motorcycle as an estimate vehicle

I'll bet people don't forget you when you show up on one of those sidecar deals!


I think I've seen someone riding one of those in Charlotte. Definitely not a crotch rocket!



SZ
 
They need to make better small pickups! cant say enough about my 82 volkswagon. 600 bucks. 40 miles to the gallon. tows my chipper. hauls logs. gets into anywhere, front wheel drive, easy to fix. They just dont make em like that anymore. my other multi- truck is a lil toyota shortbed, it gets 30 mpg, its nice because I can go 70 in it and it has a radio.
 
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That's awesome, Dave... you have one? Is it hard to get it worked on?

Every click a different pic!
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I have had one for a few years now. They are a lot of fun. There is not much mechanically that needs to be worked on, they are just an old model BMW type engine with a shaft drive. They have been made virtually the same since the early 40s. With that said, I can't believe they stuffed the battery under the seat, in the tightest spot imaginable. A Gigantic PITA! to service. (I am in the process of sticking a full size car battery in the trunk where it belongs.)

Dave
 
This is the Grace Tree bidmobile. There's room for a saw and some rope. If it's a drop and leave job I don't even need a helmet. When I finish making my back cut I just run and jump in the bidmobile. 84 mpg. Sweeeeet ride.
Phil
 

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I'm proud that you guys have taken a large and thoughtful step - from the deep South here, image is everything and it's past time we start to bust that up and use a brain instead of some media-inspired (Chevy trucks are Ford tough) mindset.

Other countries have been in the forefront always, Madison Avenue (Wall Street of American Culture) needs to change.

Ever try showing-up on a Bay Mare?
 
We bought a '08 Honda Fit for an estimate car. It gets about 30-35 mpg and costs way less than a hybrid. We outfit it with a GPS unit, soil compaction tester, hand pruners, soil sample bags, etc.

Any individual with a half a brain will realize that you're smarter than the average tree cutter that drives a diesel truck for estimates with prices around $4.60/gallon. I think the big truck thing is just an ego booster for a lot of tree workers.
 
OK, getting some good input here. I know that I don't want a car--to me they are not comfortable, or practical. If I'm going to be driving a vehicle around, it is so nice to have my gear and saws and take care of stuff while I run estimates, as BS in MW said. I am 6' 4" and feel like I am wearing a car instead of driving it. I could buy a smaller truck, but then I can't use it like I use mine, and I would really only save a few mpg's on it. I have my Dodge chipped, and if I drive it nice, I can get 18 mpg in town, but I usually don't drive it nice.
I have always had motorcycles since I was 17 years old, sold my last one after my 2nd daughter was born to keep me out of trouble, but I do know how to ride and have spent countless hours on bikes. I have asked 4-5 customers since I posted this about what they would think, and it is about half and half. Two of them said that they could appreciate the effort to save fuel, but that if they were new customers, they wouldn't like to see their tree guy show up on a motorcycle--wrong image. I hate to admit it, but I think they might be right.
 
If someone believes they're getting a more legitimate tree outfit based on the masculinity of the truck that shows-up for the bid, then they're not the kind of customer I think a legitimate hard-working and clear thinking Arbo would want. Seems they're used to being taken, probably a trophy wife with no brains, fake tits, and their son's a crack dealer but has connections for the USAF Academy and Hubby takes a little male youth on the sly. They cheat on income taxes, withold payments 'til past the due dates, face foreclosure for triple-mortgages, and have a shyster attorney protecting them from creditors and sued the pants off the last physician they employed. Plus they attend a mega-church that sends money to the Junta in Burma and also cheats on taxable incomes.

But they look like the 'average' all-American white Suburban-driving Bush/Cheney '04 family, using more than 2/3rds of the energy than's appropriate or sane and "Support The Troops" because next to the Soccer sticker, it just looks good and they need do nothing other than that.

I'd wager to say the customer who exerts perceptive power into us thinking we need to 4wd and turbo-diesel a 1 ton to a bid appointment is part and parcel to a larger problem we can begin doing something about - hogs at the troughs and a dying world and a doomed domestic economy.

Put yourself in their shoes. Who would you expect a reasonable and honest bid from, alongside a tree person who's thoughtful and careful. What would Jesus do?
 
Wow, Did somebody hit a nerve there?
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Let me guess, this is something you feel strongly about.

Dave
 
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Wow, Did somebody hit a nerve there?
aaa.gif


Let me guess, this is something you feel strongly about.

Dave

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He he, no. I just think this can be one of the "small" steps some of us can logically take when wondering what we can do to change things. Tree work, the right way isn't cheap - taking the supercharged $40,000 truck to bid only increases costs for the customers and decreases your chance to compete against more start-ups...who will be quitting or moonlighting from the big boys to make more in spare time to pay for their fuel and grocery costs.

Plus while in traffic lately, looking around at the idling monsters, I'd say the smart ones are the cheap ones. Last laugh kind of thing.
 
Very insightful Reed.

I'm gonna post a for sale ad on the bulletin board at the mega-church for my Excursion, (after I peel the stickers off). Then I'll ask my employer to swap my F-250 for a hybrid. After I sell the Excursion I'll quit the church and go back to drinking excessively and smoking dope. I'll see if my doctor can hook me up with a script for some Valiums, before I sue him of course. I'll need them now that I'm worried about my carbon footprint and the thought that hilary might not be able to fix everything.

I've got a new vision.
 
Noel,

I've been kicking around this idea for myself, a motorcycle or a small car, neither is practical enough to purchase. I drive a dodge one ton with a deisel and a six speed, it's chipped and I get 20mpg empty. It does everything from estimates to heavy hauling. I run bids one day a week and rarely put on more than 100 miles. So... that's an average $25 worth of fuel to do estimates for the week.
 
I obviously have hit a nerve here, but I will pull the reins just a little. It is not about who has the most masculine truck. It is about a clean, presentable vehicle that shows that you are not a slob and hopefully says that you take pride in your equipment and have your act together. Some of my "competitors" show up in a '72 rustbucket POS oildripper that shows that they either don't care or don't have the business sense to afford a nice estimate vehicle. My truck has to WORK, and it is paid for, so my question is whether it is worth thousands of dollars to purchase and insure yet another vehicle to save some money on fuel, and if I do, will my prospective customers be turned off by it. I am not judging anyone or critiqueing their pathetic lives, just wanting to keep all my advantages over the other guys. Ease up on the unneccesary negativity.
 
There are some really nice looking small utility vehicles made in Europe. they are like two seater panel trucks. the back has a raised roof with barn doors so there is lots of cubic space inside. Add a rack up top for pole gear etc. and it would make for a great work vehicle. So far I haven't seen anything comparable in the US. After talking to the tree folks about them they rave! Some have enough guts to pull a small trailer too. Mileage is good and the gear is about as secure as possible.

The Buzzmobile serves me well. A '98 GMC Safari AWD. It gets about 18 mpg and hasn't asked for much maintenance. It fits the image too. Otis called it a Man-E Van since the back seats are stored in the shop so that I can have room for gear.

A competitor used to drive an early '70s red Corvette. I loved bidding against him. Many customers would comment on the 'Vette with spit in their voice. Not the right image for treework. I sold lots of jobs by bidding after him :)

Noel...have you asked new clients as well as old customers about their feelings? It could fit into a discussion with them after you've given them the estimate. Let them know that you're thinking about the future and engage them in some more discussions. Good luck with your decision.
 
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