Gauging Some Interest on A Weld-it-Your-Self Product Line

[FarmWrench]

Credit to LD1. I have to confess that I have bought plans and here is what has happened.

Wooden boat. I destroy every Chuck of wood I have ever touched, then I marry a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer's daughter who does not swim and hates all things that float.

Childs toy digger. Got half built and had a girl.

Wood boiler. Got bits and pieces and kept changing the design and then the town outlawed them. Sell some wood to a guy with one who burns 20 times what he should or what I do with my still working indoor.

Right now I am stalled on a tile plow for seven bushing pieces that are backorder. I have $580 in cylinders and $1700 in tube steel cut up and $904 in cut plate and not a single arc.

I have had success. I broke every 2 5/16 ball hitch available on my potato harvester until I made my own from 1 1/4" plate on my lathe.

I built the finest set of qa forks for my Deere that have performed flawless with 3500# .

I even made a steel gearbox to replace the plastic housing on a free lawn mower.

 

[wwalker1959]

I think it's a great idea.

I have a Miller wire welder and Hobart stick welder but don't have the room right now bringing in large pieces of metal or a torch table. If I leave the material outside on the trailer I'm afraid it would get pretty rusty before I could get to the point of final assembly. I have a plasma cutter but it's only good for metal up to 3/8". I would like to build a trailer tow bar, a grapple for the FEL and a thumb for the backhoe but lack the time to cut and grind all of the pieces.

 

[LD1]

No disrespect to anyone, but I have to wonder if those that say it is a good idea, will put their money where their mouth is?

Whoever makes the "kits" has to have overhead, has to have the programs to turn out the parts in a timely manner, has to buy the raw material, and most costly...has to ship them.

Take away the cost of designing, shipping, alignment tabs, etc. And I can go to my local steel supplier with a drawing for whatever I want, have them cut the parts (sometimes out of drops or scrap for more savings), and I am on my merry way. All without having to pay for convience of alignment tabs, and shipping.

Once the true cost of a kit is realized, and how much $$ it would have costed to otherwise source material locally, I dont think there will be many buyers of a kit. Like I said, those with the actual know-how to assemble and weld a kit PROPERLY, dont need the alignment tabs and whatnot. And would be money ahead to have a local supplier do the cutting, bending, rolling, etc.

 

[GPintheMitten]

You could be right LD1.

 

[Blade Breaker]

No disrespect to anyone, but I have to wonder if those that say it is a good idea, will put their money where their mouth is?

Whoever makes the "kits" has to have overhead, has to have the programs to turn out the parts in a timely manner, has to buy the raw material, and most costly...has to ship them.

Take away the cost of designing, shipping, alignment tabs, etc. And I can go to my local steel supplier with a drawing for whatever I want, have them cut the parts (sometimes out of drops or scrap for more savings), and I am on my merry way. All without having to pay for convience of alignment tabs, and shipping.

Once the true cost of a kit is realized, and how much $$ it would have costed to otherwise source material locally, I dont think there will be many buyers of a kit. Like I said, those with the actual know-how to assemble and weld a kit PROPERLY, dont need the alignment tabs and whatnot. And would be money ahead to have a local supplier do the cutting, bending, rolling, etc.

Hi,
This is correct. I design and build 4-5 million dollars worth of machinery each year. Most of the costs will be in the design, testing, and revisions to develop the product. Once developed the final assembly, welding and paint are the easy parts. Most of the cost will be in the materals, purchased components, machining, cutting, and forming. Kits would have to sell for close to the price of a complete unit. Depending on the quantities you plan to start with your costs may be higher than finished product from companies that build thousands each year.
If you do try it I wish you luck. Some advice would be, make sure your first kits are perfect. If people buy them and the word gets out that parts don't fit or are bad quality your done.
Sorry if my message is a downer it's my 2 cents.
Best wishes

 

[Blade Breaker]

No disrespect to anyone, but I have to wonder if those that say it is a good idea, will put their money where their mouth is?

Whoever makes the "kits" has to have overhead, has to have the programs to turn out the parts in a timely manner, has to buy the raw material, and most costly...has to ship them.

Take away the cost of designing, shipping, alignment tabs, etc. And I can go to my local steel supplier with a drawing for whatever I want, have them cut the parts (sometimes out of drops or scrap for more savings), and I am on my merry way. All without having to pay for convience of alignment tabs, and shipping.

Once the true cost of a kit is realized, and how much $$ it would have costed to otherwise source material locally, I dont think there will be many buyers of a kit. Like I said, those with the actual know-how to assemble and weld a kit PROPERLY, dont need the alignment tabs and whatnot. And would be money ahead to have a local supplier do the cutting, bending, rolling, etc.

Hi,
This is correct. I design and build 4-5 million dollars worth of machinery each year. Most of the costs will be in the design, testing, and revisions to develop the product. Once developed the final assembly, welding and paint are the easy parts. Most of the cost will be in the materals, purchased components, machining, cutting, and forming. Kits would have to sell for close to the price of a complete unit. Depending on the quantities you plan to start with your costs may be higher than finished product from companies that build thousands each year.
If you do try it I wish you luck. Some advice would be, make sure your first kits are perfect. If people buy them and the word gets out that parts don't fit or are bad quality your done.
Sorry if my message is a downer it's my 2 cents.
Best wishes

 

[ALinCarolina]

I have fabricated a few things and have a plasma cutter and a good sized welder, and would probably build more things except the cost of metal from our local suppliers (at least the ones I have used) is so high that can almost buy the completed product for close to the same amount. So if you get good metal prices by buying larger volumes and it is reflected in the price of the kits then I'm on board. I would love to buy a kit for a mid mount blade for my B3200.

 

[Jesse masterson]

I know what you mean about prices of steel ! And sometimes you can buy as cheap as make but still many times things that have very little in the price of steel consumption are over priced, an example would be a thumb I made for my backhoe , priced from rhino 600$ , cost to build! 40$ and my time. But you are right some items can be bought as cheap but they are usualy cheaper made than if you spent the same $ and built it yourself.

 

[Jose G]

how about selling the cad plans only?, the customer could bring the plan to the machine shop and have them sell the cut pieces.

just saying

 

[timster2]

I wonder if this idea will ever come to anything. I know Everything attachments had expressed some some interest but that seems to have faded as well. Has anyone made any "weld it yourself" attachments available?