What Happened to being able to get small parts?

[thebmrust]

We all grew up in the era of “overhead”.

Those people also went out of business because they bought all the parts and no one needed them, so they sit on a shelf becoming income lost.

The concept of “on demand manufacturing” started in the 80’s I think… when Japan was outclassing literally everyone on the planet.

That’s when distributors were keeping tighter inventory BECAUSE of old obsolete parts were not making profit.

Now, 45 years later, we can’t find the part we need because no one stocks parts, only assemblies. (Even though assemblies contain the parts).

So, we Jerry rig, mash up, and scour, trying to keep things running because $h!t costs too much to replace.

In the future, you will pay a monthly fee (a lease), and get a replacement every 2 years, but nothing will be your own.

A corporate town but global scale.

 

[thebmrust]

Back when labor rates for $5/hour and a toaster cost $30 you could fix things reasonably. Now the toaster is $6 and labor rates are $75-125.

If it can't be fixed in 15 minutes or less it is not cost effective to repair.

Nothing like a $5 part and 4 hours labor to install.

GM enters the chat.
The well known intake gasket leak.
8+ hrs of work to replace a simple gasket AND a tube of gasket goop.
They let it happen for a whole generation of engines.

 

[Mike1955]

If it takes 1 hour of labor time to fix a small appliance, is it cost effective to pay someone to fix it?

Jyoutz that’s so true. But if you work on them daily and could get stuff to fix them with, you could fix them them in ten minutes. But it ain’t that way. I guess it’s better this way I’m not sure

 

[newbury]

Back when labor rates for $5/hour and a toaster cost $30 you could fix things reasonably. Now the toaster is $6 and labor rates are $75-125.

If it can't be fixed in 15 minutes or less it is not cost effective to repair.

Nothing like a $5 part and 4 hours labor to install.

My frig in Va. just broke down a little over a month ago.
Son (in Va) calls us in Mississippi "It's making a lot of loud noise".

The frig is a Whirlpool model GS6SHEXML00 (25.6 cu ft) side by side, made May of 2005. It is a gift to my wife from the children, the price sticker on it shows list price ~2,300, clearance ~$1.600. And that was in 2005.
Replacement cost was going be about the same or more.

Got back from Mississippi, yup it's making noise. Occasionally.

Noise was coming from the condenser fan.

Getting a repairman was probably going to cost about $400. Making "just buy a new frig" very attractive.

Tried cleaning a build up of dust off the blades, worked for about a day. Noise came back, Amazon had 3rd party kits online for @$30 with varying quality reports. Other online soul,,lllllllllllllllllllrces wanted ~$110 for OEM, Tribles (3 miles) had it for $100.
I reviewed ~10 you tube videos, bought it from Tribles. (None of the videos showed the type of fan mount we have, but it wasn't difficult to adapt).
Took about an hour and a half to remove old one and install new one. About 15 minutes of the time was spent trying to use the original screws that mounted the frame. Three of four had broken points and would not start in the frame. Searching in my screw holdings turned up substitutes.

The only tool needed was 1/4" nut driver, but to speed up the "screwing" I used a DeWalt impact wrench for the ones on the back cover and several size handles for the screws that were internal.

So out of pocket cost was ~$105, time took ~3 hours of my retired time (including travel to buy part, cleanup and writeup - NOT INCLUDING youtube "self training").

So ~$105 vs ~$400 was worth it to me, but I could see many people deciding to replace for ~$1400.

 

[grsthegreat]

That reminds me… The condenser fan on my built in ge monogram went out and ge repair quoted me over $600.

I bought a oem unit off of eBay toy about $60 and youtube university taught me what to do.

All quiet again, and cooling better.

 

[Gator6x4]

I've had a rash of these things happening to me lately.

The picture shows a hydraulic diverter valve on the tractor, I was clearing some brush and the plastic screw cap came off that keeps the solenoid on the bottom coil from falling off.

Not a major issue, I popped the solenoid back on and used the screw cap from the top one to keep it in place. I reasoned that gravity would keep the top one where it belonged.

So... I try and buy a new screw cap. Can't be done. The dealer is willing to sell me a complete 3rd assembly for $700+, but they did show me who made the diverter valve.

However, the manufacturer only sells complete units for ~$150.

So, I get out the thread gauge, figure out what I need, and order a nut from McMaster-Carr.

The next one was my portable generator.

It had a CPS carburetor where a flimsy plastic post broke off that kept the idle spring in place. No way to repair it that lasted. Get new carb for $100+. 3 months later idle spring rusts out and breaks. Can I get a new spring? No, you have to buy the entire carb if you want one.

I now have a box of assorted springs I got from Amazon for $10, to replace what is probably a ten-cent part.

There are other examples but I won't go into them.

It seems like replace, instead of repair, is the way things are done now.

I don't like it.

The old family owned Hardware when in business stocked a lot of weird and one of pieces. Along came Wal-Marts, Amazon, Ebay Etc and the lack of business caused them to close. Now the parts that used to be readily available are like Hens Teeth.

 

[bmaverick]

For small hard to find parts, yes, Grainger, McMaster-Carr, Mouser, US Plastics, ULINE, etc. Once exhausted, turn to the 3D printing community for help.

3D printing is taking over where dealer-stealers fail to provide. And with the last 4 years of a broken supply chain, it's become more critical to learn some 3D software to make your part, send it out for a 48hr quote bid and have the part in your hand within 2-weeks.

Not only can 3D printing do plastics, it's now into CARBON FIBER and sintered metals.

FreeCAD is just that, Free. For Kubota and Yanmar many in our community know CAD software and have stepped up making replicated 3D models to have parts made.

FreeCAD: Your own 3D parametric modeler

FreeCAD, the open source 3D parametric modeler

www.freecad.org

Test print in 1 color

Printed in each color and fused together.

Finished 3D printed part

What it looked like years ago new on another model tractor,

We can do dash clusters, headlamp bezels, grills, and other needed parts that can handle up to 180F.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Buy it - break it - toss it - buy another has become a standard. Gone are the days when you could take a mixer or toaster to the repair shop down the street and get it fixed at a reasonable price.

So to nail your point home here's my short anecdote:
Those small oil filled heaters from the wally world stores, we had one quit on us.
So we go get a couple of since we moved into the house. yet they did not seem to perform as well as the one that had just quit.
Being OCD I took my calipers and measure the thickness of the oil filled fins. They indeed were thinner then the one that was about three years old.
After about an hour or so of research found the 'tip over' safety switch replacement part. Root cause was a crappy job on the crimp from conductor to the flag connector.
Got new part, and a HF tamper proof drivers to remove fasteners and rewired it, replaced heat damage wire.
Now operates like new. I use it to warm living area in the barn/shop now. The new one is a stand by on a shelf.
I'm grateful the Lord has blessed me with a few minor skills to fix some things.
Lots of people in our circle do not have that and well keeps me busy. But I don't mind helping others. It all comes back.
But yippers, the more 'advanced we evolve' the more backwards it seems we have devolved. (if it's even a word!)

 

[YLee Kioti]

For small hard to find parts, yes, Grainger, McMaster-Carr, Mouser, US Plastics, ULINE, etc. Once exhausted, turn to the 3D printing community for help.

3D printing is taking over where dealer-stealers fail to provide. And with the last 4 years of a broken supply chain, it's become more critical to learn some 3D software to make your part, send it out for a 48hr quote bid and have the part in your hand within 2-weeks.

Not only can 3D printing do plastics, it's now into CARBON FIBER and sintered metals.

FreeCAD is just that, Free. For Kubota and Yanmar many in our community know CAD software and have stepped up making replicated 3D models to have parts made.

FreeCAD: Your own 3D parametric modeler

FreeCAD, the open source 3D parametric modeler

www.freecad.org

View attachment 1930074
Test print in 1 color
View attachment 1930075

Printed in each color and fused together.
View attachment 1930077

Finished 3D printed part
View attachment 1930078

What it looked like years ago new on another model tractor,
View attachment 1930079

We can do dash clusters, headlamp bezels, grills, and other needed parts that can handle up to 180F.

DANG...!!!!!
NICE...!!!!
Gonna save this thread and your contact here should the need arise.
I'll know who to PM for help.
OR, if we all don't go poof by glowing mushrooms next year, learn about what type of 3D printer and materials are out there.
For a retired guy like me, this can have potential to keep me busy instead of my side hustle of shredding in 103* weather next year. At 73 not sure I care to repeat that again next year!

 

[chim]

If it takes 1 hour of labor time to fix a small appliance, is it cost effective to pay someone to fix it?

Not anymore. With the demand for cheaper things, durability decreased and wages increased. I'm 75 and still have a Lightning Guider sled from when I was a 6th grader that is still good. Admittedly it's been a few years since I used it. It survived my three grown sons who went through various saucers and toboggans.

When repairs were common I'm assuming the new (and most likely higher quality piece of equipment) represented a bigger part of the consumer's paycheck. Those were also the times that plastic bread bags were repurposed, old nails were reused, etc.

YLee Kioti's post reminded me of something that happened back in the 70's. I started in the trade with a small residential electrical contractor and we did lots of new and conversion electric heat jobs. For electric baseboard we used Martin heaters and they were always bulletproof. There was a short period when we had quite a few fail. It was always due to an over-crimped StaKon on the left side. Something in the factory got out of spec. The manufacturer compensated us for the repairs.

I enjoy "doing stuff" to the point I may invest more effort than most people to make something work again. It's nice to have tools as well as parts and pieces on hand that may be useful.