Bucket truck price

If are a climbing owner operator...

Bigger chipper and mini!!!


We started with a 1990 f-150 ($1000)...stacked brush in the bed for two years.

We then got a bandit 90 (65hp) ($8k) and a 2001 f350 ($25k) with a box on it.

Next a 6'x12' 12k dump trailer ($7k) w/box on it (12-14yards) and a ram rod mini skid steer and branch manager grapple. Now we started to get productive and not so tired.

Next was the rear mount 60' w/2000 pto hours ($35k) then bandit 1890 w/1200hrs ($20k)...I took my time and did my research for over 6months before I found these two items and got great deals on great machines.

Last year a brand new 2016 f350 diesel crew ($52k) and brand new toro tx1000 ($32k) Now we are planning on selling the bucket and getting a tracked lift (70'+ range)

Two years ago we also bought a 3 acre industrial property with a 10,000 square foot shop.

Seriously the mini and the bigger chipper was the most productive for the investment. The bucket makes life much easier, till you come down and deal with the mess...the bucket makes messes much faster then climbing.

I think we spend more time raking and blowing then we do chipping and loading logs now. We used to spend more time dragging and feeding brush into the chipper then anything.

I think the world of our 1890 due to its weight being under 10k and its capacity being 19"... Not many chippers out there in that realm. That said, we are planning on a grapple truck and horizontal grinder for the yard in the next few years!

Good luck!
 
3 acre 10,000 square foot shop ughhh I can't wait till I find something like that. Bought my hurricane with grapple on it last year. I went from having a giant pile of pine spruce Willow to not having one piece of junk. Kubota u55 excavator was something eles I grabbed this past year. Amazing for storm work stumps, land clearing drainage grading.
 
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Wow thanks again for the input. Okay maybe I should have titled this post "Next equipment suggestions" My old boss had the contract for a local airport so we were trimming trees along the bike trail and elevating them along the roads. So forestry body Asplundh truck and chuck and duck made sense to him. Both the chuck and duck and the forestry body seem to be not the best fit for production residential work or that seems to be the consensus on here. So my current set up is:

2002 F-550 16 yard box (can hold about 21 but it would be over weight 11500 empty 19900 gvw)
1997 Altec Whisper chipper
2001 f350 flat bed
1999 f250 landscape bed
2009 Toro Dingo with BMG
2014 Vermeer SC30TX stump grinder
2016 14x7 Carry On dump trailer
 
NashvilleTN said:
Wow thanks again for the input. Okay maybe I should have titled this post "Next equipment suggestions" My old boss had the contract for a local airport so we were trimming trees along the bike trail and elevating them along the roads. So forestry body Asplundh truck and chuck and duck made sense to him. Both the chuck and duck and the forestry body seem to be not the best fit for production residential work or that seems to be the consensus on here. So my current set up is:

2002 F-550 16 yard box (can hold about 21 but it would be over weight 11500 empty 19900 gvw)
1997 Altec Whisper chipper
2001 f350 flat bed
1999 f250 landscape bed
2009 Toro Dingo with BMG
2014 Vermeer SC30TX stump grinder
2016 14x7 Carry On dump trailer
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Yea you need a bigger chipper! Then bucket. Try to find one that is being sold by a private tree service that bought it new...as opposed to a fleet done been beat truck. Or seriously skip the bucket and look at the tracked lifts. Up equip is financing @ 0% 60 months $1800/mo. For a 70' machine...I look at certain pieces of equipment as stepping stones to the next, my bucket is one of them.
 
@frashdog The thing is here I don't have enough work to where I'm turning people away. So I don't NEED it as much as its the next thing I should be looking at. So a 12-18" chipper then a bucket. So the real question is will the 12" get me there faster costing less or will the 18" get me there faster costing more but being more productive? < That is the type of question I HATE because there is no right answer and it all depends..
 
NashvilleTN said:
@frashdog The thing is here I don't have enough work to where I'm turning people away. So I don't NEED it as much as its the next thing I should be looking at. So a 12-18" chipper then a bucket. So the real question is will the 12" get me there faster costing less or will the 18" get me there faster costing more but being more productive? < That is the type of question I HATE because there is no right answer and it all depends..
Click to expand...
A solid 12" (bandit 250xp) will cut the mustard just as well, my 1890 only has 120hp, so its not that much more productive then a same powered 12". Just make sure to get a chipper with the throat/feed wheel opener upper/crush it option!
 
@frashdog I see a couple new 2016 1390xp w/ winch 130 hp gas for $40k. I guess thats because they came out with a new line of drum chippers and they are trying to get rid of the old ones. I'm a big fan of gas engines too. But I guess thats something I would have to buy like right now.
 
I used to be heavy into drag cars years ago. I love powerful snappy gas motors. In the past 15 yrs I've really opened up to diesels. So much efficient power. No gas motor can ever achieve the same claim.
Also if your debating chipper size go in the middle and pick a 15''.
Now your going to ask what brand .....:risas2: Here we go again fellas .....
Do a search on chipper choices.
 
gas chippers i know this may raise some hands but a gas chipper is going to be working harder then a diesel chipper to "cut the mustard" 250xp is all around good buy. can only buy as big of chipper as truck will handle.

1890 with a 120 hp= no bueno imo

big chipper and you want big hp. no replacement for displacement. i can take a whole tree down and chip pile in 10 mins with the hurricane as opposed to having chipper running all day at idle then revved up to chip a leader or 2.
if your gonan spend 40k for a new chipper diesel one isn't that far from it. i hear so many reviews about shmittys and tri state but they got some nice equipment looking past paint cuz i paint everything i own my color. my thing is dosent matter who's selling it it matters on price, even if its them.
 
need to sit down at round table and make a goal of achievement for 10-15 yrs from now and see where you wanna be, what you wanna have. if you can buy one piece now and not have to upgrade for a 10 yrs etc what are you chipping hauling firewood lumber logs properties your working on
 
Well I love selling firewood but I don't have a place to store it at the moment so I'm not doing any at the moment. I think I'm wanting the bigger chipper for larger wide pieces of brush and the occasional close to capacity log. I don't think thats a bad mindset? They also have a 1590xp with a 190hp gas for not much more, I doubt I would ever chip close to 18" with that.

Anyway if I have to at the worst replace the gas engine it would be what $5-7k installed? Where as a diesel engine you can spend $5k just working on it and its still a pain in your rear end! I have had a ton of problems with my legendary 7.3 that everyone loves I would hate to see how good my luck is with these new diesel engines that everyone else is already having problems with. If you get what I'm saying.

-So I'm not expecting to chip at full capacity all the time. I'm getting the more bigger chipper for wide spreading brush.
-Also I would anticipate major engine repairs or even replacement as long as its simpler and cheaper

If those two things are true it might be worth it for me to go with gas
 
IMG_3517.webp Here's a good truck that you can make a great tree truck without going in debt. It's on eBay now bids up to 6k. It's in FL You can call them and ask for price say you pay 10k good truck and engine no emissions bs easy to work on good boom I have one 55' sand blast paint and build head ache rack say your into it for 15k you'll have a good money making truck.
 
96coal449 said:
I used to be heavy into drag cars years ago. I love powerful snappy gas motors. In the past 15 yrs I've really opened up to diesels. So much efficient power. No gas motor can ever achieve the same claim.
Also if your debating chipper size go in the middle and pick a 15''.
Now your going to ask what brand .....:risas2: Here we go again fellas .....
Do a search on chipper choices.
Click to expand...

Yes trust me I've read just about every one. Conclusion is: Whatever works for you
 
Nice truck for 6k!
NashvilleTN said:
and its still a pain in your rear end
Click to expand...
It is???
NashvilleTN said:
I have had a ton of problems with my legendary 7.3
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Y0u have ..... ? Really?
Diesels are simple easy to maintain, and require no tuneups other than a possible valve adjustments. Keep oil changed regularly and change all filters. The cummins ISB engines are million mile engines. the 7.3 is good for400k-500k ... the list goes on. Oh, if you think your going to run a large chipper with a gas engine be prepared to stop at every gas station between jobs.
 
96coal449 said:
Nice truck for 6k!

It is???

Y0u have ..... ? Really?
Diesels are simple easy to maintain, and require no tuneups other than a possible valve adjustments. Keep oil changed regularly and change all filters. The cummins ISB engines are million mile engines. the 7.3 is good for400k-500k ... the list goes on. Oh, if you think your going to run a large chipper with a gas engine be prepared to stop at every gas station between jobs.
Click to expand...

Bought it at an auction so it was probably just a problem truck form the start.
 
NashvilleTN said:
Bought it at an auction so it was probably just a problem truck form the start.
Click to expand...
Not always I bought a bucket truck from a dealer in Oregon who got it at a auction in ca it was an ex Sacramento Dpw truck it was a forestry truck they didn't use it for tree work. This April I'll own it for six years besides routine oil and filters I've put in a set of batteries and tires last year and it needed tires when I bought it not bad it's been an excellent truck.
 
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