# Garbage trucks????



## TackleTree (Feb 15, 2006)

Has anyone ever used a garbage truck to chip into. I wonder if it would be a good idea or a terrible one. Any info on this would be helpful.


----------



## Tom Dunlap (Feb 15, 2006)

I think the idea stinks...

Bad pun...

The only thing that you would gain is an end dump instead of a tipper. Allof the dumping mechanism is heavy, takes up space and more complicated than a tipper.

Garbage trucks are built strong and weigh much more than a tipper of equal volume.


----------



## begleytree (Feb 15, 2006)

Actually I saw their use advocated once in a magazine. Of course without a chipper, waste reduction is somewhere around 10:1 in them. They were hailed as a very fast way to clean up storm debris. Haven't seen the idea catch on yet...
-Ralph


----------



## Abbershay (Feb 16, 2006)

they use them in my city and they they say it works better than a chipper and truck. no need to chip the matterial.


----------



## John Paul Sanborn (Feb 16, 2006)

Abbershay said:


> they use them in my city and they they say it works better than a chipper and truck. no need to chip the matterial.



they do it here in MKE too, then put the depris in a tub grinder.


----------



## CITREEMAN (Feb 18, 2006)

Wont work for your chips that is not very well - You would have to have your push-out blade slide forward all the time. It is impossible to "compact" the chips once the packer body is full to a level were gravity will continue to pull the chips back down into the loading hopper you would be fighting a very steep up hill battle to get the chips into the packer body, its just not going to work period. Many small towns and maybe some large citys will use them for debris cleanup as stated by others for brush etc. I personally have done so and they will pack the living you no what out of brush up to a good size too. I am speaking experience here -there also high maintaince and costly to operate. You simply cant get enough chips in one to justify it as the chips dont have any "bonding properties" so to speak.


----------



## BostonBull (Feb 18, 2006)

Maltby tree uses an old cab over Mack here in MA. If I remember correctly they took the original body off and put a lighter chip style body on it. I want to say almost 60 yards?


----------



## erob914 (Feb 20, 2006)

Where I work there is a company that runs a lot of these packer garbage trucks. Unless you can get repairs and maintanence at low or no cost I dont see how it would be economically feasable. These are very heavy pieces of machinery and can be difficult to work on. With air brakes,hydraulics, electrical controls, there is a lot that can break down. Parts alone can get very expensive.


----------



## LightningLoader (Feb 20, 2006)

I have to agree with packers being too expensive and costly to maintain not to mention, how much do you need to compact wood chips anyway? I agree with the other guys that whoever made reference to this as a good idea was probibly taking about using it for brush collection. From what I've heard any other collection method is faster than chipping. I know I wouldn't want to sit there and feed branches into the chipper by hand all day (I'd of course use a grapple truck, but I'm lazy and biased).


----------



## TackleTree (Feb 21, 2006)

Thanks for the input. Im saw a website for a tree company and they had a garbage truck towing a chipper. I believe that they worked on palms alot. I too did not see a benefit for chips but using it for limbs and such sounds better. I also asked because i have seen some for a decent price. Comparing it to other vehicles with similar capacities. As far as repairs I understand the more there is the more there is to break. But unfortunately it is part of the business


----------



## bushinspector (Feb 27, 2007)

Boy, this site has everything one would need to start up a business. I woke up one morning and thought that a garbage truck would be a great machine to have in the tree business. My son has started a tree trimming business and we have been at it for a year. Our issue is that we need a quick and easy way to reduce the limbs. We are currently loading them on a trailer and hauling them off. We have a place dump (traded firewood) but we reduce it on the trailer by cutting it crossways on the trailer. Don't like it due to safety concerns. Would a small shredder work to just reduce the small limbs. (Under three inches) This is my first post so I hope it is correct. Thanks for everyone input.


----------



## Treeman587 (Feb 27, 2007)

I started my business the same way. A tacoma and a ten foot trailer. Hauled everything out with it. Those little chippers DR,etc. are no good for anything commercial. By the time you feed what it will chip you can be loaded and gone. Save your money and buy a drum chipper. Cheap, effective, and fast. I bought my first one for $3000. my first dump truck was $3500. Just save constantly. With regular work you will have the money in no time. Every dime made by the business should be put back into it right now.


----------



## begleytree (Feb 27, 2007)

If you are talking about the small ones that you roll up onto your trailer and push the brush through, yes, it will work. it will be slower than loading the trailer to begin with however.
the most efficent thing would be a dump truck with a grapple, just arm down and load it all. chippers, while more efficient than loading brush on a trailer, are not the fastest way to remove large quantities of brush and wood.
-Ralph


----------



## Mowingman (Feb 28, 2007)

I have been thinking of doing the same thing with a used garbage truck. One type of truck body has a ram in the front that will push the load out the back. I was going to strip out all of the packing/loading mechanism, except for the ejector feature. This would reduce maint. and lighten the truck so you could haul more chipps. Truck would easily tow a good size chipper, and back end of truck body would be cut down so you could blow chips right into it.
These trucks are cheap on the used truck market.
Jeff


----------



## bushinspector (Mar 1, 2007)

The idea was to use the garbage truck by itself and no chipper.


----------



## oldirty (Mar 2, 2007)

dont know how they drive those garbage trucks out your way but no way in hell would i buy one from this way.

not the way the drivers beat the hell out of those things.
i would hate to be the mechanic for a fleet of those rigs.
not unless you liked the smell as much as the OT.


oldirty


----------



## Mr. Firewood (Mar 2, 2007)

everyone says "what about the smell?" what about it? do what I did and take it to the local u-do it semi truck wash at the local truckstop and take a couple rolls of quarters and a hours worth of time, clean that ????? out good

it is amazing how many scrap major appliances will fit in a garbage truck.... the most I have gotten into a 28 yard Leach packer was 49


----------



## treevet (Mar 4, 2007)

Like mentioned earlier by Ralph, Garbage truck w skid steer w grapple in my town and it seems much quicker than I could have it chipped when I m working w them. Capacity prob about same w crushed brush or chipped into my truck.


----------

