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How much do you guys charge to replace sign bulbs that require a bucket truck?

W

WhatsYourSign?

New Member
We recently purchased a bucket truck and now have an opportunity to service signs that require bulbs to be replaced but I'm not sure what to charge.

How much are you or others in your market charging for this kind of work?

I'd appreciate any insights! Thank you in advance.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
What do you think would do it for you ??

Figure in the cost of the truck, the man in the bucket, the lamps being used, all the insurances, maintenance, distance for the truck, whatever other work might be needed while you have the cabinet open and most of all..... how much do you wanna make on top of all that ??

Are you replacing or retrofitting ?? Most places are using the LED sticks and wiring in new power sources. Can you do that ?? Can you test and make sure it's the lamps and not a driver or ballast ?? Can you do it if the electric is off due to a sensor or timer ?? Can you hook it up to your truck for extra power.

We just had one a week ago, where the power was turned off, so we hadda hook up and power the sign with our generator. That happens quite a bit.
 
U

unclebun

Active Member
It's always at least ten times more than the customer was thinking. Kind of like "you just hit print and the computer does all the work", they think "it's just a couple of light bulbs".
 
Decal Dennis

Decal Dennis

New Member
Depends on the truck you have. We charge $195.00 per hour for a 2 man crew out in a 70' bucket/crane plus parts. $145 per hour if it's just one crew member
 
B

Bobby H

Arial Sucks.
Customers often get irritated by those rates. That's because they don't think it costs us anything to drive out to their businesses to swap out a lamp or ballast. We pay out the wazoo for worker's comp insurance premiums along with all kinds of other stuff. So we track the amount time a crew member is up in the air versus standing on the ground or driving the truck due to the different rates for those job activities.
 
GAC05

GAC05

Quit buggin' me
One guy to hold the bulb and one guy to spin the truck in a tight circle - so at least $150 an hour.
 
LED Signs & Designs Texas

LED Signs & Designs Texas

New Member
You guys need to charge a minimum PERIOD!!! We always give an estimate to relamp/ballast before we ever leave the shop. They can say yes or I will do it myself.
You have the chance to sell them a LED upgrade. Explain most manufacturers pay for a full 5 year (parts & labor) warranty to justify the pricing.
We have 7 trucks, run 20 hours a day, 6 days a week. Don’t let the electricians take these jobs away from us. Good luck guys!!
 
D

DAVID MARSHALL

New Member
We are the only local signage company that owns an EWP. Our rates reflect the usual cost of hiring one because that's what our competitors will have to do. Half day minimum, just like the hire companies. Our WHS laws mean that there always need to be at least two staff where an EWP is in use. Without going into the specific numbers because it will be different where your business is, we charge at least half a day hire for the cherry picker plus normal hourly rates for each staff member, door to door.
 
signbrad

signbrad

New Member
Gino said:
Figure in the cost of the truck, the man in the bucket, the lamps being used, all the insurances, maintenance, distance for the truck, whatever other work might be needed while you have the cabinet open and most of all..... how much do you wanna make on top of all that ??
Click to expand...

That's how you do it.

Be wary of using someone else's rate. Your expenses, overhead and profit are uniquely yours. An accountant's advice is worth the money.

Brad in Kansas City
 
Notarealsignguy

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
ASVPRock said:
Of course, I'm not encouraging you to save money or do it yourself. It is better to entrust such a difficult matter to specialists. I recently installed an LED strip that I bought on https://www.amazon.com/car-lights-car-led-lights/dp/B09L86JRRM into your car. Because I could not figure out the circuit, the battery almost burned out. It's good that I stopped in time and turned into an electrician.
Click to expand...
you link spamming? You cant screw up 12 volts DC, it works both ways.
 
Notarealsignguy

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
netsol said:
OF COURSE YOU CAN. one way everything burns up and ends up in the garbage can!
Click to expand...
You may be right. I dunno how many battery chargers that my employees have burnt up by hooking them up to 24v, I have even drawn them a picture of how to do it right. Never underestimate stupidity
 
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