Welding Cost

[shortthrow50]

I bought 3 chain hooks to weld onto my tractor's bucket. Not knowing much about these things I was guessing I could get the work done here for $100-$150. I've talked to 3 welders and their prices ranged from $275- $200. Two of them were layed off and were not willing to budge on the price.
Am I being cheap or just out of touch?

wow!!! i live 2 miles from a steel fabrication shop and i just had some 1/2 steel plates custom cut and welded for 30 bucks which took a half hour. Welding a couple hooks to a bucket wouldnt take anymore than 15 minutes.

 

[brain55]

Sorry! Did I hurt your feelings, I was really trying to crush them. If you always wanted to be a welder than you should have dropped the wrenches and become one. I have a tool box too!

Hahaha, it's gonna take a lot more than that to crush my feelings. Welding is part of being an equipment mechanic and I don't go out of my way to take on welding jobs, I do them as they are related to equipment repair. Grab that toolbox and maybe I'll see you on the road

 

[edlegault]

Go to a 4x4 truck shop and buy the bolt-on ones...

 

[yelbike]

Go to a 4x4 truck shop and buy the bolt-on ones...

Totally agreed!!!

 

[Ken45101]

Well I recently had a couple of hooks welded on to a box blade that I've made into a logging winch. The work included welding two I-beams to the box blade plus an angle iron battery bracket. I had everything precut.

Total cost was $30 including welding the two hooks.

Since then, I got my own welder and put some hooks on my B21 bucket. Took about 15 minutes for 3 hooks (that shop charges $60/hr).

I agree that if reinforcement was needed and/or they did finish work (e.g. painting), it would run the cost up but the OP's price is ridiculous!

Even if they had to reinforce the bucket, it shouldn't cost over $100/ materials included.

Ken

 

[deereman75]

If you lived near me, I would do them for free, just for the practice.

 

[J_J]

Just plain common sense would tell you the story. You already know it was a would be rip off.

Some people will take advantage of anybody they can.

You have to know something about the work you are having done, and people.

By now you should have found someone that will do the work and proud of it, very reasonable and charges according to the work being done.

You could buy a Lincoln Toomstone welder and do it your self for those exorbitant prices.

ex·or·bi·tant (g-zôrb-tnt)
adj.
Exceeding all bounds, as of custom or fairness: exorbitant prices.

 

[shortthrow50]

i just cant get over the the amount of money the OP was prepared to pay originally. I would assume people around him have been taking advantage of him for many years

 

[yelbike]

i just cant get over the the amount of money the OP was prepared to pay originally. I would assume people around him have been taking advantage of him for many years

Why would you say something like that? Obviously he knew the price sounded high so he asked the question. He thought it should be $100 at most.

 

[monckywrench]

I work on computers for dirt cheap (for example) but it's not my business so that reflects in the price.

Businesses charge what they charge often because time spent doing one thing could be spent elsewhere. Their overhead including taxes is also no joke.

Of course, the economics of doing things for yourself can be very, very, very good.

The money you save can buy lots of nice tools and equipment even if you mostly just do your own stuff. If you factor in many years of payback, even good commercial welding gear can pay for itself just as mechanics tools do.

It doesn't take very many projects to pay for your machine. Being less-dependant on others and getting what you want when you want it is priceless.

 

[shortthrow50]

Why would you say something like that? Obviously he knew the price sounded high so he asked the question. He thought it should be $100 at most.

no disrepsect man. just saying, welding 3 hooks for 100-150 bucks is absolute highway robbery in itself. With that statement, it sounds like he has paid that much for similar 5-10 minute weld jobs. That equals being taken advantage of

 

[etcallhome]

Highway robbery !! Five -seven years ago I went to a local shop trying to find some metal to weld on the bottom of the small shoes on the 54" JD blade.
The metal I found was being thrown away ,it was 5/8" or 3/4" metal used on dozer blades. The tech asked what size I would need ,and I told him no that I could cut them with the grinder.. He insisted and cut 6 pieces 4" by 4 or 5" long.. took maybe 5 min. . Asked him what I owned him he told get out of there the pieces were being thrown away and the plasma cutter he used was cutting other pieces .
Thanked him and just got to the door the owner walked in asked him what I had ,and I told him he asked if I had paid ,told him what his worker had told me. He told me that I was taking his worker away from his job and those 6 pieces would be $75.00 I told him I paid for them a couple of years before when he charged me 75or 85 $ for doing 2 pads ,whole job probably took 15 min. Then I told him if he wanted a tax write off I would sign any papers he needed for donation to our church to clean church parking lot.. and I walked out and haven't been back since and don't think I ever will enter his doors again ...