American made

[bleda2002]

People get hung up on the hq location but what really matters more is how many locals were employed in making that item and the parts that go in to. The profit may go overseas but 90% of the money stays here as it goes to the taxes, factory workers, and local part suppliers.

My old tundra was like 92% us or Canada parts and assembly. That kept way more money in the us than buying a comparable "domestic" vehicle that had 50 or 60% us parts and assembled in Mexico.

Sponsored

 

[Atomicat]

All I have to say is...'Murica! Can I get an amen?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

To this day people believe the shortages are because of problems with or in China or the ports.
Yeah, some of it - but it's STILL domestic troubles causing a lot of it.

How about plow parts made in the USA - not available until January?
I could go on and list more things made in this country - but because of staff shortages, raw materials shortages (and referring to raw materials from the USA as well) among other issues like transportation (my truck driver friends still talk about shortages of drivers)
Domestic companies can't get employees. Our own department of labor are calling it "the great quit" because record numbers of people are leaving jobs.
Signs in every business we went to today - "help wanted" and some said "help wanted, all positions". Pella Corp still can't find employees - and they make some of the best windows and doors on the planet, right here in Iowa. But they can't expand because of staffing issues, and a certain amount of raw materials shortages.

Don't blame the Chinese for all of it - blame, well, never mind...........


"The original sin was the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed in March. The bill — almost completely unfunded — sought to counter the effects of the Covid pandemic by focusing on demand-side stimulus rather than on investment," he wrote. "That has contributed materially to today’s inflation levels."
Further, he added -
"They can’t say they weren’t warned — notably by Larry Summers, a former Treasury secretary and my former boss in the Obama administration, and less notably by many others, including me. We worried that shoveling an unprecedented amount of spending into an economy already on the road to recovery would mean too much money chasing too few goods," Rattner added.

There's some money out there, people are spending, but there's no one making goods, and there are shortages, and too few drivers to deliver them.
Oh, and China, too, of course.

Americans leaving jobs in record numbers,
China closing ports,
Shortages of workers in factories,
Money pumped into an economy that was already rising out of a slump - meant more buying, not enough goods,
and other issues.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have a John Deere tractor with a factory front end loader. The major cast uprights of the loader have “Made in China” cast right in them.
I also have an Indian motorcycle, and my Gladiator, they are all proof it is a global economy, whether we like it or not.

Note the bike on the far side.......... (WISH it was mine)

 

[redrider]

The KTM is my choice. I have been wrenching, riding and owning motorcycles for 50 years. I recall the rabid "Made In America" mantra from the hd folks. With Oriental seals and bearings, Denso guages, NGK plugs and Japanese Dunlops they really were ignorant in the ways of the world. That Italian hd 250 made by Aermachi? Would be nice to have a 350 Sprint, though.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I thought they were all great bikes, frankly. Didn't care where they were made.
The Indian sort of hits a spot with me because the first bike I worked on mechanically was an Indian and I recall how amazingly compact and well-engineered things were inside.
The next bike I worked on was my brother's Yamaha - transmission troubles. I can't recall the details exactly but I fixed it by flipping around a part that had worn and all gears worked fine again. What hit me back then - this was in the 1970s, was how these bikes were put together with NO GASKETS for the transmission or crankcase. It was all machined so perfectly, the castings so fine - and there were no leaks. And back then I was thinking how every piece on our stuff required gaskets and STILL leaked. It seemed like every car I worked on had leaks, every pieces of lawn and garden equipment leaked - but those motorcycles, with age on them, ridden hard, no leaks - no gaskets.
Then I worked on my first Datsun (anyone here old enough???) and the engineering behind the engine in that - yup, no leaks.

Anyway, on the bikes - the Duke was cool, but I think I maybe leaned toward the others because of my age and being a bit overweight. Can't see me sitting on that with 30 extra pounds hanging there. But I took the pic on purpose to capture all 3 because I'd not turn down any one of them if given me.
The Indian belonged to the guy who did my tat. I talked to him a while and he came to the states a few years back and rode from CA to Sturgis and did that event.

Pic taken in Israel (where EVERYTHING automotive or motorcycle is imported)

 

[Klutch]

I thought they were all great bikes, frankly. Didn't care where they were made.
The Indian sort of hits a spot with me because the first bike I worked on mechanically was an Indian and I recall how amazingly compact and well-engineered things were inside.
The next bike I worked on was my brother's Yamaha - transmission troubles. I can't recall the details exactly but I fixed it by flipping around a part that had worn and all gears worked fine again. What hit me back then - this was in the 1970s, was how these bikes were put together with NO GASKETS for the transmission or crankcase. It was all machined so perfectly, the castings so fine - and there were no leaks. And back then I was thinking how every piece on our stuff required gaskets and STILL leaked. It seemed like every car I worked on had leaks, every pieces of lawn and garden equipment leaked - but those motorcycles, with age on them, ridden hard, no leaks - no gaskets.
Then I worked on my first Datsun (anyone here old enough???) and the engineering behind the engine in that - yup, no leaks.

Anyway, on the bikes - the Duke was cool, but I think I maybe leaned toward the others because of my age and being a bit overweight. Can't see me sitting on that with 30 extra pounds hanging there. But I took the pic on purpose to capture all 3 because I'd not turn down any one of them if given me.
The Indian belonged to the guy who did my tat. I talked to him a while and he came to the states a few years back and rode from CA to Sturgis and did that event.

Pic taken in Israel (where EVERYTHING automotive or motorcycle is imported)

Sorry if I shared this story before, but it's a good one. In 1970 my family inherited my grandfather's house and moved in. Shortly thereafter, we got a letter at the house addressed to my grandfather. It was from the Aukland, New Zealand Police Department. The letter explained they had in storage an Indian motorcycle belonging to my grandfather. They asked if my grandfather wanted his motorcycle, he would have to pay to ship it. Otherwise, they were going to auction it off.

My dad talked to my grandfather's brother who explained my grandfather had been assigned to a Navy Mobile Hospital in Aukland during WWII. (He was a Hospital Corpsman.) Apparently, one night my grandfather had been drinking and shooting dice with some local Kiwis. One local Kiwi bet his Indian motorcycle and my grandfather won it. So, Grandad went tearing around Aukland on his newly-acquired Indian. The local police arrested him, threw him in jail overnight and impounded the Indian. He went back to his unit and shortly thereafter was sent home.

Unfortunately, my dad didn't want to pay to ship a motorcycle half way around the world and told the Aukland police to auction off the motorcycle. They kept the proceeds. Yeah, wonder what happened to that bike...

 

[Jefe1018]

Too add another point to this thread of things that are or are not American:

I drove a Nissan Xterra, it was designed and assembled in Tennessee, USA. Great vehicle, with a Nissan badge.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Sorry if I shared this story before, but it's a good one. In 1970 my family inherited my grandfather's house and moved in. Shortly thereafter, we got a letter at the house addressed to my grandfather. It was from the Aukland, New Zealand Police Department. The letter explained they had in storage an Indian motorcycle belonging to my grandfather. They asked if my grandfather wanted his motorcycle, he would have to pay to ship it. Otherwise, they were going to auction it off.

My dad talked to my grandfather's brother who explained my grandfather had been assigned to a Navy Mobile Hospital in Aukland during WWII. (He was a Hospital Corpsman.) Apparently, one night my grandfather had been drinking and shooting dice with some local Kiwis. One local Kiwi bet his Indian motorcycle and my grandfather won it. So, Grandad went tearing around Aukland on his newly-acquired Indian. The local police arrested him, threw him in jail overnight and impounded the Indian. He went back to his unit and shortly thereafter was sent home.

Unfortunately, my dad didn't want to pay to ship a motorcycle half way around the world and told the Aukland police to auction off the motorcycle. They kept the proceeds. Yeah, wonder what happened to that bike...

WOW - great story. Love hearing things like this.
I have no idea what shipping would have cost, not a clue, not even a guess, but there are times I'd pay good money to have something just because of a family connection or the history behind it. Sort of like the reason Mike of American Pickers says sometimes - it's the story behind the item. (look what he spent to dig up an old Indian that had been buried in a back yard for decades - just to have it and because of the story behind it).

 

[ecidiego]

Our trucks are assembled here. From content sourced around the globe.

The term is "domestic content". How much of the value of a car is actually made in the US.

If you google and look at the list, there is some funny irony. The car with the most domestic content sold in the US is the Toyota Camry. Second is the Honda Accord. Ha.

A coworker asked me why I didn't buy an American car when I bought my wife an Acura MDX. I pointed out the MDX was made in Alabama. His Camaro was made in Canada.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Too add another point to this thread of things that are or are not American:

I drove a Nissan Xterra, it was designed and assembled in Tennessee, USA. Great vehicle, with a Nissan badge.

The world has changed, we have changed, the USA has changed. it's a hard line to walk these days. I grew up in a very pro-union family. Dad was a union steward for years and then was elected president of their UAW local. I know factories, manufacturing and unions at least from HIS perspective and the "made in USA" thing. And yet, today....... it's so different.
So many things are - well, I recall seeing the packaging of an item we bought a while back - can't recall what it was, but I recall the packaging and it literally said "assembled in Mexico from......." and it went on to state the parts made in various other places - not in the USA but the company that had it manufactured was a solid USA based company. Headquartered in the states. So, what do you do - not buy the item because it was assembled in Mexico or the parts came from Canada, China, India or where-ever, and the company that designed it and had it made was USA-based - and possibly they owned the factory in Mexico, maybe even one of the other factories?
What about the American engineers that worked in the headquarters here to create and design that thing? What about the profits of the shareholders of that company - maybe I have stock in that company through an IRA or 401K?
Geesh, this is confusing!

 

[dcmdon]

A coworker asked me why I didn't buy an American car when I bought my wife an Acura MDX. I pointed out the MDX was made in Alabama. His Camaro was made in Canada.

And I wouldn't be surprised if the MDX had more overall "North American" content. (to include the US, Mexico, and Canada)

 

[Dryfly24]

There was a time when “Buy American” actually meant what we think of when we hear the term. It’s no longer relevant. Very few things are 100% manufactured and assembled here. And most of those today are small hand crafted items by individuals or very small companies. I can’t think of a single large, complex item that fits the description of 100% US made/manufactured.

I’m sure there must be, but I can’t think of any.

 

[Jefe1018]

The world has changed, we have changed, the USA has changed. it's a hard line to walk these days. I grew up in a very pro-union family. Dad was a union steward for years and then was elected president of their UAW local. I know factories, manufacturing and unions at least from HIS perspective and the "made in USA" thing. And yet, today....... it's so different.
So many things are - well, I recall seeing the packaging of an item we bought a while back - can't recall what it was, but I recall the packaging and it literally said "assembled in Mexico from......." and it went on to state the parts made in various other places - not in the USA but the company that had it manufactured was a solid USA based company. Headquartered in the states. So, what do you do - not buy the item because it was assembled in Mexico or the parts came from Canada, China, India or where-ever, and the company that designed it and had it made was USA-based - and possibly they owned the factory in Mexico, maybe even one of the other factories?
What about the American engineers that worked in the headquarters here to create and design that thing? What about the profits of the shareholders of that company - maybe I have stock in that company through an IRA or 401K?
Geesh, this is confusing!

The world is evolving and changing faster than we are in many fields. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, just an observer on the same rock as everyone else trying to figure it out.

 

[bleda2002]

There was a time when “Buy American” actually meant what we think of when we hear the term. It’s no longer relevant. Very few things are 100% manufactured and assembled here. And most of those today are small hand crafted items by individuals or very small companies. I can’t think of a single large, complex item that fits the description of 100% US made/manufactured.

I’m sure there must be, but I can’t think of any.

Firearms and ammunition are one of the few 100% us made items other than raw materials because of various import/export laws and it not being worth the hassle. Other than those, i also cant think of anything that is a complex 100% us made item that isnt a boutique type of thing.

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