how to charge for mobile welding

admin

Hello, I have a question that I need help with, when I weld mild steel etc, I charge my labour at a certain price and if I don't use many rods or wire for that job I just charge for labour and no materials used,but now im getting into mobile aluminum welding and I would like to know how to charge for that? I know that I can keep track of how many rolls of wire that I use but what about the Argon, how do you charge that out?Do you always charge your rate and then all consumables or do I charge at a higher rate per hour for welding aluminum plus charge for consumables.I hope that I am explaining it right.Is it common to price out aluminum jobs higher and if so I do I explain the justification to the customer for the higher price?  Example= I charge $60.00/Hr for regular welding of items, can I charge $75.00/Hr plus consumables or should I just charge my regular rate and then just charge consumables out and hope that I guessed the amount of argon used.
Reply:Charge your rate..Charge for consumables..Charge from the time you start the truck.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I would charge just like a car garage does.. labour + parts (consumables).  It might be hard getting down a system to what each consumable costs but it'll smooth itself out over time.  Rods you can go by # used, gas by PSI, MIG wire might be hard to estimate though..."A winner isn't someone who doesn't lose, a winner is someone who doesn't quit."
Reply:Just be sure you are making a profit.   DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:A lot of trades have a "shop supplies" charge.  This would work for the argon.For example, every job gets a standard shop supplies charge of $15.  More if you use more gas than "usual" or burn up a couple of flap disks or grinding wheel, etc. on a bigger job.  Otherwise, you never get back for your shop supplies that are never really used up on any one job, but you have to buy and cost money.Favorite right now is a Miller Syncro 200.Tons of tools and I blame at least one of them when things don't go right.
Reply:yeh do what ever to make you profit , all the consumables do add up over time ..
Reply:As mention charge to make a profit or don't do it.  I charge 45/hr in the field plus mileage and it starts when the truck leaves heading to the job.  When I do aluminum in the field it goes to 60/hr, plus mileage.  However this is all based on the market around you.  Currently no one within a 50mile radius of me does mobile aluminum.  So no one complains, plus the basic fact is Aluminum cost more to work with.  Some areas of the US bring top dollar, more for standard steel field work that I get for the aluminum.  Just depends on what the market is where you are located. Charge a fair price to make a profit, stand behind your work, be honest with the clients,  and you will be fine.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:I really can't imagine sitting around counting rods and figuring argon usage and grinding wheels and all. I always make sure that I charge enuff to make me feel good enuff to go to work everyday. There are dudes in my area charging 65.00 an hr for mobile aluminum and they say that includes drive time etc.I just keep it simple....I go to the location and check it out and then go to work. I look at my watch and charge for the time I actually WORK. I charge $100 an hr and have been there for about 3 yrs now.I even get that in the shop. I am doing mainly repair and just include everything in that rate. I eat steak when I feel like it.People are funny...when they pay a bunch for something they boast about it sorta like driving a Cadillac I guess. These customers have lakeside 2nd homes and more than one boat So I ALWAYS make sure I'm the HIGHEST priced guy in the country. Everyone knows me, I always breed competition and they always undercut me but I always get by and they always end up doing something else. I may charge a bunch but I show up when I say I will and my stuff don't break because I treat every job like it is the space shuttle.I don't just "reweld" something I FIX it. (more hrs that way) Pure aluminum, mobile or shop 11 yrs straight now. Most of my work is from word of mouth.The rest of my biz comes from the phone book because I use the term "Aluminum Welding" in my business name (Out Back Aluminum Welding) and I get first crack more often than not. I see other guys saying they do it all but for some reason people ASSUME if you can weld aluminum you can weld anything and I play that card as well.BTW when I BID  FAB jobs I consider the materials and consumables but for repair it's just easier to charge a rate that always nets you a profit. I also charge for the time to write the invoiceNow, after saying all that I also have another system. People bring me "offerings"...stuff that would cost more to fix than they are worth. things like aluminum lawn chairs or whatever and I tell them to just leave them and I'll work them in when I get time. On that stuff I just charge what I feel it's worth or would be worth to the owner. I might mess around with it for an hour and only charge 40 bucks.I got some people who have brought me a lot of furniture for years. They never bitch and I treat 'em like family and even match paint the stuff or whatever as long as the give me my space I'll give the best good ole boy deals around. I love my customers and try to make 'em love me. By letting that stuff pile up I might make say 200 bucks pure CASH that day....pure fun money. Lock the shop and head for Home Depot!!Miller 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:FusionKing, As the saying goes Location,Location,Location. I don't blame you for charging that. I know the area and for the "good" customers money is no object. If a highend boat mechanic can charge $100 or more for his trade and stay busy why not charge the same for welding. If you have to travel very far I wouldn't be afraid to charge either travel time  or by the mile. People can be funny about travel time. They might not like paying someone $100/hr to drive but they forget that they're keeping you from making $100/hr in your shop during that time
Reply:I agree totally , but I couldn't decide how to charge drive time from one job to the next. I might do 3 or 4 a day and some would be quite a few miles...maybe farther than the shop...so I'd rather just charge when I get there... they feel better and so do I. Plus I've been at it so long most of my customers like to bs a bit and I don't mind. Sort of the knowing which side of the bread the butter goes on thing. Most all of my mobile customers are Marinas BTW.Little crap like that messes with my head, I'm more about the welding. I have little doubt someone could take over my biz and make more money but I bet I still have more fun and still make a fair wage while in the process.Miller 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:Fusion,  I ran into that problem about charging drive time.  I spend 3/4 of the day in the field and some days I spend all day there.  What I do is I charge $1.25/mile (oneway, from job to job) plus my hr rate That allowed me to bill for a full days work, and covered my mileage since I would be driving from repair job to repair job.  As mentioned above, an hour in a truck is an hour I could be in the shop not counting the extra cost of traveling.  This is for anyone who is starting out.  The biggest problem I see is guys who think they can undercut your price and steal all your business. Price what YOU feel you should be making an hour plus what covers your materials.  This of course  is based on the local market.  As I said above do good work, stand behind it and charge a fair (fair for you and the client)  price and you will do well.  Just what I have learned in the years since I started my business.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Hammack that is a VERY good idea.....I just may have to try that as well and see how it works for me on my new customers. I ain't takin' chances on the old ones tho...they give me too many repeats!!Do you write that on the invoice or just include it in the labor??Miller 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:Here's how my boss has me write the ticket. Labor on site as labor. Travel time as travel time. Rather than a set price per mile He has me put down the dollar of fuel used to get there and back as expenses. I send in the fuel receipt in with the ticket. The difference in gas prices between small town S.W. Missouri and Rogers/Bentonville AR can be $.30-$.40 per gallon on the same day.
Reply:Well i tried the Keeping up with prices stuff, and I just had so much going on I never could manage to keep it all looked after.  The way I bill mine is in "time" and "Mileage"  i don;t bill just for labor.  For the most part I bill everything on the computer.  I do keep a carbon copy ticket book in the truck for an oddball job, or for new clients.  Most of my business is dedicated customers, and I am very lucky for that.  However new clients I always bill when the job is finished until I feel comfortable enough to switch them to monthly billing.  My bills will list 3 things:  "time to complete the job", "mileage", and "materials".          I derive my bills as follows.   Let's say I have two service calls to make.  I leave the shop at 8:00am drive 45 miles to the 1st job where I weld up a skidder grapple requiring $25 of 1/2" plate to complete the job.  When I wrap up the cables and crank the truck the clock shows 11:30.   That service call would be billed for 3.5hrs (8:00-11:30), $25 materials, and 45 miles mileage (56.25) totaling $238.75  I then head to the next job which takes 30 miles, no materials, and getting back in the truck at 5:00.  The bill would show 5.5hrs time to complete, and 30 miles of mileage totaling  $285.00   Then as far as the drive back to the shop.  I never worry about it.  The way I look at it I charge double mileage oneway to the job.  The drive home is covered.        FUSION KING, you bring up a good point about your repeat clients.  Keep in mind this is just a general rule.  I do have quite a few clients within 10-15 miles of my shop, that I don't even bother with mileage.  It just depends on the client and the situation.  I have tried many ways to bill, and to me this is the simplest I have come up with.  I learned along time ago when I first started that You can work your butt off and still not bill but three hrs out of the day.  You have to bill for ALL time used on a job no matter how insignificant it may seem to the job.  An hour is an hour.  It doesn't matter whether it is burning a rod, or loading up material on the truck and driving to the work, or even if you have to run by the parts store for something you need to complete the job.  As we said before, you could be back at the shop welding during that same time...Last edited by Hammack_Welding; 07-21-2007 at 10:07 PM.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Originally Posted by Hammack_Welding I learned along time ago when I first started that You can work your butt off and still not bill but three hrs out of the day.  ...
Reply:I'll second that AMEN!! About all of my mobile customers fall in at less then 25 miles.I will do some re-thinking  on this tho and I certainly appreciate the fresh input from both you and tresi. A hundred bucks an hr is a bunch and I just hate being confrontational. I prefer to drive fast and work slow!! I am presently shifting to doing more shop work...it's less painful. But I still do WAY more mobile in the summer and I always see a shifting around as my clients move from one Marina to another.Miller 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:Originally Posted by FusionKingI'll second that AMEN!! About all of my mobile customers fall in at less then 25 miles.I will do some re-thinking  on this tho and I certainly appreciate the fresh input from both you and tresi. A hundred bucks an hr is a bunch and I just hate being confrontational. I prefer to drive fast and work slow!! I am presently shifting to doing more shop work...it's less painful. But I still do WAY more mobile in the summer and I always see a shifting around as my clients move from one Marina to another.
Reply:Charge an extra hour just for consumables on every job, will even out over the year, but call that hour somthing other than an "hour". thats what I doI own a 87 troopie (rust is slowly owning it  )I ride a quadand I love sticking metal together.  And I live in OZ...  (Geelong)
Reply:I figure my welding rate to include gas and some rod.  If I use one or two 33 lb reels of wire, I charge for it.  Usually I use Co2, so that cost is negligable. If I use any specialty wire, like seld shielding wire, or hardfacing, I charge for it.  If I use one grinding wheel, No big deal, but if I use 10, then its on the bill.  We have all been on jobs where it takes 2 hours and use just a few sticks.  DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:David, that's pretty much how I do as well.  ordinary jobs I can cover materials my my hr. rate.  if it requires anything special, or a bulk of something I always add that since it is an extra cost.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......