I also agree that a 400 pair of skis is too much but I'm also aware of tooling cost for that type of product. The other products you speak of MH are very different in the type of money that goes into tooling and the type of equipment costs involved. I also dont agree that you should charge a marked up premium for R&D time if you are going to spread that cost out over volume. Aluminum tube is cheap. water jetting alum. plate in quantity is cheap. once you build a jig for this, welding time is minimized. R&D costs..... who knows, but it shouldnt be a 200 dollar primium per unit.....
Seroiusly MH ( I love the MH view and very thankful for your help in the past but this ones crazy)....
what do you think it cost Holz to have an extrusion developed for those ez steer spindles, plus machining cost, and then to annodize them...... they are less money.....
how about the cost for Slydog to develop molds for thier skis..... Tens of thousands of dollars is the answer...... same money
900 for a one piece tunnel. I'll tell you, a break with a 12 foot bed is going to cost you a couple hundred thousand dollars. plus water jet, and I know there is a lot more waist in a sheet than with small components. plus welding....
tube bumper, tube material, minimal scrap. water jet small patterns, minimal waist, pieced jigged together.... come on... 400...
None of your examples is even close. Maybe he isnt making a killing on them. maybe because he isnt moving them in volume that he could be with a reasonable cost. To flatlanders too.......
No worries 900RMKRidgerunner, thats why we live in the good ole USA!! People are entitled to their opinions.
I'm as cheap as the next guy...I looked into having one that I designed built and did not have any luck getting any decent pricing on it.. Most good aluminum tig welders charge $75/hour (maybe $40 in the midwest). There is a lot of work getting everything to fit right.
But I hope that you are not copying TCP's design... that would suck taking someones design.
Holz spindles are not extrusions according to Mark Holz. Billet machined. Slydogs, SLP, C&A etc CAN distribute their cost over every sled brand out there with the same ski... plus, in this age of 5 Axis CNC centers, rapid injection mold pattern making is very inexpensive compared to just 10 years ago. Global plastics, Slydogs parent is turning a very good profit on the skis.. There is probably $12 worth of HDPE in a pair of skis and another $10 in hardware.
There is a very limited number of these bumpers being ordered.. Even a cheaper price, they would sell MAYBE 200 per year??
Plus, It's not like I'd want this stuff sent to China for mass production....you just dont do business like that when you have been doing your R&D with a local fabricator that put his food on the table just like you and I do.. you cant just say "I'm taking by assembly work someplace elese to make more money". That same shop does have a press-brake that you talk about costing $100K.... The kind of small shop that is willing to do a 100 or 200 piece run of a part and help with the R&D is not going to be able to crank out parts like the Chineese or Big shops can... and those big shops will not be willing to work with you on anything but an auto cad design.
I'm interested in seeing what you guys come up with for an "apples to apples" comparison from another shop. Apples being a complete kit that includes the bumper, powdercoat, hardware, all parts needed, instructions packing and shipping services.
Anybody that I've talked to or emailed about the bumper that has actually had one in his hand, with all of the bits and pieces, has complained about the price...
I just hate to see good products put down because they cost more for the quality you are getting.
