Forestry Truck

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TreeLogic

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Purchasing a used Forestry Truck and need some opinions.

Looking at years 2000 to 2002 and have found a nice 02 International 4700 T444E with kubota pony, 60' HighRanger 75K miles and a 2000 GMC 7500 Gas LRV 66K miles with 60' Altec. Both from reputable dealers, reconditioned, seats recovered, engines and booms tested and certified. Both trucks were fleet owned.

I'm leaning toward the GMC because of better price, gas will be cheaper, and it's been repainted and looks phenomenal. But I keep hearing bad stuff about GMC and International. Did their problems begin later than this? Will GMC parts be impossible to find? And what would you buy in my situation?

Thanks in advance.
 
Gas is cheaper to purchase for sure, but in my experience diesel fuel yields more work per gallon that gas does. If that makes any sense.
 
Diesel is somewhat higher here. Of course it's hard to say from one day to the next what the price of either will be, as it's jumping like crazy.
 
Diesel is usually higher here, though that recent price jump we just had changed that for a few days. Most of the time its a steady 20-30 cents more though.
 
Regardless of a few cents per gallon difference one way or another, diesels will run an awful lot longer than gas motors on the same amount of fuel. A gas motor in a work truck will eat you up with fuel costs.

What area of the country are you in? If you've never bought a bucket truck before then it would be a wise investment to have both trucks checked out by a skilled third party. I have a local guy who will gladly help you with a pre purchase inspection. With airfare it might run you $1000-$1500 but it's a lot cheaper than getting shafted by an unscrupulous dealer who hides all sorts of problems under a fresh coat of paint. I've bought two bucket trucks and to be honest I got fairly lucky. Both trucks ended up needing $5K+ in repairs in the first year but nothing major, thankfully. No way in hell would I think about buying another truck without a pre purchase inspection now that I know better.
 
444e diesel is a weak ass motor, go with the dt 466, and a 7 spd trans
and even if it has inspection certs consider them bogus until you have it independently inspected, i just got a truck 6 months back and now have about 9500 that im spending on the boom right now for immediate repairs,
diesel motors last longer than gas, and can handle hills and be equipped with exhaust brakes compared to gas motors

id take international over a ford for sure, gmc makes a good truck , but i am an international lover.....easy to get parts for
 
Josh, here. Your turn to buy!

I would go diesel if I had a choice. Gas may be cheaper, but you will burn a ton more of it.
 
I'm with skwerl. I probably wouldn't buy either, always hated pony motors, 444e while I disagree with weak, is a bit small for the truck. Gas, well, its gas:thumbup: I would keep shopping, don't be in a rush
 
Dt444e is not a raging monster, BUT, the 7.3 is a legendary engine with a reputation for taking brutal abuse and being long lived. Power is one thing, but reliability is another. Myself, i wouldn't hesitate to give up a bit of power knowing i had a time tested work horse under the hood. I believe reliability pays dividends in this business.
 
I don't know squat about engines but I know all to well about how expensive they are to repair. What Trucker said about reliability it 100% truth. We are not too far off from our next rquipment purchase and I promise you I will be posting here to see what everyone thinks about the engine choices, just like you are doing. My next step is to take the truck to our mechanic before we agree to purchase it. I have a great mechanic who I now trust without hesitation. If you know as little about engines as I do, a good mechanic is a must.
 
It's not just the truck you need be concerned with .The boom mechanism can eat up just as much money as the truck can if it needs repairs .

For the less knowledgeable a few hundred for an inspection by a professional would be money well spent in the long run .

As an example by bud Tom ha a beauty of an Altec a few years back .Nice truck ,rode like a Cadillac and the boom was smooth as as silk ,I flew it myself .Problem being it was a built to spec fiber optic controlled boom and the closest repair facilty was Baltimore Ma .He pedaled it the first chance he got and cut his losses .
 
Al Smith said:
It's not just the truck you need be concerned with .The boom mechanism can eat up just as much money as the truck can if it needs repairs .

For the less knowledgeable a few hundred for an inspection by a professional would be money well spent in the long run .

As an example by bud Tom ha a beauty of an Altec a few years back .Nice truck ,rode like a Cadillac and the boom was smooth as as silk ,I flew it myself .Problem being it was a built to spec fiber optic controlled boom and the closest repair facilty was Baltimore Ma .He pedaled it the first chance he got and cut his losses .
Click to expand...

It was an Altec... They used to be a pretty good Lift, but it seems over the years their quality has gone down hill...
 
Prepare for a hefty bill bulletproofing a 6.0. That being said they are really powerful engines, not sure about the lifespan in a bucket truck. 6.0 will have some issues from extended idling.
 
I am by no means a truck expert, but I would never buy a large gas motor that I needed to rely on day in and day out. The cheaper the truck you buy, the more you are going to have to spend for it to be reliable and you may end up investing more than you would if you had just purchased a nicer unit in the first place. Take your time when purchasing and really do your homework. It looks like you are off to a good start by asking questions here.
 
If you really want the goods, post up the dealer and links to the trucks. Odds are someone on here may have dealt with them in the past.
 
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