Need a stump grinding truck!

[mikewhite85]

Right now I have a Superduty dump and 4cyl Ford Ranger w/ ARE shell. I am coming to the point where I really need a larger pickup, particularly to haul saws, ropes, etc and pull my sc252. I have been doing this with my Ranger but it gets really weighed down and I typically need it to run estimates while my 3-4 man crew works. I also could really use this truck to focus on hauling chips for stump grinding. It would also be nice to pull my 90xp occasionally. Due to my ranger being weak sauce (though amazing on gas and great for estimates) and the shell full of tools, I can't really do this right now. I do it with the dump truck sometimes but 90% of time I need to tow my chipper.

This is what I am thinking:
3/4 or 1 Ton crew cab pickup- 8' bed
ladder rack
Tool boxes on sides to haul and lock tools
Either dump hoist or lift gate
Around year 2000 (I don't want to make payments)
Looking to spend up to 5-6 g's on the truck not including the add-ons which will be gradual

I am stoked. Wondering if you guys have any ideas to add- AND should I go chevy, Dodge, or Ford?? Currently my wife has a taurus so I have 3 fords right now I plan on keeping the ranger for estimates.

ALSO, I found a great deal on an 88' 7.3L stakebed superduty (almost the same truck as my dump) with a sick tow package and seems to be in decent condition. It's only 1400. Would be awesome for hauling logs and stump grinding- and I have a former groundie who is a great mechanic and good with details to make things look nice. I would probably leave the truck with him for a few days to tweak it out. Only issue right now is parking the thing as I cannot park a comm. vehicle on the street in LA without getting a ticket. Anyways, wondering if I should pull the trigger on this rather than getting what I described previously. Just throwing some ideas around and wondering what has worked well for you guys. I am in my 4th year of the business now so I appreciate gleaning from the wisdom of you guys who have been in it much longer.

 

[mikegar]

id stay away from the utility side truck esp if employees are going to be driving it. those tool boxes will be filled with soo much crap and disorganized as hell. id say go with a flat bed with boxes under the bed on the sides, load handler and 4 wheel drive.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Hey Mike, Did you check these guys out? http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/2972499312.html
Jeff

I heard they have all kinds of trucks or know where to get them.

 

[Kottonwood]

Hey Mike,

I have a 99 f450 stakebed with a 7.3 and relatively new auto tranny. 150k miles. I may be putting it up on the ol' craigslist pretty soon. It comes with custom made ramp racks and ramps so you can drive your stumper/ mini skid on it up the side or rear. We also built a nice pintle/ball hitch and put a p2 brake controller on it. It is also set up for a gooseneck. It is a nice truck but can't be converted to a dump. It was originally a dump body but someone cut it off and welded a flatbed. We beefed it up and it is sturdy as hell but would be a horrible hassle to convert it back to dump. It has new fuel injectors, glow plugs, and is up to date on maintenance. Looking to get 5k for it.... don't know if it will be worth it for ya to ship it but who knows...

 

[mattfr12]

Hey Mike,

I have a 99 f450 stakebed with a 7.3 and relatively new auto tranny. 150k miles. I may be putting it up on the ol' craigslist pretty soon. It comes with custom made ramp racks and ramps so you can drive your stumper/ mini skid on it up the side or rear. We also built a nice pintle/ball hitch and put a p2 brake controller on it. It is also set up for a gooseneck. It is a nice truck but can't be converted to a dump. It was originally a dump body but someone cut it off and welded a flatbed. We beefed it up and it is sturdy as hell but would be a horrible hassle to convert it back to dump. It has new fuel injectors, glow plugs, and is up to date on maintenance. Looking to get 5k for it.... don't know if it will be worth it for ya to ship it but who knows...

That's def the motor to have in a one ton. We have a 7.3 pickup we run through the woods and no matter how much we abuse it it keeps running. We used it to drag tree trunks up a power line. Had it flat on the floor in granny gear for like a week straight.


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[Bigus Termitius]

They make a utility box/ dump combo bed. I always thought that would be nice to have for stumpin.

 

[jefflovstrom]

I got a 2006 Chevy 3500 diesel 1 ton dually with utility boxes and tows a Vermeer 672 with a Dosko in the back.
Jeff

 

[mikewhite85]

View attachment 235111

These is the kind of "high-side" toolboxes I am referring to. A utility body would work too but gives me less room for hauling chips. I try to keep my ARE shell on the Ranger reasonably organized so it works for now. Typically I leave the thing locked up over night and I don't even have to load anything up in the morning before I go to my church, where I park my dump truck and chipper before we go on the job. I'd like to do the same with the larger pickup I am getting.

This is the stakebed superduty I referred to earlier.1988 Ford F350 diesel flat bed runs great must sell need cash $1750obo. It's about 2 miles from me and even before I knew it was on craigslist I saw it on the side of the road and took a look at it. It's def in better condition than my dump was when I got it and a year older. Like I said I have a former groundie (Former because he could not get along with my 27 yr old climber/foreman) who is great with mechanical and maintenance stuff. This is my dump truck before and after:
Before- View attachment 235113
After- View attachment 235114 - he actually did not do the welding but has done a ton of maintenance on the thing
If I buy it I would probably give it to him for a week to really tweak it out

On the flip side it would be nice to have a regular pickup, particularly with an extended cab. I used to have one like this which I really miss-View attachment 235115
It was a 95 chevy 2500 7.4L gas hog. It has 270,000 miles before the auto tranny died and I replaced it with my current dump truck. It worked great for stump grinding, not so great for hauling brush. The tommy gate was awesome though. I would fill a huge garbage can on wheels with grinding chips and just use the lift to dump them in. I am thinking along the lines of something like this but a little newer. I am, however, not certain the '88 ford stakebed would be a bad idea either. Thanks for the advice. Man, I would love to pull a 672

So old stake bed (with the possibility of adding a tommy gate) or newer but used pickup w/ addons? I could certainly get the stakebed sooner due to the low price.

Patriot- I do appreciate the offer for the f450! It's a little too much of a hike for me but sounds like a great deal.

 

[mikewhite85]

What do you guys think of this one? High side tool boxes and tommy gate! I wish it was crew cab though... and diesel


Karplus Warehouse Used Cars - Southern California area used car dealer in Pacoima. Van Nuys California used cars Van Nuys CA Pacoima CA California[2697_1336]

 

[paccity]

this is what i use, 89 450 . doe's the job fine.in to it around 2600.00.

 

[HappyTreesLLC]

On beginning of my business I also was thinking to get something for tools, removal of material, to tow and do estimates in one package. Guess what - you can try to sit on two chairs. it will be uncomfortable, but no three chairs... My point: get vehicle to do work, get some other think for estimates. For example: 3500 van to hold tools and tow trailer, get Toyota Yaris for estimates. Don't full your self. You can't take work vehicle from job site to do an estimate wile your guys need some A "thing" from your truck. Also you're wasting soooo much fuel driving your self to estimates. Consider this - fuel you safe by getting small economy car (30, 40 or 50 MPG) will justify monthly payments for Yaris. Obviously assuming you don't need to compensate.

P.S. I don't mean to piss any body, just providing you with my experience and opinion, so you can make an educated decision best for you.