chipper trucks

[John Paul Sanborn]

Being over built is better then under built.

I do have to agree with Brian on the swaybars though.

The first time i saw those was when my my Mom made my Dad go from a 25 ft trailer to a 32 ft trailer for "camping".

How many prefer ball to pintle hitch. I've heard people caim that pintle is too hard on the frame, since there is so much slop in the movement.

I like pintle because it is easier to hitch up

 

[NeTree]

I'll stick with my pintle, thank you.

 

[Xtra]

Make sure your hitch receiver is solid and mounted correctly when towing anything heavy. This past summer I was coming back from a job towing a Carlton 4400-4 and some stump cuts on a trailer connected to a F-150. It was pouring rain, the end of the day and we were 5 miles from the shop, so we thought it would be OK just take it slow and easy. Well we were wrong, the back mounts on the hitch ripped from the frame as I was slowing for a light. This caused the trailer to dive and overload the rear end and lift the front end basically leaving me with no front brakes and skidding the rear . . . next thing bang right into the car in front of me.

Class III/IV/V may look the same but their attachment point are designed differently.

 

[NeTree]

Xtra, sounds like the truck was loaded beyong it's rated towing capacity... is this correct?

Also, the frames in the F150's aren't made of much, trust me.

 

[Xtra]

Yes, the truck was overloaded, in my opinion . . . of course not the guy I was working for (an old school hack). Plus upon examination we found that the rear frame had some rot where the bolts ripped thru. A stronger class hitch would have had more and larger attachment points.

Usually I would tow the trailer with a W5 log truck.

 

[bushman]

topkick

The company i have been working for just got a topkick gmc with a durmax diesal, seems to pull the chiper and a load of chips .the body is a southco,the cabinets are pretty cool.the other trucks are internatiail'

 

[NeTree]

Originally posted by Xtra
Yes, the truck was overloaded, in my opinion . . . of course not the guy I was working for (an old school hack). Plus upon examination we found that the rear frame had some rot where the bolts ripped thru.

Check out this thread. This is a common problem. But an easy fix, if you're ever inclined:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12896

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Originally posted by netree
Xtra, sounds like the truck was loaded beyong it's rated towing capacity... is this correct?

Also, the frames in the F150's aren't made of much, trust me.

Sounds like the trailer was not loaded right, or the wrong one for that stumper. Most of the weight should be on the trailer axel, not the toung.

 

[Xtra]

It was a 25' dual axle trailer with no brakes (the brake thing is another story). When the back of the receiver came down the trailer tipped down and the stump cuts slid forward to the tongue. Four white oak logs about 3 ft x 2 ft . . . just too much weight and too old a frame.

NETREE . . . next time you want to kill some more time let me bring over my '86 Bronco surf fishing buggy & snowplowing truck.

 

[NeTree]

'86 Bronco, no sheite! Working on one now, for a neighbor- he's doing most of the other work while I'm handling the welding.

Hey, you supply the materials, the Michelob, and kick in for the light bill, I'd be glad to play around with it. I wasn't kidding about enjoying it!

 

[Xtra]

Well the weather report just said 3-5" of snow here in central NJ . . . looks like the old Bronco will be doing some plowing on Wednesday.

(jeez, talk about getting off subject)

 

[NeTree]

Yeah, but hey... it's YOUR thread, eh?

I have a '78 Bronco over here, man you should see THAT beast go thru snow!

 

[ORclimber]

Originally posted by blackwaterguide
any ideas on which trucks make the best all-around commercial/residential trucks? I' d like your ideas on trucks with and without buckets. I prefer diesel. Thanks

I like the ones with man cabs the best, basically the Asplundh setup. Haven't worked out of any others with proper storage. It's nice to have those 6 hooks for hanging ropes and saddles(especially in the rainy season). And the storage under the seat is great for rigging gear, cableing supplies, and such. You've got the water cooler right by the door and the hooks under the step storage. Arbortech chip box with ladder/pole pruner storage. And the underbody storage for pitchfoks, shovels, and cant hooks.

I am so sick of cramming saws and climbing gear into inadaquate storage. Also, Loading and unloading gear from a chip box because there is nowhere else to put it. Things end up getting chipped on or dumped. It's hard on the equipment, and inefficient. I wish I would have bought a real truck to start with. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[Xtra]

Actually, I highjacked blackwaterguide's thread about chipper trucks.

That's something I also will need some info on what type of chippers trucks are best? Especially which bucket/chipper combos are best. Topkick, Altec . . . .?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Whose 'lil beauty was this?

 

[NeTree]

Re: Re: chipper trucks

Originally posted by ORclimber
Also, Loading and unloading gear from a chip box because there is nowhere else to put it. Things end up getting chipped on or dumped. It's hard on the equipment, and inefficient. I wish I would have bought a real truck to start with. Oh well, live and learn.

I know guys who still do, and I don't understand the mentality of wasting 10 or 15 minutes a day in the process.

Go out to the truck in the morning, get everything out of the shop (cuz you can't lock it up in the truck), put it into the chip-box.

Get to job site. Take everything back out.

Do job, chip brush. Rake up- assuming it didn't get left in the truck and is now sitting at the bottom of a mountain of chips. Put everything back into the chip box.

Go to dump site. Take everything back out. Dump.

Put everything back in. Head back to shop.

Get to shop, take everything back out (AGAIN!!!) and put into the shop so it won't get swiped.

Seems like a coupla hundred for the underbody boxes looks like a DARN good investment to me!

 

[NeTree]

Originally posted by Xtra
Especially which bucket/chipper combos are best. Topkick, Altec . . . .?

"Best" is always subjective to opinion, but I run all Ford chassis.

The 2 Altecs are trouble-free, and have more articulation than the Aerial Lift of Conn in the upper boom, but less in the lower.

The Skyworker is the small lift, and it's all cables... usually not a problem, but sometimes a real PITA when you want to go round the short way, instead you have to go all the way round the other direction.



As for chippers, I'm the dissenter I guess... I prefer the Vermeer 1250's over the Brush Bandits. I like the Vermeer's feed system better, and I like a little higher infeed chute. I've never had any machanical issues with either the Bandits I've had, or the Vermeers.

I also have an Altec Whisper-Chipper (chuck'n'duck/whipper chipper, whatever you want to call it ), and that thing is bullet-proof as far as mechanical problems because it's so PLAIN simple. Drum, motor, belt. Gets alot of use for smaller stuff (if I have to keep the wood, anything over 4" is firewood for me anyways), and it's alot ligher to tow- therefore, better for fuel economy.

Maintain everything, and it will give you a great uselful service life. Abused/neglected equipment won't last no matter WHO makes it.

 

[ORclimber]

Re: Re: Re: chipper trucks

Originally posted by netree
I know guys who still do, and I don't understand the mentality of wasting 10 or 15 minutes a day in the process.

15 minutes a day X 6 days a week = 1.5 hours X 4 weeks a month = 4.5 hours X $50 an hour = $225 a month plus the equipment lasts longer because it's not getting banged up as much.

$15,000 loan for a refurbed split dump is about $250 month.

Hmmmm....Not a difficult decision.

 

[ORclimber]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
Whose 'lil beauty was this?

That was Tom D.'s creation.

A guy could roll a stump grinder up that ramp and be a one stop tree killin' shop. A cool concept, the ramp behind the cab that is.

 

[murphy4trees]

I like to keep saws, ropes and gear ina seperate van.... Ladder racks with 4-5 different sized ladders.... Gutter cleaning and repair gear and hardware(2-5 hand held blowers)... spare climbing gear, backpack blower, power broom, power pruner, pulleys , blocks slings , loppers, poles, pole saw/clip heads, gas, oil, ropes, more ropes... PPE.... Its all there... though actually gettin kinda crowded...
DON't Leave home without it...