chip truck and chipper VS a clam truck

[MillerTreeMN]

ive been running my business with an F350, 14' long by 8' wide dump trailer and a Rayco 1635 / 35 HP stump grinder

when i need more equipment... i know people. if me or one of the climbers cant climb it i call in a bucket. if its heavy, i call in a skid steer. if there is alot of brush i call in a chipper and chip truck.


but i need to make the next step. i need to make my jobs go faster without hiring in someone else. ad loading brush and logs by hand in a dump trailer is getting hard on the back and shoulders.



ive been weighing the options... i could trade my 2006 F350 crew cab diesel 4X4 towards a clam truck,

trade my car towards a 1/2 ton pickup for the small jobs or just pulling the stump grinder.

with the clam truck, i can load big logs, brush, etc all in one shot. i can load dirty brush that i wouldnt want to run through a chipper. i can use it to set boulder walls for my friends who do landscaping and sub out to other tree companies to pick up their loads of wood and brush.

with the chip truck and chipper, youre loading logs into the back by hand, forcing the brush into the chipper, heck i would have $20 K minimum invested into a chipper alone to get the one i want... chipper knives go dull... youve got the truck and chipper motor to maintain...





help me out here...

clam ( grapple ) truck

or a

chipper and chip truck.

 

[DK_stihl]

Clam truck

There's alot to look at here. If you're goin to run a clam truck you need to be able to get rid of the brush. Chips are much easier to get rid of than brush. Also, most clam trucks require a class "B" CDL to drive. They also need more side to side room and overhead room to operate than a chipper does. Are they a backsaver? Oh yes, they are, but they are also bigger and heavier, and you can get a chipper into places you can't get a clam truck. Both set-ups have their place, and I've run both, so I can speak from experience. I'll put up some pics later.

 

[MillerTreeMN]

getting rid of the brush... the dump i go to time takes brush. 8 bucks a yard for brush, or 6 bucks a yard for chips..... so im not really saving money when we chip it up.

ive had a class A CDL since i turned 18 so that part is covered.

95% of my jobs you have to drag the brush and wood to the vehicle anyways.... the other 5 % of the jobs always seem like if you can get a pickup / chipper in there, you could get a clam truck in there.

 

[DK_stihl]

Trucks

Sounds like you've got it figured out. Here's a couple pics of trucks I used to run.

 

[Wishie22]

The main deciding factor would be, what would best suite the way you want your business to grow (exploiting what is currently working).

Good luck with growing your business.

 

[DK_stihl]

obstacles

One thing that is often overlooked is overhead room, you need a lot of overhead room to get your boom up. Just think about how many tree branches / wires are over top of you next time you're on the job. Sometimes the only place you can load is the middle of the street. Even then stuff will still get in the way. Also, you need to make sure whatever you drop your outriggers on can support the weight of the truck and not do any damage. Otherwise you'll be buying alot of new driveways, and restringing a lot of overhead wire.

 

[MillerTreeMN]

DK Stihl -

nice clam truck. what would one of those cost ( ball park )


Wishie- when you say "exploiting" what do you mean ??

 

[DK_stihl]

Cost

It depends on what you want.

New-100-140K depending on options. Used 70-10K depending on condition and options. Here is a link to a few. Have a look.

http://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/find/browse/grapple-truck

 

[Koa Man]

I thought of getting a clam truck at one time, but decided on getting a hooklift truck instead. If you get a bin with 5 ft. sides, you can easily load it with a mini loader. I have a Gehl AL20 with the BMG grapple. It doesn't tear up lawns like my Prowler mini skid does, but it is 40 inches wide. The travel speed, 6.8 mph, is also twice as fast as a mini skid. A hooklift in really good condition can be found for as low as $40K. You will never find a clam truck that cheap unless it is all beat up.

Of course the Gehl cannot pick up as much as the clam, but it is much smaller, can get into far more places and on a lot of jobs, bring the debris all the way from the backyard to the bin. It will easily move more brush and logs than 4 groundmen and won't call in sick or require wc insurance.

 

[Toddppm]

Koa, are you still renting out your collection of equipment?

 

[fishercat]

a couple guys i know have gotten clam trucks here.

they have gotten rid of them.said it was more aggravation than they figured.getting rid of the brush was not as easy as they planned.

i'd get a good chipper and about a 30-40 hp 4x4 tractor with a grapple and skidding winch.

 

[a_lopa]

I thought of getting a clam truck at one time, but decided on getting a hooklift truck instead. If you get a bin with 5 ft. sides, you can easily load it with a mini loader. I have a Gehl AL20 with the BMG grapple. It doesn't tear up lawns like my Prowler mini skid does, but it is 40 inches wide. The travel speed, 6.8 mph, is also twice as fast as a mini skid. A hooklift in really good condition can be found for as low as $40K. You will never find a clam truck that cheap unless it is all beat up.

Of course the Gehl cannot pick up as much as the clam, but it is much smaller, can get into far more places and on a lot of jobs, bring the debris all the way from the backyard to the bin. It will easily move more brush and logs than 4 groundmen and won't call in sick or require wc insurance.

A guy i know has hook bins and 20"+ chippers fills the bins with logs/chip,I think it's area pesific to which way you go.A clam truck would be nice i must admit load and dump.

 

[Koa Man]

Koa, are you still renting out your collection of equipment?

Depends on who wants to rent it. I rent the dump trailer and equipment trailer to almost anyone. The 15GT to only 2 tree services I trust. The Prowler or Gehl I also rent out to some tree services but I am not as selective as I am with the 15GT. I won't rent the 23GT to any tree service unless I am the operator. The 23GT is currently being rented to one of Waikiki hotels, where I do the palm trimming. They are renting it for 4 days to hang Christmas lighting. I gave them a training session, which they paid for and watched their guy operate it for 3 hours before I left. I also got paid during that 3 hours wrapping lights on a couple of palms the lift could not get to while the 23GT was being operated about 50 ft. away.

Getting back to the chip truck subject, another reason I don't think I will buy a chipper again is because I spend 22 weeks a year working at four Waikiki higher end hotels. Management there tells me they get a lot of guest complaints with the previous contractor would run his chipper. They like that I don't run a chipper. Several homeowners have also told me we are the quietest tree service they know of. One lady came out of the house a few times to see if we were still there. I use a handsaw a lot on fine pruning jobs. Most of the guys around here don't even carry a handsaw.

 

[lego1970]

If what your doing is working, I don't know if I would trade in a good running F-350 and chipper for a grapple truck unless your getting a newer very reliable grapple truck without going into the hole. I mentioned a lot of this in another post but here goes again is case you didn't read it. I do know a guy that's been in business for awhile and thats all he uses is a grapple truck. I personaly am a big fan of them and if it was me, I'd rather have a grapple truck, then just a chipper truck with a chipper behind it. Assuming that the grapple truck has a dump bed (which all but one I've ever operated had a dump bed on it) you can always modify the tailgate, and tongue of a chipper and pull a chipper behind it in the future, but it wouldn't be as near as manuverble compared to just a chipper truck with a chipper on back. I'll list a few of the pros and cons that I've noticed from operating them, but whatever you do if you buy a grapple truck, make sure it has some balls for heavy lifting. Nothing more frustrating then a weak grapple truck that can't pick up root balls, heavy logs, or small equipment that you want to load with you. It just defeats the purpose of having and paying for such a big piece of equipment.

Cons,
Use quite a bit of fuel both in driving and while operating the boom.
There is a lot of maintenance issues that for some reason seem to plague the ones I've driven. More so then other heavy equipment. Don't know why.
As mentioned you can't always get your outriggers and or boom in the places you want and sometimes you can't even get the truck in the area your working especially if there are low hanging braches, lines or structures in your way.
Brush is generally more expensive to get rid of then chips.

Pros,
Saves a lot of time from not having to wrestle and make more cuts to get brush thru the chipper. Really nice on vines or thorny trees such as Honey Locust or Osage Orange that take a lot of time and blood to get thru the chipper.
You can save and load big logs (assuming you can get to them or drag them to you) for resale.
After a ice storms, tornados, hurricanes, etc there is a lot of work that can be done with a grapple truck not just tree work stuff.
There is other work that while less glamorous and not big money will help pay for it when tree work is slow, such as hauling scrap metal or demolition clean up.
With straps you can load and haul a lot of other gear in the back of the grapple truck, such as a small stump grinder. Then when your finished with the job, if you don't have room to load up your other equipment, just come back with your small p/u truck to get it.

That's just my observation but as I said if what your doing is working, I don't know if I would gamble that. Then again if you want to grow sooner or later I guess your gonna have to gamble. Good luck on whatever you do.

 

[treesquirrel]

Get a clam truck with a dumping bed. Then you can use it for chips too when you need chipping more than the grapple.

 

[Treetom]

ain't broke, don't fix

If what you have is working and you're making a decent living, stick with the system you have. If you organize your work effectively, call in a chipper when necessary or a loader and dump truck, and still make money, why change? Keep doing what you're doing and add a few pieces of equipment as you're able. Convert your dump trailer to a chipper dump. You should be able to find a decent chipper for around 6K. Buy a pickup to pull the chipper. Couldn't you fit a Dingo or similar on the dump trailer? Just some ideas. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

Also think about how far your work is from the dump site. Loading brush may be faster but if it's a long drive you can make alot fewer trips with chips. Good luck.... Mike

 

[Industry]

getting rid of the brush... the dump i go to time takes brush. 8 bucks a yard for brush, or 6 bucks a yard for chips..... so im not really saving money when we chip it up.

This is misleading. A cubic yard of brush is not even close to the same amount of debris as a cubic yard of chips. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Wishie22]

Wishie- when you say "exploiting" what do you mean ??

Making the best use of your current business, equipment. Lots of options out there, you just want to choose equipment that will help your current business and add growth potential to expand. An idle machine is a costly machine.

As some have suggested a clam truck with dumping capabilities would be seem to be the best fit for what you have described. Have you considered a dump trailer with a grapple setup? Seen a couple of set ups guys use here for picking up rounds for transport (http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=41733&highlight=grapple+trailer). Maybe less initial cost and insurance to keep on the road.

Chips consolidate debris and help keep production going. Chips are easier to dispose of as well. We have people even request them.


Good luck with your business.

 

[jhays]

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...ages?q=timber+grapple+trailer&hl=en&sa=N&um=1

How about a log trailer, that dumps with sides. You can keep your current truck, to tow the trailer. if need be buy a smaller truck to pull the chipper. Hudson makes some nice ones.