Gas or Diesel HD pickup?

I agree on the MPG, but in my experience 5 to 6 MPG is quite low. I don't disagree with the MPG split in general, but it can be very hard to pinpoint the real difference. My experience is that a mostly fully loaded V10 gets about 9mpg. There are 100 factors, like speed, the driver, and the drive cycle. Exhaust manifold leaks will slaughter the MPG on a gas engine, and they are common on V10s but not on the gas GM motors. Plus asking someone abut MPG is a mess. Half the people lie to make their point, half the people use an inaccurate method to determine the MPG, and the last half don't keep track at all. There aren't more than two halves, so how do you know?

When I owned and ran my fleet service business we worked on more than 50% Ford gas engines. The rest was a mix of diesels and other manufacture's stuff. On request I would produce a yearly reports of costs for my customers. The gas engines vehicles were more economical as a whole when you looked at the fleet and not just one data point vs another. And it wasn't by a little bit. However, my reports didn't include fuel costs.
 
MPG also has a ton to do with the engine. The 7.3s were good, 6.0s... well could be good, 6.4s not so good and the 6.7 is a bit better. The gearing on the truck also plays into the output of that calculation. As it stands my 6.4 gets 6 mpg all the time and my 6.7 is normally 11 pulling and 18 highway. But again the two trucks were built for two different purposes. Have been seriously thinking about trying a gas 550 next time around... but I’m not there quite yet
 
Fivepoints said:
If you're really comparing the operating costs, you have to include fuel.

I had a gas gmc chip truck with a 350. It got 5mpg. It basically didn't move without towing our 12" chipper. My fuel bill went way down when I got rid of that truck.
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Also, what fuel costs are pulling a trailer and or payload. You’ll burn more diesel hauling rather than empty but with gas you burn way more hauling. Less efficiency.
 
Another note ..... that gas motor pulling the same load as a diesel is working way harder. Diesels were designed and are built to work. Sure you can kill a diesel by beating it on the hills .... especially the older indirect injection engines. That is relative to the exhaust gas temps (EGT) exiting the tail pipe.
Gas engines are going to wear twice as much comparatively. Gasoline is a solvent. Diesel is fuel oil. The internal combustion area of the gasser gets doused with solvent which washes away the engine oil on the cylinder walls and piston rings, causing accelerated wear. Fuel injection helps .... but mostly in the starting mode. I cant even think of a medium duty classed truck built after the 80's with a gasser. Those diesels will outlast a gasser 5:1 or more. Said before, a 12 valve cummins is a million mile motor only requiring average maintenance. Diesel emission requirements (07 to current), only started when the light duty trucks exploded with popularity after the early 90's. In fact I can remember, in my area, diesel fuel was cheaper than gas.

I hope some of this info may be of use to someone pondering a purchase.
 
I appreciate all the replies. Thanks for the info.
Pre emissions Cummins diesels are hard to find where I am unless you want one that has 300,000 or more km. At that point it’s hard to know whether it’ll be a million mile motor or will turn into a repair nightmare. I have a buddy going through that with his 99 ram 3500 right now.

For my purposes I’m thinking the gasser is the smarter buy. Cheaper up front, cheaper to fix and more than capable of doing what I need it to. New diesels can be extremely expensive to repair. I just don’t see how to justify that additional 12k$ up front when the advantage of the diesel isn’t that significant for my purposes and the potential negatives are quite significant.
 
This is a great question around gas and diesel and makes me wonder about chippers too. The two options are not so far apart and either choice is going to work. The answer was much more obvious when diesel was at par or cheaper. I think it comes down to circumstances. I definitely agree that regular heavy loading is most efficient with diesel, especially considering chipper weight in combination with wood and chip weight. Also, if you are pulling a 5500 lbs chipper then I think your mileage will be higher cost than diesel, even before any chips are loaded. but if you are driving around 3 to 5 days a week without the chipper then that's an advantage for the gas option. Or is it just equal efficiency when empty, but nice to have the obvious advantages of gas?. Part of your circumstance is that this is a side business, so gas is probably a good choice. I've run a Duramax, a dodge gasser and a ford international. all pulling and loading. the gmc diesel dually light truck wins and is now all that I run. Also a challenge is the idea of running single rear axle vs dually when considering chipper tongue weight combined with chip weight. If you get a gasser, consider trying to find a lighter chipper and looking for work that produces smaller loads. I've recently saved my back and my equipment by letting bigger jobs go or quoting myself out of it. ultimately, you want to finish a job in one day, maybe two. taking 4 loads with light trucks is silly when another guy can do it with one load. even burning twice as much per mile, he's twice as efficient if one truck goes once. plus the other guys have more appropriate equipment and can make more money through efficiency on trees 2-3 feet dbh. Also if you are just starting tree service, then please be mindful of every tree you kill and the reasons for killing it. I've killed many feeling like I should've put the client through the chipper instead of the tree. just kidding. but seriously, tree preservation is good business. offer mitigation options instead of removal whenever possible. and know when to advise a second opinion or that you dont know what the options are or hiw to excecite them. furthermore, it is better business to prune trees and return to prune them again, and better for your reputation too. Another point worth debate is leaving material on site. on the right property, chips can go under spruce and other trees or in the bush or garden. this is extra handling but less loading. wood can go on the curb side for free wood. sometimes I drive away empty. just be sure to be clear with client ahead of time. often they are happy to use chips even times from a stockpile. hurry up electric, this increasing gas / diesel debate is annoying. given the choice between gas and battery chainsaw, I choose battery until I have no choice. can't wait till there's a bigger battery saw. two batteries on one saw? 72v. ? Sorry I have to derail everything. or detail it's about the details.


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Fivepoints said:
One thing you really have to look at if you're going to tow with it constantly is what the fuel economy will be towing your load. I have an 01 F550 with a 7.3 6 speed. I get 11 to 12 mpg towing our chipper or mini skid. I have a friend that though he was getting a deal by buying a gas F550 V10 auto. He gets 5 to 6 mpg doing the same tasks which is all he uses the truck for . His fuel bill is almost twice what mine is and he still doesn't have as much power pulling the hills around here with a load. He paid $3K less than I paid for mine. He's had a bunch of repair bills. I've had mine longer and my repair bills have been much less overall. My truck was one reason he bought one as he saw it working well for us. Sometimes gas is a false economy.
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adaycj said:
I agree on the MPG, but in my experience 5 to 6 MPG is quite low. I don't disagree with the MPG split in general, but it can be very hard to pinpoint the real difference. My experience is that a mostly fully loaded V10 gets about 9mpg. There are 100 factors, like speed, the driver, and the drive cycle. Exhaust manifold leaks will slaughter the MPG on a gas engine, and they are common on V10s but not on the gas GM motors. Plus asking someone abut MPG is a mess. Half the people lie to make their point, half the people use an inaccurate method to determine the MPG, and the last half don't keep track at all. There aren't more than two halves, so how do you know?

When I owned and ran my fleet service business we worked on more than 50% Ford gas engines. The rest was a mix of diesels and other manufacture's stuff. On request I would produce a yearly reports of costs for my customers. The gas engines vehicles were more economical as a whole when you looked at the fleet and not just one data point vs another. And it wasn't by a little bit. However, my reports didn't include fuel costs.
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I can assure you, the mpg quoted on the V10 is in the ballpark.

I had one in a F-550 when the 6.0s were chatting the bed, & it was 2 times as bad as the worn out 7.3 I moved out of.
 
Redtree said:
This is a great question around gas and diesel and makes me wonder about chippers too. The two options are not so far apart and either choice is going to work. The answer was much more obvious when diesel was at par or cheaper. I think it comes down to circumstances. I definitely agree that regular heavy loading is most efficient with diesel, especially considering chipper weight in combination with wood and chip weight. Also, if you are pulling a 5500 lbs chipper then I think your mileage will be higher cost than diesel, even before any chips are loaded. but if you are driving around 3 to 5 days a week without the chipper then that's an advantage for the gas option. Or is it just equal efficiency when empty, but nice to have the obvious advantages of gas?. Part of your circumstance is that this is a side business, so gas is probably a good choice. I've run a Duramax, a dodge gasser and a ford international. all pulling and loading. the gmc diesel dually light truck wins and is now all that I run. Also a challenge is the idea of running single rear axle vs dually when considering chipper tongue weight combined with chip weight. If you get a gasser, consider trying to find a lighter chipper and looking for work that produces smaller loads. I've recently saved my back and my equipment by letting bigger jobs go or quoting myself out of it. ultimately, you want to finish a job in one day, maybe two. taking 4 loads with light trucks is silly when another guy can do it with one load. even burning twice as much per mile, he's twice as efficient if one truck goes once. plus the other guys have more appropriate equipment and can make more money through efficiency on trees 2-3 feet dbh. Also if you are just starting tree service, then please be mindful of every tree you kill and the reasons for killing it. I've killed many feeling like I should've put the client through the chipper instead of the tree. just kidding. but seriously, tree preservation is good business. offer mitigation options instead of removal whenever possible. and know when to advise a second opinion or that you dont know what the options are or hiw to excecite them. furthermore, it is better business to prune trees and return to prune them again, and better for your reputation too. Another point worth debate is leaving material on site. on the right property, chips can go under spruce and other trees or in the bush or garden. this is extra handling but less loading. wood can go on the curb side for free wood. sometimes I drive away empty. just be sure to be clear with client ahead of time. often they are happy to use chips even times from a stockpile. hurry up electric, this increasing gas / diesel debate is annoying. given the choice between gas and battery chainsaw, I choose battery until I have no choice. can't wait till there's a bigger battery saw. two batteries on one saw? 72v. ? Sorry I have to derail everything. or detail it's about the details.


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Click to expand...
Good to read red
 
Redtree said:
This is a great question around gas and diesel and makes me wonder about chippers too. The two options are not so far apart and either choice is going to work. The answer was much more obvious when diesel was at par or cheaper. I think it comes down to circumstances. I definitely agree that regular heavy loading is most efficient with diesel, especially considering chipper weight in combination with wood and chip weight. Also, if you are pulling a 5500 lbs chipper then I think your mileage will be higher cost than diesel, even before any chips are loaded. but if you are driving around 3 to 5 days a week without the chipper then that's an advantage for the gas option. Or is it just equal efficiency when empty, but nice to have the obvious advantages of gas?. Part of your circumstance is that this is a side business, so gas is probably a good choice. I've run a Duramax, a dodge gasser and a ford international. all pulling and loading. the gmc diesel dually light truck wins and is now all that I run. Also a challenge is the idea of running single rear axle vs dually when considering chipper tongue weight combined with chip weight. If you get a gasser, consider trying to find a lighter chipper and looking for work that produces smaller loads. I've recently saved my back and my equipment by letting bigger jobs go or quoting myself out of it. ultimately, you want to finish a job in one day, maybe two. taking 4 loads with light trucks is silly when another guy can do it with one load. even burning twice as much per mile, he's twice as efficient if one truck goes once. plus the other guys have more appropriate equipment and can make more money through efficiency on trees 2-3 feet dbh. Also if you are just starting tree service, then please be mindful of every tree you kill and the reasons for killing it. I've killed many feeling like I should've put the client through the chipper instead of the tree. just kidding. but seriously, tree preservation is good business. offer mitigation options instead of removal whenever possible. and know when to advise a second opinion or that you dont know what the options are or hiw to excecite them. furthermore, it is better business to prune trees and return to prune them again, and better for your reputation too. Another point worth debate is leaving material on site. on the right property, chips can go under spruce and other trees or in the bush or garden. this is extra handling but less loading. wood can go on the curb side for free wood. sometimes I drive away empty. just be sure to be clear with client ahead of time. often they are happy to use chips even times from a stockpile. hurry up electric, this increasing gas / diesel debate is annoying. given the choice between gas and battery chainsaw, I choose battery until I have no choice. can't wait till there's a bigger battery saw. two batteries on one saw? 72v. ? Sorry I have to derail everything. or detail it's about the details.


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Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed reply. I should mention that while my personal business is a side business, it is not a side profession. I am employed full time as an arborist for a municipality and have been working full time in the arb industry since 04’. That is to say I share your sentiments regarding preserving trees and I typically look at removal as a last resort. Additionally, all of the municipalities I conduct business in have by laws (which I follow) that regulate the removal of trees on private property.

I also quote jobs according to my equipment capabilities and will pass on huge jobs that I can’t be as competitive on. I agree on the 1-2 day max time for jobs.

Leaving material on site is usually not an option for me as most f the properties I work on are smaller and quite manicured. People in the city aren’t usually interested in having brush left behind. I guess I should point out that I don’t have a chipper yet and currently use a pick up and utility trailer which means I’m not leaving any chips behind as of now. A chipper would allow me to leave material behind on some sites.

And to derail the thread I started, I’m also considering a large dump trailer instead of the chipper with insert for a few reasons. Cheaper up front, cheaper to maintain, and significantly more capacity than the chipper with dump insert. Downside is that loading brush in a trailer sucks. Upside is I can dump brush for a reasonable price nearby.

Thanks!
 
Reliable tree man said:
I appreciate all the replies. Thanks for the info.
Pre emissions Cummins diesels are hard to find where I am unless you want one that has 300,000 or more km. At that point it’s hard to know whether it’ll be a million mile motor or will turn into a repair nightmare. I have a buddy going through that with his 99 ram 3500 right now.

For my purposes I’m thinking the gasser is the smarter buy. Cheaper up front, cheaper to fix and more than capable of doing what I need it to. New diesels can be extremely expensive to repair. I just don’t see how to justify that additional 12k$ up front when the advantage of the diesel isn’t that significant for my purposes and the potential negatives are quite significant.
Click to expand...
Here's the deal with the 6bt series cummins. You want a mechanical injected engine. These are '98 1/2 and older down to '89. '95-98 1/2 are preferred for their P-7100 Bosch made inline pumps. Which are like the holley carbs of muscle cars.
'98 1/2 thru 'o2 are plagued with the electronic Bosch VP-44 rotary pump. Known for replacement at the 100k mile mark. The fuel pumps on these are electric and mounted on the firewall. Electric pumps are designed to push fuel ... not pull it.
Next up are the '03-'06 common rails. Also with an outstanding rep.
Your diesel repairs should negate nothing more than average wear stuff like fuel pumps, alternators, water pumps, serpentine belts, idler pulleys, and the like. Same as a gasser. What they don't have to replace are spark plugs, wires, coil packs, and the like found on a gasser.
If your diesel has major internal issues it's because it's been abused .... and hard. Put that same abuse on a gasser and it will fare the same. Stop by YOUR local trusted mechanic (with a good rep) and ask him for his advice. There are bad and good diesels out there, just like bad and good gas engine designs.

Good luck in your quest and post us of your purchase with a review after you've worked it for a bit.
 
yes circumstances and details are important to know. find a niche. hedges can be light weight and I do them, but dislike the general process vs tree climbing/pruning, so I don't blame you if you don't want hedges. I just think there is a niche market for extra big pain in the ass hedges. another good thing about less removal is the need for a company owned stump grinder diminishes. I currently do removal probably more often than I should as a guy without a stumper. but i dont overly enjoy removals, or stumps. I have the less common pruning tools and experience, so why do removals 1-3 times a week. just to follow demand? why not try narrowing it to 1-3 times every two weeks. Is it time to divide the specialties and conquer the challenges of providing the public with better tree service? an arborists knowledge should constantly grow but growing a particular specialty might be more sensible for the arborist and the client. and the carbon footprint of the industry. what is 'low impact'? low impact on the lawn is one thing. what about the carbon footprint of the process? think about a small truck returning 4 times to a site vs a big truck once. or a big truck 1/4 full at 5:00 vs a small one full. or a boring old bucket vs a new age climber in a toyota prius on a site where deadwood stays for firewood. derail detail. now back to specialize and conquer. I don't do PHC so I suggest a second opinion when I don't know the solution, even when I know the pest/disease. Particilarly if it is a tree we don't want to lose. another derail? Or an important part of setting up a tree service truck rig. not that my rig looks hot. it works great. I chip brush and often leave it. I free firewood to staff, friends, and the public. plus I burn. I focus on small and big pruning and small removals. cutting trees that are dead is also easier on the chip box. I started with van and trailer rig. not horrible but spent about a chipper worth of $ over 3 years or so to dump brush for 50 a ton. learned a lot though. and traveled light and the van was cheap $3500 3/4 tonne gasser. i had 2 vans actually. Super low running cost, and carbon footprint. Spent too much time slashing the trailer with a saw. put the saw tip through my boot but not my sock. better than going through a chipper I suppose. tmi yet? details. so. if you can keep jobs small (but not too small, which is another issue i wont detail on) then you could possibly justify the trailer idea, if and only if the dumping is very cheap. what about a 1 tonne single rear wheel gasser and wallenstein gasser chipper. or morbark gas. it would increase the chip loading capability of the truck if the chipper was lighter (3500-4500). you would also increase chip loading capability if the truck was lighter. like a gasser. I often go from the zubat to the chipper all day. chip 2-4 yards for 1/2 hour so who cares if it's 2 gallons of gas or one diesel? the chipper is lighter is the point. lighter chipper also means better access capabilities with improved weight ratio of truck to chipper, especially considering light gas truck. my chipper is diesel so I just wonder, is it much lighter? 200 -400 lbs maybe? doesn't matter for me I guess with a diesel on 6 wheels to pull it. I'm thinking of changing my truck because it's old but I love the dually when it's loaded. (so this rant is helping me think too. thanks) dually is peace of mind. perhaps the single rear wheels should not be classed as one tonnes. as far as I understand, the 3/4 tonne is very similar to a one tonne single rear wheel. what the heck does one tonne really mean anyway? The point is that a 5000 + pound chipper and a 5-7 yard load of wood and chip requires a dual rear wheel, which then all together really requires a diesel engine ideally. maybe not the diesel if the loaded part of the day is short. but definitely the dual rear wheels for 5000 pound chipper and load. uncommon gas dually but available. am I making this harder or easier? happy days in between. Christmas is over. thank God, the music is driving me nuts.... that's it..... I'll blame this late-night rant on insanity due to over exposure of Christmas music.

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Redtree said:
yes circumstances and details are important to know. find a niche. hedges can be light weight and I do them, but dislike the general process vs tree climbing/pruning, so I don't blame you if you don't want hedges. I just think there is a niche market for extra big pain in the ass hedges. another good thing about less removal is the need for a company owned stump grinder diminishes. I currently do removal probably more often than I should as a guy without a stumper. but i dont overly enjoy removals, or stumps. I have the less common pruning tools and experience, so why do removals 1-3 times a week. just to follow demand? why not try narrowing it to 1-3 times every two weeks. Is it time to divide the specialties and conquer the challenges of providing the public with better tree service? an arborists knowledge should constantly grow but growing a particular specialty might be more sensible for the arborist and the client. and the carbon footprint of the industry. what is 'low impact'? low impact on the lawn is one thing. what about the carbon footprint of the process? think about a small truck returning 4 times to a site vs a big truck once. or a big truck 1/4 full at 5:00 vs a small one full. or a boring old bucket vs a new age climber in a toyota prius on a site where deadwood stays for firewood. derail detail. now back to specialize and conquer. I don't do PHC so I suggest a second opinion when I don't know the solution, even when I know the pest/disease. Particilarly if it is a tree we don't want to lose. another derail? Or an important part of setting up a tree service truck rig. not that my rig looks hot. it works great. I chip brush and often leave it. I free firewood to staff, friends, and the public. plus I burn. I focus on small and big pruning and small removals. cutting trees that are dead is also easier on the chip box. I started with van and trailer rig. not horrible but spent about a chipper worth of $ over 3 years or so to dump brush for 50 a ton. learned a lot though. and traveled light and the van was cheap $3500 3/4 tonne gasser. i had 2 vans actually. Super low running cost, and carbon footprint. Spent too much time slashing the trailer with a saw. put the saw tip through my boot but not my sock. better than going through a chipper I suppose. tmi yet? details. so. if you can keep jobs small (but not too small, which is another issue i wont detail on) then you could possibly justify the trailer idea, if and only if the dumping is very cheap. what about a 1 tonne single rear wheel gasser and wallenstein gasser chipper. or morbark gas. it would increase the chip loading capability of the truck if the chipper was lighter (3500-4500). you would also increase chip loading capability if the truck was lighter. like a gasser. I often go from the zubat to the chipper all day. chip 2-4 yards for 1/2 hour so who cares if it's 2 gallons of gas or one diesel? the chipper is lighter is the point. lighter chipper also means better access capabilities with improved weight ratio of truck to chipper, especially considering light gas truck. my chipper is diesel so I just wonder, is it much lighter? 200 -400 lbs maybe? doesn't matter for me I guess with a diesel on 6 wheels to pull it. I'm thinking of changing my truck because it's old but I love the dually when it's loaded. (so this rant is helping me think too. thanks) dually is peace of mind. perhaps the single rear wheels should not be classed as one tonnes. as far as I understand, the 3/4 tonne is very similar to a one tonne single rear wheel. what the heck does one tonne really mean anyway? The point is that a 5000 + pound chipper and a 5-7 yard load of wood and chip requires a dual rear wheel, which then all together really requires a diesel engine ideally. maybe not the diesel if the loaded part of the day is short. but definitely the dual rear wheels for 5000 pound chipper and load. uncommon gas dually but available. am I making this harder or easier? happy days in between. Christmas is over. thank God, the music is driving me nuts.... that's it..... I'll blame this late-night rant on insanity due to over exposure of Christmas music.

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I agree the dually would be optimal for the truck loaded with a chipper behind but in this case, the chip capacity of the truck would be the same whether the chipper was 5500# or 3500#. The issue isn’t the trailer weight but the GVWR of 11000#. The GCWR is 21000#

The max payload for the 3500 SRW gas is approx 4000#. Assuming an aluminum insert and cap with weight of 700ish# that leaves 3300 for chips, gear and me. If 5yd - 7yd of chip weighs 2500 - 3500# I would be exceeding the 11000# GVWR but not the GCWR or towing capacity of the truck. So its not the loaded truck + the 5000lb chipper that requires a dually, it’s just the truck full of chips. The truck would be overloaded regardless of the chipper but would still be under the GCWR in either case. Or am I missing something? Details.
 
Reliable tree man said:
Thanks for the detailed reply. I should mention that while my personal business is a side business, it is not a side profession. I am employed full time as an arborist for a municipality and have been working full time in the arb industry since 04’. That is to say I share your sentiments regarding preserving trees and I typically look at removal as a last resort. Additionally, all of the municipalities I conduct business in have by laws (which I follow) that regulate the removal of trees on private property.

I also quote jobs according to my equipment capabilities and will pass on huge jobs that I can’t be as competitive on. I agree on the 1-2 day max time for jobs.

Leaving material on site is usually not an option for me as most f the properties I work on are smaller and quite manicured. People in the city aren’t usually interested in having brush left behind. I guess I should point out that I don’t have a chipper yet and currently use a pick up and utility trailer which means I’m not leaving any chips behind as of now. A chipper would allow me to leave material behind on some sites.

And to derail the thread I started, I’m also considering a large dump trailer instead of the chipper with insert for a few reasons. Cheaper up front, cheaper to maintain, and significantly more capacity than the chipper with dump insert. Downside is that loading brush in a trailer sucks. Upside is I can dump brush for a reasonable price nearby.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Awesome thread, I just learned a lot.
If you can find someone with a dump body truck you can chip into that you can work with on some of your "larger" jobs that you do, it can become.a real helpful relationship.
I bought a new ram 2500 gas job. Im a contract climber, so I don't really chip or tow much at the given moment. But i am developing my own small clie t list doing my own jobs. What I did was work out a price with a guy I sub for to chip my stuff. I'll work the job and stage brush, and tell him to come like 2/3 the way things job. It's easy money for him and easy money to Spend for me. Sometimes I tow the chipper back to his shop for him which is local if the situation calls or I can tell it would be a huge help for him.
The loaded of a trailer is extremely time consuming and I've completely ditched that. Although I work sometimes with a guy who has a switch and go F550 and a dump trailer that we jave loaded up pretty good, lot of stuff. But, time consuming.
And I live in New England, if your looking for a used 3/4 ton, its gunna be way over priced or rusted out /on its way, and plowed with and beat up. Didn't have time to wait for perfect truck at the time.
Best of luck friend
 
CutHighnLetFly said:
Awesome thread, I just learned a lot.
If you can find someone with a dump body truck you can chip into that you can work with on some of your "larger" jobs that you do, it can become.a real helpful relationship.
I bought a new ram 2500 gas job. Im a contract climber, so I don't really chip or tow much at the given moment. But i am developing my own small clie t list doing my own jobs. What I did was work out a price with a guy I sub for to chip my stuff. I'll work the job and stage brush, and tell him to come like 2/3 the way things job. It's easy money for him and easy money to Spend for me. Sometimes I tow the chipper back to his shop for him which is local if the situation calls or I can tell it would be a huge help for him.
The loaded of a trailer is extremely time consuming and I've completely ditched that. Although I work sometimes with a guy who has a switch and go F550 and a dump trailer that we jave loaded up pretty good, lot of stuff. But, time consuming.
And I live in New England, if your looking for a used 3/4 ton, its gunna be way over priced or rusted out /on its way, and plowed with and beat up. Didn't have time to wait for perfect truck at the time.
Best of luck friend
Click to expand...

Thanks. I totally agree that loading brush in a trailer is time consuming, inefficient, and enraging at times. The nice thing about them is the ROI is really good.

Paying someone to chip can be a good option if you have the right agreement with the right person but then you are depending on someone else to get your jobs done. It’s nice to not have to depend on others to complete your jobs and allows you more flexibility with planning / scheduling. You also get to keep more of the $.

I’m in the same boat re used pick ups. I live in Toronto and everything is salted all to hell so you really are left looking for a diamond in the rough. Almost everything has high km and has been beaten to hell not to mention they usually want way too much for them. Like you, I can’t wait forever for the perfect truck. It’s tough to find the overhead/equipment/efficiency sweetspot when it comes to a part time gig. Especially when the cost of living is as high as it is these days.
 
So I ended up getting a 2018 Silverado 2500, crew cab, 6ft. box............. diesel. I ended up getting a huge discount on it and I sprung for the extended comprehensive warranty for 5yr/ 100,000. I had a hard time deciding but figure the diesel is better for towing a large trailer, will get better mileage and will have higher re-sale when it’s time to sell.

I have given up on the idea of a SRW HD pick up for a chipper truck which is why I went for the 2500 6ft. box. As many others have stated, you are pretty much guaranteed to be frequently overloaded with that setup and I can’t have a dually as my daily driver.

I’m going to go the pick up and large dump trailer route for now and see how it goes.

Thanks everyone, for all of the input.
 
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