Machine Shop Rates

[Inno]

I was wondering what hourly rates machine shops charge for things like machining bushings etc.
I just had some made for the backhoe on my tractor and almost fell over when I got the bill! I realize that off the shelf parts would likely be cheaper than having them custom made but they are not available off the shelf anymore.

 

[rrlund]

Because farmers are the only ones foolish enough to work for nothing??

 

[Inno]

No, that is not the intent of the post. I am not trying to say I was over charged, I am simply wondering what the going rate for machine shop work is.
I completely understand that all the equipment, tools, bits, the cost of running and maintaining a shop and of course the knowledge required all come at a very high price and we must all pay a portion of it when we have work done. I just had another one of those moments where I said to myself "I am in the wrong line of work".

 

[big fred]

That's like asking how much does a house cost. It will vary from place to place, depending on prevailing wages, tax rates, utility costs, business license fees, and anything else that contributes to the cost of running a business. Anytime I've had machine work done, the cost is quoted on a per-job basis and not an hourly rate.

 

[Dave from Texas]

Location : Houston

Boring 4 cylinders, Cleaning block, valve seats,turning a crank.

Price $500

 

[showcrop]

Where I live the prices are about the same as what Dave gives. Production machine shop work is one thing, to get a shop to stop their regular work to do something special, even in these times is very difficult. I have tried various bribes. What did you use?

 

[Old Roy]

My Brother had a sign many years ago in a car lot.

He did some work on cars too. Sign went something like this

Labor ------------------------- $12.50 hr.
If ya watch -------------------- $15.00 hr.
If ya ask questions ----$20.00 hr.

Correct answers to those questions $25.00

 

[Anonymous-0]

It would help a lot if you said how much you were charged. What you think is too much could be what someone else thinks is too reasonable. A good machine shop could easily be $100/hr and not do anything for less than 2 hrs labour. Did you ask how much it would cost before you OK'd the work, did you want it in a hurry, etc.? Some places do overcharge but how can we know if you were overcharged? Do we just take your word for it? You weren't trying to say you were overcharged but said you almost fell over when you got the bill. You don't almost fall over when you're not charged enough.

 

[Gun guru]

Please list the ID and OD and length of bushings and the material to be used. Also give tolerance of the OD and ID

I will give you and exact time in hours and minutes it would take for me to make them and the matl. cost.

I have to make up T and M quotes all the time for jobs at where I work.

Also: a small shop that is not busy will likely charge $40 per hour, $50 per hour if they are busy and if they just plain dont want to do it then the sky's the limit on the price.

 

[RGMartin]

$40-60 an hour is in line in my area for small repair jobs, if they don't require a CNC machine. Engine work is by the piece locally, at specialty shops, not regular machine shops.

Carbide and electricity aren't free. Knowledge is the expensive part. Precision costs extra. Don't ask for .0001" tolerances when you only need .010". Don't ask for a mirror polish if a file finish will do.

 

[RGMartin]

(quoted from post at 17:20:53 04/20/11) Please list the ID and OD and length of bushings and the material to be used. Also give tolerance of the OD and ID

Right. Odds are there is DOM tubing that could simply be parted off. You can be fairly certain the OEM didn't make them from solid stock.


The OP might have pair for them to be made from solid bar stock.

 

[Gun guru]

$100 per hour? Are you serious?
I have not heard of any place charging that kind of money. I have heard of some shops totally equipped with CNC/grinding equipment too, like a gage shop or a place that does specialty ball screw manf. getting $60-75/hour. $100 per hour-----Wow I need to start my own Machine shop.

 

[dhermesc]

Agreed.

A shop with the latest equipment could easily run $100. A shop running 20 and 40 year old equipment will give you tolerances that were acceptable 20 and 40 years ago.

 

[Inno]

Here are the details of the work done.
On Saturday I brought in two pins from the bucket of my backhoe, four bushings from same and two pins and bushings from the front end loader, which had grease nipples and required drilling a hole for greasing.
I was not in a hurry, he told me they would be ready Tuesday. I said that was fine. I did not ask the price because regardless, I needed them.
The materials list is as follows:
-16.5" of 1 1/2" of "prec" shaft (it's hand written, prec is the nearest I can figure)
- 9" sm 2 1/2" x 1 1/4" tubing
- 1/2" sm 2x1" tubing
- 1" nuts (2)
- 1" toplock nuts (2)
- 1" flat washer
- 9" 1 3/8" prec shaft
- 7" 1 1/4" prec shaft
- grease nipples (2)
Materials total $130
Labor to machine bushings & pins $346
Total $476 plus tax

When I get home I can take pictures of the parts for reference

I did not ask what the hourly rate of the shop was, I probably should.

 

[Inno]

Also, the tolerances were not highly critical as the backhoe is from the late 1950s.

Don't get me wrong, the guy does great work and I have trusted him with other projects I have been working on. Maybe what I wanted took more machining than I am imagining. Maybe it could have been done in a simpler way and saved me a lot of money, I don't know, I am not a machinist.

 

[sws55]

What kind of bushings? What size? What type of machining? Chamfers and oil grooves added?

Jig grinding a hardened steel drill bushing will cost a lot more than hand reaming a soft bronze bushing. Many drill bushing manufacturers will make to order for less than you can re-machine them.

Did the shop exceed their quoteed price?

 

[Paul in MN]

Whoa,

I think I would have found that to be shocking also. Whooofda!!

Now I know why I bought my own lathe, cutting tools and boring bars. I have done this same kind of work for some of my older equipment. A machinist neighbor of mine kind of laughs at my older slightly out of tolerance equipment. While he is making precision parts for some space shuttle or satellite or rocket guidance system, I am turning a bushing for a 1953 Moline. It is a whole different ball game.

Paul in MN

 

[sws55]

You got eight bushings in two different sizes machined from scratch, and four new pins in two different sizes one pair drilled for grease (Thompson shaft?), all with a two day turn around for just under $40 a piece ($10 materials and $30 labor for each part)? That's not bad at all, especially if he put someone on overtime to get them done for you on time.

You probably had at least an hour of shop time in measuring your old parts, quick sketching four drawings of your new parts, and figuring the machine routings. It probably took as much shop time to set up the machines and jigs cutting tools as it took to actually machine and check the parts.

Have you checked what it would cost to have the backhoe manufacturer ship off-the-shelf OEM parts to you?

FYI new car dealers have charged $70+ per hour for garage mechanics for years.

 

[rrlund]

Even the CNC isn't the latest though. My son works in a shop in Lansing where they use EDM,or "lights out machine" as he calls it. Just program the computer,put the part in and go home for the night.
I have NO IDEA what they get an hour to use that thing,but I'll guarantee it ain't cheap.

 

[Inno]

Here's what I got for $476 plus tax

As I already stated, they are no longer available from the dealer as it is a late 1950's Massey Ferguson 220 backhoe. Well the two that have grease nipples installed are for the front end loader on the same tractor.
These parts will get me going for now but in the future I will have to consider if it is worth replacing more parts or just buying a 3 pt. hitch backhoe. To completely rebuild this one would be more than it's worth at those prices!

 

[Gun guru]

Yes I could have made those for you. It would have taken me 8 hours to do it and I would have charged you $300 for labor + materials.
If the ID's needed a special reamer size then add the cost of the reamer too. If it was maybe a 16.5 MM or something.

If you got it all for $475 in a one day turn around then you did well.

 

[teddy52food]

And $40.00 if you tried to do it yourself and couldn't!

 

[Inno]

(quoted from post at 19:16:36 04/20/11)
If you got it all for $475 in a one day turn around then you did well.

That is the kind of answer I was looking for. The turnaround time was not important (took 2 days) as I did not have a deadline. But when you look at the parts and initially see the bill :shock:
I know that anything custom made will cost more, that is a given. And when parts are not available and I can't do it myself then I have to pay.
Thanks for all the answers.

 

[Don-Wi]

Being a machinist and having done that type of work in the past, that's not a bad price. I know to you it may not look like much, but trust me it is a little more than just stick it in the lathe and cut.

Our shop gets around $80/hour, but we also don't take in jobs from farmers and the like. We probably would if they really wnated us to, but it's not really what we do and they'd pay for it through the nose. Go to the shop I used to work at, they'd get $40-50/hour, and it'd take atleast a full day to make those if one guy is doing them. One full day to me is 9-10 hours. Do the math.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Anonymous-0]

Heck, the grass is always greener on the other side, I have owned a machine shop for almost 20 years... Seen good times and bad.. That price is not out of line... I bet it it is cheaper than OEM would have been.

 

[Anonymous-0]

The car dealers are charging $100 an hour here. The shop that rebuilt my Cat engine is over $100 an hour. A good machinest will easily make $30/hr+. Some get around $40/hr.

 

[Spook]

I'd say you did real good. Got off pretty cheap.

 

[ncpapaul]

$65.00 an hour here. Paul