Weber Kettle Club Forums
Grill Talk => Weber Mods, Tables and Customs => Topic started by: addicted-to-smoke on September 27, 2017, 06:21:07 AM
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I'm sick and don't feel like dealing with humans this week over the phone. Has anyone emailed their "support (at) weber.com" address and asked for a part, and received an invoice or whatever?
I'm interested in like 2 or maybe 3 pairs of 2015 Master-Touch wheels, which seem to be part# 65144. Comes with the gray covers, although I don't plan on using those. (I think Weber also updated the 26 to these new-tread style wheels also?)
grillparts.com has SINGLES for like $17, which just ain't gonna happen.
Hoping that I wouldn't have to fake an online grill registration (or three) to get these.
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Weber sells them for the same cost as grillparts.com.... $17ish for yes, a single wheel.
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I've got a pair of 8" older style if you want. Just needs white inserts...
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170927/579d10075ca139b39e0db5b178598faa.jpg)
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Geez. And here I thought grillparts was fluffing up the cost. Lemme ponder this awhile, thanks jdorn.
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you absolutely do not want to know how much it costs to make a kettle -even in 10 year old numbers.
I hope enough people have donor parts and that more importantly you feel better.
Take two briquettes and log in in the morning.
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you absolutely do not want to know how much it costs to make a kettle -even in 10 year old numbers.
I hope enough people have donor parts and that more importantly you feel better.
Take two briquettes and log in in the morning.
I do!
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Gimme $30 and hang on.. i'll get your change.
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Hold on a sec --- I thought it was the gassers that were profitable, not the kettle line.
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WOAH! No.. I was speaking in 2007 terms and the 22... Mind you ALL The tooling that makes a kettle bowl/lid and the stampings of the hole patterns, the beading, etc. That has essential being the same tooling and presses going back to the 50s. Virtually little to no wear, just banging them out hour after hour, after hour. You're paying for raw stock and finishing and someone to hang various parts on a hook, place a disc of metal in a press and take it out. Now you have the consumer doing much of the assembly? CH-CHING!
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And when that isn't enough profit they will switch to bolt on bowl handles and bolt in grate straps.
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And when that isn't enough profit they will switch to bolt on bowl handles and bolt in grate straps.
you are exactly correct.
let's think about this a little bit. Fender's Squier guitars and Gibson's Epiphone guitars at the budget introductory level are $100 brand new. There are a lot more details, parts, finish, and electronics that go into an electric guitar. They sell a ton of them AND they make a profit -otherwise they wouldn't be offering them.
Certain electronics -game systems, they are under $100 and they recoup tooling of plastics, assembly, shipping, packaging...."How can they do it and make a profit?" Well they must be making a profit or they wouldn't be charging that price. Cell phones are very inexpensive to manufacture in a lights out system.
So you essentially have the exact same tooling and presses since the 1950s still running and banging out identical parts for the last 50 years. That capital investment is all paid for many, many times over. Other than raw stock (and the finish) you have an operator and routine maintenance. And you know the shapes aren't complicated, they're not stressing the presses. It's practically all gravy at this point.
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So did they ship all the tooling and presses to China?
I always assumed the bolt on handles helped with packaging bulk lids and bowls. Having imported industrial items direct from china I know freight is a huge issue.
Red
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So did they ship all the tooling and presses to China?
I always assumed the bolt on handles helped with packaging bulk lids and bowls. Having imported industrial items direct from china I know freight is a huge issue.
Red
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Apparently the larger amounts of production occurred after the Stephen family sold out and I was long gone, so I have no idea what is still made here and not. At the time, they had newer and excellent facilities in Huntley, Illinois for the kettles -all the legs and wheels and little bits were already coming from Asia as was the Spirit line. The leg couplings (they're not called sockets) the grill straps and handles were all made by this place since the 1950s: https://www.dudekmfg.com/ WSM center sections were farmed out to another business because Weber didn't have the beading capability. It was always a bit of a problem because they are rather large and you really begin shipping air. Where as kettle bowls and lids can be stacked.
Gas grills were made (for the most part) in Palatine and Asia even back then. That's when they shifted to the "Designed and Engineered in Palatine" nomenclature because so few parts were made her, they couldn't say "Made in USA" anymore. They were even counting the box/packaging, printed manuals....
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Here's a leg coupling: https://www.dudekmfg.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/MSroundOrig-1024x687.jpg
Handle: https://www.dudekmfg.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IMGP5000-1024x595.jpg