Need to hire welder - help!

[chracatoa]

So I need to do some spot/tack welding on my hitch. Any ideas where/how can I find these kind of professionals that do the job - and for a reasonable price?

I found just one - minimum quote is $400, seems too expensive.

A friend of mine told me we could take a class together. I'm all for learning new things but I'll be driving this thing and I don't want to do a bad job. I know nothing of welding. Would you do it?

Thanks!

[jaycocreek]

Know need for a welder if yours are like this.

[kalynzoo]

Many U-Haul locations do hitch work, many muffler shops will do spot welding, just a few ideas. I would not do it myself, even though it is supposed to be an easy to learn skill (my neighbor welds) if the hitch fails it could make a mess.

[DutchmenSport]

If you take a class, then you have to purchase all the welding equipment. I'm sure that will cost more than $400.

Check small engine repair shops, lawn mower repair shops, Echo (weed eater) shops. I had a hitch installed on my pop-up by an lawn mower shop about 15 years ago.

[Huntindog]

You could bolt the jacks on. This is not what one would consider to be a critical weld. The jacks won't be stressing the weld when in use.

But, it would be over head welding, which I personally find hard to do.

Welding itself isn't all that hard, and the purchase of the equiptment to do it has paid me back s of times over.

[westend]

Look in the Yellow pages for welding services, there is likely someone close to you. It will end up costing you many more $$$ DIY'ing if you don't own a decent welder, than having it done by a pro.

BTW, those harbor freight wire feed welders are ok for doing small repairs around the house, they're not for any kind of serious welding.

[chracatoa]

Nope, Redmond.

[path1]

Send me PM and I'll give you info on guy I use that has been in business many years. $400 sounds like a lot for

I need to do some spot/tack welding on my hitch

P.S. I do have a welder but welding is like an art, you don't just get good at it from a couple times. So I take important welding jobs to him.

[chracatoa]

I want to weld the jacks to the frame. What do you mean by machine shops? Any suggestions?

[camp-n-family]

What exactly needs to be welded? The hitch head? Receiver? For $400 you could buy a new one of those.

[falconbrother]

I would do my own and I would do some stress test on it before I took it out on the highway. With welding a lot has to do with the equipment you use. Personally, I have made some decent welds with a cheap Harbor Freight MIG welder but, for something like that I would rather use a stick welder and Lincoln rods. Welding isn't hard. It's more of an art. It takes time and practice to get good at it.

If you have never welded I would not trust a rookie weld to pull thousands of pounds down the interstate.

[TPUC]

You can find a better deal than $400 that's crazy. Check with local machine shops. don't weld it yourself welding is a skill not learned in a few classes.