UDS Prices.... What is fair?

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WombleNC

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I have made mine and a few for a few buddies but my buddies supplied the materials and paid me in beer. Now I got some people wanting me to build one here and there. It takes about good Saturday to burn out, clean, build and paint a UDS. Anybody have an idea on what to charge to build a good UDS?

This how I roll:
Good Burn
Good wire wheel cleaning
Weld in the tabs for the grates (No bolds in the sides)
Fab up the air vents
Fab up Fire basket
Fab handle on top with adjustable exhaust damper
Webber Grates
Paint
Wheels.. optional

any feed back is great
 
Honestly, only you can answer that. What's your time worth? Have you factored in consumables like shop supplies, welding wire, gas, cut off wheels etc? Electricity to run the equipment? All this factors in too.
I too build them (in small quantities mind you) and when it's all said and done I don't really make a lot given the work involved. If I were to charge more, which I believe their performance warrants,I'd price myself out of the game for many perspective clients. I build them more for the love of Q and to have the pride in knowing my cookers are out there making memories for people, and while I'm at it I make a few bucks in the process. Choosing a price is a balancing act, and the more you build you'll land on a price you feel confident asking and what price you can command.
Good luck!
 
J-Rod pretty much summed it up. ^^^^
Only you know what your time is worth.
Are you in it as a part time income or as a hobby?
 
I've seen prices range from $250-350 with the differences being in the craftsmanship and quality of parts used. You're doing a lot of welding so you'll have to determine what your time is worth. I recently sold one for $300 which included two grates, wheels, and came pre seasoned. I cut cost of my time by having it sandblasted. I've seen people selling them cheaper but they tend to cut corners and do things like use smaller intakes or nickle plated hardware.
 
I disagree with the "only you can determine what to charge" sentiment. The market will tell you what price they command. You have to figure out if there is enough profit in it to make it worth your time. Just because you think it has $XXX worth of work and materials in it, that doesn't mean that's what they'll sell for.

Your question is a fair one, but going on just a description, it's hard to say.

Any pics of a finished drum? I've seen them for sale in a wide range of quality and cleanliness. Not all UDS are equal.
 
I say buy unlined, unpainted drums.
For $8 each, if you could.
There is a huge business for drums,
and if you buy a whole bunch, you'd get them cheap.

NEXT -
You are saving by tabbing in shelf supports, etc., like $40/ drum.
Charcoal box, vents, nipples, shelves, thermo = $70
Paint $10. (1 qt. does 5 barrels 2 coats.)
I would charge $200 labor no burn out needed,

Weber Lid is $50 extra, if barrel will not accept Weber lid, it's $75
(for an aluminum ring insert, + RTV sealant, etc) plus lid.

I would NOT be in the bidness of making barrels for free.
 
I've seen some nice looking ones (paint) with lower end looking parts for $300. My ugly one I have about $150 in. I'd say $225 for a quality ugly one and maybe $300 for a quality painted one.

$8 a barrel, wow. I paid $60 for a new, unlined 16 gauge barrel with lid.
 
$8 a barrel, wow.
Click to expand...
oh no, I can't find them for that, I bet someone who wants to buy a ton of them can.
My can had been cleaned inside and out, then spray painted.
Surely, it's cheaper to buy them new / unpainted.
 
Any product is worth whatever the market will bear. Check what the consumers in your area are currently paying, then decide if you are content to get the difference between that and your TOTAL cost for your time.
 
I'm a potential customer. Don't have the time, tools, drive to create my own UDS. I'd prefer for someone with experience to build one for me.

The price I would pay depends on the materials used, my understanding of the build and what went into it, the experience of the builder, and cost for getting the cooker to me. Before agreeing to purchase, I would expect to see examples of past builds...especially showing the configuration I would be agreeing to purchase. Ideally, I'd like to see feedback from past customers.

BTW: I would GLADLY pay a bit of a premium price for a well executed Baltimore Ravens themed (not so)UDS. :mrgreen:

Bruce
 
Pit Barrel Cooker sells for $289 and sells very well at that price. So I would use that as a guide.
 
As someone who buys and sells a lot of drums, $8 is not very realistic. Scrap value alone is around $5.

I would charge $200 for a UDS. $100 in parts, $100 labor. Honestly, you can build a UDS in a couple of hours. But, as bvbull pointed out, the market will tell you what the price should be. If PBC is $289, IMHO, it should be under $225 for sure.
 
$250-$300

I have been making and selling UDS for a few years now and I get $250 out of them without much hesitation. I don't make a lot of money on them and feel for the amount of custom parts I make I could ask $300 easy without feeling bad.

This is what I am selling now, all custom and fabricated by me:
2 grill grates
Charcoal basket
Slide intake
Custom hinges for either a dome or flat lid
Side table
Wheels and legs for portability
High temp primer and paint (hand sanded)

I can't work on them 24 hours a day with this pesky thing called a full time job lol. I can usually finish one in a week only working a few hours here and there. I do them more of a hobby but like to get a few dollars in the pocket too. Wouldn't mind turning this into more of a part time business tho.

This was a recent build I did.
 

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In action

Here it is in action that the customer sent to me. I get as much reward knowing that they work great and people love cooking on them as I do making some extra cash.

Enjoy!
 

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mchar69 said:
I say buy unlined, unpainted drums.
For $8 each, if you could.
There is a huge business for drums,
and if you buy a whole bunch, you'd get them cheap.

NEXT -
You are saving by tabbing in shelf supports, etc., like $40/ drum.
Charcoal box, vents, nipples, shelves, thermo = $70
Paint $10. (1 qt. does 5 barrels 2 coats.)
I would charge $200 labor no burn out needed,

Weber Lid is $50 extra, if barrel will not accept Weber lid, it's $75
(for an aluminum ring insert, + RTV sealant, etc) plus lid.

I would NOT be in the bidness of making barrels for free.
Click to expand...

Where can you find unlined, unpainted drums for $8?
 
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