Trailer Bunk Brackets

[haulnazz15]

Anyone ever had their trailer bunk brackets (welded) moved to better fit the boat? I have a trailer that I'm switching my 20' v-hull runabout over to, and the bunks don't quite line up with the chines. Basically the bunk brackets on each side need to be moved over about an inch or so on each side. I've taken it to a trailer repair shop, and they quoted me $630+ to do the work @ $60/hr for labor.

I don't see where they justify 10 hours of labor, as the existing brackets can be used, they just need to grind off the welds and re-weld in a new position. 8 brackets will need to be moved. The height is pretty much spot-on, so no adjustment needed there.

Sure, I could grind them off myself and then buy adjustable bolt-on bunk brackets, but I would prefer the cleaner look of the welded brackets. I have a hard time paying twice what I bought the trailer for just to move the brackets . . .

Any thoughts?

 

[jayhanig]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

I think the cleaner look of welded brackets is going to cost you $630+. I doubt the average person pays much attention to the underside of a boat sitting on a trailer. If your carpet is in good repair and your hardware isn't rusty, I'd call it a good day. So in your situation, I'd use bolt on bolster brackets and either do the work yourself for $100 or so or hire somebody else to do the same for you. I would not pay the huge bucks for welding. But that's just me.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

well if ALL IT NEEDS is cut off and rewelded then you are getting hosed BUT more than likely that isn't the case and the boat needs to be supported while each support gets measures cut and welded

IF it is exactly as you say tho then maybe you need to be more hands on... launch the boat in the yard, remove the bunks, get a sawsall and cut the brackets off, get an angle grinder with an 80 grit tiger disc and grind the paint off of the bottom 1" of each bracket and off the spots where you want the brackets welded onto... number each bracket and it's spot on the frame with two line up marks each... Now that all the prep work is done, take it to a welding shop and they should be able to knock out the whole job in 1 hour with buying the saw and grinder new you should be done for under $300 and have 2 cool new toys...... NOW if the boat doesn't fit right then you'll know what the 10 hours were all about.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

well if ALL IT NEEDS is cut off and rewelded then you are getting hosed BUT more than likely that isn't the case and the boat needs to be supported while each support gets measures cut and welded.

I assume a trailer repair facility which touts boat bunk repairs would have a simple marine jackstand or two to support the hull while one bunk is removed/fitted/rewelded. Unless that's not how they operate.

IF it is exactly as you say tho then maybe you need to be more hands on... launch the boat in the yard, remove the bunks, get a sawsall and cut the brackets off, get an angle grinder with an 80 grit tiger disc and grind the paint off of the bottom 1" of each bracket and off the spots where you want the brackets welded onto... number each bracket and it's spot on the frame with two line up marks each... Now that all the prep work is done, take it to a welding shop and they should be able to knock out the whole job in 1 hour with buying the saw and grinder new you should be done for under $300 and have 2 cool new toys...... NOW if the boat doesn't fit right then you'll know what the 10 hours were all about.

If I new how to weld, this wouldn't be an issue. I am fully capable of doing all of the prep work, and know that in an hour of time with a cut-off wheel and a grinder, I could remove the brackets (still attached to the bunk board) and sand off a little paint. I already have that equipment. The shop said they wanted the boat on the trailer, so that's how it was brought to them. This wasn't a complaint about the shop, just a feeler for how much others have paid to have it done. I don't work in the trailer repair business, nor in the welding business so I don't have a reference point.

I also have the old trailer which fit the boat perfectly, so I could just swap the boat to the other trailer if needed.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

I think the cleaner look of welded brackets is going to cost you $630+. I doubt the average person pays much attention to the underside of a boat sitting on a trailer. If your carpet is in good repair and your hardware isn't rusty, I'd call it a good day. So in your situation, I'd use bolt on bolster brackets and either do the work yourself for $100 or so or hire somebody else to do the same for you. I would not pay the huge bucks for welding. But that's just me.

Lol, yeah I know no one is looking at it, it was just about keeping the trailer the same. I intend on painting this trailer as well, so if it was going to be welded I would wait until after it was finished to start prepping for paint. Maybe the fresh paint will take everyone's eyes off of the bolt-on brackets, lol.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

don't get me wrong... that wasn't an attack.... If you are right about the length you could save a lot of moiney

Basically your shop there is like a body shop... they don't want to be bothered by people with limited pocket books and small projects when they have open checkbooks walking in the door... 90% of shops that work on anything boat related want top dollar to even look your way

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

don't get me wrong... that wasn't an attack.... If you are right about the length you could save a lot of moiney

Basically your shop there is like a body shop... they don't want to be bothered by people with limited pocket books and small projects when they have open checkbooks walking in the door... 90% of shops that work on anything boat related want top dollar to even look your way

The thought had crossed my mind. If they didn't want to bother with the work, they could have just intentionally inflated the estimate to avoid having to mess with it. They had a back lot with 2-dozen trailers waiting for repairs, so it's possible they have bigger fish to fry.

We've got a contract welder at our manufacturing facility who was willing to take a look at it, so that will give me a second opinion. If he says it will be as expensive, then I'll just run with it as-is until I decide to cut the brackets off and go the bolt-on route. Bought the 2001 tandem trailer with a junk boat which had a complete running Ford 351w and MC-1 outdrive for $375, so I can't complain too much. I only needed the lower unit, so the trailer, engine, and other misc items were a bonus. (trim pump, teak swim platform, etc)

Then again, I could just be cheap! :lol:

 

[TJS]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

I do a lot of welding and machining side work for people. I have people call me and ask me if I can do this and that and they tell me how to do it over the phone. I always get "all it needs is a tack". Then when they bring the item in, it needs tons of prep work, dirty, rusty, oily and falling apart. Plus it needs more than a tack weld. When I explain to them what needs to be done, then they begin to understand. 60.00 hr is pretty cheap for an hourly labor rate for a shop. Around here it is about 100.00

So can you buy a welder(s)(several, MIG and TIG), plasma cutter, torches, milling machine, lathe, tooling , insurance, utilities and most of all ability/skill set for 630.00. Didn't think so. You have to remember that anything on the road could potentially be a safety hazard to you and others.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

So can you buy a welder(s)(several, MIG and TIG), plasma cutter, torches, milling machine, lathe, tooling , insurance, utilities and most of all ability/skill set for 630.00. Didn't think so. You have to remember that anything on the road could potentially be a safety hazard to you and others.

Agreed, but in my estimation, it needs none of that (aside from a single welder) if they can reuse the brackets. The brackets are welded several inches down on the face of each cross-member. There should be no plasma cutter, torches, lathe, etc needed. I could be wrong, but it looks like grinding off the welds on each bracket, reposition, then re-weld. We have a ton of welding shops (oil field/machine shops) in this area, so I'm sure that affects the labor rate. Most welding rates I've heard for std stuff it between $45-$80/hour, $90+ for mobile units and pipeline work.

I'm perfectly willing to take my trailer to the welder, have them measure/mark where they want the brackets to be, then take it home and pull the boat off/remove the brackets/prep and then take it back for the actual weld work. I doubt most trailer shops like to outsource that stuff though, as it's where they will make their money.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

re-using brackets will likely cost ya more in labor... I assumed the "brackets" were like mine,the same tube as the crossmember and welded to the top of it... If they are standard clamp on brackets simply welded to the crossmember, I say cut em off and clamp on new ones

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

re-using brackets will likely cost ya more in labor... I assumed the "brackets" were like mine,the same tube as the crossmember and welded to the top of it... If they are standard clamp on brackets simply welded to the crossmember, I say cut em off and clamp on new ones

Mine are basically L-brackets with 3-edges welded to the face of the cross-member, not the top. They aren't clamp-on brackets that have been welded.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

gotcha... i think I'd still go with clamp on... cheaper.. very quick to install... easily adjustable if you later want to fit a different boat to the trailer

 

[TJS]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

Obviously you did not get my point. My point is that to run a business takes overhead and to cover that overhead you have to price accordingly and profit is not a dirty word, otherwise close your doors. Even if you bought a real welder (approx 3k) (not a cheapo 110v machine either), you still do not have the skill to do it correctly and make a safe repair. So for 630.00 you are way ahead . It is a free enterprise so go get an estimate somewhere else if you think that is too high. Also how do you know what equipment he is going to use. Cut off wheels are slow compared to plasma cutters. Also, I agree, cut off the old ones and put new ones on. You still have to prep where you are going to weld the new brackets on. Too many people are watching realality TV shows and Saturday "how to shows" on spike and think they can do certian tasks in 5 or 10 minutes.

I can’t tell you how many times I gave prices and quotes to consumers and they go somewhere else for cheaper and later come back to me to have me re-do it the right way. Now I have to undo what the cheaper shop did, which in turn costs them more than twice as much. Cheaper is not always better.

When you go to a restaurant and get a steak dinner it is a lot more expensive then you can cook it at home on the grille with all the sides. Reason: overhead and profit. Simple business 101. You don’t bring your steak from home and have them cook it and ask for a lower price do you. If you want cheap go to McDonalds, but it aint going to be steak.

 

[colbyt]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

Speaking as a retired contractor/business owner of 30 years, you either pay the price or do the job yourself. I always told the customer watching was free. If they wanted to help I charged extra.

Seriously. Cut the old ones off and either buy or make some bolt on ones to replace them. A stick of 1.5x1.5 3/16 angle and an angle grinder will make brackets far superior to anything you can buy for 3 times the price.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

Obviously you did not get my point. My point is that to run a business takes overhead and to cover that overhead you have to price accordingly and profit is not a dirty word, otherwise close your doors. Even if you bought a real welder (approx 3k) (not a cheapo 110v machine either), you still do not have the skill to do it correctly and make a safe repair. So for 630.00 you are way ahead . It is a free enterprise . . . When you go to a restaurant and get a steak dinner it is a lot more expensive then you can cook it at home on the grille with all the sides. Reason: overhead and profit. Simple business 101. You don’t bring your steak from home and have them cook it and ask for a lower price do you. If you want cheap go to McDonalds, but it aint going to be steak.

I'm well aware of how overhead costs work. I have been a manufacturing accountant for nearly a decade and in accounting (in general) for longer than that. What you are speaking of (regarding labor and equipment) determines the hourly shop rate, not the number of hours to complete a job. If the cost of the quote didn't include any materials, that's 10 hours of labor. Would it take you 10 hours to do this?

Also, the main thing that annoyed me with it, is that the shop wouldn't ballpark it over the phone before I brought it up there. I called and gave them what I had and what needed to be done (moving welded brackets to new location). They refused to give me a price range without seeing the trailer in person. If they had said "it's normally from $500-$800 depending on different factors", I would have said thanks and hung up the phone. Again, this isn't an attack on the business in any way, shape, or form. They have been around for a while, and appear to do quality work and have managed to stay in business. Not knocking them, was just looking for what others had experienced with similar tasks.

Just for reference, Smoke:

 

[TJS]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

I never ball park over the phone or emails without seeing the project. I don't blame the company for not ball parking. They probably have bneen burned before like I have when you get a big surprise when you actually see the what the job entails. This stuff ain't no pushing paper or sitting at a computer either. You don't like the price just go elsewhere. I see more complainers on this site about having professionals perform work and then post stuff here where you get you shoulda coulda woulda responses. Just telling it like it is from experience behind the helmet. I have been welding and fabricating for years and have learned not to quote hours because bean counters like you over analize it. I figure what process the task entails and what is envolved as well as consumables (not materials) to do the job and then materials. Then I quote.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

I could do that in 3-5 hours

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

I never ball park over the phone or emails without seeing the project. I don't blame the company for not ball parking. They probably have bneen burned before like I have when you get a big surprise when you actually see the what the job entails. This stuff ain't no pushing paper or sitting at a computer either. You don't like the price just go elsewhere. I see more complainers on this site about having professionals perform work and then post stuff here where you get you shoulda coulda woulda responses. Just telling it like it is from experience behind the helmet. I have been welding and fabricating for years and have learned not to quote hours because bean counters like you over analize it. I figure what process the task entails and what is envolved as well as consumables (not materials) to do the job and then materials. Then I quote.

There is a difference in a ball park and an estimate. Ball park means: "based on what you've told me, and what we've done before it will probably be $500 on the low-end, possibly up to $800 depending on what we find". After bringing it in (assuming the ballpark didn't cancel the deal) you have an actual estimate or quote. Also, in the world of business (bean counter or not), consumables are generally included in the hourly shop rate, so that doesn't really play into the estimate unless there is something out of the ordinary. Gas, tips, welding wire, etc are all figured into the shop rate. You may calculate it differently on a job-to-job basis, but most of the manufacturing industry does not. Having a shop rate allows you to only have to add in the number of hours to do the job and the cost of materials needed. Again, this isn't a knock against the shops estimate, they can charge what they want to. If I had known it would have been over $300+ I would been able to save them the time of measuring it out and estimating it, as well as my time.

 

[TJS]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

I could do it in 3 to 5 too but not for 140 bucks.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Trailer Bunk Brackets

I could do it in 3 to 5 too but not for 140 bucks.

I was expecting something in the $225-300 range. Figured half a work day (4 hours) at their shop rate.