Trucks

[Haywire Haywood]

Anyone use one of those cab-over Isuzu NPRs as their main firewood hauler? The only disadvantage I see is that they are really designed for blacktop, you aren't going to do any stump jumping to get to your cut site in one of those. The smallest one I saw had a 3 ton payload capacity. The come with a 6.0L V8 gas engine or a 4cyl diesel option. 6 speed automatic transmission with double overdrive.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

We use F450s for the most part. Have about a 3.5 ton capacity.

The trucks don't go in the woods. We cut with a feller buncher, use grapple skidders to get the logs to a landing, stroke delimber to limb and trim, and haul to the yard on a log truck.

Then the logs get made into firewood with processors or into lumber on the sawmill.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I was thinking more about the average woodcutter that has a firewood truck and a separate passenger vehicle. I don't think I'll ever own another pickup truck. If I get to where I'm cutting firewood again, I was thinking about a dedicated cargo vehicle. No need to pull a trailer and I'm not chucking firewood at my daily driver.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Pickup truck, even an f550 can often avoid the DOT harassment, where a truck like an NPR = commercial outfit, even if just driving by.

More importantly though, parts are fairly easy to get and cheap since alot shared from F150-f550

I'm just an average firewood vendor, would like to be 10x as big.

 

[sundance]

I was thinking more about the average woodcutter that has a firewood truck and a separate passenger vehicle. I don't think I'll ever own another pickup truck. If I get to where I'm cutting firewood again, I was thinking about a dedicated cargo vehicle. No need to pull a trailer and I'm not chucking firewood at my daily driver.

Curious.....what's your issue with a pickup?

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Drove an F150 as a daily driver for 6 or 8 years and loved it except when I was trying to squeeze it into civic sized parking spaces or standing between it and a gas pump. Chucking firewood at it made the bed look like the outside of a golf ball but not as symmetrical lol. The NPR seems like it would make a better more durable firewood hauler (except for mudhole offroad situations) and a car would make much more convenient/economical daily driver.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

“I was thinking more about the average woodcutter that has a firewood truck and a separate passenger vehicle. I don't think I'll ever own another pickup truck. If I get to where I'm cutting firewood again, I was thinking about a dedicated cargo vehicle. No need to pull a trailer and I'm not chucking firewood at my daily driver.

Curious.....what's your issue with a pickup?

I am not sure of a pickup issue. I have 8 vehicles to keep going. I would never drive my 4X4 F250 unless they were making money. However I have a dump truck and trailer that can haul 8 to 10 cords of wood. When the trucks are needed they can make all their license and insurance fees in a month. My personal vehicles would be trashed completely in six months if I used them for firewood, but if you only move a few cords a year then personal vehicles can be taken care of. Thanks

 

[JeffHK454]

Anyone use one of those cab-over Isuzu NPRs as their main firewood hauler? The only disadvantage I see is that they are really designed for blacktop, you aren't going to do any stump jumping to get to your cut site in one of those. The smallest one I saw had a 3 ton payload capacity. The come with a 6.0L V8 gas engine or a 4cyl diesel option. 6 speed automatic transmission with double overdrive.

My bro-in-law has a couple turbo diesel NPR's for his landscaping business and they're totally gutless..I think my C30 Chevy dump could out run it...did I say it's SLOW! I used it to move a 4,500 LBS. tractor and it was almost dangerous merging into traffic , it was to the floor 95% of the time.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Looks like there's 2 diesels... a 3.0 that's 150hp and 282ft/lbs (yuck) and a 5.2L with 215hp and 452ft/lbs (better). The gasoline 6.0L is 297hp and 372 ft/lbs. I wonder if you could chip the 5.2 diesel to get more out of it.

 

[JeffHK454]

Looks like there's 2 diesels... a 3.0 that's 150hp and 282ft/lbs (yuck) and a 5.2L with 215hp and 452ft/lbs (better). The gasoline 6.0L is 297hp and 372 ft/lbs. I wonder if you could chip the 5.2 diesel to get more out of it.

The 5.2 is a comercial only engine that I'm betting doesn't have any aftermarket support for bumping up the power. That's the nice part about getting a dump on a Ford/Dodge/Chevy chassis..HP is only limited by your wallet.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Found something for the 5.2 that is supposed to give it a 20% bump for the low low price of $1400 and another that is supposed to give an 82 ft/lb bump by doing a software EGR delete via the OBDII port. No price on that one. A place in Australia says that they can tune the 3.0 to 228hp and 391 ft/lbs for $1100 Australian ($830 US)

 

[JeffHK454]

Found something for the 5.2 that is supposed to give it a 20% bump for the low low price of $1400 and another that is supposed to give an 82 ft/lb bump by doing a software EGR delete via the OBDII port. No price on that one. A place in Australia says that they can tune the 3.0 to 228hp and 391 ft/lbs for $1100 Australian ($830 US)

Wow..bumping the 3.0L horsepower by 35% with a tune is impressive but I wonder how work friendly it would be?

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Wow..bumping the 3.0L horsepower by 35% with a tune is impressive but I wonder how work friendly it would be?

...and will the transmission handle it.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

I've been looking for a 90s K3500 (4x4) dump truck. They pop up pretty frequently but are always out of my price range, sadly.

The NPR's have really expensive parts. Thats why they are so cheap. Some thing expensive is probably breaking.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I found one here locally... it was only 23 years old and $5700. I found another one for less than $2000 and the only thing it needed was an engine. Eh, It was a thought. I always thought those things looked like the bee's knees (whatever that means) but maybe looks are deceiving.