From the blog
What to Send a Mobile Welder for an Accurate Quote
The photos and details that get you a flat price from a mobile welder instead of a 'I'll have to come look at it' — a quick checklist so your quote is fast and accurate.
What to send a mobile welder for an accurate quote
If you want a fast, flat price instead of "I'll have to come look at it," give the welder enough to actually see the job. Most of the time that's a few phone photos and three or four sentences. Here's the checklist — it's short.
Why this matters
A mobile welder pricing a job he can't see has two choices: pad the number to be safe, or roll a service call ($225 at KC Ironcore — covers travel and the first hour) just to look. Good photos let me skip both and quote a flat price for defined-scope work, usually same day. It's the standard way this trade works, and it saves you money and a wasted trip.
The checklist
1. A close-up of the problem
The break, the crack, the rusted spot, the loose joint — whatever's wrong, get a clear shot of it. If it's a crack, a photo with something for scale (a tape measure, a hand, a coin) helps. If it's rust, I need to see how far it's spread.
2. A wide shot for context
Step back and show me the whole thing — the whole trailer, the whole railing run, the whole piece of equipment. The close-up tells me what's broken; the wide shot tells me what it's part of and how I'd get at it.
3. Rough dimensions
You don't need a tape measure (though it helps) — "about three feet of railing," "a four-by-eight utility trailer," "a skid steer bucket" gets me there. For fab jobs, a measurement or two matters more — length of railing, size of the rack, what it has to fit.
4. What it is and what it's off of
"Cracked tongue on a 2018 dump trailer." "Loose handrail on the back stairs of an apartment building." "Cracked bucket on a Bobcat skid steer." "Need a headache rack built for a flatbed." A sentence. It tells me the metal, the stresses, and whether there are any rules I have to follow (truck frames, code railings, food-grade stainless).
5. Where it is
A city or neighborhood is enough to start; an address if you've got it. Tells me drive time and whether you're inside the metro (covered in the service call) or out far enough to need mileage.
6. How soon you need it
Down-now urgent, this week, or whenever-you-can-fit-it. Emergencies get pushed to the front of the line — and emergency/after-hours work runs 1.5×, so it matters that I know.
7. Access notes — if there's anything weird
Indoors or outdoors? On a roof? In a pit? Behind a locked gate? Has it been "fixed" badly before? Anything I'd want to know before I roll up. Most jobs don't need this; the ones that do, you'll know.
8. What the metal is, if you know
Steel, aluminum, stainless, cast iron — if you know, say so. Most people don't, and that's fine; I can usually tell from the photos. But aluminum and stainless are a different (and pricier) job, so it speeds things up.
What you don't need to do
- You don't need to know which welding process the job needs — that's my call. (If you're curious: MIG vs TIG vs stick.)
- You don't need professional photos. Phone photos in decent light are perfect. JPG, HEIC, PNG — all work.
- You don't need a diagnosis. "It broke here" is enough; I'll figure out why and what it takes.
- You don't need to clean it up first. Photograph it as it is.
What you get back
For defined-scope work — a coupler swap, a section of railing, a bracket, a gate hinge — a flat price, usually same day. For structural, frame, or big fabrication work, I'll still want to see it in person before I commit (rust and access decide too much to guess from photos), so that gets a service call and an on-site quote — but your photos still tell me what to bring and roughly where it'll land.
The fast version
Bad spot close-up + wide shot + "what it is and where it is" + "how soon" = a real quote, fast. Upload it here.
Send it
Snap the photos, write the three sentences, send it over. I'll get you a price.
Send Photos, Get a Quote · How pricing works → · All services →