Reproducing the OR-Fab Tire Carrier (anyone got a OR-Fab carrier?)

Chris

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So, I got a phone call this morning from one of the former OR-Fab employes. He told me the entire story about why OR-Fab failed, why they never opened their doors again (like they claimed they would), etc. Anyways, this guy was very nice and we talked for an hour or so. After OR-Fab went out of business, he started his own company building parts for Toyotas and Jeeps.

He told me he has been monitoring this forum a lot, and sees the OR-Fab tire carrier being mentioned often. I told him that a lot of us would really like one. He said that he plans on producing them again and has for a while, but in order to do so, he needs an OR-Fab tire carrier from someone who either wants to lend him theirs, or someone who is selling one (he is willing to pay).

Once he gets ahold of one, he is going to spend several months reproducing it and getting it right, and then he plans to make a hundred or so for an initial run. I told him that if this comes to fruition, I think we could probably organize a group buy, as a lot of us have interest.

However, before this tire carrier can be reproduced, he needs to find one for sale so that he can copy it.

Anyone know of one for sale?
 
From what he told me, the guys at OR-Fab were simply selling themselves short. They were building exceptionally well made products, but not making enough profit margin to pay the overhead and stay afloat. They liked to "party on weekends" (and by that I mean go out and do some serious 4x4'ing) and weren't focused enough on running the business side of it or putting some of the profits back into business.

They decided to shut down and then got purchased by another company (I believe it was Trans-American he said) with the intention of outsourcing the OR-Fab products to China. Apparently China couldn't even figure out how to use a ruler (his words), and the test products they were turning out didn't fit worth a damn, so ultimately they scrapped the idea and just shut OR-Fab down altogether.

He told me that he happens to have a lot of OR-Fab parts, but they're all JK parts, or front bumpers, the one piece he can't find is the rear tire carrier, which he needs in order to reproduce the rear.
 
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From what he told me, the guys at OR-Fab were simply selling themselves short. They were building exceptionally well made products, but not making enough profit margin to pay the overhead and stay afloat. They liked to "party on weekends" (and by that I mean go out and do some serious 4x4'ing) and weren't focused enough on running the business side of it or putting some of the profits back into business.

They decided to shut down and then got purchased by another company (I believe it was Trans-American he said) with the intention of outsourcing the OR-Fab products to China. Apparently China couldn't even figure out how to use a ruler (his words), and the test products they were turning out didn't fit worth a damn, so ultimately they scrapped the idea and just shut OR-Fab down altogether.

He told me that he happens to have a lot of OR-Fab parts, but they're all JK parts, or front bumpers, the one piece he can't find is the rear tire carrier, which he needs in order to reproduce the rear.

They don't have prints? Gosh, I read these stories about Rokman, and now this...A guy with a decent head on his shoulders about business should be able to make money. Go out and buy some designs from these Defunct companies, and start making parts...Wonder what the market really is....
 
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They don't have prints? Gosh, I read these stories about Rokman, and now this...A guy with a decent head on his shoulders about business should be able to make money. Go out and buy some designs from these Defunct companies, and start making parts...Wonder what the market really is....

You would think so, but just because someone is good with fabrication, doesn’t meant they know a damn thing about running a business. It’s unfortunate, but true.
 
So, I got a phone call this morning from one of the former OR-Fab employes. He told me the entire story about why OR-Fab failed, why they never opened their doors again (like they claimed they would), etc. Anyways, this guy was very nice and we talked for an hour or so. After OR-Fab went out of business, he started his own company building parts for Toyotas and Jeeps.

He told me he has been monitoring this forum a lot, and sees the OR-Fab tire carrier being mentioned often. I told him that a lot of us would really like one. He said that he plans on producing them again and has for a while, but in order to do so, he needs an OR-Fab tire carrier from someone who either wants to lend him theirs, or someone who is selling one (he is willing to pay).

Once he gets ahold of one, he is going to spend several months reproducing it and getting it right, and then he plans to make a hundred or so for an initial run. I told him that if this comes to fruition, I think we could probably organize a group buy, as a lot of us have interest.

However, before this tire carrier can be reproduced, he needs to find one for sale so that he can copy it.

Anyone know of one for sale?
You are welcome to give him my cell number and I can take any measurements he may need. I’d be so damn scared shipping this ship and risk it getting bent. You’d have to pry this thing from my cold dead hands.
 
He'll get mine when he can pry it from my cold dead fingers lol. :D Seriously, spill the beans Chris... please tell us what he said happened.
You are welcome to give him my cell number and I can take any measurements he may need. I’d be so damn scared shipping this ship and risk it getting bent. You’d have to pry this thing from my cold dead hands.

Molon Labe!!
 
So, I got a phone call this morning from one of the former OR-Fab employes. He told me the entire story about why OR-Fab failed, why they never opened their doors again (like they claimed they would), etc. Anyways, this guy was very nice and we talked for an hour or so. After OR-Fab went out of business, he started his own company building parts for Toyotas and Jeeps.

He told me he has been monitoring this forum a lot, and sees the OR-Fab tire carrier being mentioned often. I told him that a lot of us would really like one. He said that he plans on producing them again and has for a while, but in order to do so, he needs an OR-Fab tire carrier from someone who either wants to lend him theirs, or someone who is selling one (he is willing to pay).

Once he gets ahold of one, he is going to spend several months reproducing it and getting it right, and then he plans to make a hundred or so for an initial run. I told him that if this comes to fruition, I think we could probably organize a group buy, as a lot of us have interest.

However, before this tire carrier can be reproduced, he needs to find one for sale so that he can copy it.

Anyone know of one for sale?

Chris can you give me his contact info I have one sitting around!
 
You would think so, but just because someone is good with fabrication, doesn’t meant they know a damn thing about running a business. It’s unfortunate, but true.
100% I see it all the time...especially with engineers. Really good engineers get promoted into management roles...and a lot of the time, they are TERRIBLE managers. Business is definitely a different skill set. When you work on something, you get an emotional attachment. Its tough to separate the emotions from the finance sometimes.

I was actually hinting around that a guy who understands business with a interest in Off-road might be able to hire a fabricator and start producing things.
 
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