What burns me up!

[denver 2]

Went to my local Bobcat dealer the other day and asked them what they charge to install a heater for me that I bought with the 773G skid steer I purchased a few years ago. He looks in a book and says it is rated a eight hour job and would cost me about $800 for labor plus any parts. Now I am a owner of a small construction company and have several employee's who have worked for me over ten years in a skilled profession and I only wish I could charge half of what Bobcat man hours charge, I am lucky to get $30 an hour. Are other manufactures just as bad? I guess I will attempt to install the heater myself, but then again I am so hot under the collar now maybe I do not need a heater after all!

 

[galen1115]

I would look for an independent shop to do it. I would think you can get the heater installed for less. It just doesn't figure that these big companies don't care if they get work or not.

 

[Bird]

Are other manufactures just as bad?

Probably. This sort of thing comes up from time to time. When you say you get $30 an hour, are you talking about what one employee gets or the total your company charges customers? I don't know of any company that owns a shop, pays for the building, taxes, insurance, utilities, business licenses, etc. that would be in business long if they only charged $30 an hour. $100 an hour might be a little high, but I'd expect $75 or more.

 

[denver 2]

Probably. This sort of thing comes up from time to time. When you say you get $30 an hour, are you talking about what one employee gets or the total your company charges customers? I don't know of any company that owns a shop, pays for the building, taxes, insurance, utilities, business licenses, etc. that would be in business long if they only charged $30 an hour. $100 an hour might be a little high, but I'd expect $75 or more.

$30 an hour is about the going rate here in the mid-west you charge a customer in the residential sector any more and you will not have work. Some jobs we make more and sometimes less if a bid job and some money is made if we supply materials, just as Bobcat when they sell parts, but a $100 and hour for labor? I got overhead as well, a shop, trucks, equipment, mixers, insurance, utilities, taxes, etc. etc... and we scrape by, but I guess Dealers deserve a bigger piece of the pie because they are special.

 

[radman1]

I think my bobcat dealer is $90-95 and hour for labor. It does seem a bit rediculous. The employee is probably making less than 1/4 of that. I try to do most of the jobs myself. If the heater is a bobcat product, the instructions with the heater are usually good and fairly detailed.

 

[denver 2]

I think my bobcat dealer is $90-95 and hour for labor. It does seem a bit rediculous. The employee is probably making less than 1/4 of that. I try to do most of the jobs myself. If the heater is a bobcat product, the instructions with the heater are usually good and fairly detailed.

radman1,
My father-in-law sent me a copy of instructions from his S175 manual concerning the removal and installation of its heater. The only problem is that mixed in with the heater installation is the AC as well which I do not have. I might give it a try. By the way I purchased three small decals 3 x 3 inches the other day from Bobcat and they cost $5 each! It never ends with these guys how they love to stick it to us contractors.

 

[brain55]

Well I'm an independent equipment mechanic and charge $90/hr and question if it is enough. The local dealers get from $90-$115/hr. Here is what I roll up to your equipment with.

How many thousands do you think I have invested? I'm worth every single penny that I charge and would challenge anyone to prove I was worth less. I have proven it time and again to customers that tell me "so and so" only charges $60/hr. I hand them my card and tell them to call when they need me, and they eventually call because "so and so" didn't show up, or couldn't make the repair in a timely fashion, or made a repair that failed and then wouldn't stand behind it, or charged from door to door including trips to the parts store. In a world of mobile "mechanics" with tool boxes in the bed of their trucks, I think I have them beat hands down. My 23 years of experience doesn't come cheap.

Brian

 

[brain55]

Sorry, I think I came across a littlle abrasive. I am very passionate about what I do, and the service I provide.

Brian

 

[dcyrilc]

Sorry, I think I came across a littlle abrasive. I am very passionate about what I do, and the service I provide.

Brian

Our local John Deere dealer charges $85/hr with a one hour minimum. I feel that their parts are overly expensive and am not willing to use them for any work that I am capable of doing myself. However, that said, I know other mechanics who in my opinion are worth every penny of that and more.

Our Deere dealer sells and works mainly on small lawn tractors. When I have asked questions about my tractor they typically do not know the answer. I'm not willing to pay someone's time to read books and learn on my dime. A friend of mine retired from his 30+ year career as head mechanic for one of the largest construction companies in this area. There is very little he cannot fix and what he can't, he knows who can. The money he charges is worth paying.

Knowedge, experiance, and doing it right the first time have a lot to do with what work is worth. Standing behind your repairs should not even be a matter of question.

 

[Cat_Driver]

At $30.00 with taxes, insurance,labor, down time etc. I believe at that price you all may be going in the hole.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

Sorry, I think I came across a littlle abrasive. I am very passionate about what I do, and the service I provide.

Brian

that's how I took it but I see your point for sure. :thumbsup:

 

[yellowdogsvc]

Went to my local Bobcat dealer the other day and asked them what they charge to install a heater for me that I bought with the 773G skid steer I purchased a few years ago. He looks in a book and says it is rated a eight hour job and would cost me about $800 for labor plus any parts. Now I am a owner of a small coll!

I just paid $750 to get my bobcat serviced at my shop! That's the most I have ever had to pay for a oil and fluid filter change and adjusting some belts. It's expensive but I let the dealer service it at the 1000 hour mark so that I get an extra set of eyes that trust to check things out. I have had enough downtime from rain and when I get back to work, I need my machine to be ready to go day in and day out with only minimal maintenance for at least another 250 hours.
It sucks, yeah. I guess I could have saved about $400 in labor and done it myself but I didn't know if I would have a rain day or not. They came out while I was gone and knocked out my service and I was free to do other things. Might have been nicer if I was off making money but this has been an awful week.
I try not to apologize for charging $87.50 an hour for regular bobcat work because I have experience and an awesome machine that can do anything. I ask for more when I mulch or run my big chipper and some people will happily pay for it and others want to negotiate. I usually give those folks my card too..."call me if you need the job fixed after the cheap guys leaves."
It's an expensive world. Insurance costs, lawsuits that raise our insurance, taxes, etc., all all driving our costs up. Some of you guys that don't charge much more than $30 an hour for your time, do you render your equipment and buildings to the appraisal district for taxing? Do you carry liability and workman's comp? Unless you have incredible volume and are very efficient, how do you stay open?

 

[denver 2]

I understand that some of you mechanics are small operations, perhaps even mobile shops in which 100.00 an hour might be realistic especially if your from California, but when you have twenty employees making less than 25.00 an hour whom own there own tools I do not get it why one needs to charge such a high rate. I'm in the masonry business and my labors make around 18.00 an hour and my masons around 22.00 an hour, and on a time and material job the rate is 30.00 for a labor and 35.00 for a mason. Yes I pay taxes and workers compensation and liability etc., and have thousands tied up in trucks, skid steers, mixers, scaffold, saws, and the list goes on and I still make a profit and live well. There seems to be a disconnect from the corporate dealers and the people they sell to.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

I understand that some of you mechanics are small operations, perhaps even mobile shops in which 100.00 an hour might be realistic especially if your from California, but when you have twenty employees making less than 25.00 an hour whom own there own tools I do not get it why one needs to charge such a high rate. I'm in the masonry business and my labors make around 18.00 an hour and my masons around 22.00 an hour, and on a time and material job the rate is 30.00 for a labor and 35.00 for a mason. Yes I pay taxes and workers compensation and liability etc., and have thousands tied up in trucks, skid steers, mixers, scaffold, saws, and the list goes on and I still make a profit and live well. There seems to be a disconnect from the corporate dealers and the people they sell to.

it's a supply and demand thing. They have the supply and we want it. I don't treat my customers like that, rather, I work with them but I don't think it's uncommon to see a 1000% markup. I have had vermeer do it to me on a $1 part and then rape me on shipping at $45 when the same shipping method across the street at Bobcat was $10. Not sure why dealers do it but it never sits well with me. Bobcat is the worst..some of their products are actually priced well but a $20 bolt costs upwards of $110 at the Vermeer dealer.

 

[brain55]

Vermeer is pretty bad, I think John Deere and Case are the worst. Kubota is one of the better ones. I'm amused when I can get a Kubota part from Japan faster than I can get one shipped normal UPS ground from Texas and don't feel raped on the shipping. When it comes to shipping demand has a lot to do with it for sure. Bobcat has such a large market share they have worked the shipping companies for the best prices, same with Kubota. I can get any Kubota part in the country tomorrow as long as I order it before noon. I tryed to order a JD part the other day for the next day and was told flat out I couldn't have it for 2 days. John Deere parts have always been priced high same with Case. Case 570 lower link arms are $1000 apiece, nothing like ordering those for a customer and finding out after the fact what they cost.

Brian

 

[dcyrilc]

Vermeer is pretty bad, I think John Deere and Case are the worst. Kubota is one of the better ones. I'm amused when I can get a Kubota part from Japan faster than I can get one shipped normal UPS ground from Texas and don't feel raped on the shipping. When it comes to shipping demand has a lot to do with it for sure. Bobcat has such a large market share they have worked the shipping companies for the best prices, same with Kubota. I can get any Kubota part in the country tomorrow as long as I order it before noon. I tryed to order a JD part the other day for the next day and was told flat out I couldn't have it for 2 days. John Deere parts have always been priced high same with Case. Case 570 lower link arms are $1000 apiece, nothing like ordering those for a customer and finding out after the fact what they cost.

Brian

I called the Deere dealer last Wednesday at about 9am and told him to order me two parts UPS Red (next day). He called me at 10am Thursday and told me they had them (25 hours from somewhere in the mid-west, don't remember the state). It cost me about $4 for shipping. I can't complain, I expected it to be alot more.