# Suggestions on first equipment to buy?



## rjstamey (Jun 30, 2022)

Hello,

I'm looking to purchase my first piece of equipment for a weekend / after work tree business I currently run.
I have no equipment at the moment, only saws and climbing / rigging gear. Currently moving and loading everything by hand into a 6x14 trailer.

I have about $15k - 20k to play with

I am trying to decide what equipment I should purchase first that will benefit the most. I was thinking something like an F-350 dump truck and a chipper, but a 50' boom would also come in handy.

Small dump truck and chipper
Skid steer and dump truck
Skid steer and dump trailer
boom truck / forestry truck

If you were starting out, what would you spend $15k on to benefit you the most ?


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## lone wolf (Jun 30, 2022)

rjstamey said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm looking to purchase my first piece of equipment for a weekend / after work tree business I currently run.
> I have no equipment at the moment, only saws and climbing / rigging gear. Currently moving and loading everything by hand into a 6x14 trailer.
> ...


Small dump truck and chipper


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## TheJollyLogger (Jun 30, 2022)

I agree with Lone Wolf, but with that budget, be prepared to spend a substantial amount of time on maintenance and repairs.


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## PithFreak (Jun 30, 2022)

I’d go with small dump truck and skid steer. As a pyro maniac, I see mulchers as a big waste of time when you can just burn the piles come winter or when it rains good. Also the maintenance into the chippers like changing oil and all that, when you can just get a splash of diesel and a match. That’s a tight budget for both though


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## ValleyForge (Jun 30, 2022)

Wait until you see the prices of those things in todays democrat economy…then revisit your plan….


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## rjstamey (Jun 30, 2022)

PithFreak said:


> I’d go with small dump truck and skid steer. As a pyro maniac, I see mulchers as a big waste of time when you can just burn the piles come winter or when it rains good. Also the maintenance into the chippers like changing oil and all that, when you can just get a splash of diesel and a match. That’s a tight budget for both though


Only reason I was thinking a chipper is b/c dragging and hauling off branches seem to be one of the most time consuming parts of the job. Esp when I have to get in the trailer and mulch the limbs/brush down with a chainsaw just to get a decent load.


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## PithFreak (Jun 30, 2022)

rjstamey said:


> Only reason I was thinking a chipper is b/c dragging and hauling off branches seem to be one of the most time consuming parts of the job. Esp when I have to get in the trailer and mulch the limbs/brush down with a chainsaw just to get a decent load.


I burn it right where it’s cut, on grass don’t matter, it’ll grow back even greener where it burned. You must be in dense urban area?


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## Brushwacker (Jun 30, 2022)

rjstamey said:


> Only reason I was thinking a chipper is b/c dragging and hauling off branches seem to be one of the most time consuming parts of the job. Esp when I have to get in the trailer and mulch the limbs/brush down with a chainsaw just to get a decent load.


Lot of guys around here started with a small to mid range pull behind stump grinder and pick up, later adding a small dump truck for clean ups. Pull behind bucket lifts make a lot of work easiar and are much cheaper to maintain then a bucket truck especially at today's fuel prices. Burn or leave brush when you can and keep using your poor mans chipper (chainsaw) until you have more money to invest and consider the man power you will need to keep your equipment running and making a profit. Maybe you can rent things you need less often.
My advice for what it's worth ☺


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## TheJollyLogger (Jul 1, 2022)

Y


PithFreak said:


> I burn it right where it’s cut, on grass don’t matter, it’ll grow back even greener where it burned. You must be in dense urban area?


Yes, for some odd reason not every customer wants a bonfire in their yard, not to mention most of the southern U.S. is in a drought.


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## PithFreak (Jul 1, 2022)

TheJollyLogger said:


> Y
> 
> Yes, for some odd reason not every customer wants a bonfire in their yard, not to mention most of the southern U.S. is in a drought.





TheJollyLogger said:


> Y
> 
> Yes, for some odd reason not every customer wants a bonfire in their yard, not to mention most of the southern U.S. is in a drought.


Don’t be a passive aggressive coward. I’m just trying to help with suggestions.


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## chipper1 (Jul 1, 2022)

PithFreak said:


> Don’t be a passive aggressive coward. I’m just trying to help with suggestions.


Are you a member of gaslighters anonymous  . Yes, it's a punny and a an applicable word all in one.


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## TheJollyLogger (Jul 1, 2022)

PithFreak said:


> Don’t be a passive aggressive coward. I’m just trying to help with suggestions.


Then give good suggestions. If you look at the arborist 101 description, this is a place for those new to the business to ask pros for advice. Lighting a bonfire at every customer's house is not pro advice.


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## chipper1 (Jul 1, 2022)

rjstamey said:


> I am trying to decide what equipment I should purchase first that will benefit the most. I was thinking something like an F-350 dump truck and a chipper, but a 50' boom would also come in handy.


What truck do you currently have.
You'll find the f-350 gets loaded down pretty quick.
What types of jobs are you doing, prunning, removals, large or small trees.
There are dump trailers with a smaller chipper right on the front, a bit harder to find and you'd need at least a 1 ton truck to safely pull it loaded.
Not sure if you've considered a mini skid, but I would buy one of those long before a skid. A good sized skid and a 14k trailer can be a lot of work for a one ton truck to pull.


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## PithFreak (Jul 1, 2022)

TheJollyLogger said:


> Then give good suggestions. If you look at the arborist 101 description, this is a place for those new to the business to ask pros for advice. Lighting a bonfire at every customer's house is not pro advice.


I really don’t care what you dictate as good suggestions or not. Pound sand.


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## PithFreak (Jul 1, 2022)

chipper1 said:


> Are you a member of gaslighters anonymous  . Yes, it's a punny and a an applicable word all in one.


No and I have no interest in it.


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## chipper1 (Jul 1, 2022)

PithFreak said:


> I really don’t care what you dictate as good suggestions or not. Pound sand.


Like I said, a gaslighter!
Calling others out for doing what you do, when they weren't doing it at all.
Don't you have some brush to burn.


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## rjstamey (Jul 1, 2022)

chipper1 said:


> What truck do you currently have.
> You'll find the f-350 gets loaded down pretty quick.
> What types of jobs are you doing, prunning, removals, large or small trees.
> There are dump trailers with a smaller chipper right on the front, a bit harder to find and you'd need at least a 1 ton truck to safely pull it loaded.
> Not sure if you've considered a mini skid, but I would buy one of those long before a skid. A good sized skid and a 14k trailer can be a lot of work for a one ton truck to pull.



I tend to do small to medium sized trees, no more than 60' in height and no wider than 36" at the base.
I currently have my personal Tundra... Which is the reason I was leaning towards an F-350 dump truck.
I have been finding the F-250 / F-350 dump trucks in decent condition for around $6500 and chippers in decent running condition for around the same.
I have also found 6/700 series dump trucks, but as soon as you connect a trailer, it requires CDL. 
The only problem with the mini skid steers is they tend to cost around $20k for used. I just got quoted on a new Bobcat MT-100 with the grapple at $38k, but there is a 4 month waiting list.....

I just want to make sure that I spend my money wisely and get the most production value out of the $15k I have to spend. I hate dragging branches, but I also hate loading big rounds by hand. So not sure if going the route of a chipper or skid steer is the best option.


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## chipper1 (Jul 1, 2022)

PithFreak said:


> Saying pound sand isn’t passive aggressive, it’s direct aggressive. Oh the irony.


After you were name calling and then saying "I'm just trying to help with suggestions".
Yeah, ironic.
It's alright, we see your colors, and I see it's a waste of time! .


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## ElevatorGuy (Jul 1, 2022)

This is gonna be fun to watch!


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## PithFreak (Jul 1, 2022)

Not contributing to this anymore, to OP, apologies for the derailment. Carry on


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## chipper1 (Jul 1, 2022)

rjstamey said:


> I tend to do small to medium sized trees, no more than 60' in height and no wider than 36" at the base.
> I currently have my personal Tundra... Which is the reason I was leaning towards an F-350 dump truck.
> I have been finding the F-250 / F-350 dump trucks in decent condition for around $6500 and chippers in decent running condition for around the same.
> The only problem with the mini skid steers is they tend to cost around $20k for used. I just got quoted on a new Bobcat MT-100 with the grapple at $38k, but there is a 4 month waiting list.....
> ...


That's a good price for a solid dump/chipper. I'd jump on that with the intentions of going to a larger chip truck down the rd. One of the considerations is that you will need to make multiple trips to the site unless you have another driver. This seems to me the point where guys decide to go for it and get employees, or to work for others.

I use my tractors on many jobs, but they don't have the lifting capacity a skid has, or even many mini's have. That being said they are also lower impact than an 8-12k skid, and they do a lot of work for me, so I'm multiplying my strength. I do a good bit of dirt work too, so I'm not specializing in tree work. I have a skidding winch on my larger tractor that allows me to take on jobs that others would have to rig out without climbing/rigging, so I can do them by myself and charge a little less than others with a crew/more equipment/overhead. Then when I have a stump ground I remove all the chips with my little tractor and I bring in around a 1/2 yard of topsoil to avoid the sinkhole many get after a large stump removal. Many tree guys here do not do the dirt work, grind the stumps and then leave. While I'm limited on what jobs I can take, I offer the dirt work and stick around the job site a bit longer, which obviously makes more money.


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## TheJollyLogger (Jul 1, 2022)

PithFreak said:


> Not contributing to this anymore, to OP, apologies for the derailment. Carry on


You never contributed in the first place


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## rjstamey (Jul 4, 2022)

So, from the replies, it seems that a skidder would give me more productivity than a chipper.... 
I just hate dragging limbs, and then they take up a lot of space forcing me to take more trips to and from the job site.


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## Bango Skank (Jul 4, 2022)

My vote is for chipper and dump.
I’ve spent too many hours mulching up piles of brush with a saw in the back of a truck. It’s miserable, it’s hazardous, and at least around here it’s harder to get rid of the material afterwards.

A mini skid is a productivity game changer for sure, and noodling big rounds to be able to handle them sucks, but I think you’d still finish most jobs faster with a chipper than with a mini. Not all jobs, but most I’d wager.


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## chipper1 (Jul 4, 2022)

rjstamey said:


> So, from the replies, it seems that a skidder would give me more productivity than a chipper....
> I just hate dragging limbs, and then they take up a lot of space forcing me to take more trips to and from the job site.


I think a chipper and a dump truck at the prices you say you can get them sounds best. Then buy an arborist trolley to haul limbs to the chipper.
The skidding winch is a tool I acquired to pull tops to the trail for making firewood to sell while keeping my tractor out of the woods where it would get beat up(even more than it is). It does have its uses, but they are limited, since I already have it I incorporate it into the work I do. I rarely use it to drag brush as it would tear up the yards, I primarily use it to pull trees against their lean or to swing them 90 degrees off their lean, but I have used it a few times to pull brush when the ground was thawing and I couldn't drive to the brush with my tractor because it was too soft. I will also use it as a GRCS on trees that allow for it, I can tip tie a rope and then pull branches up, and once they break the hinge I can drop them back down but first. I also will tie off a whole tree and notch it towards another tree I have a pulley in, then give it a pull just as you would with a GRCS, and cut it from the bottom up just as you do with a tip tied branch.


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## Limbrat (Jul 5, 2022)

It all depends on location, dump sites, number of employees you're working, etc. If you've got a place to dump debris for free or cheap close to your work area, you can start out with a dump trailer and the machine you decide on, whether skid steer, tractor w/grapple or whatever. I can't imagine working without a loader of some sort, you will work yourself to death without it on a job of any size. As you already know, if you cut small before you load it you can pack an amazing amount of limbs and brush in a trailer. If you don't have a dump site, the chipper will be your best option but the more equipment you have, the more vehicles and men you must have to move it around. Getting rid of chips is normally not a problem. If you go for the dump truck/skid steer option, remember that loading over the side of most dump trucks is a stretch for small loaders.


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## Montana_Sam (Jul 6, 2022)

rjstamey, I'm in the exact same boat buddy!

I very recently went from leading large forestry and tree service crews (company sold) to starting my own business and trying to work for myself. I'm unfortunely accustomed to using all the nice stuff...skid steers, chippers, dump trucks, cranes, excavators, etc. I'm currently doing the same types of jobs with my 1/2 ton Sierra and a high-sided 14' trailer...it sucks! 

If I were you I would focus on acquiring a decent heavy duty dump bed truck, and build out a chip box on it. There are plenty of smaller chippers with low hours for sale on the forestry-tree trader pages. You don't need to chip up 14" diameter trees, so something that chips to 6" or so would be great for a few years, firewood the rest of the wood. I routinely burn slash on my forested properties, but trying to get away from that as insurance rates are thru the roof and the fire risk/liability is just too great in my area. I can rent or subcontract a guy with a tracked Bandit to come out and chip in the woods if need be. 

Yes dragging brush to the chipper is a pain and it's a lot of work. But take it easy on yourself and your body, take your time and just pass the cost onto your clients. I have a Kubota I bring to some jobs to skid brush with, but if the jobs going to be a humongous pain the butt, just pass on it or bid it high. 

Good luck amigo, let us know how you fare!


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## chipper1 (Jul 6, 2022)

Montana_Sam said:


> if the jobs going to be a humongous pain the butt, just pass on it or bid it high


Being limited as far as equipment and help, this is what I do. I also let those I'm quoting the work for know that they should inquire with others for bids as the costs will be higher because I need to rent equipment or it will take multiple trips. What's nice is that when I get done telling them this, they often say "when can you start". There's a reason I'm there giving a quote, many times it's about trust as long as the price is what they would deem reasonable. Most of my clients are willing to work with my limitations because I come highly recommended .


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## BrettS (Jul 6, 2022)

chipper1 said:


> Most of my clients are willing to work with my limitations because I come highly recommended .


And that says a lot in the chainsaw/arborist business, if they know you are good you not only get repeat business but they tell their friends...


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## chipper1 (Jul 6, 2022)

BrettS said:


> And that says a lot in the chainsaw/arborist business, if they know you are good you not only get repeat business but they tell their friends...


It is a blessing .


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## Obhhelper (Jul 29, 2022)

I started with a Chevy 2500 and landscape trailer. 
Same as you as a side hustle 
Then I bought a used 16’ dump trailer saved so much time offloading 
Next I bought a skid steer at auction s650 23000
Bandit 90XP chipper
Traded that skid in for a t770 with high flow old skid+ 18000
Then dump truck ram5500
Then stump grinder attachment 7300 auction also
Tilt deck trailer next don’t remember that price off the top of my head (first brand new piece)
And just bought a 72’ track lift 

Everything is paid off all in the last 4 years but I do work in northern VA
And I manage a large cattle farm so I am able to rent some of the equipment to the farm and help pay for it that way
Still only as a side hustle but I would love to find a good full time employee


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