Part time General Dogs Body.

[Rubber Duck]

I'm looking for some advice, negative or positive any is welcome.

I am thinking of starting a business doing repair work/mechanical fitting for local farms and perhaps industrial businesses, though this will have to be on a part time basis as I've already got a full time job. You never know it might take off and become full time or just be a pipe dream.

I've been learn to stick weld for a while now and the beads are just starting to look nice, I've also taken up mig.

I have a H plate V8 Range Rover which I'd like to turn into a mobile workshop, I already have a set of tooling; spanners, hammer, screw drivers, angle grinders etc etc.
My welders are Sip mig and an arc, am also looking at getting some burning gear.

Does anyone think it would be worth it, i.e. I've got to start somewhere, so use what I've got or save up and get better gear or is it realy just a pipe dream and just forget about it?

Thanks very much

Rubber Duck

 

[craigelland]

have a go nothing to lose just take on the work you can do best of luck.

 

[Robotstar5]

A Range Rover will have no trouble lugging your gear around but you will have to factor in the fuel costs with a V8 - it can't hurt to try part time until you are sure.

 

[malcolm]

My own opinion: Don't spend money buying all the kit you could possibly need. Offer your services for stuff you are already set up for and know how to do.

 

[Drains]

I am thinking of starting a business doing repair work/mechanical fitting for local farms and perhaps industrial businesses,

I've been learn to stick weld for a while now and the beads are just starting to look nice, I've also taken up mig.

My welders are Sip mig and an arc, am also looking at getting some burning gear.

Rubber Duck, I think you have answered your own question. And the answer is, be careful what services you offer.

If you can't weld properly, don't pretend to offer a professional service in it!
I have no idea what your mechanical skills are like, but I hope they're better than your self-admittedly poor welding skills.

I'm not trying to be mean here - in other places, the accusation of "bengal lancer" would have been spat at you by now - but you need to be sure that whatever skills you offer are good enough not to get you a bad reputation, or angry farmers knocking at your door when your repairs break in the middle of harvest time.

And don't forget insurance, you may well need it.

Stick to what you know. If you want to know more, then learn, but don't try to run before you can walk - you'll fall over. If you're very clear in your own mind of your true capabilities, you won't go far wrong.

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

as above, plus it may take a while to get 'known', so part-time would give you more chance of success. It could be that most of your potential customers already have someone that they can use and it's hard to break into an existing 'territory'.

It's difficult to suggest what's best...if you try to undercut the competition then you'll maybe have problems raising your prices later and you'd definately need to.

You could maybe try to offer a better service, any time, any place, type of thing.

Have you considered how you'll get your work? Advertising? Mailshots? Local village shows, etc? Mailshots and village shows would probably be cheapest as you can knock up A5 flyers on your PC pretty cheaply, and a 'stall' at the show wouldn't cost too much.

Best way would be if you know someone, or a few people, who have had work done so you can ask about what was done and how much it cost, etc.

Do your research, don't spend tons of money in the early days and, as stated above, be very carefull with what you take on in the early days. Get insured!

Best of luck!

Regards
Peter

 

[Wozzaaah]

I have a mate who's now self-employed doing general property maintenance, decorating, kitchens, bathrooms, gardens, patios, decking etc. etc. He's pretty much self-taught but is very good at it and is a true grafter. He sticks to what he knows he can do well and makes a very good living out of it.

You're looking at setting yourself up in business in a field where you have very little experience;

'I've been learn to stick weld for a while now and the beads are just starting to look nice, I've also taken up mig'.

A nice looking bead is great but it doesn't mean that it's a good, strong weld.
My suggestion is to wait until you're confident that your work is up to scratch, as Si says, your customers will be relying on your work for their livelihood. If it's not good enough word will soon spread and you could have some pretty serious consequences to face in the event of any mishap concerning something you've done.
Why not start off making gates and railings? It'll give you some valuable experience and will most definitely lead to other types of work.

 

[snowcat]

Most jobbing agri fitters are ex service dealer workers, who have experience and an apprenticeship in the trade, they then set out on there own, It also meens they have a list of clients that they readily poach prior to setting up on there own...

most fitters are lousy steel workers which is why I get work.....

If your not experienced around the trade I head Simon's advice, machines are expensive pieces of kit (some more than the average house) so if something goes wrong on your watch then its not good at all....

BTW farming is a very small world, and chances are unless your known it is difficult to get a foot in the door, everything is word of mouth Chinese wispas..

 

[Rubber Duck]

Some great stuff there for sure thanks all.

My plan will be to build it up slowly; like it's been said "I have to walk before I can run". Hopefully I've got my head screwed on right .

I've been making garden ornamants and furniture and am getting better at the welding, it'll take a bit more time before I can call it a decent standard, but it's getting there.
As for fitting, my skills range from machine tool (lathes/mills and workshop equipment) complete strip down and full rebuilds to auto mechanics. Though only field mechanics (engine swaps are out as I haven't got the kit, but most other things aren't a problem). Fully conversant with hydraulics and pnuematics, and am currently doing an electricians course.

I'll carry on as I am and see where it leads to, and hopefully it'll flourish into a full time role.

 

[English Steve]

Hi Rubber Duck - I did exactly what you are proposing about 18 months ago. I live in a farming area, but they were not my initial target customers. I started making ornamental stuff for family and friends, which expanded a bit to neighbours and friends of friends. Then a local retired farmer asked me to make a handrail and when he saw the welding he asked me to repair his linkbox. Once that was done, word got around the area quite quickly and I was asked to repair a few implements (mechanical work only - I don't do electric) and fabricate odds and ends. The upshot is that I generally have about a months worth of part-time work waiting at any one time (king of the muckspreader refurb ).
I can't do the emergency call-out thing because I am at work 5 days a week, but I can and do work evenings and weekends whenever asked - occasionally all night.
The welding and fab has led on to other things, and I now do a fair bit of tractor driving at certain times of the year, and muck in at lambing time.

As has already been said:
Offer the service you know you are good at initially but let people know that you can be flexible - a bad name gets around quicker than a good one so be reliable.
Set yourself up properly with a business account, and tell the Inland Revenue people (if you don't, someone else will). Remember farms are businesses so the owners will need you to invoice for the work you do.
Get insurance - it needn't be overly expensive and you won't loose your shirt if it all goes wrong.
Don't be surprised if it all takes off in a totally different direction from what you intended - mine certainly did and I haven't made a hanging basket for well over a year now
Most important of all - enjoy yourself. No point doing it if you are going to hate it!
Good luck whichever way you go

Edit - sorry for the long post folks

 

[chunkolini]

Another good tip, always be friendly to prospective customers and listen to what they want. I know a guy trying to do this who gets no work because he is a grumpy so and so, I used to send him all the fab and vehicle jobs I was not interested in doing, he acted as though he was doing me a favour. Nowadays I forward them to guy who is much easier to work with, and better at the job.
One more, always be ready to turn down a job you cant do or that is unrealistic, there are some right loonies out there.

Oh, and make sure you are charging enough, this is the killer, how can you price up a job you have not done before? if in doubt add on say 50% as a contingency sum, it also means you can nobly drop the price when they haggle.
Chunko'.

 

[johnakay]

farmers are notoriously bad payers. they tend to make you wait in hope that you'll say f**k em.
my brother in law use to have a garage in the lakes and he was the only one around to do the jobs but still made no different.
in the end he gave up the business and moved to spain.

 

[Rubber Duck]

Am looking at enrolling onto a City & Guilds level 3 advanced certificate in agriculture.

It covers MMA, Gas welding/cutting, MIG. I'll ask them if they'll look at Tig to.

I think there could be a large customer base in the area, not just through welding but also mechanical fitting. As there are quarries, marine industry, farms, industrial factories.

Obviously it's not going to happen over night, so the idea is to make a plan, try and stick to it and you never know might even make some money out of it.