TW's active 4runner builders BS thread

I always see this mentioned and legitimately wonder how much demand there is for his racks.

I can't imagine it's enough to pay the mortgage and provide for a family. He could diversify his offerings, but rack alone? No way. Can't see that being feasible.

Once you buy the rack, you never buy another - so growth is the only way to make money. Otherwise, no repeat customers and you're selling to a market already healthy. At some point you'll run out of buyers without a broad product line.

 

I'd just buy a laser cutter, cut racks all day, send to powder and ship out. Sounds way more fun than traffic

 

Each one is 600, I doubt it costs that much to build. Same as profit margin on our bumpers is insane. 1000 dollar bumper costs like 200 maybe in steel. It's all labor. The racks don't have as much labor because they are shipped unnassembled.

 

Sure, but when you include overhead, taxes, and at least one paycheck how many bumpers do you have to sell every month until you retire?

Probably a fuck ton more than what the demand calls for.

 

I don't know. There are a lot of Tacoma's with that rack. Frontrunner is a multi million dollar business

 

Frontrunner doesn't just sell a single item and sells them all on a significantly larger economy of scale than Zach does.

So, apples to oranges.

 

I'm sure he's doing okay, I just think if he was able to and wanted to go full time he'd have done so by now - and like I said, too, he's the hot thing now, for how much longer? Particularly when he's having significant issues with QC for over a year now, if not longer.

Want to see him hit it big, but he's got some hurdles to get there (if he even wants to be there).

 

I love his shit because it was a unique solution to ONE guys problem, and it met the needs of many - and it was born on TW.

That in itself gives me a kick. He's a home grown dude with a home grown product, and if he ever gets even half the size of the big name competitors I'll be stoked as fuck for Zach. He deserves success, just has to work harder for it.

 

I have a thing for cottage gear makers, especially cool when I watched it develop from the start.

 

Yeah I was saying there is potential.

Also apples and oranges are easily compared. I dislike apples and like oranges. The skin on apples is too weirdly thin.

 

Thin, yet strong.

I, too, find apples to be disturbing unless they're pre-sliced.

 

just ate mine without slicing. @ me

 

Freak.

 

I agree with this kind of. It's cute that he started here blah blah, don't accept new orders if you can't fulfill the old ones.

 

@dtaco06 Heading back to SD on Tuesday with at least the 4Runner. Gotta see if Uhaul will let me rent a trailer to take both trucks back.

 

good, meet me in Pismo in July

 

Possibly. Depends if my internship opportunity works out. Otherwise my job is in AZ and I'd probably stay out there to make some money

That can probably be arranged. My 21st is the 15th of that month.

 

21st in pismo!

Hyped for memorial day 4 day weekend.

This weekend is a 5 day weekend! Off tomorrow for the bday to go to overland expo.

 

i have a 4 day (thank you union). I plan to be on the water in the boat with a beer in hand not caring about a g'damn thing.

 

I have a 14 day for the 4th of july. Should add that 10 are PTO...