equip a tree company

[treeman82]

If you guys had a small tree business (1 tree care crew of 3 - 4 people) and performed normal services for a clientelle comprised of mostly medium to large estates, what equipment would you want for that work? Trucks...? Chippers...? Stump Grinders...? Sprayer..? etc...? Just thought it would be fun to brainstorm on this. Preferably no equipment under 500 lbs in weight.

 

[sonny]

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Me no comprende. My answer would be all of the above.

 

[DDM]

ummmm lets see i have 2 people and we have 2 bucket trucks,2 1ton dumps,1 F-600 Chipdump,2 chippers, A bobcat,a 4 wheeler And 2 pickups. I'm trying to think what i need next.

 

[palmer4670]

well also just 2 people and we have a list of stuff, (some junk-some not). bucket truck, 2 chip dumps (20 yd and 12 yd), knuckle boom truck, 12" chipper, stump grinder, 1 ton, 3/4 ton, loader tractor, nissan bid truck. that is to much for 2 people and we could probably make it on less.

Perfect start up would be a 20 yd chip truck with removable top and knuckle boom, 18" chipper, 1 ton dump, loader tractor, and stump grinder. Just my opinion for our situation.

Palmer

 

[ORclimber]

How about a rubber tracked skidsteer with all of the attachments(stump grinder, brush hog, wood splitter, grapples).

 

[DDM]

Wood splitter on a bobcat Might be over Kill You would be running up the hrs on an expensive machine for about the same results as a 1000.00 Splitter would do.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It all depends on you and how you can pay for it. I know a number of small companies like Dave that mechanize heavily so they don't need the labor.

Just starting out I would go with the dump and chipper then sub out the stumping. Have a quadi to help with the dragging.

maybe add the spray/fert rig in later to add to the mix. Those servicies can actualy net you more per man hour, though the chemical storage requirments can be limiting.

A properly utilized bucket can be a time saver, so it would be high on my list

So a 1 ton truck and 12 inch chipper, a 60 ft over back lift and a trailer fot the quadi should start you off nicely.

 

[ORclimber]

I just started full time 7/4/02(independence day) on my own with a 1 ton dump, 12" drum chipper, and stump grinder after 9 years of working for other guys. I wish I was pruning 4 out of 5 days but I end up getting mostly big removals since I don't have a customer base built up yet. I usually leave any wood over 6" diameter on site as firewood, or charge to haul it off. On several jobs I have had to wait for the customer to arrange for someone else to split and haul off the 16"length by 5'+ diameter rounds I have left on site before I could go back and grind the stumps. On these jobs I have felt a skidsteer would be a godsend for moving the large rounds and also moving the chips generated from grinding huge stumps. It seems like spending $20k on a 50 horse used skidsteer that can grind stumps, move logs, split wood, load material, and do other things is a better investment than a $20k used 50 horse stump grinder that is dedicated to one thing. If I bought a skidsteer I would use it for years until it rusted away into uselessness. I have no experience using skidsteers so maybe I'm on the wrong track.

Also what are the advantages of a grapple truck, I have worked for many tree companies here in Oregon and never seen one.

 

[treeclimber165]

I built (rebuilt) an old 1979 F-350 boom truck several years ago. I think I had about $7K invested in it total by the time I was done. It had a 16' A frame boom that was height- adjustable and an old 10K PTO driven Warn winch to handle cable duties. It could lift whatever I attached to that cable until the counterweighted front end of the truck came up off the ground (The 8" front bumper was full of water/antifreeze). That truck not only saved my back, but it got me a lot of work that most chip truck/chipper guys weren't equipped to handle. I also had a custom built 18' flatbed trailer that was built like Dolly Parton. The only limiting factor on trailer capacity was the tires. I routinely had loads over 20K lbs on it and my only problem was tire blowouts.

For less than 10K I had all the wood handling/ hauling capacity I needed. The boom truck could drive over sidewalks and lawns without tearing them up since it was basically the size of a large pickup truck and the duallies spread out the weight. I'll try to find some old pictures to have scanned.

 

[DDM]

I have a 763 Bobcat Love it. I choose the 763 Series because it would fit in tighter places and still lift a 1500 Lb Log.
If you have the means i Highly Reccomend one. You should be able to pick up a Decnt used machine For 8-10K.

http://adcache.equipmenttraderonline.com/9/6/8/39327268.htm

 

[treeclimber165]

pics of boom truck

I just got back from a friend's house who has a scanner. Here's a pic of the boom truck while I was still working on it.

 

[treeclimber165]

Not a great pic of the truck, but this was a few months later on a job.

 

[Yellowdog]

skid steer for tree work

I utilize two Bobcats. I choose big because I push brush piles, however, for a great workhorse skidsteer that won't break the budget, look at a 773G series (now called s185) These have plenty of power (56hp), can be outfitted with a highflow stump grinder, tree shear, and most impressive is the industrial grapple or grapple bucket. I have just about every tree attachment made and it makes my job a lot simpler than the old way of doing it.

Anyway, talk to a Bobcat dealer and look at www.bobcat.com There are videos of the machines in action.

By the way, does anyone have any feedback on a skidsteer stump grinder?

 

[Yellowdog]

equip a new company

I wanted to point out that even though it may cost a little more in the beginning, a good 1 ton truck is essential. I prefer flatbed diesel. Old trucks cost a lot in maintenance! Find a good trailer with a 5 to 6 ton rating. Then, if you need to haul a machine or rent something, you have a good trailer... I use a flatbed 1 ton dually and a 6 ton trailer daily. It gets into tight spots and I can haul any compact machine out there up to 9,300 lbs of machine..

 

[LightningLoader]

Get a grapple truck - very versatile

You definately need a grapple truck / knuckleboom loader. It's be 3x faster than loading by hand. Good thing about a grapple truck as opposed to skid steer or tire loader, is that it can come with a dump body and built in tool box. That way you can carry your tools, and load, and haul all with the same truck.

check out this website www.PetersenInd.com

or for used trucks

www.trucks.com

 

[Stumper]

Well since someone ressurected this thread I have to ask Matt-Why do you want all of your equipment to be so heavy? That over 500 lb chainsaw must be hard to climb with!

 

[Koa Man]

You definately need a grapple truck / knuckleboom loader. It's be 3x faster than loading by hand. Good thing about a grapple truck as opposed to skid steer or tire loader, is that it can come with a dump body and built in tool box.

A grapple truck is good, but if I could not have both, then I would take an articulated wheel loader like a Swinger. It could haul out brush and load the truck. A grapple truck would be too big to get to most places where the brush or logs are actually dropping.

 

[LightningLoader]

A grapple truck is good, but if I could not have both, then I would take an articulated wheel loader like a Swinger. It could haul out brush and load the truck. A grapple truck would be too big to get to most places where the brush or logs are actually dropping.

You're probibly right about that. Didn't see the part where he mentioned "big estates". Grapple truck better for smaller residential jobs, but if you're going to be out on a big estate clearing, then Koa Man's probibly right, go with the wheel loader.

 

[TipTop]

I agree with palmer also bobcat with removable steel tracts with beaver squeezer is a must with 18 inch chipper fill 20 yards in 20 minutes

 

[treefitter]

Tracked skidsteer works well here. With Mulcher,Grab,Bucket, Compactor,Treesheer(stuck in a warehouse somewhere in UK !!! Grrr) Beats picking it up by hand! Stumper in due course when funds permit. www.skidsteer-solutions.com