Gas or Diesel HD pickup?

I have also been in this position for a bit and I also think I am going to go with gasser. In addition to the rot, high mileage, beat to death issues there is also the issue of every small dick douche bag in the world needs to "roll coal" to prove his manliness. So he buys what would have been a nice work truck and rips all sorts of stuff off lifts it and beats the bag out of it. And then tries to turn around and sell it for way more than it's worth. Buying new deisels it crazy money and buying used ones it tricky at best.
 
rugger01 said:
I have also been in this position for a bit and I also think I am going to go with gasser. In addition to the rot, high mileage, beat to death issues there is also the issue of every small dick douche bag in the world needs to "roll coal" to prove his manliness. So he buys what would have been a nice work truck and rips all sorts of stuff off lifts it and beats the bag out of it. And then tries to turn around and sell it for way more than it's worth. Buying new deisels it crazy money and buying used ones it tricky at best.
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I just bought a 2005 Dodge 2500 due to the exact reasons.

It’s getting a new engine & comes with a new transmission & new tires for $4,000.
 
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.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
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Holy stream-of-consciousness, Batman...that was actually pretty fun to read.
 
I started with a half ton and a dump trailer, part time gig. Upgraded to a chevy 2500 doublecab, and a chipper, then added a dump insert. My truck is gas and holds about 4-4.5 yards of chips. While it handles the weight well, It is always overloaded. A SRW 3500 only adds 2000# of payload, you will still be overloaded sometimes. All my jobs are local and drive less than 10K a year. I went full time last year and business is booming. It is time to expand with a bigger truck with more capacity. A new diesel truck is $8-8400 more than gas. I don't think its an economical choice for me.
 
If you are in an area with steep hills and plan to haul heavy loads, the diesel with a transmission cooler is the way to go for sure, as a business you can use the price difference in your taxes anyway. Gas engines are generally cheaper to operate but don't pack the same work punch.
 
2015 f550 with v10 and auto...5.5 mgp average. Tows 7k daily, then normally loaded with 3 to 8k. Loves it's gas.
 
Windwalker said:
I started with a half ton and a dump trailer, part time gig. Upgraded to a chevy 2500 doublecab, and a chipper, then added a dump insert. My truck is gas and holds about 4-4.5 yards of chips. While it handles the weight well, It is always overloaded. A SRW 3500 only adds 2000# of payload, you will still be overloaded sometimes. All my jobs are local and drive less than 10K a year. I went full time last year and business is booming. It is time to expand with a bigger truck with more capacity. A new diesel truck is $8-8400 more than gas. I don't think its an economical choice for me.
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If you're thinking of going up to a 550/5500 go rent one in diesel and drive it loaded with something. I rented a 5500 and hauled five loads of logs off a job in a day. Was able to accelerate at the pace of cars and accelerate up hills loaded - both when I want to. It's pretty nice.
 
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!
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My current ideal rig is a flatbed on a pickup with a gooseneck receiver, towing a large dump roll off trailer. The mini would side load in front of the receiver when the dump is full. Got estimates or work? Leave the trailer. I have cheap local wood hauling as well, so no chipping needed. I'm grossing about 50% removals and 50% pruning, phc, consulting, etc.
 
Hi. I agree that natural resources and nature in General should be protected. But because people are accustomed to live comfortably. What is better gas or diesel? Gas is probably better for me. At this point I plan to abandon the car and buy a cool bike This is a great model and also less harmful to the environment.

Note...link deleted by Tom Dunlap
 
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rugger01 said:
What did you end up paying for it? Looks like a sweet truck.
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$54 and change. We got super lucky, they had 2 like this and a service truck advertised for 4 days. They were all gone. It’s amazing how fast a good deal goes away. Thanks it’s a bit of work ahead of us to make it functional but we’ve got winter coming..... maybe!
 
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