I saw this shared on somebody's timeline on Facebook. There were over
600 comments which means its pretty well hated (love is not so motivational for so many).
Never mind the business atrocious business practices made in the poster's claims. Just look at the metal.
- It is obvious that they used whatever scrap they had lay around. I do mean scrap, although I save scrap myself.
- Many of the commenters claimed they compromised the frame of the truck. Due to the lack of penetration and adhesion that may not be the case, although if the welds were "good" it certainly could have.
- One of the things that caught my attention were all the ragged unfinished torch cuts of the scrap itself. I'm no expert with a torch, but I can do better than that. Nevermind that they didn't even knock off the easy slag with a hammer much less clean it up with a grinder.
- Of course the rails riding on top of what is function a sponge (plastic bed liner) is a huge issue. Even if everything else was good the rail bolts would snap off modestly quickly from the flex this allows.
- Then there were no longer any things I could distract myself with. I was forced to look at the welds directly. Trying very hard not to vomit I studied the dried "vomit" holding the "brackets" in place. Many people in the comments claimed that the wrong rod was used, and it was welded to cold. Those things may be true, but I have executed better looking welds with the wrong rod and a welder that couldn't get any hotter. I have welded stuff that was to thick for the current of the welder I was using. To me this looks a lot like a flux shielded weld attempted with DCEP instead of DCEN. The s***ty welds and the amount of spatter still stuck to the parts even after what looks like a cursory cleanup says flux core. The lack of anything resembling welds says wrong polarity flux wire, but...
5.b. I think an equally bad weld could have been achieved with correct polarity because it doesn't appear they even ground off the undercoating before welding. Most modern trucks have a protective undercoating on the frame that is as tough as a plastic powder coating paint which is what it probably it is. I have used a welding rod (no clue what it was) repairing t-posts for my grandfathers vineyard as a youth that seemed to burn through, rust, paint and dirt. I think his was badly mig welded.
Look at the bill if you like. They charged a good shape rate to do the job. I recently installed a set of brackets and hitch rails for a removable hitch in my work truck (2 years ago maybe less). I have both a gooseneck plate and a fifth wheel hitch to go in my rails, and I have pulled both with it since. Anyway, I bought a proper set of rails and brackets along with an electronic hitch controller on-line retail from a trailers parts vendor. I bought my gooseneck plate from a local farm supply, and I bought the 5th wheel used hitch on Facebook Market place. I think the cost of materials with a universal bracket kit was under a grand. It might have been slightly over if I had used the exact fit bracket kit. Figure retail for a basic hitch like that they might have been into it to do it right with proper materials AT RETAIL for
1500-1800 dollars. Since they are a "professional" hitch shop they are likely buying wholesale or at least at jobber prices. Even if they paid retail that still leaves over 3 grand for labor, shop supplies and a shop profit if they had used all new exact fit parts from a known name brand manufacturer.
When I installed mine I through bolted everything and welded nothing with the supplied hardware. I did not have to buy a single additional bolt, washer, nut or press fit knurl nut. Correction. I used my own stainless steel hardware when I cut the hole in the bed for the electrical connector in front of the wheel well. I had my son do a fair bit of the work. He's smart, but he's not a mechanical person like myself. He read the instructions and followed what it said. I came out to old or press on the heads of bolts a few times when he needed a hand. It took less than a day for somebody who had never installed a hitch before in his life.
To be fair I often am able to do jobs in far less than the book hours for a job.
If the shop rate is $100 an hour and the "mechanic" is slow it might cost $1000 of shop labor to install a hitch like this PROPERLY.
It seems like an awfully involved post, documentation, and potential for legal liability to just be a hit piece. Still I feel obligated to say, "if this is real" I am appalled. This is news station expose worthy destruction of property.