sotc
Dormant hero!!
Except for the fact that if one breaks down, you can still work. Thats why I went with a forestry truck.
Asplundh Chip Truck
- Thread starter mccauleytree
- Start date
- Replies 39
- Views 8K
Except for the fact that if one breaks down, you can still work. Thats why I went with a forestry truck.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
Having a forestry body as a backup makes sense since the primary function is a bucket truck.
Yeah, spending $17k for your primary truck and another $10k for a backup to that truck doesn't make much sense to me. Having a 4 man crew, and not knowing much of anything about him, I'd say spend that $10k on a mini and grapple and give the 2 weakest guys notice to look for other employment.
Next year, if he's still thinking he needs another chip truck, he could tripple his budget from the money saved.
Yeah, spending $17k for your primary truck and another $10k for a backup to that truck doesn't make much sense to me. Having a 4 man crew, and not knowing much of anything about him, I'd say spend that $10k on a mini and grapple and give the 2 weakest guys notice to look for other employment.
Next year, if he's still thinking he needs another chip truck, he could tripple his budget from the money saved.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
i forgot to add, give the remaining guy a substantial raise.
mccauleytree
TreeHouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #29
What you are saying does make sense. I went to look at a couple trucks today and they seemed trashed. I think I am going to hold off on buying a another truck for a little while. Paying registration and insurance on a big chip truck that will only go out a couple days a week doesn't really make to much sense for me financially as of right now. Thanks for all the input guys, I probably would have jumped into something and regretted it a few weeks later.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
If I were you, I'd seriously look at minis pronto.
thattreeguy
TreeHouser
my mini has got rid of people as soon as i got it
i only have 2 out of 3 rigs on the books right now
and if i need the 3rd rig, i just sneak it there in the dark
keep saving your $
were not out of this rescession yet
i only have 2 out of 3 rigs on the books right now
and if i need the 3rd rig, i just sneak it there in the dark
keep saving your $
were not out of this rescession yet
arborworks1
Treehouser
Yeah I wish I had the mini from the first day in business. Things get done a whole lot differently with that machine. The chipper doesn't run waiting on limbs, which in turn saves fuel and maintenance. Trucks don't tear up yards anymore. And I downsized my work force and profits have gone in the right direction.
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Ahhh a mini's alright. I'm still the only one around here using one. I lol everytime it drags a huge brush pile or loads a giant chunk of wood. But heh, you could always hire a barrel of monkeys to dull your saws and handbomb everything.
arborworks1
Treehouser
My comp still believes you need backhoes and huge skidsteers to do anything resembling tree work. Oh and everyone of the monkeys needs their own car at the jobsite as well!!!
mccauleytree
TreeHouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #35
Alright you guys convinced me about the mini's but I do need a little help on what I should be looking at. I do not know a thing about them, which models are good, tracked or wheeled? Thanks guys
sawinredneck
Treehouser
First thing figure out a budget, then call TNTtree, Dave and talk to him.
IF I had the money and were to buy a new one it would be a Boxer and I'd get the tracked version, I still say it will tear up a lawn less then a wheeled machine. It will tear up blades of grass, but exerts a lot less ground pressure and spreads it more evenly. It also stays on top of soft ground better, where a wheeled machine will rut it. But that's my opinion.
Then you need to figure out the fuel, if the truck and chipper run on diesel then get a diesel. If all of your other equipment is gas, get a gas machine. The diesel will cost more new, be more costly to repair but gets better fuel usage and lasts longer. Gas will be cheaper, cheaper to repair and fuel is easier/cheaper to come by, but all in all it's going to be about a wash. But no need to carry more fuel cans around than you have to.
If you get one, get the BMG (Branch Manager Grapple) PERIOD! You will thank us all later! Also available from Dave, it does things a grapple bucket can't even think about and makes tree work a third of the work!
Looking at used, the Thomas, Ramrod and Finn are all but the same machines, any one of them will work. The Torro and Ditchwitch are there own beasts, same with the Vermeer unit. All are pretty good, just a matter of how you want the controls setup.
I would discourage a Bobcat machine, they are overpriced because of the name, hard as hell to work on, I've heard a lot of problems from the owners and the attachment plate is ONLY for it! All the others are the same. I can go rent a trencher, post hole auger, tiller etc. for my Thomas from any of the lots that have one of those machines and hook it right up, other than sometimes the hydraulic fittings might be different. Easy enough to build or buy an adapter. Saves a lot of money for me, I don't have to buy a $2500 auger, tiller etc. for the one or two jobs a year I need them for, and they are a lot more common than the Bobcat stuff around here. Usually $150 a day, cheap!
I'll stop now, just get ahold of Dave, he'll hook you up and educate you better than I can! Good luck!
IF I had the money and were to buy a new one it would be a Boxer and I'd get the tracked version, I still say it will tear up a lawn less then a wheeled machine. It will tear up blades of grass, but exerts a lot less ground pressure and spreads it more evenly. It also stays on top of soft ground better, where a wheeled machine will rut it. But that's my opinion.
Then you need to figure out the fuel, if the truck and chipper run on diesel then get a diesel. If all of your other equipment is gas, get a gas machine. The diesel will cost more new, be more costly to repair but gets better fuel usage and lasts longer. Gas will be cheaper, cheaper to repair and fuel is easier/cheaper to come by, but all in all it's going to be about a wash. But no need to carry more fuel cans around than you have to.
If you get one, get the BMG (Branch Manager Grapple) PERIOD! You will thank us all later! Also available from Dave, it does things a grapple bucket can't even think about and makes tree work a third of the work!
Looking at used, the Thomas, Ramrod and Finn are all but the same machines, any one of them will work. The Torro and Ditchwitch are there own beasts, same with the Vermeer unit. All are pretty good, just a matter of how you want the controls setup.
I would discourage a Bobcat machine, they are overpriced because of the name, hard as hell to work on, I've heard a lot of problems from the owners and the attachment plate is ONLY for it! All the others are the same. I can go rent a trencher, post hole auger, tiller etc. for my Thomas from any of the lots that have one of those machines and hook it right up, other than sometimes the hydraulic fittings might be different. Easy enough to build or buy an adapter. Saves a lot of money for me, I don't have to buy a $2500 auger, tiller etc. for the one or two jobs a year I need them for, and they are a lot more common than the Bobcat stuff around here. Usually $150 a day, cheap!
I'll stop now, just get ahold of Dave, he'll hook you up and educate you better than I can! Good luck!
FJR
Treehouser
I don't think you will find one person on this site that talks negatively about minis. I have had mine since 06' and it's diesel and tracked. Do yourself a favor and get one as quickly as you possibly can. Andy is spot on with his suggestions.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
Tracks excel in sand/soft conditions, on steep hills, and for tractive effort. Tires excel in grass. Tracks ability to "spread the load" on a loader is wildly oversold/stated. They do fare better in soft conditions, no doubt.
Boxers are excellent machines, but their controls suck moose appendages for a "real" operator. Thomas had (went bankrupt) the best controls of any stand on/ride on mini on the market that I've came across. If I have to replace my Thomas with another ride on mini, it'd be a Boxer. I'd spend the money/effort though and change the controls out. You physically can't do the same things with them unless you have a third arm.
Come to the show in Pittsburgh the second weekend in November and we can chat it up something fierce. I'll spend most of my time in Dave/TNTree's booth as I'm a salesman for him, sorta. We'll have machines there for you to oggle over and pictures/video/literature on several more models.
What kind of terrain will you be operating in? In my area, tires are hands down the way to go for the vast majority of the job. Mountainous terrain or working near the coast (sand) is where tracks have the advantage for residential tree work.
Also, what access width do you need? My machine is 39" wide, and I don't know that has ever made me manually handle a piece of wood.
What kind of budget are you looking at? New or used or it doesn't matter?
For new loaders:
If you don't work on steep ground all the time, you can handle being over 36" by a little bit, and have the budget for it, the Gehl AL140 is phenominal. It's an articulated wheel loader that lifts higher and drives faster than any other mini while doing next to now damage from turning on grass. The controls on it are excellent.
If I had to have tracks, I'd go with the 532 Boxer and change the controls.
If I stayed with wheels, I'd go with the 427W Boxer and change the controls.
Currently Dave's Branch Manger Grapple is hands down the best mini grapple for tree work on the market. Vermeer's is the worst unless someone has came out with better turd that I don't know of.
Boxers are excellent machines, but their controls suck moose appendages for a "real" operator. Thomas had (went bankrupt) the best controls of any stand on/ride on mini on the market that I've came across. If I have to replace my Thomas with another ride on mini, it'd be a Boxer. I'd spend the money/effort though and change the controls out. You physically can't do the same things with them unless you have a third arm.
Come to the show in Pittsburgh the second weekend in November and we can chat it up something fierce. I'll spend most of my time in Dave/TNTree's booth as I'm a salesman for him, sorta. We'll have machines there for you to oggle over and pictures/video/literature on several more models.
What kind of terrain will you be operating in? In my area, tires are hands down the way to go for the vast majority of the job. Mountainous terrain or working near the coast (sand) is where tracks have the advantage for residential tree work.
Also, what access width do you need? My machine is 39" wide, and I don't know that has ever made me manually handle a piece of wood.
What kind of budget are you looking at? New or used or it doesn't matter?
For new loaders:
If you don't work on steep ground all the time, you can handle being over 36" by a little bit, and have the budget for it, the Gehl AL140 is phenominal. It's an articulated wheel loader that lifts higher and drives faster than any other mini while doing next to now damage from turning on grass. The controls on it are excellent.
If I had to have tracks, I'd go with the 532 Boxer and change the controls.
If I stayed with wheels, I'd go with the 427W Boxer and change the controls.
Currently Dave's Branch Manger Grapple is hands down the best mini grapple for tree work on the market. Vermeer's is the worst unless someone has came out with better turd that I don't know of.
mccauleytree
TreeHouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #39
Hey Lumberjack that would be awesome to meet with you and talk about some machines. I will be at the show on Friday and can meet you anytime throughout the day. Thanks for all the help guys!
lumberjack
Young man on the go
I'll PM you my number. I text/email/talk/whatever on its fanciness. 
I'll get there Wednesdayish, and leave Saturdayish.
I'll get there Wednesdayish, and leave Saturdayish.
Similar threads
