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Posted by Dan Shockley on Sunday, April 12, 2009 at 00:58:56 :
In Reply to: Re: Need to borrow: WARN M-22 Lockout hub (1/2 ton WC) posted by ccsammy on Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 14:48:32 :
Matt,
They are made in Jianjiang, China, about 1 hour from where I live in a small shop owned by four young men.
Three years ago when I started working on this project, I checked with tons of sources in the US and Canada. Everyone blew me off. Times were good and they had bigger fish to fry.
I had a similar experience when I was working on the ARB locker. I checked with everyone in the US that manufactured a selectable locker. Everyone acted like it was a ridiculous idea. What person would pay that kind of money to put a locker in a truck built 50 years ago. ARB was the definite exception. From day 1, they were very supportive. They worked with me and explored the idea with me. And, eventually we worked out a deal to bring it to market. And, the lockers are made in Australia.
When I moved to Shanghai for my job two years ago I was looking for a way to continue to contribute to the Power Wagon community. After talking with a few of my colleagues, I had a list of a couple companies that were interested in quoting the project. I thought it seemed like a good opportunity to make a product available to everyone.
At that time, no one else was actively working to find a source for these hubs. I took the opportunity to start the project. I am not in this to make any money – just recover some of my costs and give people a chance to own some great hubs at a reasonable price. The opportunity to offer W500 and WC hubs helps to increase volume and keep the prices low – and, there is no product available for these trucks.
I assure everyone that they are excellent quality. I have been personally involved in every step of design, material selection, prototype review and product testing. I will back them up with a 1 year warranty against failure.
I accept that some people may not like the fact that these hubs are made in China, and I am okay with that. For them, it is good that there are alternatives!
Thanks for your interest,
Dan
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