Help with new chip truck

[racnruss]

I am looking for a new chip truck with higher GVWR

The F550 I have is fantastic but has GVWR sticker of 17500 lbs. DOT not happy with me.

The next step is GMC C5500 GVWR is 19500 which isnt much higher but the truck actually weighs less than the F550 to start with.

Who has one and what do you think of it? The one I buy must be 4wd. I really don't want to go to the bigger trucks because I keep it at my house in town and anything bigger the city will scream.

Looking for advice and hopefully someone who owns a 4x4 c5500

thanks guys

 

[137buck]

at my old place of employment, we actually had 3 of them, one was a 4x4...i liked them alot, the 4x4 sure liked to suck fuel though, and if you do alot of interstate driving, you won't like it...ours was chipped so it would'nt go any faster then 70. the other 2 were alot better for long drives, they got alot better fuel mileage. other than that, they would pull just about anything, and were pretty reliable...as soon as i can afford one, i will probably get one for myself...one other thing, they seem to have tighter turning radius than my old f550 did too...

 

[racnruss]

thanks

Yeah, my turning radius on the F550 is plain ridiculous. 108" cab to axle with 14' chip box adds to length. My bucket truck will turn around in half the radius of the chip truck.

thanks for the viewpoint on the C5500. fuel mileage is going to be bad with anything carrying 5 tons of chips and pulling a 7k pound chipper.

I looked in a guy's c5500 the other day. The cab was stark and cheap compared to the F550 XLT. I just wish I could change the GVWR of what I have.

chao

 

[coolbrze]

A buddy of mine has a C5500 2x4 (I believe) and he said it gets 7-9 mpg. He also said it doesn't do much over 55 but he was keeping up w/ me rolling 60+ on the interstate last week. The main downside to his is it's 10' chip box, he wishes it was bigger as he pulls a Bandit 200. I don't know what his GVW is though but we're working together tomorrow and I'll see if the sticker's still on it.

 

[DK_stihl]

Here's one

I ran this C5500 on friday, but it's a combo unit, not a straight chip truck. This had a 42' boom, was 4x4, and had a 9 yard chip box. GVWR was 21500.

 

[DK_stihl]

 

[DK_stihl]

 

[racnruss]

c5500

nice looking truck. They made some 21500gvwr 4x4's in 2009. Pretty pricey for one that new though.

Been thinking about having an aluminum box made for my f550 to save some weight. That's pricey too.

 

[STLfirewood]

What is the problem with the DOT? In Missouri the DOT officer said GVWR is nothing they look at. That is a manufacture suggestion. I was told as long as I have the drivers license and everything on the truck to handle the weight. Tires add up OK, Hitch rated for weight, and don't go over the axle load limit which I think is 22-24k for a rear axle. Then I will be OK with DOT. I stopped in a weight station on a federal highway and asked the questions. He said legally you could move 80k pounds with a F-550 if you set it up right. He told me most trucks are limited by their tires and that is how they mainly enforce the weight restrictions.

Scott