This is money. What did it cost and how much time did it take?
Thanks.
I should have said they were modeled after the Discatcher and old Mach II. 18 chains..12 out, 6 in.
It didn't cost as much as you would think. I fabricate things for a living, among other things, and I was mildly surprised at how much it cost. Total steel cost was around 35 clams if you just look at the cost per hole. That figure is not including scrap or overage you have to buy due to stock lengths...just what was used. I think I paid about 160 total for the materials to build 4. I had all the 3/8 solid rolled by my steel supplier and that kept my labor down immensely. 12" rings cost a buck and the 26" rings were about 2.15 or so. No way could I crank them out like that. The chain is a sore point..got it at Homey Despot for about a clam a foot. 40' roll cost right at 40 clams.
If it was gotten in bulk, say 225' at a time or more, the cost would drop .25 per foot or more. I have about 37' of chain per hole. The paint was another sore point. It is ZRC Lite, a milspec, industrial cold galv that is almost as good as hot dip. I just got 2 -12 oz cans and it took most of it. Cost about 26 clams for that.:doh: Again, bulk could keep that down. So, close to 100 clams per hole, materials only. If you were to do just one for yourself, I'd guess it would run about 20-30 clams higher.
Labor was about 9 hours or more....but then I went slower than I would cranking them out. I was doing lots of head scratching and this time I wrote everything down so I could duplicate it again. I think I can shave that down to 6 hours or so. Its just simple welding, nothing complicated. I just used a 210a MIG with small wire, nothing fancy at all.
Making these for money would not be a profitable deal. I doubt I could sell many at 300 clams...210-220 maybe. I'd be on the losing end for sure. If I used them as a filler, something to do when I was slow or even stopped, it wouldn't matter. Its tough to compete with mass produced items like these. I'm not trying to compete....just build a quality product that one can wail on and still have it last.
Right now, I have at least 5 more to build like like that one. Who knows...I may have even more after they get out of the shop.