# what did you get started with



## bandet (Aug 26, 2012)

Hello all looking to get pics of your first chipper truck 
what would you like in a dream truck ?
what do you use now ect ?
I see a movment in my town to go to smaller lower height
cheaper to run trucks
ie isuzu npr with 10 to 13 yard dumps 
its a great truck cheap to run cheap to insure 
for small removels and hard to get to drive ways on hills
higher gvwr than one tons and turn in half the space 
and can we say no more $200+
oil changers for that diesel


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## Pelorus (Aug 27, 2012)

I'm hoping to get something like one of those in the next year or two. 
photo 1 box looks like a loaf of bread!
It would be ideal for smaller jobs & driveways in cottage country.


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## pdqdl (Aug 27, 2012)

Can't haul a big chipper with a little truck. Add 10 yards of green waste at 1000lbs each, and you are grossly overloaded. Simple math says no, unless you are toting a tiny chipper as well. _Ooops._ Now you are going to work real hard to get that truck full of chips. 

Most tree services shoot for the just under CDL size, just because they can't keep good drivers.


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## pdqdl (Aug 27, 2012)

I have a bandit 200, and it will fill my 12' bed in no time. Unless your business model only includes lots of trimming and not many removals, you should consider heavier trucks to do more work with. Not much cuts into productivity like a broken truck or a long conversation with Mr. DOT.

Conversely, I can take the time to wiggle my big truck into small places if I have to. It's not always practical, but it will go almost anywhere the first three trucks in your lineup would have gone, and I am carrying a 12k knuckleboom and a crew cab as well. The time I loose wiggling into tight spaces is more than compensated for by being able to pick up 2000lb logs in one piece from 30' away.

When I simply can't get into a tight space, there is always the A300 bobcat. If that won't fit, then you are never going to get any truck into the space. Consider a bigger truck and perhaps a mini-skid for the smaller areas. Not that much more investment, you would get a lot more capacity.

Smaller trucks are great when they are the second truck in the fleet.


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## Pelorus (Aug 27, 2012)

At least half the jobs I do the chips and/or wood remains on site, and the wiggle factor on many sites becomes a major PITA. Bigger isn't necessarily better or more efficient. Ditto for large chippers that require either gorillas or equipment (that also has to get hauled around) to feed them efficiently.

A small truck, matched with a small chipper is perfectly adequate for many jobs.


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## deevo (Aug 27, 2012)

Pelorus said:


> At least half the jobs I do the chips and/or wood remains on site, and the wiggle factor on many sites becomes a major PITA. Bigger isn't necessarily better or more efficient. Ditto for large chippers that require either gorillas or equipment (that also has to get hauled around) to feed them efficiently.
> 
> A small truck, matched with a small chipper is perfectly adequate for many jobs.



Same here, I would say 50% of the jobs we do people want the chips or the wood stays. I have a lot of places to dump in my general work area. MY F450 can hold quite a few chips, almost as much as the old bucket truck I used to run with my ex working partner. For me right now my truck suits me just right. I do a lot of rural work as well. So having a big huge honkin chip truck just doesn't make much sense.


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## bandet (Aug 27, 2012)

my first chipper is a sidwinder tm 20 I think it was made by international tractor changes i have made to it larger 1/4 by 18inch paddels larger in feed opening with rounded off cornners to help move metrial added chipper shoot rotates and locks in place 
it is small yes but i like that it will fit in a gate to a back yard if its 48 inches wide
on a side note it is a heavy beast thay dont buildthem like thay used to weight tips in just under 600lbs so it wont tip over with a 12 ft long 3 inch branch sucks it down in just over 14 seconds thoe 
but at the same time it has done all of the trees 
I will post next and it throws chips hard will shoot 25 ft no problem
so it works for me cost me $1200
SPECS 24 INCH FLY WHEEL 88 LBS AND 17 HP ENGINE TWO 6 INCH BLADE SIPS FULE AT 1 GALLON AN HOUR 
the chipper ben you see in the pic is a 4.5 yard ben cost less than $200 and with air bags for the truck I have in less than 10 jobs made profit to buy a brush bandet xp with 44 hp diesel 
and a isuzu npr with 11050 lb gvwr 
chips on average weigh 600 lbs per yard it can handel 10 to 13 yards easly
and tow my brush bandet easly when fully loaded
cost to operate insurance $120 month fule 12 miles to gallon lodaded 
storage in my drive way 
length less than a one ton truck
no extra land taxe on comercial lot and no having to pay storage lot fees 
my business model is to do more with less and maxemise profit 
my equipment may not all be new but I dident spend much and can do all the metal fabrication myself $6000 for the chipper $8000 on the truck this should easly take me to the next level


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## bandet (Aug 27, 2012)

most of these are one day jobs the small trees 1.5 hrs or 2 hrs from the time we roll up to the time we left one climber and one groundsmam good clean up and chat with the owner to get to know them 
and yes in these times many owners will eather give the wood away for free or not want to pay to have it hauled off 
some fire wood dealers will be happy to buck and haul away the wood with a day or two notice
one I use carrys insurance just for wood removel


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## Pelorus (Aug 28, 2012)

bandet said:


> my business model is to do more with less and maxemise profit



I think going after smaller jobs that bigger companies (with big equipment, large crews, an higher overhead) aren't interested in going after fills a niche in the marketplace, and there is nothing wrong with growing your business that way. Your skill as a salesperson is at least every bit as important as the equipment you run or your level of skill. It is a sad truth that I realized late in this game, cause for many years I always priced my work too damn cheap.


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## Pelorus (Aug 28, 2012)

Say - how the heck did you end up with a negative " Credits: -5 " rep anyway?
I hope it is just a typo. :msp_w00t:


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## bandet (Aug 28, 2012)

pdqdl said:


> Can't haul a big chipper with a little truck. Add 10 yards of green waste at 1000lbs each, and you are grossly overloaded. Simple math says no, unless you are toting a tiny chipper as well. _Ooops._ Now you are going to work real hard to get that truck full of chips.
> 
> Most tree services shoot for the just under CDL size, just because they can't keep good drivers.



oak fresh cut and dripping wet with water 6000 lbs per cord correct me if I am wrong that would be 4.5 yards 
chipping is what most of my jobs want 
more than half of my customers want the rounds left on site so large metrial is not a problem 
I can allways bring my dumpbead trailer lower deck height wide entry and easy unload many times it gos stright to the drop point from the job site never having to be tuched by me again


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## bandet (Aug 28, 2012)

Pelorus said:


> Say - how the heck did you end up with a negative " Credits: -5 " rep anyway?
> I hope it is just a typo. :msp_w00t:



posted this in the pro forums first than got bumped over to the 101 site 
its my first post 
this is a great site and I have read a lot on all the forums


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## bandet (Aug 28, 2012)

Pelorus said:


> I think going after smaller jobs that bigger companies (with big equipment, large crews, an higher overhead) aren't interested in going after fills a niche in the marketplace, and there is nothing wrong with growing your business that way. Your skill as a salesperson is at least every bit as important as the equipment you run or your level of skill. It is a sad truth that I realized late in this game, cause for many years I always priced my work too damn cheap.



yes ther is a market for jobs that the big equipment dont want to wast ther time on
just the other day I was on this job
it was turnd down by three other tree compenys why would thay not want this job? is climbing becoming a lost art ?
that was the first thing I learnd and went to take classes from pro climbers working in tree care 
than spent good hard earnd money on good gear and rigging equipment 
on this job what is not able to be sean in the pics is that this house sets on a hill the drive way is at a good 35dagree slope its in califorina so no snow and thers concreat steps and planter boxes all over the lawn so you cant have joe the 300lbs skidstear driver just waddel up and grabe it with the skid we got the job compleated in one day with two guys all wood removed and chips taken away evan cleand up some green wast from flower beds and placed it in ther green wast ben
this is not uncomen to find and in many newer housing tracks ther is just very small driveways and housing lots are so close that if you park anything more than 30 ft long you blocking the next lots driveway
maybe hard work is a lost art as well because I just saw two large newer chipper trucks with boom lift 
and brushbandet 250 chippers along the road in a drit parking lot veary large plywood signs connected togather to make a sign tree triming 30% off 
hmmm close to half a millon dollers worth of equipment in a dirt lot next to the road i dont want my investment setting just out in the middel of nowhere begging to be put to use


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## bandet (Sep 13, 2012)

bandet said:


> yes ther is a market for jobs that the big equipment dont want to wast ther time on
> just the other day I was on this job
> it was turnd down by three other tree compenys why would thay not want this job? is climbing becoming a lost art ?
> that was the first thing I learnd and went to take classes from pro climbers working in tree care
> ...


rather see it in my drive way fuled up ready to go after emptying out after a good days work ready to go get that job tomarrow 
cheers all wer not a diying bread just need to reinvent a few things tell times can bring top prices again


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## echo271 (Sep 15, 2012)

even in these bad times my company is just over 6 months old and profiting just on taking jobs nobody else wants not to mention all of my happy customers passing the good word on to others no chipper no boom truck just my old ford f250 a 16foot trailer saws and climbing gear


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## bandet (Sep 15, 2012)

echo271 said:


> even in these bad times my company is just over 6 months old and profiting just on taking jobs nobody else wants not to mention all of my happy customers passing the good word on to others no chipper no boom truck just my old ford f250 a 16foot trailer saws and climbing gear



good jobe echo271 thats 
what I like to see sombody that says I can do this and gos out ther and gets the job done


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## bandet (Sep 16, 2012)

echo271 said:


> even in these bad times my company is just over 6 months old and profiting just on taking jobs nobody else wants not to mention all of my happy customers passing the good word on to others no chipper no boom truck just my old ford f250 a 16foot trailer saws and climbing gear



good job maybe send a few pics


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## Goose IBEW (Sep 17, 2012)

My dump and chipper are old, both 1987's. I basically fell into the dump about 5 years ago and have just made it do for tree work. I wanted a 12" disc chipper and this is the one I found and was able to afford. It may not be much by everyone else's standards but hey, I'm going out and working with it. This was the first day I used my chipper. I have since sharpened the blades, rotated the base anvil to a square edge and adjusted the clearances between them. It chips a whole lot better since. 

I AM just getting started.:msp_biggrin:


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## timbergrower15 (Sep 22, 2012)

Two months since leaving the comfort of a weekly paycheck running the ChipTruck w/ bandit 250 I push this little nissan to the limit. haha


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## RDAA (Sep 23, 2012)

I do treework on the side and i'm swamped. I started last year with just my skid steer,pickup,dumptrailer, and a 1 ton 35 foot bucket that I got for 1500 bucks. This year i purchased a F-800 with a 55ft bucket and purchased a tow behind stump grinder. My used saws that I was runnning from last year keep puking out so I have been buying new ones. I should just sell half that #### and keep the grinder and the dump trailer and just climb a few jobs and end up making the same money with my limited time. Alot of money grossed just flys out the door with operating all that stuff. but you sure can get a hell of alot done! ha ha


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## cheaplaughs (Sep 24, 2012)

*just starting*

i went out tonight to pay for my new to me equipment.i bought a 1997 international 55ft bucket truck with chip box and a vermeer 12in chipper.looking forward to making this work.


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## cheaplaughs (Sep 28, 2012)

*New truck*

Picking up my truck and chipper in the morning. Looking forward to it


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## cheaplaughs (Sep 28, 2012)

*my new gear*

View attachment 254698
View attachment 254699


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## bandet (Sep 28, 2012)

cheaplaughs said:


> View attachment 254698
> View attachment 254699



nice truck looks like you can do a lot with that boom 50 ft?
maybe we can get a look at the chipper


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## cheaplaughs (Sep 29, 2012)

*chipper*

there is two pics you have to click on both


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## azilla (Sep 29, 2012)

*actually...*



pdqdl said:


> Can't haul a big chipper with a little truck. Add 10 yards of green waste at 1000lbs each, and you are grossly overloaded. Simple math says no, unless you are toting a tiny chipper as well. _Ooops._ Now you are going to work real hard to get that truck full of chips.
> 
> Most tree services shoot for the just under CDL size, just because they can't keep good drivers.



im a driver/groundsman/climber and most companies go for just under cdl for insurance reasons. But med. Duty truck with a lifting bed and a rayco chipper work just fine for us. We do about 3 or 4 trimmings and a removal a day.


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## cheaplaughs (Sep 29, 2012)

*a few pics*

View attachment 254801
View attachment 254802
View attachment 254803
View attachment 254804
first ride in the bucket


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## timbergrower15 (Nov 13, 2012)

brand new '72 (to me at least) time to start building the chip box.


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## Allabouttree (Dec 30, 2012)

I'm 25 owner operating. Great to see this stuff cause I'm just starting myself, everything I get is better then what I had 7 years ago which was nothing. I've got dosko 13hp grinder, morbark 17 and cheap 5k isuzu NPR 130k miles,goes good.View attachment 270457


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## since16 (Jan 5, 2013)

Allabouttree said:


> I'm 25 owner operating. Great to see this stuff cause I'm just starting myself, everything I get is better then what I had 7 years ago which was nothing. I've got dosko 13hp grinder, morbark 17 and cheap 5k isuzu NPR 130k miles,goes good.View attachment 270457



I like the mini boom have Ben thinking of putting one of those on a 550. Does it work better than a mini skid?


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## treeclimber101 (Jan 5, 2013)

Goose IBEW said:


> My dump and chipper are old, both 1987's. I basically fell into the dump about 5 years ago and have just made it do for tree work. I wanted a 12" disc chipper and this is the one I found and was able to afford. It may not be much by everyone else's standards but hey, I'm going out and working with it. This was the first day I used my chipper. I have since sharpened the blades, rotated the base anvil to a square edge and adjusted the clearances between them. It chips a whole lot better since.
> 
> I AM just getting started.:msp_biggrin:



Did you buy that bandit off the side of rt. 77 ? If so I looked at it a few years back .


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## treeclimber101 (Jan 5, 2013)

Here are the 2 gems I got started with







I know they were rough but i could fix em in my back yard , and they didn't cost me much .


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## Allabouttree (Jan 5, 2013)

since16 said:


> I like the mini boom have Ben thinking of putting one of those on a 550. Does it work better than a mini skid?



Never used one before, but I use this thing for everything, working on chipper, or big stump grinder motor, always some use. I wish I had some 550 or 4x4 would be nice. Outriggers lift my front end so it's easy to change tires or get unstuck hah. I plan to run a splitter off the truck aswell


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## bandet (Jan 6, 2013)

pdqdl said:


> Can't haul a big chipper with a little truck. Add 10 yards of green waste at 1000lbs each, and you are grossly overloaded. Simple math says no, unless you are toting a tiny chipper as well. _Ooops._ Now you are going to work real hard to get that truck full of chips.
> 
> Most tree services shoot for the just under CDL size, just because they can't keep good drivers.


dmv as well as dot just cleard my truck for 19500 lbs grose combinde weight 
and dmv has record for 14000 to 17000 gvw so you have a 6.10ft x 12.4 ft x5.4 bead easy to get 12 to 13 yards in it it
is a known fact on this site chips weigh in at betwen 500lbs to 700 lbs per yard
so yes you can do work with a small truck and tow a brushbandet 65 xp or a 200xp or a 95xp and have no truble with mr dot 
not going to say you can do any job with it 
but than aView attachment 271841
gain if we all had jobs every day that would be trees larger than 50 to 70 ft that had 5 cords of wood in trunk metrial than we would all drive a bigger truck every day my avrage tree job is in this range that fits this truck i just did two dys of work 4- 35 ft tall trees one palm two bradford pair and two maple trees out the back yard and thay all fit with room to take the 55 ftView attachment 271842
red wood and 30 ft palmView attachment 271844
the next day 
so to start out your compeny I can honesty say yes you can start out with a small truck 
ill bet allmost 80% of those on this sight dident strat out with all the money it taks to get a large truck that is less than 10 years old 
or large chippers less than 10 yeras old or that sthil ms 880 for that first tree 
not flamiing any one 
but I dont want to make that 23 year old woundering if he can start out on his own in 3 years with a small truck and chipper 
cause the news is that next year he will have a family to feed 
think it cant be done 
it can be you might just have to think how else can it be done for less


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## bandet (Aug 17, 2013)

*first stump grinder*

I wanted to find out what was your first stump grinder 
not the first new one you bought
but what you started with 
brings us back into the days like the vermeer 206 
many say this was a work horse of the day 
not going to say it can compare with todays models 
so what did you get started with ?


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## Menchhofer (Aug 17, 2013)

I sure wish people would punctuate and spell properly when posting. Sure would look more professional.


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## bandet (Aug 17, 2013)

well we might have to start this with my first one it was a vermeer 206
just gave the connecting rod a new place to move outside the block looks like a kohler engine 27 hp will replace it


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## sgreanbeans (Aug 18, 2013)

bandet said:


> well we might have to start this with my first one it was a vermeer 206
> just gave the connecting rod a new place to move outside the block looks like a kohler engine 27 hp will replace it



Please use punctuation. It's very hard to read your post's.


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