Wood haulers??????

[zogger]

I just license mine as a "Farm" truck... Everything is cheaper on it that way..
26,000 and under "NON CDL" plates...

You are a farm owner and legit business already, right? If so, ya, farm plates can work. I'm a hired on hand who owns nothing, that farm plate deal ain't gonna fly. That won't fly with joe suburbia either. I could get and insure at a minimum a large truck, but..the minute I start using it for anything, that changes things.

edit: to clarify, I could go get something and hail it here, but hauling anything away from the farm...that's when it becomes very thin ice. I know guys do it all the time, but.....

I spent a long time talking to her about this, it's doable, but man, you would have to watch what you are hauling and where you are hauling, etc, or you could get nailed bigtime. You could just be dropping off a load of wood to someone, even if no cash changes hands, they could call that commercial use.

Picky points, no big deal really, I'll drive what I can afford and just deal with it.

 

[Thomud]

. Here is my little wood wagon! It's a '60's Datsun pickup bed. Works good for small loads. I also have an 18' trailer, and haul either trailer with either my 2006 Chevy half ton crewcab or my 1980 jeep CJ-7.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dancan]

Mine's not fancy but it works .

And it has been known to drag the bumper LOL

 

[zogger]

Mine's not fancy but it works .



And it has been known to drag the bumper LOL

Fill 'er up! HAHAHAHAHAHA

I knew this couple decades ago that did scrap iron with IIRC a 60s impala! Back seat taken out and panel to the trunk removed. They'd cram some amazing weight in that thing.

I hauled a bunch of firewood years ago in the back of a 59 willys wagon. It would go 40 MPH, that's it, empty or full.

 

[captjack]

14x7x4 dump with wood sides so I can over load it ! haha It has dumped anything I have filled it with. Most to date is 3 cords of fresh split red oak - ohh it was heavy - I think that is the limit of this trailer - 2.5 cord is comfortable

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Here's my BEST wood hauler,

SR

 

[Gologit]

..

I spent a long time talking to her about this, it's doable, but man, you would have to watch what you are hauling and where you are hauling, etc, or you could get nailed bigtime. You could just be dropping off a load of wood to someone, even if no cash changes hands, they could call that commercial use.

Something else to think about too is insurance and if you're covered.
One of my cat-skinners was spending a winter layoff cutting and selling firewood. No big deal, just a little extra cash to help feed his family. He was a hard worker doing the best he could.
He had a nice Dodge pickup that he used for his deliveries. He had a load of wood on and he was involved in an accident. Nothing major, no serious injuries, most of the damage was to his pickup and by his own admission it was his fault.
His insurance company, once they found out all the details, refused to pay the claim and then dropped him like a hot rock. In the fine print of the policy was a prohibition from using the pickup "in furtherance of any commercial enterprise or endeavor". His little firewood business qualified as commercial and he was running in violation of the terms of the policy. How did the insurance company find out? He told them. The magnetic Firewood For Sale signs on the doors didn't help either. Neither did the Highway Patrol accident report that spelled out in detail the fact that it was a commercial enterprise.
Read the fine print on your policy. Some insurance companies will do anything they can to legally avoid paying a claim.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

This is 1 1/2 cord on a gmc 5500. gvw 20,500.
Commercial plates, $493.
commercial insurance $850.+, pl,pd,... annually.
Why chance it? Your in business or your not.

 

[sawfun]

My primary hauler is a 97 Dodge 2500 4×4 12 valve 5 speed 3.54 gear Cummins that get 23 mpg with a 4000 lb load.

My backup is my old 75 GMC 4×4 that has 1 ton running gear and a 500 Cadillac getting 12mpg with a gear vendors overdrive, 4.10 posi's front and rear with 31" tires.

My heavy hauler is a M35A3C deuce and a half. So my Dodge doesnt have to be overloaded any more. Also works as a street legal skidder. Gets 13 mpg with a 3116 Cat and Allison auto. Not bad for a 13,300 lb 6 × 6 empty. Same milage loaded.

 

[Homelite410]

Here is my light duty around the yard hauler.

built this in 2005 for going to steam shows and use around the yard. I wanted a gator but was too poor to buy one so this is what I built!

 

[Mike Van]

Right now I'm using this, 1974 Chevy C60 dump, Hiab crane.

 

[Homelite410]

My primary hauler is a 97 Dodge 2500 4×4 12 valve 5 speed 3.54 gear Cummins that get 23 mpg with a 4000 lb load.

My backup is my old 75 GMC 4×4 that has 1 ton running gear and a 500 Cadillac getting 12mpg with a gear vendors overdrive, 4.10 posi's front and rear with 31" tires.

My heavy hauler is a M35A3C deuce and a half. So my Dodge doesnt have to be overloaded any more. Also works as a street legal skidder. Gets 13 mpg with a 3116 Cat and Allison auto. Not bad for a 13,300 lb 6 × 6 empty. Same milage loaded.

I like all three of those!

 

[ReggieT]

Something else to think about too is insurance and if you're covered.
One of my cat-skinners was spending a winter layoff cutting and selling firewood. No big deal, just a little extra cash to help feed his family. He was a hard worker doing the best he could.
He had a nice Dodge pickup that he used for his deliveries. He had a load of wood on and he was involved in an accident. Nothing major, no serious injuries, most of the damage was to his pickup and by his own admission it was his fault.
His insurance company, once they found out all the details, refused to pay the claim and then dropped him like a hot rock. In the fine print of the policy was a prohibition from using the pickup "in furtherance of any commercial enterprise or endeavor". His little firewood business qualified as commercial and he was running in violation of the terms of the policy. How did the insurance company find out? He told them. The magnetic Firewood For Sale signs on the doors didn't help either. Neither did the Highway Patrol accident report that spelled out in detail the fact that it was a commercial enterprise.
Read the fine print on your policy. Some insurance companies will do anything they can to legally avoid paying a claim.

Yep...I know of similar scenarios. The insurance companies have a monetary amount set for practically every accident or traumatic event you'll encounter...and they actually make money by paying you less than the set amount for that type of accident or claim

 

[gulity1]

Mike Van how well does that setup work for firewood? I have come very close twice to buying a setup similar to that I always wonder how well it would work once the crane started to age? To me that really is the cats azz right there the only other thing I could ask for maybe is 4 wheel drive and that's a big maybe it has pretty much everything else plenty of ground clearance etc. diesel good selection of gearing. I gotta ask though is it yours and what is the overall cost of owning it? other then wood duty what else is it used for? Thanks for the answers.

 

[Homelite410]

Better side view

 

[Mike Van]

Mike Van how well does that setup work for firewood? I have come very close twice to buying a setup similar to that I always wonder how well it would work once the crane started to age? To me that really is the cats azz right there the only other thing I could ask for maybe is 4 wheel drive and that's a big maybe it has pretty much everything else plenty of ground clearance etc. diesel good selection of gearing. I gotta ask though is it yours and what is the overall cost of owning it? other then wood duty what else is it used for? Thanks for the answers.

I bought the truck in Illinois at a dealer, 4500.00, flew out there & drove it home. 950 miles, 10 mpg. It has 6 something in the rear, I never went over 55 mph. It was a 15 ft grain body. The crane I found down in Virginia, 3500.00 drove my F350 down picked it up, drove back, 850 miles in a day. Long day. The crane is a 1984, it has some age but works like new. Supposed to pic 7000 lbs right next to the truck. I've done some logs scaled out close to 5000 with it. The truck is sound, gas engine 350 & 2 bbl. There's nothing on it I can't fix, no emissions, computer chips or metric parts. The 2wd may be an issue someday, but you'd never find one in 4wd I don't think. It carries 2 cord of firewood pretty easy. I moved my new Garn boiler into it's home last fall with it, took the cab off my F350, moved some farm machinery, etc. Theres a winch on my Hiab, not all have one. Hydraulic, handy, you can stall it if you butt a log into a stump. Thats a good thing though, as you could easily damage the crane with a winch too powerful.

 

[Bob95065]

Better side view

Can you post more pics of your rig. It's cool!

Did you make a build thread? What is it based on?

 

[Homelite410]

Can you post more pics of your rig. It's cool!

Did you make a build thread? What is it based on?

Did u see the pics in post #70?

 

[zogger]

I bought the truck in Illinois at a dealer, 4500.00, flew out there & drove it home. 950 miles, 10 mpg. It has 6 something in the rear, I never went over 55 mph. It was a 15 ft grain body. The crane I found down in Virginia, 3500.00 drove my F350 down picked it up, drove back, 850 miles in a day. Long day. The crane is a 1984, it has some age but works like new. Supposed to pic 7000 lbs right next to the truck. I've done some logs scaled out close to 5000 with it. The truck is sound, gas engine 350 & 2 bbl. There's nothing on it I can't fix, no emissions, computer chips or metric parts. The 2wd may be an issue someday, but you'd never find one in 4wd I don't think. It carries 2 cord of firewood pretty easy. I moved my new Garn boiler into it's home last fall with it, took the cab off my F350, moved some farm machinery, etc. Theres a winch on my Hiab, not all have one. Hydraulic, handy, you can stall it if you butt a log into a stump. Thats a good thing though, as you could easily damage the crane with a winch too powerful.

I was looking at a c60, guy wanted to swap me for a pickup....in retrospect I shoulda got it, even though the insurance is way higher.

 

[Mike Van]

Progressive has some good commercial rates zogger -