DMR's K-5 Gutter Machine Photopage part 1

From: James Steadman <jsal2001@yahoo.c*m
Subject: gutter training
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010

Hi David,
I wanted to let you know that I recently used some of the training you gave me. I installed two long sections of gutter, 60 or 70 feet each, so I used the gutter splice you taught me and they worked perfectly. I appreciate the opportunity you gave me to come to Portland and train with you. We covered a lot of stuff in one day and it was well worth the trip. It was very nice of you and your family to allow me to stay at your home. It was also nice of you to get up at 4 AM in the morning and take me to the airport. Tia is a great cook too!

Thanks,
Jim Steadman
Steadman's Rain Gutters
Bridgeport, Texas

What Do These Web Pages Have To Offer?

Superior Gutter Installation Business Set-up:
Even if you already have your own thriving gutter business with several crews I can show you how you can speed up their installations with better quality installations and improve your marketing to save you thousands a month. This is web site is the most comprehensive you will find on the Web by far, so you will find a lot of beneficial information if you take the time to read through it.

If you are:
Already a gutter contractor
Looking to become a gutter contractor who is clever possessing a good mechanical aptitude and looking for a good set-up like I have put together
Or looking to get into more high end work (instead of the lame mass-production gutters new construction demands)

You can read over these pages to get good ideas of how you can make this a reality.

As far as I know I have the only gutter and custom sheet metal training like this in the States. I can assist your start-up of this sort of business with lists of suppliers and tools best suited for this work, saving you a lot of wasted time and money.

Here is a link to the most extensive photos showing gutter prep for you to study:
http://dmr-gutters.com/cg/Kistler1.htm

Gutter Installation and Business Training:
There is a great deal of info on our web site regarding this sort of business, but it is not just the standard system. It revolves around a very high set of standards for quality and ethics that you will not find in the normal business model. I feel that if nothing else it is a smarter business model in the long run; saving thousands each month just in advertising costs and customer warranty service. Keeping the phone ringing for decades to come.

This is not a quick-get-rich program, since most of those are just scams to pick your pocket. This type of work has a good potential of making a healthy living without breaking your back without having to work with highly hazardous materials. It has growth potential to possibly make you $50 to $150 an hour, but I feel some of the best rewards is the feeling of pride and satisfaction of your accomplishments providing a good service to your clients and helping to build values in America once again.

I also offer a franchise option without any continuing pay-offs, to help kick start your business off the ground running, as long as you share my ideals of quality work and ethics.

What you should do before contacting me:
Read through our web site carefully to get to know this business as well as you possibly can. Not just this one web page. Then write an essay on your experience, qualifications, and plans for this sort of business. Then e-mail that to me to begin the process and evaluate the cost of just what you want and need.

You will need to mail half of the tuition to begin the actual training on-line to prepare you to maximize your training when you get here for the hands-on training. The other half will be due when you arrive for your hands on training. Read the sections below to find out more what that training entails.

What If I Need Training In Gutter Installation:

For more information than D M R Gutters.com has generously provided you already you will have to pay for personalized lessons that can be much more than just how to miter a corner well. I will be happy to tailor this training to meet your needs and adjust the cost accordingly. You will most likely need to be able to spend a week or so here with me for a portion of this hands-on training, but I f you are a sharp cookie I have trained a person to do 4 types of custom gutter ends within a day. You can bring others to train with you and take home the sample pieces you made for later review.

With my training program and franchise options you can get:

(a) Internet correspondence to set up this training time with other details, along with correspondences before hand to begin some of the training, in order to help maximize your time while here.

(b) Learning the lingo and sales techniques that work, without placing your client under stressful pressure.

(c) Provide you with a list of tools and suppliers that are best.

(d) A detailed work system to save you a lot of money and time.

(e) I will be going over marketing concepts and work with you to develop a starter web site to market your service for clients local to you, which is linked to this web site. This will give you that professional image and save you a great deal of time on the phone answering common questions. It will also save you thousands a month on advertising costs and help you find better pre-qualified clients for an easy sale.

(f) I will show you how to maintain the web site, and add your personal touches and photos. A list of user-friendly inexpensive programs needed, that we have tested over the last decade of web design work.

(g) Copies of print masters for your sales brochures and other paper work.

(h) Book keeping and tax information.

(i) You could even use the name; Dynamic Metal Rendering, and list yourself as an official D M R Gutters franchise to help give you a head start to impress new clients. With the full training and franchise, you will not have to worry about another gutter contractor training with us competing for your business within a 100+ mile radius of your location for as long as you are in business there.

(j) Going out to client's homes to do bids and actual gutter work, seeing how we interact with clients, with a hand-on demonstration of gutter installation.

(k) I will be demonstrating most types of gutter sheet metal fabrication and installation, even if it is not relating to the jobs I have lined up. You would be using aluminum material to demonstrate with and practice on, so we can see that you are able to do it yourself. You will be returning with samples and templates to refer to afterwards.

(l) Then some afterwards teaching and answer time on-line; for some of the questions that you will come up with later.

And more details that I may not have thought to add here.

As far as cost; for this training with a comprehensive hands-on instruction with up to 5 students for a full week would run just $5,000 to cover all I'm offering listed above. Again, I will customize this program to fit your needs and adjust that cost.

You could spend much more than that on just getting a good custom web site designed for your business, so I know this is quite a bargain for all I'm offering here, and save you more than that in the first year alone. This is a small start-up cost for most any type of small business. This will also greatly increasing your chances for success, where most small businesses fail within the first 2 years. I have specialized in gutter replacement for 18 years now, since 1992. We have a guest room here, so you would not need to spend the extra $ for that and my wife is a pretty decent cook.

If you are unable to spare more than a few days devoted to this training I have a couple other options:

(a) $200 a day to hang with me and see what I do. We will need to carefully arrange this time, so I can set my schedule to best fit your time here where I am doing the sort of work that would benefit you most.

(b) $600 a day to have me spend my full attention with you while you're here for a one-on-one training in order to show you these skills and have you make your own practice sample pieces to bring back with you to use as reference guides.

This is cheaper than many group seminars offered in many other fields, where you just sit in uncomfortable chairs to be lectured at all day, so I know my cost is more than reasonable.

If you are serious about our training program, read through the dozens of web pages on our web site (not just this one web page), write an essay on your qualifications, experience, your business plan so far, and let me know just what all you need most. Then send it to me in an e-mail.

What Kind of Gutter Machine/Trailer Set-up Will I Need?

I still use my gutter machine on a regular basis, as that portion of my work is still over half of what I do. These pages are not to sell my gutter machine or trailer, since that would put me out of business for a month or so to order another machine and make a whole new trailer. I replaced all the painted steel screws with stainless steel screws in August 2005. I've had my gutter machine since 1995 and it has not needed any major service in all that time; having been kept out of the elements since it was new, which is the advice I generously went out of my way to offer you here on this web site:
http://dmr-gutters.com/gm/

As you will see on these several web pages I have designed our gutter machine trailer to be sturdy, yet as light weight as possible, so it can be pulled up hill by just a Honda 3.5 liter V-6 engine. Light weight is imperative to be able to make it up steep hills, as well as having decent gas mileage. The Gutter machine with one full 400# aluminum coil weighs around a ton plus the trailer weight. So you have to pull that trailer weight with your vehicle loaded down with tools, so you are looking at pulling a good 8,000# to 9,000#.

The trailer also needs to have a special access hatch in the roof, so the fork lift at the wholesale supplier can lower the 400# to 500# coil onto the machine's spool cradle. They do not make standard trailers with this in mind. It is good to keep it low height as possible, so that you do not need to use a ladder to remove the screws to open the hatch, as well as minimizing the wind drag and weight. The hatch needs to withstand freeway speeds and keep out the rain, while being simple and light weight.

Size and Decking:
The trailer should be a double axel with one axel having an electric brake assist. It does not need to be longer than 12' plus the trailer tongue. A 10' long trailer floor was too short, but there is no need for a 14' trailer. A longer trailer adds a lot more weight and makes it that much more difficult to manage in traffic and park. It should have at least a 4' to 5' width between the wheels with the steel frame built out to the outside of the wheel wells for the shell support; for a 5.5' to 6.5' interior space. It does not need to have a wood deck under the gutter machine its self, so it is best to not get a trailer that is already decked. A 2x4 deck in a light weight cedar or redwood is best for the floor of the trailer, than just a cheap pine deck. Those boards may be a little more costly, but over just the next year you'll have saved more than the cost difference in gas you've saved.

Vehicle Connection:
I prefer the type of hitch seen on these pages and you will need a tongue lift to get it on and off the towing ball. It is best to have the vehicle set up with a full set of clearance lights, back-up lights, separate turn signals, brake lights, and an electric brake controller with relays placed on each circuit to keep from melting your vehicle's electrical switches. That actually happened to me early on. I had the wiring professionally installed, but the steering column started smoking and fried my switches, costing me over $300 to have it replaced. I ended up having to rewire it all myself with the added relays.

What If I Need Your Personal Help Building a Trailer system Like Yours?

Obviously I have experience with this and have worked out the bugs to design a strong light weight trailer to house the gutter machine in, so if you feel that you could use our help building a good user-friendly gutter machine trailer set-up like you see here, that can be arranged. I was tested to have a near perfect mechanical aptitude and seem to be able to brainstorm most any problem. I can help you get one of these new machines and customize a good set-up that fits your needs best. For a price of course. If you are able to come here and help out with the fabrication, I'll factor that into the cost. E-mail me to get a quote to fit your particular needs.

What About Used Gutter Machines?

I do not deal in used machines as they are not worth having. I do not know any business that buy used machines and tries to recondition them to sell, as there is not enough money in it. A new gutter machine may not be cheap, but there is no advantage to getting a used machine. It most likely is a rust bucket and needs to be rebuilt, which costs several thousand dollars and more time out of service. And that is if you can find a technician local to you that knows what he is doing to fix it.

Most gutter contractors will mount their machine on the back of a pick-up truck, leaving the machine exposed to the elements, and they become riddled with rust. Good gutter machines may have a some stainless steel rollers, but the bearings are not stainless steel, nor the frame. The motor will most likely need replaced or rebuilt. Some of the custom parts (if they can be found), are very pricey, which could cost you more than the difference of a new machine, not including the labor to do all this research and rebuilding.

If the machine is not in very good shape, it will crack and scratch the painted sheet metal. Or worse yet, it is common that it will no longer form the gutter in the right shape, and even have the sheet metal constantly bind up and jam. I have seen used gutter machines advertised for as much as $5k to $6k, but that does not mean they are really worth more than their scrap metal value. I think the current price for scrapping mixed metals is about 15 cents a pound, so that's around $200 it's actually worth.

Wouldn't you rather just have a care-free new machine with all new parts and the latest technology? Remember how down time will cost you a small fortune. Even driving an old beat up work vehicle cost way more to a contactor than the payments on a new rig. Every day it is out of service, you loose over $500. It will also hurt your referrals and sales to be running shabby equipment.

What Do I Need To Do To Keep A Gutter Machine In Good Running Order?

Maintenance on a good gutter roll-forming machine that has been kept out of the weather is hardly ever needed. The drive chains may need oiled every year or so, depending on how much it is used.

Keeping this machine on a trailer also saves thousands in fuel expenses, as well as wear on your work vehicle, since few trips you make require you to have the gutter machine with you. Such as bids or supply runs, or just finishing up the job you already started. Not to mention less road vibration that can wear and change the settings on a machine, and shorten the life of the bearings as well. It also makes driving far more difficult to have that extra weight, and your stopping response time much worse. With the added weight of the machine will also make the impact in case of an accident that much worse and cause more damage.

I've developed a system where I only bring the trailer out with me less than 1 out of 10 trips. You do the math.

Other Helpful Roofing Information
For some valuable advice with regards to roofing and rain management issues check out our:

(a) Gutter Installation
(b) Gutter Debris Protection Options
(c) Roofing Quality Standards
(d) Chimney Flashing
(e) Moss Control & Treatment

web pages for answers and solutions that could save you thousands of $ and a great deal of anguish.

If you do find this information very helpful, feel free to send us a $ tip for the assistance we so freely have published on the web here for your benefit, like you might tip a waitress. Heck, send us a gift certificate for a candle lit dinner for two. <LOL>

Questions?
What Do You Have To Offer?	How Do I Arrange to Train In Your Gutter Installation System?
What Kind Of Trailer and Machine Will I Need?	What Would a Decent Gutter Machine and Trailer Cost?
What About Used Gutter Machines?	What Do I Need To Keep My Gutter Machine In Good Order?
What If I Need Help Building a Trailer?	DMR Gutters Contact Information