Rig Welders dropping rates.

Date 04-10-2009 21:40

that right there is what the thread about union was. or part of it at least read that thread and make a decision as to drop your rate. what kind of welding do you do?

By texpipeliner (*)

Date 04-10-2009 22:03

thats why we need to stick together this companys like it whene guys are back stabing and cutting throats for jobs drive wages down if nobody would work for that price they would pay better wages are not be able to man the job there is power in numbers

By cwf07

Date 04-10-2009 22:50

I live in GA and work on bridges, I do a little bit of pipe line and weld boiler pipe from time to time. I wish they were more pipe line in GA like out west.I also work in asphalt plants. But most of my work is bridges.

By cwf07

Date 04-11-2009 00:22

I am not in the union. I know how some company are they would let rig welders work for nothing and when the welder run out of money they would have another one ready to take your place. I don't have nothing against companies wanting to save money. I am the one that will do what ever it takes to get the job done right and to pay my bills to keep my family for hard times. If that mean working more hrs for less money I am willing to do that. I don't believe in driving the rate down to get a job. Because I will be willing to bet most of these companies are not dropping their rate. I believe that all the rig welders need to stick together on their rates. And let the companies weed out the good welders from the bad ones. Now I am not tring to upset anybody I am talking about stuff I see going on here in Ga. that a couple of us rig welder here see going on.

By 250pipeliner (**)

Date 04-11-2009 02:35

i think best thing that a guy like you could and should probably do is try and get a contractors liscence. i got 1 here in california and it was quite easy. depending on the day you test it was anywhere from 60-80% was passing on the written test. and i thot that was real easy, to be honest the test wasnt real technical didnt have a lot on the law aspect but did go into the trade side. a liscence will help you negociate with other contractors and act as a sub to them. a lot of non-union contractors i spoke with really liked this cuz it lightened their responsibility in the welding aspect. dont know how it is in GA but thats a route you can consider. as far as union is concerned im gona become a signatory contractor with my local.

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 04-10-2009 21:42

i havent dropped my rates just been getting my throat cut by the lil guys with the rangers and bobcats doing 50 an hr jobs for 25 some even less around here the going rate is 55-60 for my return customers i charge them 45-50 but i dont have to drive far either

By 250pipeliner (**)

Date 04-10-2009 22:07

that sucks! at BP refinery i see about 4 riglets driving around. 4 ford ranger pickups with either miller bobcats or lincoln rangers. but those guys will find out why those welders are so cheap, and when they do the cost to put up a real rig will drive a lot of those guys out of business. im not mad at them but i think contractors see those small rigs and think that their overhead is a lot cheaper than bigger rigs so they offer less or the riglet guys just ask for less.

By Joe Davidson (**)

Date 04-11-2009 03:03

I was on a job last fall where the guy got the contract because I passed the test. Then after I made the first 20 welds to pass x-ray(only x-rayed the first 20) suddenly I was being paid too much. But he was skating on thin ice already by bouncing checks, so I said see ya. Still haven't got the last $3000 he owed me.

By 250pipeliner (**)

Date 04-11-2009 03:10

thats why i think more rigwelders should have contractors liscence and sub themselves out. the only thing is how to work in diffrent states with a liscence from one state? if you had the liscence youd have all the money!

By scrappywelds (***)

Date 04-11-2009 11:47

if you are a sub-contractor with your own license do you have to have your own CERT. and "R" stamp ? What about WPS ?

By 250pipeliner (**)

Date 04-11-2009 17:24

well depemds on the application and the client. if your doing a pipe job and the client requires it, all you would do is go to a third party inspection lab test what is required. plate pipe, whatever.

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 04-11-2009 13:02

We have the contractors license in Tn but you only need it if your particular job is over a certain value. Which in the welding rig world kinda sucks cause like you said every little riglet and schmuck that's welded on the farm is out there cause they don't need anything and when I say anything I mean it. No certs, no insurance, no license required around here. Had a guy say he did a set of stairs in town near me, codes came out and checked, had him move some stuff around that was not up to code and away he went. It was a large job overall, requiring a contractors license but he was just a sub(built a small strip mall).

I quoted a gate yesterday, 12x6 gate, 2" sq x 3/16" wall frame with 1" square tube 4" apart in centers. Buy metal/build, no charge on grinding wheels, rod etc. Deliver to powder coater, pick up and go out to guys house and hang. Told him $1400. He really did'nt want the powder coat just some rattle cans but I told him I have a certain amount of pride and did not want a phone call next year saying the rattle can paint job was gone. He said he got a lower bid, I told him I could drop the powder coat and it would be down around $1100, still to much and apparently higher than the other guy who contacted him off craigslist. Go buy materials, build it one day, prep and paint the next day and let dry, load on trailer and go 70 miles to his place, spend half a day mounting on his preset post(if he did it right) and hope he has it burried deep enough so the gate don't sag. Don't think I could do it for less than $1100, around $475 in material with tax. Drop rates much lower and might as well go single hand somewhere. Am I wrong??

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 04-11-2009 13:58

i always quote them a price before i do the actual work. unless o know the m very well and they call and say this is what i want now build it hang it and give me the bill. i built a decrotive gate for a friend once she called and said build me a gate with stars on top and a big star in the middle with texas stuff around it in a ring after she found the star she wanted i got to work took me a couple days to do it right anyway i know her very well she is a dead friends mom and lost her husband a few years back so i dont charge her much when i charge her she gets mad if i dont i charged her 250 for masking and hanging the gate she boughtthe materials and supplied a truck and a trailer to pick up materials after all said and done she told me the same gate was 1500 from another guy not painted and gets many compliments on the gate i told her back then i would build it and hange it for any1 elses for 950 material included no more gates to date lol the only thing i see you did wrong was build it first. i recently quoyed a guy 800 for 2 gates and 50' of pipe fence with borse panel weled to it he aint called yet lol and still dont have a fence i guess he thought since he knew me it would be cheaper lol i dont even know his name

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 04-11-2009 22:27

Oh, I did'nt build it Shad. Just quoted it to him. Just adding to the conversation about dropping hourly rates. I dropped the hourly a bit to go with the times I guess, but dropping much further and then you would start to wonder why is it I'm doing this again?

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 04-12-2009 02:06

well thats good i got the impression you had built it and got stuck with a 12' powder coated gate

By texwelder (***)

Date 04-12-2009 18:45 Edited 04-12-2009 18:48

Those ain't real welding machines, so those ain't real welders, those machines are made for the farm and ranch. Don't get me wrong they are handy to have some times, they just don't hand in for the long haul, somebody who plans on be a lifer in the welding bus. buys a real machine. I used a ranger 250 and a bobcat some last week, they don't even compare to my sa-250 or my vantage 300.

By 250pipeliner (**)

Date 04-12-2009 20:51

hey be careful with those vantage machines or even the miller pipepro, all circuitry is really fragil. they weld great just dont trust their heartiness. two guys out on the last line had them go out, first the miller then vantage. rough terrains can really beat those machine up. dont think lincoln intendid for those to be cross-country welders.

By texwelder (***)

Date 04-19-2009 01:51

I have mine sitting on a f-450 been on there for about a year, so far so good, if it goes out i'll put my sa-250 on there, and rock on. But that vantage is a weldin sumbi$%#, and they are light and produce a lot of power, I welded with some 5/32 jet rods on mine cooked'em

By ESC300

Date 04-11-2009 21:41

Im a contractor in alabama,rates are cheap here because everybody and there brother has a riglet.I get a little more- i have licenses,insurance and real welding rig.Most of my work is oilfield and industrial maintence, and lt is very slow here except for 798

By cwf07

Date 04-11-2009 23:14

whats the going rate now. and what does the future look like to you for real rigwelders.

By burleigh26 (**)

Date 04-12-2009 00:28

I contract through a company most of the time and we haven't dropped our rates even though it has slown down. price of rods has gone up where i am. Business was great last year, so i rig out, riging out a second truck, got 2- sa-200 and price of supplies going up with slow work. not good, at least steel has gone down. so another words i dont see how we can drop our prices when our supplies dont go down or evengoing up.

By ESC300

Date 04-12-2009 03:46

Talk about cost,5p+1/8 -142.00 at local AIRGAS.Hope things pick up around here

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 04-12-2009 14:17

thats a rip off i bought a box of 5p+ 5/32 a few weeks back cost 125.00 still high but cheaper than air gas

By cwf07

Date 04-12-2009 14:20

Whats atom arc 7018 going for I am getting them for $2.00 a lb. here in GA.

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 04-12-2009 14:23

i dont know i'll have to check i never use them nor heard of them but learn something new every day what process are they used for

By cwf07

Date 04-12-2009 20:40

They are stick rods I think their are made by esap

By 250pipeliner (**)

Date 04-12-2009 20:53

atom arc is the best low hydrogen rod out there. its all in the flux. you can even reverse the polarity and itl still scorpion tail, has to be hot tho.

By 250pipeliner (**)

Date 04-12-2009 18:17

i got two 50lb boxes of 7018 atom arc, 1/8 & 5/32, brand new. il let them go for 5o a can + shipping. heres the kicker im CA.

By cwf07

Date 04-12-2009 14:15

I got 2 millers Big Blue 402D and a Big 30D and 2 trucks Ford a 550 and 350 but here in Ga. can't find know body to run the 2nd truck that I can trust. So me and another rig welder go in together on jobs. we both was talking about work not looking good right now.Hoping thing pick up.

By cwf07

Date 04-13-2009 23:51

What can of work for rig welders is going on now, like bridge,pipe, so on in other states.

By tnhnt

Date 04-12-2009 05:14

Right now currently doing a job in Los Angeles getting $85.00 Hr.

By welder81 (*)

Date 04-14-2009 01:55

not much in oklahoma. hope things pick up soon.......

By cwf07

Date 04-14-2009 12:18

what can of work is mostly done out their

By pypLynr (***)

Date 04-15-2009 04:14

I charged $65/hr. for general welding and $85/hr. for S/S and aluminum welding . I just went up on my general to $70/hr. Right now I'm offshore and my cousin is running the show for me while I'm gone . We are staying busy right now . Landed a big BBQ pit job for a new BBQ joint thats gonna open soon . A 20' cooking pit and a seperate 4'x8'x4' warming pit . And got other stuff too . Gates , fence , barns , etc. People call us because we build it the way THEY want it ... not the way we want it . And we guarantee our work in writing .

By cwf07

Date 04-15-2009 13:18

I wish we could make that can of money around here I am set up for S/S,Alum., Portable or shop. But with all the little riglet and shoplet they keep the wages down. They might charge more if they did it full time like me.

By stanantonio Date 04-16-2009 06:47

Hey cwf07
I know where you are coming from on trying to find a quality welder for running another truck.. I had three at one time. Mine, my wifes, and one I had to put a good quality welder in. I eventually sold it last year. To much headache. I lost some friends over the deal. My fault for hiring friends that were welders. But this is what I found out with my experience. If they are really good they wont stay long usually. Just long enough to get some contacts in the business then usually rig out a riggolett truck with half of your tools on their truck. The best person you can count on is your self. I kinda of think having a second rig truck is like breeding a bunch of competitors for your self. I saw the money potential like you but found it more trouble than it was worth. I think you would be better off if you just worked more hours to make the cash difference. Hears an idea just to putt alittle bug in your ear. What about starting a roustabout truck to work alongside you? For the oil field anyway. As pay I dropped from 95hr to 80. I am still having trouble keeping my rated at that. I do think we as rig welders do need to stick together. I beileve you get what you pay for and if a company wants to hire a rig welder thats 10 dollars less than me they can have it. I find that companies who want to basement shop alot are usually harder or more nitpickey to work with. That why I dont like to do any welding for farmers. (dont send me any hate mail farmers) The next thing you know you will be out there fixing something for free that happend to a gate or axle cause they ram rodded it or the likes. You have to think, there is a reason you got into rig welding. It comes with feast or famine, liable responsibility and chasing down non paying customers at times. There is a price that if I had to lower to. I would rather just hang up the hat and go back to single hand. At least you have half the headache and a steady paycheck.

By cwf07

Date 04-18-2009 01:30

I know what you are talking about I had 4 welder working for me, got rit of all of them. You would think a grow man would have some responsiblity to know what time to be at work, or make sure you got what you need to work with that day. I told them I am in the welding bussiness not day care. I been working by myself for the last year. Its alot better. The only thing I lose out on alot of bigger jobs. I quess I really done lose I don't have to worry about if every thing is done right. But now I am starting to take on bigger jobs and getting other rig welders to help me. I don't work for the public to much I make them pay for the material up front. They like to change their mind to much. I do believe like you do you pay for what you get. If they don't want to pay to have the job done right I don't want to do it.
I paid to much for my equipment to work for nothing.

By ibeweldingsum (***)

Date 04-15-2009 06:05

Hey where does a guy need to look for any work?!! Heck in oky land no work is what I'm lookin at