Dr. Cornwallis's Work Thread And Stuff

The customer pays the bill if you bid the correctly. You shouldn't be funding the disposal, as it's not your tree.

The grapple truck I found is $400 a load. He shows up, loads super fast, and is gone. He dumps at a tub grinder somewhere. Done.

What else are you going to do with the wood?
 
Is actual vehicle insurance worth it?
Do you like all of your personal possessions?

The customer has to pay for your insurance, but if you are working 5 days a month, not 20, you can't pass on a months' worth of insurance on to the customer at 4x's the rate. Can't jack up rates for inefficiency.
 
Diesels are great and all but a man can buy a whole lotta gas for the difference in price, new or used. Older one ton trucks with big blocks or v10s are powerhouses but will suck some gas, between the cost of diesel vs gas, initial purchase price of diesel vs gas, and cost of parts, you may very well be ahead with a gasser.
 
Your almost comparing apples to oranges ...... but, diesel wins hands down.
BTW diesel used to cost less per gallon. Then the light truck diesel powered industry kinda exploded in popularity. Hence the price hike. If gas was more efficient, then all the delivery trucks would be breathing octane.
 
I've owned and own both. If you're only using it for a part time work vehicle gas wins hands down, new or used. Most tree trucks get driven less than an hr or two each day and then sit at the jobsite or on the yard the rest of the time. Delivery trucks spend a whole lot more hrs in a day running. That being said most ups trucks used the ford 300-6 until recently.
I'm not arguing that diesels are inherently more efficient, they are. I'm arguing the overall cost of purchase, maintenance, and fuel is significantly cheaper for a gasser unless you're running a ton of miles every year.
 
I agree with Z'sTrees. On another note I have an '02 F250 with the 7.3l. Averages 17-18mpg in the city as long as I keep my foot away from the floorboards. On the back roads and hi-ways I typically see 20-21 .... the same gasser would get around 12-14 hi-way. Gasser or diesel, throttle position has a lot to dictate fuel consumption. Either engine has it's sweet spot in power efficiency.
 
If I can find a fairly priced grapple service, then the need for a bigger truck is pretty much negated for a while. I can safely tow most small compact tractors with my Tacoma. A compact tractor and small dump trailer is well under weight, and the trailers have brakes too, that would be enough for moving brush around on site, then have the grapple truck come pick it up?

I agree completely with you guys above, for the amount a work truck would be driven, in many ways gas does make more sense, I feel like especially when buying new these days. With diesel being a 10k dollar options, plus it seems like maintenance is a lot higher with modern diesels than older ones. They're certainly more complex.


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tc262 said:
That's a tiny trailer
Click to expand...

It's small but how big of a trailer do I really need for doing smaller jobs, especially if on bigger jobs I'm utilizing a grapple truck service? I found a local company, a fairly large one actually, who will send out a 60 yd grapple truck for $400 a load. That almost makes it hard for me to justify disposing of the stuff my self on larger jobs when you factor in the time saved in simply having to stack it up and leave it at the curb. With the high sides I think I could fit quite a bit of brush in a 5x10 or especially a 6x12. Am I being naive?


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Dr. Cornwallis said:
It's small but how big of a trailer do I really need for doing smaller jobs, especially if on bigger jobs I'm utilizing a grapple truck service? I found a local company, a fairly large one actually, who will send out a 60 yd grapple truck for $400 a load. That almost makes it hard for me to justify disposing of the stuff my self on larger jobs when you factor in the time saved in simply having to stack it up and leave it at the curb. With the high sides I think I could fit quite a bit of brush in a 5x10 or especially a 6x12. Am I being naive?


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Click to expand...

Maybe a little of that and a little of us being spoiled.
Loading with a machine rather than chipping or more carefully by hand, a smaller width (or length) really hurts the ability of a piece of brush to squish (for lack of a better term) easily into place. You can still smash some work with them, but you'll have to form all of those irritating habits of making lots of clean cuts at unions and forming really pretty stacks and piles for the tractor to load simply to maximize your hauling ability.
We run a small dump and a larger dump most days. The large one looks half again as large, but when we are hustling and running loads you can really tell that it is easy to get twice as much fluff into the larger trailer. It's also lower. That makes a lot of difference.
 
Something I would like to say again, my quest for a CUT/SCUT is meant as a cost effective replacement to a Mini Track Loader (MTL) such as the Bobcat MT55. My desire for a larger tractor than a SCUT is basically me looking to get the most cost effective solution for my money. I'm not looking to replace a full size CTL. Down the road I see my self eventually getting a CTL such as a Bobcat T590, or possibly even larger.

I have also more or less decided on Kubota. They make a good product, good warranty and good resale value.

This leads me to wonder, given the possibility of having a second larger machine down the road, perhaps a SCUT would make more sense?

Here's the MT55/85 spec sheet for reference:
https://assets.bobcat.com/literature/b-1776-mini-track-loaders.pdf

Kubota BX2680 spec sheet:
http://www.kubota.com/product/brochures/default.aspx?product=BX80&height=650

I went to the Kubota dealer today to look at tractors in person. They didn't have a B in stock but they did have an L2501 and a BX 2680. I was actually really pleasantly surprised with the BX 2680. In pictures it seems to look flimsy, like an oversized riding lawn mower, however, in person it looked and felt really stout for such a small machine. I've also definitely ruled out the B series, in favor of the L2501. Size and dimensions are virtually identical but the L can lift higher (94"). The L is a pretty big tractor IMO, at least for what I'm looking to do, or so it seems in person, however, on a spec sheet, it doesn't actually seem that much bigger. I can definitely tell, however, that the BX is going to be more maneuverable.

BX Pros:
- Very compact: It's very close in specs and size to a Bobcat MT 55. Also, it's well within the limitations of being towed by my Tacoma. It would also be absolutely excellent for getting into tight spades. At only 45 in wide it will get through most residential gates.
- close to the ground, easy to get on and off of.
- Price: 17k, its approximately 10k less than an MT55.

BX Cons:
-Lower lift height (71"), I wouldn't be able to stack brush as high as I would like to. The smaller dump trailer I'm looking at is the Load Trail DT07 60"x10'. Deck height is 26", sides are 18", side extensions are another 24", for a total of 68" in height. So the FEL/grapple will barely clear with the extensions on. I would either have to load with a ramp or I possibly not use the sides? This same problem would exist with an MT 55.


L2501 Pros:
- 94" lift height is more than enough
- loader capacity is higher. Not a huge deal but certainly nicer.
- seems sturdier for consistently hauling more

L2501 Cons:
- Bigger, will be harder to move around on small properties.
- Weight, the L2501 will require a bigger, heavier trailer, plus it weighs more by it self. Tractor+FEL+trailer= 6553 lbs; 153 lbs over towing capacity and we haven't even added a grapple or ballast yet. Not safe.


I can, if need be, trade trucks with my father, or have him deliver equipment, which could even work out better, so, lets disregard that the L2501 can't be towed by my truck. I think that the L2501 is likely a better one tractor option if I were never to purchase a CTL down the road, however, I think the L may still be a better overall option as I'm not really sure how much less maneuverable it would really be in the real world. In a show room, it looks big, however, dimensionally on paper, it's really not that much bigger and has substantially better capabilities. I'm also not sure where in the future a CTL really is. Maybe it's two years, maybe it's 5. Maybe I go ahead and get the L and find out it actually does everything I need and never even buy a CTL. Maybe I sell the L down the road and get a CTL. Maybe I get a BX now and then use it to supplement a CTL down the road.


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