Do they really charge that much?

[TheOldHokie]

16K? Are you looking at the right number?

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/product/2021/super-duty/21-Super-Duty-Pickup-Tech-Specs.pdf

M1078

 

[Bmyers]

16K? Are you looking at the right number?

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/product/2021/super-duty/21-Super-Duty-Pickup-Tech-Specs.pdf

I think he was referring to the M1078.

I had to look up what M1078 was, nice truck and was surprised to see that they listed it at 18K curb weight.

LMTV M1078 2 1/2 Ton Cargo Truck

LMTV M1078 2 1/2 Ton Cargo Truck with Caterpillar 3116 Turbo Diesel Engine, Allison Automatic Transmission

www.easternsurplus.net

 

[The Evil Twin]

It is interesting to me the discussion of cost. We have a service department as one the divisions at the company I work for. The services techs were complaining about what we charge per hour and what they make (which are all union jobs).

So, we held a class with all the techs. We showed them where the money went. How much went to paying their hourly wage, their benefits, their retirement fund. Then we went into the company overhead cost, worker comp, liability, licensing cost, the office staff that does their billing and scheduling and all the additional cost involved. Then broke down the cost of their equipment, fuel, maintenance, and tools. Explained the billing cycle and how when the client gets the bills it doesn't just magically appear in the checking account, but you want your check each week which is why you have credit lines and such as a company which is an additional cost.

Even showed them how much it was costing just to have the class to educate them on the matter. Yet, it was money well spent. Once they understood all the factors, all but two of them had a dramatic change in their attitude and we have noticed them taking much better care of the equipment.

Several had the idea that the company was just making this huge amounts of money off of their labor, but when shown the actual breakdown and realizing that when we hit 10-15% profit margin on a job we are pleased.

Bingo! This is why shop rates are so high. You aren't paying just to have an oil change. It's everything else.
Just like having a beer at a decent restaurant. It's $7 for a $3 beer with a 2 cent napkin under it. They have lights, AC, insurance, maintenance, taxes, etc.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

hmm, does it have 2 different tires on it or are my eyes getting worse ?
rear look smaller than front.

 

[mcmxi]

16K? Are you looking at the right number?

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/product/2021/super-duty/21-Super-Duty-Pickup-Tech-Specs.pdf

I apologize for any confusion. Yes, as @TheOldHokie and @Bmyers pointed out, I was referring to the M1078. I have one in very good condition that only had 4,500 original miles on the Caterpillar 3116 engine before I drove it 600 miles from Seattle back to Kalispell. The engine is a turbocharged 7.2L inline 6-cylinder in front of an Allison 7-speed automatic transmission. It's a bit of a beast with a 16ft x 8ft bed and the top of the cab is 9ft off the ground. Weight is shown as 17,214lb in the specs below.

https://fmtvsales.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/M1078.pdf

I made a custom 3" receiver for it last year so that I can tow various trailers around.

Making a custom 3" receiver for the LMTV M1078

I've had the M1078 for about a year now and I need/want to be able to pull my trailers around with it. It has a really stout Pintle hitch on it that I made use of when I towed my Jeep behind it on my way back from Seattle, but it's not something that I'd use on a regular basis. Midwest...

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[mcmxi]

hmm, does it have 2 different tires on it or are my eyes getting worse ?
rear look smaller than front.

It's just perspective. The vehicle is fairly long at around 21.5ft.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

thanks..thought my eyes were going bad(der)....

 

[lugbolt]

Not a valid comparison!
No logical person goes out to specifically BUY those tools!
They already own the tools, or they would not consider doing the job!

how do you think we got the ones that they already own?

Do I go steal or make a new computer to run the software that I also have to beg, borrow or steal? No, I buy it (or more specifically, I purchased it-same computer I'm using right now). It didn't just fall out of the laptop tree, unfortunately.

here's a good example. Still messing with this old Mule. I suspect fuel pressure is down. I have a gauge, however I don't have an adapter to fit these style EFI fuel lines. So hey, I'm kind of industrious, I'll just make one. Dig around my stash of junk and find an old fuel rail and an old pump, then an old line, and fabricated a new test line-so that my gauge will "tee" off of the assembly. Perfect. Unfortunately I'm on the clock, and 2 hours after the fact I'm finally able to accurately test the fuel pressure (30 psi-should be 40). Now Mr. Customer would generally get to pay 2 hours' labor plus the pump plus installation time. OR option #2, buy the gauge adapters for $59 and that will be a "shop supply"-that I eat, then charge the customer for the pump + labor, and use the gauge next time too. That tool is a tool, which is designed to save the customer a little money and decrease the amount of time that the techs spend in making stuff. BTW that customer is a farmer, and a good friend, so I didn't charge him 2 hours labor...that's just became a loss of about $300. Or I could have just waited & bought the $60 adapter kit. But ya know? Farmers can't always wait and downtime costs them too so rather than make him wait another week, I just did it for him-and ordered a fuel pump (which should be here tomorrow).

Look at it this way. I make a lot of my own tools, even for work. Seal drivers, installers, bushing drivers, etc--on my lathe, at home, on MY time. If I wanted to (and I could, easily) I could charge the boss for these tools, and he'd gladly pay it-but obviously passes the cost onto the customers incrementally, over time via "supplies" charges that everyone pays. In our case, it's a percentage of the total bill up to $50 maximum. That way if the bill was $3000, it's still $50, but if the bill was $100, the supplies charge would be about $9.25. Also covers shop towels, rugs, cleaning supplies, pens, paper, clipboards, and a whole bunch of other stuff that people never think about. Miniscule when it comes to big tools like tire machines, welders, etc.

 

[TECH101]

I recommend going to your local dealer especially if your still with in your warranty, track record is very important and will save you money in the future.

 

[PaulL]

My F250 weighs 8,720lb based on the scale at the landfill last week ... If the fuel tank and transfer tank were full that'd add another 560lb or so assuming the addition of 70 gallons of diesel. I often have quite a lot of towing related equipment in drawers in the bed (Decked system) along with various tools so it all adds up.
I wouldn't be warm and fuzzy lifting up that truck on a lift rated for 10,000lb. I don't know what the factor of safety is on these lifts, and it's likely that the capacities are based on ideal conditions. Add in the fact that I will most likely buy a bigger truck in the not-to-distant-future and would rather have a 12,000lb model.

If you are worried about margin of safety on a 10k lift, would you be comfortable with a 12k lift? That's only 20% more.

Seems to me that either you believe that a 10k lift can lift 10k every day of the week and twice on Sundays, or you think that you need a margin. If you need a margin, would 20% do it? I'd be looking for 50%. But as someone else said, the 10k lift is already supposed to have a 50% margin. Would you add 20% margin to the 50% margin it already has?

I guess if you're buying a new lift anyway rather than upgrading, may as well buy one big enough. But big enough in this case sort of sounds like 15k to me.

 

[Chanceywd]

Four years ago I did a 60K sparkplug change on my MB E-350
MB dealer wanted $1, 034.89.
The 6 OEM plugs, and a tube of boot lube, cost me $77.
I shall never forget those exact numbers!
I was 79 then!
Dealer price is MUCH higher now!

My younger brother 68yo has one of those MB Smart cars. He was telling me recently something like $400 to change the 3 sparkplugs in that at the dealer. Of course he did them himself. He lives in Buffalo about 3 hrs away but for anything bigger he comes to my place in central NY as I have a lift I put in when I built the shop for my 50th 21 yrs ago. I think you have to love doing mechanical things a certain amount and a lot of the younger generation think it is beneath them and just do things Angi's list style.
We have a nice lunch, have a beer and catch up at the same time working. That is the real plus of doing it yourself with a friend or relative while saving money.

Bill