Suggestions on first equipment to buy?

[rjstamey]

Hello,

I'm looking to purchase my first piece of equipment for a weekend / after work tree business I currently run.
I have no equipment at the moment, only saws and climbing / rigging gear. Currently moving and loading everything by hand into a 6x14 trailer.

I have about $15k - 20k to play with

I am trying to decide what equipment I should purchase first that will benefit the most. I was thinking something like an F-350 dump truck and a chipper, but a 50' boom would also come in handy.

Small dump truck and chipper
Skid steer and dump truck
Skid steer and dump trailer
boom truck / forestry truck

If you were starting out, what would you spend $15k on to benefit you the most ?

 

[lone wolf]

Hello,

I'm looking to purchase my first piece of equipment for a weekend / after work tree business I currently run.
I have no equipment at the moment, only saws and climbing / rigging gear. Currently moving and loading everything by hand into a 6x14 trailer.

I have about $15k - 20k to play with

I am trying to decide what equipment I should purchase first that will benefit the most. I was thinking something like an F-350 dump truck and a chipper, but a 50' boom would also come in handy.

Small dump truck and chipper
Skid steer and dump truck
Skid steer and dump trailer
boom truck / forestry truck

If you were starting out, what would you spend $15k on to benefit you the most ?

Small dump truck and chipper

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I agree with Lone Wolf, but with that budget, be prepared to spend a substantial amount of time on maintenance and repairs.

 

[PithFreak]

I’d go with small dump truck and skid steer. As a pyro maniac, I see mulchers as a big waste of time when you can just burn the piles come winter or when it rains good. Also the maintenance into the chippers like changing oil and all that, when you can just get a splash of diesel and a match. That’s a tight budget for both though

 

[ValleyForge]

Wait until you see the prices of those things in todays democrat economy…then revisit your plan….

 

[rjstamey]

I’d go with small dump truck and skid steer. As a pyro maniac, I see mulchers as a big waste of time when you can just burn the piles come winter or when it rains good. Also the maintenance into the chippers like changing oil and all that, when you can just get a splash of diesel and a match. That’s a tight budget for both though

Only reason I was thinking a chipper is b/c dragging and hauling off branches seem to be one of the most time consuming parts of the job. Esp when I have to get in the trailer and mulch the limbs/brush down with a chainsaw just to get a decent load.

 

[PithFreak]

Only reason I was thinking a chipper is b/c dragging and hauling off branches seem to be one of the most time consuming parts of the job. Esp when I have to get in the trailer and mulch the limbs/brush down with a chainsaw just to get a decent load.

I burn it right where it’s cut, on grass don’t matter, it’ll grow back even greener where it burned. You must be in dense urban area?

 

[Brushwacker]

Only reason I was thinking a chipper is b/c dragging and hauling off branches seem to be one of the most time consuming parts of the job. Esp when I have to get in the trailer and mulch the limbs/brush down with a chainsaw just to get a decent load.

Lot of guys around here started with a small to mid range pull behind stump grinder and pick up, later adding a small dump truck for clean ups. Pull behind bucket lifts make a lot of work easiar and are much cheaper to maintain then a bucket truck especially at today's fuel prices. Burn or leave brush when you can and keep using your poor mans chipper (chainsaw) until you have more money to invest and consider the man power you will need to keep your equipment running and making a profit. Maybe you can rent things you need less often.
My advice for what it's worth ☺

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Y

I burn it right where it’s cut, on grass don’t matter, it’ll grow back even greener where it burned. You must be in dense urban area?

Yes, for some odd reason not every customer wants a bonfire in their yard, not to mention most of the southern U.S. is in a drought.

 

[PithFreak]

Y

Yes, for some odd reason not every customer wants a bonfire in their yard, not to mention most of the southern U.S. is in a drought.

Y

Yes, for some odd reason not every customer wants a bonfire in their yard, not to mention most of the southern U.S. is in a drought.

Don’t be a passive aggressive coward. I’m just trying to help with suggestions.

 

[chipper1]

Don’t be a passive aggressive coward. I’m just trying to help with suggestions.

Are you a member of gaslighters anonymous . Yes, it's a punny and a an applicable word all in one.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Don’t be a passive aggressive coward. I’m just trying to help with suggestions.

Then give good suggestions. If you look at the arborist 101 description, this is a place for those new to the business to ask pros for advice. Lighting a bonfire at every customer's house is not pro advice.

 

[chipper1]

I am trying to decide what equipment I should purchase first that will benefit the most. I was thinking something like an F-350 dump truck and a chipper, but a 50' boom would also come in handy.

What truck do you currently have.
You'll find the f-350 gets loaded down pretty quick.
What types of jobs are you doing, prunning, removals, large or small trees.
There are dump trailers with a smaller chipper right on the front, a bit harder to find and you'd need at least a 1 ton truck to safely pull it loaded.
Not sure if you've considered a mini skid, but I would buy one of those long before a skid. A good sized skid and a 14k trailer can be a lot of work for a one ton truck to pull.

 

[PithFreak]

Then give good suggestions. If you look at the arborist 101 description, this is a place for those new to the business to ask pros for advice. Lighting a bonfire at every customer's house is not pro advice.

I really don’t care what you dictate as good suggestions or not. Pound sand.

 

[PithFreak]

Are you a member of gaslighters anonymous . Yes, it's a punny and a an applicable word all in one.

No and I have no interest in it.

 

[chipper1]

I really don’t care what you dictate as good suggestions or not. Pound sand.

Like I said, a gaslighter!
Calling others out for doing what you do, when they weren't doing it at all.
Don't you have some brush to burn.

 

[rjstamey]

What truck do you currently have.
You'll find the f-350 gets loaded down pretty quick.
What types of jobs are you doing, prunning, removals, large or small trees.
There are dump trailers with a smaller chipper right on the front, a bit harder to find and you'd need at least a 1 ton truck to safely pull it loaded.
Not sure if you've considered a mini skid, but I would buy one of those long before a skid. A good sized skid and a 14k trailer can be a lot of work for a one ton truck to pull.

I tend to do small to medium sized trees, no more than 60' in height and no wider than 36" at the base.
I currently have my personal Tundra... Which is the reason I was leaning towards an F-350 dump truck.
I have been finding the F-250 / F-350 dump trucks in decent condition for around $6500 and chippers in decent running condition for around the same.
I have also found 6/700 series dump trucks, but as soon as you connect a trailer, it requires CDL.
The only problem with the mini skid steers is they tend to cost around $20k for used. I just got quoted on a new Bobcat MT-100 with the grapple at $38k, but there is a 4 month waiting list.....

I just want to make sure that I spend my money wisely and get the most production value out of the $15k I have to spend. I hate dragging branches, but I also hate loading big rounds by hand. So not sure if going the route of a chipper or skid steer is the best option.

 

[chipper1]

Saying pound sand isn’t passive aggressive, it’s direct aggressive. Oh the irony.

After you were name calling and then saying "I'm just trying to help with suggestions".
Yeah, ironic.
It's alright, we see your colors, and I see it's a waste of time! .

 

[ElevatorGuy]

This is gonna be fun to watch!

 

[PithFreak]

Not contributing to this anymore, to OP, apologies for the derailment. Carry on