply:You can burn off all the old stuff with the cutting torch.  Grind it smooth and start over with bigger corner pieces .  Good clean strong welds.  Maybe 12 hours That job is worth posting here     http://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=15270Does he pick up 2 bales with that?DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Gussets are those triangular bits welded onto the corners to try to make the weld stronger. You want to keep it so the welds are what breaks, if you start bending the tines things will get unrepairable. If you can, putting foot-long reinforcing sleeved inside those tubes should give you more strength without compromising things too much. It's all about not introducing stress risers into the beams (which is why gussets normally break at the ends). But by the look of it you will be able to make things better just by cleaning up properly and doing decent welds.The other stuff... I dunno, I'm in another country altogether and I don't have a plasma cutter.
Reply:I would charge as much as I could getSorry I couldne resist, that looks like a time and materials job. You don't know how bad it really is till you start cuttin.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:hi, are the pick up pieces that the bale rest on solid??  If so I would I agree with MOZ cut back and reuse with new gussets. With this being a 3 point bale mover  does he SPEAR them OR back under them ? If he  ALWAYS backs under them: weld in a cross member just behind the sloped end  to tie the ends together or even two  pieces spaced equally apart.
Reply:By neighbor I wonder what kind of neighbor he is??Find out if he can replace it and for how much.If it would cost say $400 then tell him $200 and you get to play around and make a couple bucks at the same timeMiller Dynasty 700Miller 350P with Aluma-pro push-pullMiller 280 Dynasty with expansion card Dynasty 200 DXMigMax 215 Enuff power and hand tools to create one of anything..... but mass produce nothing!!!
Reply:Do to the fact that it was poorly repaired before or poorly made I think that I could make him a new one, but better, for the same price as fixing it.
Reply:I'm thinkin a minimum of $300 for time and materials to repair it.  There is a lot of work there.  Maybe you could cut it up and use most of it to build another one.A gusset is the thing that is NOT there in the second picture, so the weld and metal tore.If you have a band saw, you can make really nice looking gussets out of the same square stock the part is made of.  I am building a trailer out of square tubing, I will post pics in a few days.DavidLast edited by David R; 02-04-2008 at 09:23 PM.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:wow i was thinking a couple round bales for the labor,i buy all my hay from him so i dont want to rip him
Reply:Originally Posted by paintmanwow i was thinking a couple round bales for the labor,i buy all my hay from him so i dont want to rip him
Reply:yeah, but if you screw it up he's probably gonna be grumpy with you instead of his half-arsed bale lifter. I can't help feeling that it's been repaired so often it's being misused in some way to be breaking that often. So yeah, first guess is: grind off and replace the welds, patch the broken/ripped tubing with gussets that go right down the outside of the join. If it breaks again suggest you can build a new one out of the existing one - reuse the hitch points, put new verticals and spears on it. Make them much more beefy around the bend/joint area.My guess is that it's built for going each side of one bale lying on its side and he's carrying two either by spearing or stacking. That or he can't drive and it's getting banged into stuff every day
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingI would charge as much as I could getSorry I couldne resist, that looks like a time and materials job. You don't know how bad it really is till you start cuttin.
Reply:My vote is to build a new one.If you like the guy, charge him materials plus $100.00If you don't, charge him materials plus $250.00If his wife is "HOT", do the job for free then stop by when he is on the tractor!The best things in life all come on a stick!
Reply:Whoever put all that chicken DOO_DOO  on the verticals of the gussets is(was) NOT a welder . from the pictures , it's difficult to tell whether those gussets are just thick rust or if there is  real steel still there ,because they're so rusty . I would think ,that if they are re used ,after much grinding to shiny metal , maybe they ought to be welded with 6010 ; NOT 6011 or 6013 .[SIZE="5"Yardbird"
Reply:well ill be using a mig with .030 wire but im gonna change the gussets
Reply:I would see how much fresh metal is there to weld.  If it isn't rusted throughout, then  clean it up pull it  back together and weld it up.  It really looks more like the previous welds were just week.  From my perspective, if there is fresh metal there then, clean it up, heat it and weld it well.Trade for the hay and charge for O/A. That would be my neighborly rate, else $250 min.
Reply:price it high and by the hour.. if it doesn't take as long, then you can discount the price making him think he got a good deal. just DON'T sell your-self shortthe deal should be to make money and make him happy
Reply:well he just wanted to patch it up so i did what he asked,didnt even take pictures but i did put a gossett on the bottom like the otherside and i know it is stronger than the last repair
Reply:You'll know you have arrived when you turn down the patch-it jobs.DennisThermal Arc 185-TSWMillermatic Challenger 172VictorO/AAtlas Craftsman 12 by 24 LatheEsab PCM-875Wholesalem Tool Mill-Drill
Reply:Hmmm, I guess I haven't arrived them. I don't generally mess with the $200 dollar jobs unless there is nothing going on or it is a good repeat customer. If you make 30,000.00+ a year off someone you do anything they want. Most of his work is in the 2500 to 10,000 per job range. As for rates you can't really charge what a pro does when you are still asking how to do the job. Have them pay for material and charge a rate you feel you can live with. Remember you still have to pay for fuel, power, O/A, electrodes and the equipment. I charge 65.00 an hour for me, but it is a rare thing for me to run into something I am not sure how to do. That is part of what they are paying me for, that and how fast I can do it. Factor in how long it takes you to get the job done.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Well Jolly My vote says you Have arrived.  By turn down I didn't mean everyone.  I figure most guys starting out will pretty much take anything to keep the lights on and put beens on the table.DennisThermal Arc 185-TSWMillermatic Challenger 172VictorO/AAtlas Craftsman 12 by 24 LatheEsab PCM-875Wholesalem Tool Mill-DrillGo through the whole project and try as best you can to figure in what work needs to be done and then how long you think it will take you to do the job.  Call your neighbor back over and tell him what you think and what needs to be done along with the time it takes to do the work.  If he agrees, go for it and live with what it takes to do the work.  If you get half way into the job and find out that there was something you missed not due to anything you could have seen, let him know there's going to be an additional cost.  Don't go back to him because you didn't estimate your time correctly, that's your fault not his.  Track your estimate with what you actually do and use it to learn from in the future.  Neighbors are funny, sometimes they think work like this is free, so make yourself clear up front as far as pricing.
Reply:Well I would prefer to only weld on new stuff, but it seems there is a lot more repair work out there. Sometimes it's a real pain, like the one I am working on now, but the one before it wasn't bad at all, and I've already seen the next one and it will be a breeze. The one I am really looking forward to is the custom forks for a 544 John Deere loader that is coming up soon. They are for use by a metal salvage company and the factory ones just can't hold up to it. To give you an idea how bad they get it, the first set was on the biggest Allis Chalmers front loader I've ever seen. The machine broke in half, but the forks took it all, heheh. When pricing your work you have to factor in your skill level and speed, as well as all the stuff you use that the customer doesn't supply, generally material which I always bill seperate, but things like torch gases, electrodes, fuel, electricity, grinder disks, chop saw blades, etc. Those all come out of your pocket.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jolly Roger...The one I am really looking forward to is the custom forks for a 544 John Deere loader that is coming up soon. They are for use by a metal salvage company and the factory ones just can't hold up to it. ...To give you an idea how bad they get it, the first set was on the biggest Allis Chalmers front loader I've ever seen. The machine broke in half, but the forks took it all, heheh.
Reply:I would say cut every weld, prep well, and add more steel on the gussets, it looks like it is pretty badly welded through, it won't be worth your time to fix it cheap.
Reply:Generally what I like to do (if possible) is contact a commercial welder, see how much he would charge, then tell the customer I'll do it for 1/2 or 3/4 what the "big" welder would do it for.  If that isn't an option, I charge 15-20 bucks an hour for folks I know, and 25.00 for those I don't.  Most welders charge 45-50 an hour or more, so the customer always feels like you are doing them right.  I've done "freebies" in the past, and it just isn't worth it!  Do a favor for someone and they expect 10 more of the same.  If you wanted to charge bulk, just by the job, I would figure out the materials I needed, then like was said earlier somewhere between 100 and 300 dollars for labor, leaning HEAVILY toward the 300 LOL.Have a Jeep Cherokee?  Click Here!
Reply:Well, I have fixed more of those than I care to remember.  I could do that job in about two hours.  No more than $150.  However here is your problem.   Hayforks like those can be bought for as little as $200.   As most people aren't going to want to spend the same amount they can buy a new fork for.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Originally Posted by paintmanwell he just wanted to patch it up so i did what he asked,didnt even take pictures...
Reply:Generally my approach is one of three options  if I know the person ,(mates are a different story)1) Do it at my normal commercial rate.2)Do it for nothing (material at cost)3)Do not do it.But recommend someone I know is good.If I am not comfortable with 1, then 2, if I am not comfortable with 2 then 3 .Works for me .BrettA good guess is better than a bad measurement
Reply:Originally Posted by Jolly Roger The one I am really looking forward to is the custom forks for a 544 John Deere loader that is coming up soon.
Reply:Look here http://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=19253 for the gussets I was talking about.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:wow i wasnt trying to undercut anyone i just had no idea what to charge im no pro welder just trying to help out the guy who i buy my hay from and i didnt want to gouge him,by the way i would charge 75 to 100 bucks to re-paint it just in case your wondering,feel free to undercut that price
Reply:Originally Posted by paintmanwow i wasnt trying to undercut anyone i just had no idea what to charge im no pro welder just trying to help out the guy who i buy my hay from and i didnt want to gouge him,by the way i would charge 75 to 100 bucks to re-paint it just in case your wondering,feel free to undercut that price