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I've only been in this house for four years and thought I'd get around to getting the electric garage door opener working. Wasn't too difficult, but the use of a screw and nut where a clevis pin, washer and split pin would be more appropriate annoyed the hell out of my inner OCD. I used to have loads of the things, dating back to the '60s rod and cable brakes, but I binned them when I had a clear out (I mean to say, where would you use them now?). Try and find a couple nowadays. I don't want a bagful of the things!
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You can only buy things in tens these days. There used to be a good hardware place in Widnes where such things as nails could be bought loose - no idea whether it's still there: Manby's.
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I've sourced plenty of components from here:
www.accu.co.uk/
Just search for clevis pins. Postage may smart a bit.
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>> I've sourced plenty of components from here:
>>
>> www.accu.co.uk/
>>
>> Just search for clevis pins. Postage may smart a bit.
Never mind postage, I'm not paying eight quid for one clevis pin. My OCD will just have to put up with a screw and nut.
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Looking online there’s no need to pay an extortionate £8 each. B&Q have them at less than that for two with home delivery. EBay is cheaper again with one of the first options offering delivery for a quid (how?) and the pins starting at less than £3 each.
Still not cheap but I recently paid a garage door man a total of £230 to supply and two new door cables and spindles. He was onsite for under half an hour so diy is saving you a fortune
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"I recently paid a garage door man a total of £230 to supply and two new door cables and spindles."
WTF!
I bought new cones and cables for £10 from a UK seller on eBay. Straightforward job following a bit of googling.
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Yep and the spindles are only about £25 retail and once you have the door down to sort the cables, the spindles take about a couple of minutes to click in. These prices googled as being about the normal rate.
I didn’t fancy dealing with the spring and cable and the dangers of their being under tension.
Some tradesmen do take the Michael. On the other hand a local brickie who has been recommended for another job has quoted me £230 labour per day.
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At £230 >> Yep and the spindles are only about £25 retail and once you have the door
>> down to sort the cables, the spindles take about a couple of minutes to click
>> in. These prices googled as being about the normal rate.
>> I didn’t fancy dealing with the spring and cable and the dangers of their being
>> under tension.
>> Some tradesmen do take the Michael. On the other hand a local brickie who has
>> been recommended for another job has quoted me £230 labour per day.
Around here (Bristol/Bath) most decent trades would be ~£400 per day - electrician, plumbers, gas, and I assume a brick layer. At £230 per day once insurance, van, reasonable holidays, pension, NI etc had been paid he would barely make minimum wage.
The garage door fix - possibly a bit rip off - but depending on where the "technician" came from there could have been 1-2 hours travel time. It is why for for most of my adult life DIY has been my default. Sadly larger jobs - new bathrooms, kitchens etc now a physical non-starter due to the joys of aging
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What with minimum wage being £12.71 (21+) an 8 hour day pays less than £100. Pretty sure the extra £130 would cover quite a bit more than insurance, van etc but do I get your point.
I think there's a number of factors goes into the cost. If I were a "trade" I think I'd have a target floor rate to cover my costs and make some money and which could be adjusted (up or down) for stuff like how much do I want (or need!) the job, what costs would I have (excessive travel etc), is there a chance of repeat business if I price it right, do I like/trust the client, how desperate they seem to get the job done and of course their apparent ability/willingness to pay - if you were invited to quote for a job on a gated estate you might jack up the price a bit!!
Trades seem pricey round here (Wokingham) and while I'd like to think £200 is still a good rate it probably isn't - but I also think £400 is a bit high. I think many of us here live in the past on cost of things!! - but I have a mate 30 miles away who tells me he pays about that for a groundworker and a brickie.
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>> If I were a "trade" I think I'd have a target floor rate to cover my costs and make some money and which could be adjusted (up or down) for stuff like ..........
...... whether it was going through the books or a cash in hand job!
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>> I didn’t fancy dealing with the spring and cable and the dangers of their being
>> under tension.
>>
There's certainly some spectacular effect (and noise) when a cable breaks!
I replaced one after such an event quite some years ago. I don't remember it being particularly difficult (I'm pretty sure there were detents on the mechanism to hold the spring under tension whilst working, though, of course, you have to get it under tension). The copious amount of grease originally applied didn't help, either.
Bought as a pair, the other cable is still somewhere in the garage awaiting the next event.
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"There's certainly some spectacular effect (and noise) when a cable breaks!"
I think both cables need to break for the tension to be lost. Certainly, I didn't need to re-tension mine, although I did need to chisel a hole in the adjacent brickwork to allow enough room for the cone to slide off. A tradesmen has to factor in a margin for hassle.
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>> I think both cables need to break for the tension to be lost.
>>
Not on mine. Separate (opposed) cable and spring for each side.
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Thanks. Don't know how I missed them.
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>> There used to be a good hardware place in Widnes ... >>
There was also an online place called Bob's Toolbox (somewhere in Cornwall I think) which would supply things like that.
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'where such things as nails could be bought loose'
Watch 'Ever Decreasing Circles', where that is illustrated in one episode. Martin (obsessive, pedantic) drives into town to buy a six-inch nail.
I love that show, Paul (cool, handsome, new next-door-neighbour to the street) who creates sexual tension between him and Martin's wife, Anne. I always wanted to be Paul, but then again, he never gets her in bed.
Amateur.
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>> There used to be a good hardware place in Widnes where such things as nails could be bought loose - no idea whether it's still there: Manby's. >>
It isn't - it closed 18 months ago apparently. Can't say I'm surprised.
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Clevis pins - Andrew-T
