Vehicle gear transport pic thread

[96coal449]

Looking for ideas on dedicated vehicle and or box trailer and equipment load out. What does everyone roll with on a regular basis.
Box trucks to box trailers, pick-ups and chip trucks, to utility trucks and vans. Where and how do you store your most common used stuff.

Also what leaves the "shop" most regularly. Dump trailers, mini and reg skid steers, mini excavators, mini wheel loaders, and the like.

 

[evo]

 

[96coal449]

@evo I always loved I-packs or as some call them, ''piggy back'' tool boxes. I wish I had a little more frame in front of the chip box. Then again I don't' want to loose any bed space. I still have a decent turning radius with the 14' bed.
I do have a large space under body on the passenger side. Something like 5' L x 24'' D x 24'' T.

I love the organization you have going on with your set-up!

 

[evo]

@evo I always loved I-packs or as some call them, ''piggy back'' tool boxes. I wish I had a little more frame in front of the chip box. Then again I don't' want to loose any bed space. I still have a decent turning radius with the 14' bed.
I do have a large space under body on the passenger side. Something like 5' L x 24'' D x 24'' T.

I love the organization you have going on with your set-up!

It’s a little disorganized at the moment. One side is saws on bottom + wrenches wedges axes and anything that’s cool to come into contact with leaky saw caps. Top shelf is rigging slings, lines blocks, two fiddle blocks etc. obviously on the door is zip line sings, rigging hardware, saw wrenches.

Climbing side is gaffs on top, ropes and throw lines mid, and bottom is saddled etc. a crew of three can have more that what they need.

One kinda handy thing is the boxes are wired with tractor lights, super grey rainy mornings in the winter I flip the lights on to rummage.

Heavy rigging gets tossed in the drunk box as needed like the grcs, etc..

I hear ya on the size, it does push the dump box pretty far back. I’m the opposite of you though, I have a 12’ bed, and thought about cutting 2’ off the rear. Mostly pruning work, but it’s nice having the extra space for hauling logs etc. With my little chipper we rarely fill up the chip box in a day, sometimes I even go a week without dumping.

 

[96coal449]

What's the ''drunk box?''

The guy I team up frequently with has a 16' box, about 8' w and 6' h. With a bc1500 and following the crane, we'll fill it twice.....easily. And that's with leaving the logs in the front yard for the log truck. We do seem to remove a lot of white pine and spruce along with silver maple. With these we do chip more of.

I still haven't finished my truck yet. My box hinges at the very rear of the frame which I am quite happy with. Im going for about 78''s tall.

 

[evo]

What's the ''drunk box?''

The guy I team up frequently with has a 16' box, about 8' w and 6' h. With a bc1500 and following the crane, we'll fill it twice.....easily. And that's with leaving the logs in the front yard for the log truck. We do seem to remove a lot of white pine and spruce along with silver maple. With these we do chip more of.

I still haven't finished my truck yet. My box hinges at the very rear of the frame which I am quite happy with. Im going for about 78''s tall.

The drunk box is where I ride on the way back to the shop.

I’ve seen old school lockers used as tool boxes.

 

[Reach]

We currently run a fairly traditional L-pack toolbox setup, but it’s not enough space. We’re in the process of ordering a new truck with a larger L-pack and underbody boxes the full length of the bed on both sides. We need both tool space and chip space, as we move a lot of material. Today, for example, we made five loads of chips, right around 100 yards total and left a half a log truck of larger logs behind.

 

[96coal449]

I’ve seen old school lockers used as tool boxes.

Yes, the old school tree men were a different breed.

Common saying fits right in .......''adapt and survive.''

 

[evo]

Yes, the old school tree men were a different breed.

Common saying fits right in .......''adapt and survive.''

I've always had it in my head to use a small horse trailer... They seem to be very common, cheap around here, and easy to fully inclose. Many also have a "tack" compartment. Stout enough to haul a mini, blah blah

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I would never have the hinges of a toolbox door toward the back of the truck. If they weren't latched the door would tend to blow open.

 

[evo]

I would never have the hinges of a toolbox door toward the back of the truck. If they weren't latched the door would tend to blow open.

This is very true... Ive done it a few times, granted it was just leaving the driveway before I made it to any roads..

 

[AdkEric]

Pickup truck here. This is headed to a no clean up job, otherwise you might spot a leaf blower in there and a dump trailer in tow. One day I'll get a bedslide.

 

[27RMT0N]

Context: I'm essentially a one-man business, so I needed one truck that can do everything. Being in a rural area, I usually shoot chip piles and only have to catch chips in the truck a few times a month at the most. So I built a box out of plywood and 2x4s that can hold all my tools, tow the chipper and catch chips when needed. I'm also a pretty organized guy...

I keep all my climbing gear in the cab behind the front seats, having removed the small rears for more space:

And a 10' orchard latter on the top rack.



The box on the passenger side holds the chainsaws (9 here), blower, gas/oil, cones, wheel chocks, and my heavy cable/chain rigging/skidding gear.



The 'tunnel' as I call it usually holds two sheets of hinged plywood, 2 sets of maxtrax, the gas polesaw and whatever other tools I may need for specific jobs but don't carry daily. Also a good place to toss dirty or wet gear at the end of the day, or a cooler if I'm doing some grocery shopping on the way home.

On the low left are all the pole tools and two 7' 2x4s for whatever I need to do/make with them. The low right has rakes, shovel, pry bar, peavy, etc.



The drivers side is all the rigging gear, tarps, bigshot, extra helmets, scoop shovel, felling ax, wedges, etc.



Like I said, I almost never have to catch chips, but I can and it works quite well.



To unload the chips I have the 'Load Handler 3000' which is a tarp that lays on the bottom and up the back of the chip box. It works surprisingly well and I can unload the box of chips by turning the handle you mount on the tailgate in like 2 minutes. It's no dump truck, but it works well for my limited hauling/unloading needs.



Overall I'm extremely happy with the setup, and it has a lot more little tricks I've built in as well. On top of that, I made it kind of like a slide-in truck camper and by undoing 6 turn-buckles you can slide/lift the whole thing out of the truck. Originally I was concerned with longevity of a wooden box, but I sanded and put 3 layers of paint all the way around on every wood part, put calking in all the connections/seams, and have a carport to park under. Three years going and it could use a new coat of paint, but other than that has held up perfectly.

One of these days I should make a video about it...

 

[evo]

Context: I'm essentially a one-man business, so I needed one truck that can do everything. Being in a rural area, I usually shoot chip piles and only have to catch chips in the truck a few times a month at the most. So I built a box out of plywood and 2x4s that can hold all my tools, tow the chipper and catch chips when needed. I'm also a pretty organized guy...

I keep all my climbing gear in the cab behind the front seats, having removed the small rears for more space:

And a 10' orchard latter on the top rack.

View attachment 69643

The box on the passenger side holds the chainsaws (9 here), blower, gas/oil, cones, wheel chocks, and my heavy cable/chain rigging/skidding gear.

View attachment 69644

The 'tunnel' as I call it usually holds two sheets of hinged plywood, 2 sets of maxtrax, the gas polesaw and whatever other tools I may need for specific jobs but don't carry daily. Also a good place to toss dirty or wet gear at the end of the day, or a cooler if I'm doing some grocery shopping on the way home.

On the low left are all the pole tools and two 7' 2x4s for whatever I need to do/make with them. The low right has rakes, shovel, pry bar, peavy, etc.

View attachment 69645

The drivers side is all the rigging gear, tarps, bigshot, extra helmets, scoop shovel, felling ax, wedges, etc.

View attachment 69646

Like I said, I almost never have to catch chips, but I can and it works quite well.

View attachment 69647

To unload the chips I have the 'Load Handler 3000' which is a tarp that lays on the bottom and up the back of the chip box. It works surprisingly well and I can unload the box of chips by turning the handle you mount on the tailgate in like 2 minutes. It's no dump truck, but it works well for my limited hauling/unloading needs.

View attachment 69648

Overall I'm extremely happy with the setup, and it has a lot more little tricks I've built in as well. On top of that, I made it kind of like a slide-in truck camper and by undoing 6 turn-buckles you can slide/lift the whole thing out of the truck. Originally I was concerned with longevity of a wooden box, but I sanded and put 3 layers of paint all the way around on every wood part, put calking in all the connections/seams, and have a carport to park under. Three years going and it could use a new coat of paint, but other than that has held up perfectly.

One of these days I should make a video about it...

That looks like a sweet little setup!

 

[27RMT0N]

Thanks, it works great for my needs. A lot of my work is on hillsides, up gravel roads and in very tight driveways, so having a longer truck like a 4-door, or a wider truck like a dually would be pretty limiting. I also get off road and between trees a lot, so "small" and having a true 4x4 with low-range is critical. It's the 7.3 diesel, so I've got good torque for moving the chipper on slopes or skidding logs. The box just lets me have most all of my tools where ever I go, and ready for almost anything.

Photos never really show how steep/tight spaces are, but here are a few others:

 

[evo]

Thanks, it works great for my needs. A lot of my work is on hillsides, up gravel roads and in very tight driveways, so having a longer truck like a 4-door, or a wider truck like a dually would be pretty limiting. I also get off road and between trees a lot, so "small" and having a true 4x4 with low-range is critical. It's the 7.3 diesel, so I've got good torque for moving the chipper on slopes or skidding logs. The box just lets he have most all of my tools where ever I go, and ready for almost anything.

Photos never really show how steep/tight spaces are, but here are a few others:

View attachment 69652

View attachment 69653

View attachment 69654

I know your area well, and completely agree. I started with a 1980 Toyota, gutless but geared so low I could get just about anywhere. It’s also a large part of why I bought a mini, just for maneuvering my little chipper in the back 40, or yarding material up bluffs

 

[AdkEric]

...

That is by far the nicest homemade tool/chip box setup I've ever seen.

 

[96coal449]

Pickup truck here. This is headed to a no clean up job, otherwise you might spot a leaf blower in there and a dump trailer in tow. One day I'll get a bedslide. View attachment 69639 View attachment 69640

Nice Eric!

I currently use an open box pick-up. I have an extended cab which, not unlike 27RMTON, I've taken out the rear seats. All my rope and personal climbing gear go back there. I also carry whatever else I can keep out of the weather that will fit in there. Porties, GRCS, and additional blocks.

 

[96coal449]

@27RMT0N now that right there is a sweet home made utility body.

Anyone ever use a retired ambulance truck?

 

[Jonny]

There was a guy on the forums like 15 years ago named “ Tree Machine” that had almost that same setup but older truck. Are you him @27RMT0N ?
Doesn’t matter really, just curious.
Very cool setup