Hose making

Just curious, how many independent field mechanics out there are equipped to make hoses on-site? Do you find it worthwhile to carry stock and utilize space for it? I scored a really good idea on a Parker Karrykrimp, too good to pass up. I haven't bought the supplies yet though. Thoughts on return on investment?

Numb>> I think you'll have NO PROBLEM getting your investment back out..
Once word gets out that you have it & are willing to travel.. LOOK OUT.. you'll probably need to buy new tires for the service truck..
BUT if you REALLY want to make some money, get a big hydro hose crimping machine..
& ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE..
If nobody knows you have it.. you cant sell it..
The nice thing about Parker & some others is> they have the P# of the "ends" stamped into the fittings..
You could just take the phone call.. ask what the fitting #'s are & the length & show-up w/ it pre-made..??
& seeing your a mechanic, for the right amount of $$, you could replace it..??

I agree. It's a tiny little goldmine. It'll take some cash to get your fitting inventory setup but it's worth it. Think about all the different hoses you have replaced and which ones are most common as well as which are the hardest to get parts for. Also, think about the time it takes you to run and have a hose made, come back and slap it on. Suddenly a $30 hose becomes worth $60 or $75 because you didn't spend all that time chasing it down.

I'll stumble onto one for my personal shop someday and it'll be handy. I'm always building and trying stuff out. It'd be nice to build as I go!

I had a 2 wire machine on my old truck and don't really have room on my new (bigger) truck. The problem is that there are so many different hose end configurations. Every different manufacturer seems to use something different and that adds up to a huge amount of ends= cost. But you can start small and build it up, keep track of every time do don't have it in stock and decide from there when to stock it. In my area you're rarely more than 1/2 hour away from a hose shop, I would imagine you don't have that luxury.

"get a hose made & come back??" on what planet ?? LOL..
I've N E V E R.. been able to wait on a hose..
On all the Gov't jobs we did, it stated in the contract>to replace ALL fluid hoses.. {on an engine rebuild}
Sometimes it would take 2 weeks to get the hoses back..

I looked at doing that years ago. The problem is that you have to make a profit on your travel in order to make any money. Someone with a blown hose just sends an employee that they are paying anyway and the hose builders back then didn't charge for building the hose in a way that showed. You will get a break on the stock and fittings but a large customer will get the same break. So the reality for me back then was that the supplier wasn't charging my rate to build the hose and usually undercut me when someone came in for a replacement. The only way I made any money at all was on installing attachments where I did a lot of them at once.

I didn't do it because once I learned the number system for building hoses I just faxed in the list and picked them up when I was open to go get them. I didn't have to tie up $5,000 of my own money and carry the extra weight of the stock in the truck all the time.

The proposal should work better in Alaska though as the distances are farther and suppliers are probably farther apart.

The "location" IS the winning factor here..
The local truck shop probably HAS a hose machine?? probably be stupid NOT to have one..
BUT, once word gets out that he'll do it ON-SITE.. the ballgame has just changed..
& once HE has the hose in HIS hands & finds out he doesn't have the correct end.. make a call to the local hose place [truck shop] & just buy it..
That'll probably work for awhile, until THEY figure out HE"S cutting their nuts.. then the sales "might" stop??
BUT in the meantime, he can keep a record of WHO needs WHAT.. & what type of trucks/machines they have.. & what fittings he/ they need regularly..
That's just my 2 cents.. but what do I know, I don't live in Alaska..
You got the machine?? Might as well use it..

Numb, a number of onsite hose repair outfits started out as a one man band. ENDZED Pirtec, Hydralink all started in New Zealand. ENZED were sold to Parker then those directors stated Pirtec in opposition. All have a presence in Australia and still their core business is onsite hose repair with some shop work. One of the main reasons they are popular is the machine operator's don't have the tools required to fix anything and company fitters are flat out working on other gear. All onsite repairers have a fully loaded truck of fittings,tools gas welding gear and hoses but it helps if the costumer can id the hose and fittings when the call is made. The costumer pays all travel to the job, labour and the cost of the goods.
Many times on more modern equipment the burst protection wrap crap they put on hoses just about makes impossible for one person to find a leak so anyone working alone onsite repair is the only way to go.
BTW the companys mentioned at the top have multi million dollar turnover and the local bloke is a franchise.

I appreciate the input from everybody. I look at it as a potential source of revenue when I'm working on a machine and find bad hoses. I can make hoses up to -16 or -20 hoses with the machine I scored. One of the local hose shops that I go to has really good customer service and pretty quick about it most of the time. A majority of my customers are within 30 minutes of said shop due to them being construction companies. However, I'm in my second year of business and gradually getting more customers out of town, and my#2 customer is 45 minutes from town. If I can set up the stuff on a truck and make it efficient to bang out a hose quicker than running to the hose shop, that's what I would like to do. I'm going to total up last year's invoices for built hoses to see what kind of revenue went through my hands so I can guesstimate a return on investment.
I'm tight for space on my truck so it will take some creative thinking to add it to my existing setup. but I'm setting up a PM truck (1 ton with utility bed) for my son to make money with, and it has usable space for a crimper and all the needed supplies. Illl have to figure out the best way to charge for the service as well.

I am planning on setting up my truck with hose making capability within the next month for the same reasons. One to make more money and two because some times it’s 120 miles round trip to the nearest hose shop just to find out they cannot make what I need anyway. Less down time for my customers is what I am striving for.

Last year a reputable independent mobile mechanic relocated to the lower 48 and I inherited some of his customers. He had a machine and the local Parker store that is offering to supply me said that he did very well with it. But they are sales guys so I have to consider that.

I really think that I can make it pay. All my customers have me out for their blown hoses anyway. I was quoted about 7500-8000 dollars. Large investment but if it keeps me first call I’m ok with that.

I own a rental company and went to A&I products and bought a machine and some fittings for my own equipment. Word spread and now I seem to do a lot of hoses and all the cylinders in town. It cost a good bit of money but you'll make that back pretty soon. Another company call Royal Brass can send me any odd fitting I need overnight if needed but my main sellers are 3/4 and below and mostly JIC. You can't buy everything at once. Just get the basics that you need from your past experience and add more as needed. Also make sure you set up your truck so you can double the inventory in the future.

I am a HUGE Parker fan. But I have settled with the decision to go with gates. Only one company within a 100 square miles of me is carrying Parker and they don’t have enough fittings to make the most common hoses. Several of the local parts houses around carry gates mega crimp fittings. So I’m hopeful that if I don’t have the fitting in stock someone else will.

Zrupp said:

I really think that I can make it pay. All my customers have me out for their blown hoses anyway. I was quoted about 7500-8000 dollars. Large investment but if it keeps me first call I’m ok with that.

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My local Parker store offered to lease me a bigger machine for free as long as I get all the fittings through them. You might look into that to save yourself some $$ upfront.

The place that I am getting my fittings from you give you 50% off all hose and fittings when you spend over 5k. So I can get 7500 dollars off hose and fittings for 5k and the machine and all the dies are 2750.

Lease a BIGGER machine for free??
That's a crazy good deal!!! BUT with that said.." with the good comes the bad"..
Your probably gonna have a salesman "stopping by" OFTEN & you gotta put up w/ his BS for an hour!!!
Lol..
Theres ALOT of on-line companies to get fittings for your "smaller machine".. just search it..
Someone posted a link to a good one, awhile back.. you might be able to find it on THIS SITE by using the search function??
I'm not into hoses & fittings but I went to that site/link & was very impressed w/ it..

You're not talking about discounthydraulic hose dot... are you?

I searched the forum and I think he's talking about discounthydraulichose.com

numbfingers,

The KarryKrimp 1 and 2 are outstanding machines. Making 'Tough Cover' hoses, to your exact fit, is worth the price of the machine. The Parker TC hose beats the snot out of the Eaton/Weatherhead or the Matchmate stuff... making the best hoses, on the spot, will sell your services, I think.

PS: I use Rubbermade style shallow totes, the wide and flat ones, to store hose ends. They stack well in my truck side box, and they make it easy to find what I'm looking for.