How many hours to hardtail frame?

Trying to get quotes from welders and local fab shops. Going to be ordering my hardtail but i want to know how many hours it takes to weld the hardtail to the frame? One guy thinks it may take 10 hours at 35/hour.

If anyone local to the Seattle area has suggestions or is a better option let me know. Thanks

That sounds in the ballpark. My local custom guy quoted me around 6-7 hours.

Does that include them cutting the back end off too?

Contact G&L. I think they have a service where they will hard tail your frame. You pay shipping both ways, and you know it's right. I did mine myself, and it did take a long time. That being said, before I would employ a weld shop who has never done a bike frame, I would send it to the people who are building my hard tail section.

That's crazy, start to finish should take no more than 3 hours including final welding. 10 hours? Shit they could build the whole hardtail in 10 hours.
Btw tcbros only charges $110 for there hardtail service

Bill that's more what I was thinking but I'm no expert. My plan is the low brow looped tho so maybe I should check and see if they can do it as a service also. Its just after shipping both ways I might as well find someone more local. Fuxkin wish i could weld and I wouldn't have this problem. Or a friend that could lol.

Dusty I've been contacting people that say they have motorcycle backgrounds or experience with it. But saying u do and actually being able to are two totally different things. Eh I'll keep getting guestimates either way tho.

Have it done by the people that make it. If you just ask a welder that's hasn't done it, he's going to estimate high, as he probably should. Greyhound shipping is cheap.

John

Good luck with your project. I really like that Low Brow loop tail section. They make it look easy to weld on. Maybe you should save a few bucks, and try finding a mig machine. Your going to need one any way. Teach yourself to weld, or take a class, and do the bike as your class project. You will get sick of taking it to a welder everytime you need weld work done.

I figure I can learn how to do basic things like mounting tabs for sissy bar, tank mounts etc. But my frame i def want someone who knows what they're doing. Gonna email lowbrow and see what they say. I want a couple other parts from there anyway so we'll see.

anthony said:

I figure I can learn how to do basic things like mounting tabs for sissy bar, tank mounts etc. But my frame i def want someone who knows what they're doing. Gonna email lowbrow and see what they say. I want a couple other parts from there anyway so we'll see.

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are you the guy from issaquah washington that called me about welding on a hooped lowbrow hardtail last week? someone in issaquah wa. called said he had a rear hardtail section he wanted welded onto his frame and then never called back is why i was wondering.

the david bird hardtails dont use a slug insert into the bottom stock tubes. they use a butt weld on setup that keeps the ugly posts and uses gussets. but whoever you use i recommend you get it done on a jig. waaaaaaay too many hardtails welded onto frames that are off. i have seen some come to my shop in marysville wa that were as much off as 3 degrees. a total cluster mess.

i dont build do it yourself kits for just that reason. too many dont knowers out there with a buddy and a buzz box welding on a rear section and not thinking about thier own lives hitting the highway on it. just my opinion though. that with a couple of bucks will buy a cup of coffee pretty much anywhere.....

i have fixed a couple of the other guys hardtails in the past at my shop but havent had a looped lowbrow in yet. anyway good luck with your build. as i saw posted here you may want to send whoever is building your kit your frame and have them attach it in their shop. that way if it does come messed up you have the original shop to go after to make it right.

you see one of the most prevalent reasons shops build weld on kits is liability. yeppp. they built the kit alright but it is the guy that attaches it to the frame that carries all liability for any failures. mass produced kits mean good profit. having the customer do the final attachment means zero liability when the shit goes in the fan. they sold a product, the customer attached and rode at his own risk, cant hold kit maker responsible for customers attachments. that is how it goes. i could build kits too and pass that on myself but i really dont want the possibility of any accidents from some ametuer killing himself or getting injured cause he did it himself and didnt know any better.... that would bother me to my grave. so that is why i only build hardtails on my jig on the customers frame. dont know if this makes sense to you but it helps me sleep at night. okay enough said...didnt mean to steal your thread here. just saying.

Thanks for the response joe. I actually am the one that emailed u about making one in the same design tho. We can take it to pm's tho to discuss if I were to bring the piece in and have u weld it on. If u were willing to do that.


The lines will be nice with the tank and pieces that I want to go with. I am trying to be cost effective of course and want to maximize every penny i spend. And I want a fuckin cool ass bike after I spend some money and some time.

i just got a customers frame in with a david bird hardtail kit to attach for him on my frame jig. ill let you know how it goes. havent mounted the frame yet to check the fit but the kit looks like good quality work to me. heavy wall dom tubing, heavy axle plates and they are clean milled steel. the welds look top notch tig. hoping it goes together as good as it looks.

well i just installed a david bird lowbrow xs650 hardtail onto a customers frame and it went very well. the mitres were perfect. the tig welds were awesome..... damned nice kit, fit, and product. only good things to say about thier stuff. it fit on my jig with the frame perfect. there my commercial for david bird is complete...hahahsh.

joe-wiseguy said:

well i just installed a david bird lowbrow xs650 hardtail onto a customers frame and it went very well. the mitres were perfect. the tig welds were awesome..... damned nice kit, fit, and product. only good things to say about thier stuff. it fit on my jig with the frame perfect. there my commercial for david bird is complete...hahahsh.

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Nice commercial joe. thanks dave