What’s Your SMALLER Equipment Setup?

I work solo. It has been about 6 years since having a full-time employee on work comp. A couple of good subcontractors over the last 10 years have gone on to run there own companies full-time.
I have never had a part time crewmember. Every tree worker around this area would want full-time work or are self employed
 
I started out working solo, have done plenty of solo rigging, etc. I don’t mind it. But then I did work for a client who was retired and interested in the job and he ended up working with me the last few years on more of a part-time basis. Great employee.

Unfortunately he recently had some stuff come up and is unable to work until further notice. It’s unclear if he will be back.

So for now I’m back working solo, we’ll see though.
 
Sounds like you had a successful solo day. Rinse and repeat.
It is Friday afternoon and I hope we can keep the over analysis of our situations to a minimum. Introspection can be helpful or troublesome
I choose comedy podcasts and comedy specials to listen to while working. Not the same as a pleasant employee to work with, but laughter makes a good daily coworker for me.
 
ElietJoe said:
I am curious as well if that one is self-propelled. Our larger models are self-propelled and still will fit in 36 inch openings. Available on tracks or on wheels. Also available are PTO driven units.
Info@eleitusa.com
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Hey Joe, you may want to check and edit the spelling of your email address in that post.
 
climbingmonkey24 said:
I feel like this is a fitting question for the “smaller” operation conversation.

How many of you work by yourself?
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Just about finished with my solo rig. Had little aluminum ramps previously. Always wanted to go fully hydraulic. Was very time consuming and expensive to build, but its pretty much done. Mat rack is fully hydraulic lays flat on the platform once the mini is off. Hook up to forks and pull out 12 mats/put them wherever you want. Load mats onto forks and slide in. All off one electric hydraulic motor. Was able to keep cylinder out of the way under the platform for rack and underneath the ramp itself.. Plenty of room for all tools and good amount of chips. With the 21xp on the whole rig is about 56 feet long. Hasn't been an issue really. My 1550 just barely fits on the platform with no attachment. I just put the grapple in the chipper deck if I need to bring the 1550. Can also do with the 1050 but a lot of the time I just leave it as it is in the photo and don't need to remove grapple.
Very appreciative to the guy who fabricated and made it all happen for me. Though, in the end it was fun and he got paid for it lol. Lots of running back and forth and tweaking/trips to hydraulic shop....
Cheers.
 
Sfoppema said:
View attachment 88055View attachment 88056View attachment 88057
Just about finished with my solo rig. Had little aluminum ramps previously. Always wanted to go fully hydraulic. Was very time consuming and expensive to build, but its pretty much done. Mat rack is fully hydraulic lays flat on the platform once the mini is off. Hook up to forks and pull out 12 mats/put them wherever you want. Load mats onto forks and slide in. All off one electric hydraulic motor. Was able to keep cylinder out of the way under the platform for rack and underneath the ramp itself.. Plenty of room for all tools and good amount of chips. With the 21xp on the whole rig is about 56 feet long. Hasn't been an issue really. My 1550 just barely fits on the platform with no attachment. I just put the grapple in the chipper deck if I need to bring the 1550. Can also do with the 1050 but a lot of the time I just leave it as it is in the photo and don't need to remove grapple.
Very appreciative to the guy who fabricated and made it all happen for me. Though, in the end it was fun and he got paid for it lol. Lots of running back and forth and tweaking/trips to hydraulic shop....
Cheers.
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That's a nice setup definitely wouldn't consider it a small setup though.
 
Sfoppema said:
View attachment 88055View attachment 88056View attachment 88057
Just about finished with my solo rig. Had little aluminum ramps previously. Always wanted to go fully hydraulic. Was very time consuming and expensive to build, but its pretty much done. Mat rack is fully hydraulic lays flat on the platform once the mini is off. Hook up to forks and pull out 12 mats/put them wherever you want. Load mats onto forks and slide in. All off one electric hydraulic motor. Was able to keep cylinder out of the way under the platform for rack and underneath the ramp itself.. Plenty of room for all tools and good amount of chips. With the 21xp on the whole rig is about 56 feet long. Hasn't been an issue really. My 1550 just barely fits on the platform with no attachment. I just put the grapple in the chipper deck if I need to bring the 1550. Can also do with the 1050 but a lot of the time I just leave it as it is in the photo and don't need to remove grapple.
Very appreciative to the guy who fabricated and made it all happen for me. Though, in the end it was fun and he got paid for it lol. Lots of running back and forth and tweaking/trips to hydraulic shop....
Cheers.
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Very nice and efficient
Congratulations
 
I like that set up ! Looks like you put a lot of thought into that. I really wish I would have incorporated space for the mini on my truck, it gets left behind a lot due to the pain in the ass logistics of multiple trips.
 
chiselbit said:
I like that set up ! Looks like you put a lot of thought into that. I really wish I would have incorporated space for the mini on my truck, it gets left behind a lot due to the pain in the ass logistics of multiple trips.
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Thanks. If I did it again I would start with a cab and chassis. This was modified. There are a few things that did not turn out exactly as wished, but too late to change now. Exhausted with the project at this point lol and it works. Few minor changes then sandblasting and paint. Closing the book on it.
 
chiselbit said:
I like that set up ! Looks like you put a lot of thought into that. I really wish I would have incorporated space for the mini on my truck, it gets left behind a lot due to the pain in the ass logistics of multiple trips.
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Ramps, brackets, and d-rings installed was about $1500 with 12’ ramps on sale. The mini almost always rides in one truck but can also be in dump trailer. I like the look of a designated platform vs it being in the chipbox for convenience, but around here longer wheelbase trucks are a pia especially if backing up chippers on twisty skinny driveways or tiny turn arounds.
 
Serf Life said:
Ramps, brackets, and d-rings installed was about $1500 with 12’ ramps on sale. The mini almost always rides in one truck but can also be in dump trailer. I like the look of a designated platform vs it being in the chipbox for convenience, but around here longer wheelbase trucks are a pia especially if backing up chippers on twisty skinny driveways or tiny turn arounds.
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It can be inconvenient for narrow windy driveways. I do have other trucks to tow chipper or use mini to push chipper up driveway if it's so windy I can't back in without making a mess. It's few and far between for me. I've had the truck for 3 years and you get pretty good at backing the chipper in even with the long straight job...
 
macrocarpa said:
Reg Coates mini chipper video from yesterday:

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Had lusted for a Haecksler for a couple of years now but COVID came along and now not sure how to get it shipped here (in one piece). Then . . .
What's a guy to do? A thing's Gas Powered, makes Lots of noise, and it's On Sale Now At Princess Auto (our Harbor Freight up here)!! A guy dilemma!
So couple of months ago, I sprang for one of their 420 cc wood chippers a la Reg Coates. Dang - gotta say it's not a commercial machine for sure, but I've fed elm up to about 3 inch, spruce, apple and crabapple and pine thru it as well as shrub prunings etc. Gone. As long as the blades are sharp and you take it easy starting to feed it, the time it's saved this spring by being able to wheel it into a backyard, chipping there and getting rid of cleanup and dragging to trailer easily made it worth the $1600 highly devalued Canadian pretend play dollars. Plus a 2" receiver and I've towed it around to the church and in the hood for small jobs to help out. For what it is, it's pretty brilliant. Wondering if you could put a 440 cc Duromax on it (18 HP from Home Depot US)? Winter project?
Also If PA is out of belts, I found Timken BX 40's or 39's fit - they're industrial quality cog belts and the thing just rips. Have rigged up some turn signals and brake lights for it (still no highway tires though) for towing. Also even though I used synthetic Mobil 1 (10W-30) for first oil fills, I added some Lucas Oil 10063 Zinc Engine Break-In Oil Additive to the first oil changes - Gokart folks use Zinc stuff like this to help reduce wear on racing engine lifters etc. PA's setup instructions are next to useless but you'll get there with some Youtube help and the thing doesn't ship with crankcase oil or lube in the wheel bearings so it needs a buncha setup. But so far so good.
Should also mention that the chip size is quite fine (smaller than large tow behind chippers) and so far haven't had one job where the HO hasn't wanted to keep the chips for mulch either.
Cheers all
 

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climbingmonkey24 said:
It’s refreshing to see just how many other arborists there are out there running smaller scale operations with less equipment, etc. and doing well with it.

I feel like on social media you see a lot more of the larger operations that are running probably close to if not more than a million dollars worth of trucks / equipment, etc.
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Those larger operations are often left chasing larger contracts and jobs to cover their overhead. Obviously there's a niche for every aspect of tree work, but every time I was on a larger crew or job I felt like the joy of tree work was being sucked out of me. Mechanization has it's place, but too much of it makes things boring...for lack of a better word.
 
Boomslang said:
Those larger operations are often left chasing larger contracts and jobs to cover their overhead. Obviously there's a niche for every aspect of tree work, but every time I was on a larger crew or job I felt like the joy of tree work was being sucked out of me. Mechanization has it's place, but too much of it makes things boring...for lack of a better word.
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It becomes being a machine operator more than being an arborist. And chasing those larger contacts usually result in big removals and land clearing contracts. I have no interest in either.
 
Stumpsprouts said:
And at the end of the day the client cares more about how they were treated and how their property looks rather than how shiny and big the machine was that made it happen.
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Nothing wrong with doing both
quality job
quality equipment
And I love shiny equipment

Better than the neighbor who payed more and didn’t receive quality equipment, job, unsafe leaking equipment
 
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