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I can weld. Go for it you will be busy I bet.

I used to tell them it would be cheaper to buy one from Pitts and Spitts than for me to do it.

I like building fire pits

Had a guy I used for years. He stayed waaaay busier than he wanted.

He mostly worked for breweries and wineries. Repairs, fabricating, installs…. All stainless.

I cannot say how much demand is in your area but around here there is a lot. Mostly farming related but a lot of oil and gas related. Professional welders hate having to compete with hobbyists that happily undercut prices in order to get jobs. Also it depends on what jobs you're capable of doing and completing in a timely manner that are competently done. There's a huge difference in just sticking something together and actually laying, cutting and welding to professional standards something that will last and is correct. Good luck.

I've been trying to find someone to come out and weld a truck frame onsite for over a year. Can't find anyone that wants to do the job - talked to 3 guys and none of them even got to quoting me a price, just outright rejected it - and the job is just welding rear cab mounts that I've already purchased onto the frame. I guess its just a PITA small job that no one wants to tackle for a few hundred dollars.

I'm going to end up trying it myself after I do a few practice runs

Great point... lotta that in Boot's zone.

Sorry to say it ... in repair welding, the success of your business all depends on your skill level. If you have worked in a fab shop under good conditions welding and fitting fairly clean material...I'd say you are totally unprepared. When that phone rings, the jobs you will get will range from A to Z, every kind of equipment, materials, problems, dirt, oil, weather conditions. There is a damn good reason the girls don't do it.
To add fat to the fire, without pretty good mechanic skills...you will lose a lot of work. More often than not, it will be necessary to remove the part, weld it, and re install it. Customers don't want to hire two guys to complete a job. And when the customer is looking over your shoulder, all he can think about is he is paying you 100+ bucks an hour, and you gotta hustle to satisfy him.
Other than some time out for logging, I have operated a field truck for almost 50 years, and I'd say that pure welding only amounted to 20 or 25% of my income. Even getting to be the guy they call on a crushing or sand and gravel operation, welding only amounts to 60% of your billable hours.
It's a hard job, I wish you the best.

i did "warranty" metal work and welding for Cat, JD, komatsu, volvo, terex etc etc for years. charged those dealers 85 an hour 20 years ago!!
around here these days the wetbacks have undercut the prices and its just not worth it anymore. i still have a few good customers i do work for that dont blink an eye at 155 an hour plus fuel surcharge, and pay in 30 days.
carry good insurance, ive had to use mine twice in 30 years and its worth its weight in gold when you fry a computer on a new cat 994 loader or burn down a Cat wheel dozer in a landfill!! ive down both!!
theres little tricks to it all.
now i mainly export equipment from the auctions, much much more lucrative

You’d be a handy morherfûcker to know

The Meskins have undercut lots of businesses down here, jobs too.

Billy, Yeah, maybe when I was worth a schidt...now just another ustabe. lol

Does your state have vehicle inspection regulations that prohibit welding on the frame? Or maybe the guys you talked to are gun shy about liability? There are probably very valid reasons they're turning it down beyond it being too small of a job.

Re-line the floors and walls of a 20 year old trash truck compactor and get back to me about chitty repair jobs.....

People cry about wages but welders have high overhead in consumables, tools and truck expenses especially diesel and gas’s. My grandson has done a huge amount of different jobs. For the last few weeks he’s worked welding large 1” thick I-beams to below grade pilons for a retaining wall for a railroad. Next week he’ll travel to Oklahoma to test for a job in Kansas. He’s done small jobs for old farmers and such around here essentially for gratis.
Mexicans have pretty much taken over fabrication welding in large shops welding red iron and such. They work cheap.

My insurance excluded coverage for any weld on the frame of a motorized vehicle

Welders are a dime a dozen. Finding someone who can actually fabricate and lay out is tough. A little extra work has never hurt anyone, best of luck to you.

not sure, might have been a valid reason

This is one of those cases where "here" needs to be defined by "state" and better quadrant of a state to get the best answer.
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A friend worked for Kenworth and and told me that corporate did not want them mucking about drilling on the frame.

well that's unfortunate to read