[jeff1]

I went and bought all the metal today for my daughters cage for her Tank the total cost for all the metal was £25.

Sometime this week I will weld it all together, so if we add electric for the welder and not including my labour the total cost of building your own cage is around £30 but I'll cost it all up at the end because it will include a tin of paint to paint the frame, then we have the high tensile steel bolts etc to buy, but I recon your looking at a maximum of £40 to DIY your own cage.

[poleman]

What size tank jeff, and where are you getting your bolts, just I am looking around for the next van. and need a tank

Andy
PS I over the college tomorow now!

[jeff1]

She only has a 250ltr Tank but you could add say another £10/15 for a 300/400ltr Tank metal prices have doubled over the past couple of months.

I'm getting my bolts etc, from wentin Fastners on the Lynx trading estate, I don't know if they have a web-site but I know you can buy any type of fastner there.

Bugger it, I can't get there tomorrow

[jeff1]

Here is there web page
www.wentinfasteners.co.uk/

[Captain Scarlet]

if i was back in school i could build one but i dont have a welder !!! Luke

[poleman]

Never mind, next month there be a pole waiting for you to use   I think there is a company local to me that sells the bolts, so are give them a visit when I get the next van

[jeff1]

Never mind, next month there be a pole waiting for you to use   I think there is a company local to me that sells the bolts, so are give them a visit when I get the next van

Let me know when your there next month, If I get finished in time tomorrow I'll whizz around to see you.

if i was back in school i could build one but i dont have a welder !!! Luke

I'll be welding mine, but I recon they could be bolted together using high tensile steel bolts and star washers.

[NWH]

Where do they get £750 + vat from then at some places.

[jeff1]

Its called profit    Ok add say another £30 for stainless steel and there still making a heafty profit.

[NWH]

Its called profit    Ok add say another £30 for stainless steel and there still making a heafty profit.

Profit more like daylight robbery.

[jeff1]

When you think of it, who has built there own cage??? No one has done a cost up, These comanies know its a legal requirment and all this H&S, so they have us by the goolies

I know they have overheads but maybe that includes trips to the bahamas for all the staff 

[jeff1]

Well all the metal is now measured shaped and  cut to size, Half hours labour so far, cutting was done using a medium sized metal chop saw.

[matt]

funny enough jeff, i asked a mate who welds, he said about 100 quid for the materials and his time

that was me either giving it a coat of paint or me getting it powder coated ( i priced up the powder coating, if i have the colour they have on the go, 50 quid )

[jeff1]

If you say it costs around the £50 mark for metal,paint,bolts, electric for welder etc, then I suppose £50 for labour is good bearing in mind all the measuring and cutting involved.
My own will be much less than £100 because of no labour charges.

[niceandclean]

Made a tank frame for my webasto bits, batteries and pumps to be housed. Used metal box tubing to do this and a tin of paint. Got a friend to weld it up, total cost £38.00. Going to make some sort of 3 sided box now to clad over it, was going to use checker plate but is quite expensive, so going to use marine ply and fablon the ply. 

[Andrew McCann]

Sorry but I have to butt in on this one.

Good on you if you have the free time and skills to do this. I would do the same.

I am sure your cage will be a good one Jeff.

To make a decent cage you are talking at least 4 hrs ..probably 6 in reality of skilled labour at £30 to £35 per hour. Say 4 thats £120.00 Material and fixings £60. Finishing..  I.E. galvanising £50 ish (Thats cheap because most galvanising companies have a minimum charge of around £70.00 for a one off) Transport to and from galvanising as well. That makes £230.00 before VAT which brings it up to around £270.00 before any profit. The other big problem with cages is delivery cost. E.G. around £50 for a 500/650 because of the volume they take up.

Manufacturers have a lot of overheads to pay which DIYers don't. Rent/mortgage, rates, insurances, heating/lighting and equipment depreciation are just a few examples. It's a totally different ball game to someone who has the tools and skills to do it themselves.

I have looked at tank kits and don't like the idea of bolt together tank frames. In fact I saw one at Windex and was horrified by it

For the above reasons I don't offer a tank frame sales service. A 650 for example would have to be somewhere around £400.00 delivered and the supplier would be at the mercy of the couriers not to damage it (Big risk) and have you ever tried to package a 650 frame? It takes AGES.

My advice for DIYers is to get a decent local fabrication shop to make one to your design and have it finished by galvanising or made in stainless.

Andrew

[JSMC]

i ordered a 400l upright tank cage with tray ofr battery and mounting for pump and controller which cost 271 delivered from pure freedom.

[NWH]

They come straight on a pallet with next to no wrapping at all,i`ve seen it first hand they don`t come packaged at all.

[jeff1]

Hi Andrew
My daughters life depends on it, so care will go into the making of it, Just as it would if I was building it for someone else.

I understand all the overheads and costs involved but for the life of me I can't see were 6 hours for welding comes from even four is a lot, I've been welding for over 20 years now and the only time I spend a lot of time on preparation and welding is when I'm doing scroll and decoration work, surely a fabricator would have Jigs already set up for different size's  if they built a lot of cages?.

guy's on here have had cages built by there local fabricators who don't have the Jigs set up because its maybe a one off, they still have overheads like you mention but still manage to come out way under the prices you mention.

Cages don't really need to be stainless steel or even galvanized you can give a couple of coats of red oxide, then give them a couple of coats of good metal paint, there not going to slide around the van so the bottom bars aren't going to rust out for years.

I wouldn't make myself a bolted cage but if the correct metal is used along with high tensile steel nuts bolts and star washers, these bolts will be as strong as any weld, so you can create a good bolted tank cage.

[Andrew McCann]

My real point is if there really is money to be made from supplying good, safe cages at cheaper prices than they do then why are the manufacturers not doing this?

I would if there was a realistic profit to be made. On the above example I would be lucky to make £40 ish. I have looked very closely into this and just cannot do it. So.. I don't do it.

Maybe a nice sideline for you there Jeff??       After all you are gonna need to use all that spare time you are gonna have soon mate 

Andrew