Got a new Brushguard from Rubberduck4x4

[HumminNBoatin]

Originally Posted by fabricator

Well
I would build and install it for 760

You would loose money if you did it that cheap.

[carwash]

Originally Posted by HumminNBoatin

You would loose money if you did it that cheap.

Then you apparently have no idea what it actually costs to build something like this. Do you really think he has $1000 in materials for this thing?

If i had one here on the floor, it could be built in half a day, for half the price.

I'm not knocking his work, it's a great piece that serves a great purpose... just seems like it could be built for a lot less. Maybe i'm missing something. Are there any shots anywhere of it off the vehicle, with all the pieces etc?

[HumminNBoatin]

I am not saying it can't be built for $760.... What I am saying that that its not just materials. Its labor and overhead etc..... A jig has to be built in order to reproduce it. Remember Rubberduck4x4 is a business and needs to turn a profit. Again also keep in mind this is not a jeep, this is an H2. In total there were roughly 150,000 ever sold in North America for its 8 years of production. Jeep builds on average 80,000 a year for North America. So you have to factor the market you are selling to. I could go on and on.....

Tell you what, if you could build it and sell it for $760 and have it powder coated and still turn a decent enough profit I think you should definitely get into the Hummer game.

[BIGRAM]

Your fighting a loosing battle here dude. I don't personally know any of these guys but if you notice some of their builds, you will see they are very experienced machinists, fabricators, and take great pride in their work. They know where to get materials at a great rate, they know how to work the material, and I am sure they have sources they can turn to for powdercoating and any other options requested. Labor is not cheap, but when the market is at a low demand, I would turn to the guys that do it for a living and have the passion and can be competitive with their prices. To say a Jeep/buggy builder can not provide what an "experienced" Hummer retailer can and not be competitive, you obviously didn't check around.

[tjjeepjeep]

ADMIN POST:

Ok everyone....No battles here to fight. Many people who build their own stuff. Many people who own shops and make stuff for those that choose to pay for said stuff. There is no one right answer -- there are many answers and one is right for that person. Whatever the answer, that decision is due respect. Pics posted of a rig to share and props given to a local shop who did the work. We can all respect that as I believe some of us have done it ourselves. So stop adding fuel to fire and knock off the bashing ...

[humpy]

my brushguard cost bout 30 bucks... and took bout half hour...

[humpy]

Originally Posted by humpy

my brushguard cost bout 30 bucks... and took bout half hour...

with all that being said... i had to be a smart ass lol looks good man... just remember most of us are very VERY cheap lol if i could afford to start with a hummer buying that bumper setup would not be a big deal but your rig cost more than my buggy haul truck and trailer all together...a lot o people on this site take a lot o pride in fabricating there own stuff and cant justify someone elses work and thats all they are trying to say...props on buyin parts from an american company and stimulatin the eceonomy

[High Dollar]

Why does quality Cannabis cost $100-$150 an ounce and Tobacco costs $1.00-$2.50 and ounce? All together now, say it with me; SUPPLY AND DEMAND!!!
Tune in tomorrow for your next lesson....

[KargoMaster]

Welcome to the board High Dollar... quite an entrance...


Certainly supply/demand is a fundamental capitalist principle... but would the legality differences between these two not drive a far greater difference in price?
Risk is driving that difference, not supply/demand, just my $.02.


But I digress...





Eric... looks cool. Thanks for sharing and letting us know of your experiences with RD4x4...

[High Dollar]

[QUOTE=KargoMaster;34986]Welcome to the board High Dollar... quite an entrance...


Certainly supply/demand is a fundamental capitalist principle... but would the legality differences between these two not drive a far greater difference in price?
Risk is driving that difference, not supply/demand, just my $.02.


But I digress...


But they are both plants that when smoked provide a chemical reaction to the brain...... Okay, mabye a bad example... How's this one; You can get a Casio Watch at Wal-Mart for $10 bucks or you can spend $15K on a Rolex watch. Do they both not just tell time?
I rarely participate on web forums, especially Hummer forums, for the very reason that this thread has turned into but given the fact that I am probably at a very low risk of offending any Hummer owners/potential customers here, perhaps I can indulge in releasing my repressed feelings on the subject. (I have repressed my "smart-assedness" for quite some time so this may be a long one.)
The question of price has been an argued since the first civilian H1 rolled off the line. So for those that are having trouble wrapping their melon around the price difference between a Hummer Brushguard and let's say a Jeep brushguard;

There were roughly 982,602 Jeep Cj,YJ and TJ's produced from 1976-2006 and about 262,430 Hummer H1,H2 and H3's produced between 1992-2006
Now out of the 11,818 H1's produced, we can probably safety eliminate 90% of those units sold to the scrawny, limp wristed, "Hey look at me, I'm rich" types who will never, ever, take the truck off road and therefore do not need a Brushguard. That leaves us with 1181.8 that may want a brushguard for off-road use.
Out of the roughly 130,612 H2's produced, we can also probably eliminate 95% of those driven by Milf Soccer Moms, the chromed out "make me wanna throw up a little in my mouth" and the "hey look at me but not my small penis" types which will leave 6530.6 H2's that may actually see some real off-road use.
And then there's the roughly 160,000 "I can't afford a real Hummer so I bought this H3 because it says HUMMER on it" Chic drivin', Mall Shopping H3's; Which we can probably eliminate 98% of those due to the fact that the owners that DO plan to off-road them are still making payments and will not see a dirt road until it's paid off. That leaves us with 3200 H3's that MAY see a trail.
Now since I do not make or sell chrome tampon holders or faux grenade shifter handles, my market is has been reduced to 10,912.4 potential customers who MAY want a brushguard.
Now as we all know, everyone loves diversity so let's subtract 50% of those potential brushguard buyers because they will want a brushguard that looks a little different and will either buy one from the small list of other Hummer suppliers or from small fabrication shops that can not only dictate what other fabrication shops should make on their products but also have an uncanny ability to quote on products by simply looking at a picture where much of the fabrication work is hidden behind factory panels.
That leaves 5456.2 real potential customers worldwide. Now if I DID get to build that many Brushguards (which, as we all know is not realistic) and I made say $100 profit off each one, that's $545,620 divide that the number of employees, 2 in this case, that's $272,810 divide that by let's say $50K per year, I'm out of business in 5.4562 years. And all that, my friends, is in a perfect scenerio situation.
Though I needn't feel the need to apologze for my profit margins, I am sorry for those that "are in the wrong business" and have chosen a less lucrative career path..... Soapbox out!

[WrenchMonkey]

I guess that was a really long winded way of saying that there are more Jeeps than Hummers on and off the road. I don't think anybody will argue that point.

And we all certainly all understand the economies of scale: If you can sell a million units, you can do it cheaper per unit than if it's only a run of a hundred.

But I think you're missing the consensus here: Completely ignoring the savings of mass production, and looking only at a one-off, purely custom piece, the price listed was higher than many of us expected.

Which isn't to say it's not worth it: Your creation is worth exactly what you can get somebody to pay you, not a penny more or less.

Which brings us back to my point: Your Hummer-part prices are higher than Jeep-part prices, simply because they can be.

You've got customers with a little extra expendable income, that are willing and able to pay a little more for their parts.

And that works out well for you.

So congrats!

Robert

[carwash]

95% of those driven by Milf Soccer Moms

photos please, i love milf ass.

[NKYJEEPSTER]

I think the problem is that hummer people don t get their rigs for the same reason that jeep people do. At least not in this area. I haven t seen one hummer around here that has a little tree rash on it or even a scuff on the bumpers. I m not knocking the Hummers or anyone that drives them, but dnot you have magnetic paint protector and windshield protectors and such. That s like wearin a pocket protector. Hell I have an 09 4 door JK that I try to wheel with the best of them. The paint is all scratched up and i think it looks good that way, she s got character. I was even gonna try lower rock garden at Harlan, too bad I only had 31s on it or I d have tried it. But you won t catch me paying that kind of money for a brushguard or even a winch bumper. .02

[carwash]

hey, if this guy is happy with his brush guard, so be it. if he wants to pay more than he has to, so be it. it's his prerogative. (insert Bobby Brown jingle here)

i have paid more for items before that have come from certain vendors because i trusted those vendors and admired their work. that can often be worth a lot of money to some people.

not everyone wants their accessories built by some redneck in a home shop with a torch and a stick welder... etc...(even if it can be done for half the money) Some people want products built by a reputable shop with a business license. it gives them the peace of mind knowing they have a warranty, and somewhere to go back to if they have issues...

[itbrokeagain]

I was admiring the tow hooks on a H2 the other day. Pretty nice.

[humpy]

Originally Posted by carwash

not everyone wants their accessories built by some redneck in a home shop with a torch and a stick welder... etc...(even if it can be done for half the money) ..

HEY HEY!!!! easy now!!!! what did i ever do to you???

AND

i upgraded to a mig welder thanks!!!!



lmao!!

[Flxratd]

in the interest of business and profit i did do some looking around at available parts for H2s and have decided that if someone will make a comprable(quality)brushguard for the mentioned $760 powdercoated and hardware ready to go i see an area to make profit and be able to undercut the compitition i would like to order 5 of them to start with. please pm me with picks of your product and warranty info so we can discuse this business venture

thanks scott

[High Dollar]

Originally Posted by Flxratd

in the interest of business and profit i did do some looking around at available parts for H2s and have decided that if someone will make a comprable(quality)brushguard for the mentioned $760 powdercoated and hardware ready to go i see an area to make profit and be able to undercut the compitition i would like to order 5 of them to start with. please pm me with picks of your product and warranty info so we can discuse this business venture

thanks scott

I too, currently need 11 of these ASAP! 10 of them need to be shipped to Canada so if any vendor is willing to provide these, I will gladly pay an extra $50 to have them packaged, crated and shipped. Please call!

[GPER]

I look at the price of something, then compare that with the price of the tools that I don't have to make it. Then I buy the tools and use them on other stuff too.

That is just how I do it and each to their own, I realize there are some that aren't hands on like myself. I for one set my ride up the way I want and really don't care what others think of it either.

[HumminNBoatin]

Originally Posted by NKYJEEPSTER

I m not knocking the Hummers or anyone that drives them, but dnot you have magnetic paint protector and windshield protectors and such. That s like wearin a pocket protector. 2

Yeah I am one of a few H2 guys that "Don't go in without protection"-Rubberduck4x4.

I guess I just like to keep my rig in good condition. I use my truck to take clients and employees out etc.... I cant be driving them around in a beat up vehicle.

Yeah I used limb risers too. Do you have any clue what a windshield costs to replace in an H2?

I love my pocket protectors lol.

[comanchedude]

Its just silly how you sharing a cool addition to your rig turns into all this crap talk.. weak very weak.

Originally Posted by HumminNBoatin

Yeah I am one of a few H2 guys that "Don't go in without protection"-Rubberduck4x4.

I guess I just like to keep my rig in good condition. I use my truck to take clients and employees out etc.... I cant be driving them around in a beat up vehicle.

Yeah I used limb risers too. Do you have any clue what a windshield costs to replace in an H2?

I love my pocket protectors lol.

[gothodgie]

wow... all this over a new brush gaurd... :confused:

[NKYJEEPSTER]

Don t get me wrong, its looks cool man. I have a toy jeep to wheel and a DD jeep. I understand that it is used for other things and for me, it s hard to justify putting money in the rig that sits on the street all day. I d rather have an awesome tow rig and a bad a$$ toy gettin pulled behind it. That s all I m saying. As for the windshield, gotta love KY, its covered under insurance, state law. lol

But you know, for what you payed for the brushguard, you could have a decent jeep to play in. lol Nice ride man, really

[HumminNBoatin]

Well now you know why I use my pocket protector... It is my Awesome tow rig-I tow a ski boat with it, I tow my quads with it. It is also my Awesome Street rig and DD driver. And on top of all that its my Awesome offroad rig lol.

Please do not take this wrong but, I could have bought a bunch of Jeeps for what I have in my one rig. ;)

And before we start a flamming war, I know for a fact that I could have a built jeep that would be a trail only rig to stomp my H2 and spent 1/3 of what I have spent on my rig. But thats not what fit my needs. The Hummer offers much greater towing capacities, much more luxery, and will offroad with/surpass MOST (stock modded not, tubed out/wheelbase extended etc..) jeeps out there. So thats why I went for the H2.

Offroading is like any other sport. Jim might like to wear nike while Bob likes rebok but they both love the game.

[Flxratd]

very well said (apples and oranges)and i happen to like apples but lets move on PLEEEAAASE.


by the way it looks nice and functional and im sure i - we will see it on a trail