buying new truck

[lawnboy82]

hey guys-
went to the dealer today looked at a new f550
it is an 11' rugby mason dump
psd 4x4 6 speed manual
heavy duty 9' fisher str8 blade
no sander
i would have to buy a sander
i am only gonna be using it for driveways next winter as far as i know.
i figure ill have somewhere around 25 driveways or so.
they are for the most part straight,
i was just wondering what you guys think about using something that big for driveways
i figure in a couple of years i will get a 4x4 pickup and do the driveways and send that out for roads

 

[75]

Nice unit!

I think, however, that you are going to find something that big (and big straight blade as well) very awkward for driveways. I remember reading in an old post a while back that some customers object to a truck that big doing their residential driveway. Just my opinion (my '75 dually, 131.5" WB, 8' blade is awkward to get around with sometimes, yours is that much bigger) but I'd love to have that truck! (Yikes! And that's coming from a GM man too! I'd better go apologize to my truck...)

 

[GeoffD]

Nice truck.

However All my plow trucks have 9' bodys. 11' is one long truck, add an extra 2' for a sander and your at 13'.

Unless ya really need an 11' body, I would get a 9'. BTW you will like you rugby body. That is the brand I am useing, I used to use gallion, and found rugby a much better body.

After 5 years of work gallion looks like it had been through he11 and back. 3 Years on a rugby and still looks brand new except for the inside paint.

Geoff

 

[lawnboy82]

the reason i want to get the 11' body is because i would like to be able to put more material in the body. plus i will be putting 2 gang boxes on either side under the dump body. and if i go with the 9' body then i would have to go for an L or I pack. but i dont want to do that because i would rather be using that area for chips, or gravel, or soil. the snow is not my biggest concern. all the driveways i am bidding on are straight. there is one that goes at an angle so i may just have my guys shovel that one. as for the rest it shouldnt be a problem. plus in 2002 i am gonna go and try to bid 2 condos i screwed up on this year, so that should give me the money to get a pickup. ive got a buddy with an old 8 foot f350 and his cargo box is small. i would like to be able to carry at least one chainsaw (044) and some ropes, chains and what not with me so i gotta get something with some storage room. the roads i would be working off of are wide enough for me to back out ok. no 1 lane road deals as far as i can think of. - later

 

[PINEISLAND1]

I understand the idea of using what you have to get the job done, and that may be the exact truck that you need for the largest part of your business.

But....You gotta know that doing drives all night in a truck like that will really be a drag. The stress factor with that rig in a drive will be much worse than a 3/4 ton truck or similar.

Might be worth lining up some small commercial lots as long as you have an awesome truck like that to use. The profit potential for that rig is going to be somewhat wasted on drives.

It could certainly be used in drives, but just so you realize the limitations.

 

[earth works inc.]

lawnboy: i would have to agree with everyone else. that would be a nice truck but not for driveways even if they are straight.

a dump is very hard to see out of the back and that is a long one. i have 1 9' chevy dump and i will take one of the 1 ton 4x4 pickups any day.

my first plow truck was a chevy 4x4 1 ton extended cab dually with a 3 speed. it was a beast of a truck but it was a pain to plow in. too long, clutching all night long.

that left leg gets a little tired after 6-7 hours.

just my 2 cents.

 

[lawnboy82]

my thing is that for right now that would be my only 4x4
and i can make a lot more money doing tree work than doing snow plowing, also i can do tree work 12 months of the year. when was the last time we got snow in july and august? so really i would rather have something that can haul a lot of chips legally as opposed to something that i am gonna have an easy time plowing with.

 

[99SDPSD]

My 550 has a 9' body as does my 350 and both are quite manuverable for plowing. The so called all terrain tires that came on mine suck in wet packed snow or mud. I have found an aggressive all terrain tire called the XZT by Michelen. The 550 has 4.88 gears and tows my trailer and machine great. I picked mine up for 36,600 as a 2000 leftover with out the plow.

 

[lawnboy82]

why would you get a 9' body for a 550? if i was gonna go with a 9 footer i would go with like a 450 or 350. i wanna go for the 550 with the 11 because why should i bother gettin a 550 with a 9 footer. i wanna beat the piss out of this thing. i beat the piss out of everything else. just having that extra room to load up with materials makes it worth it to me. plus like i said, i gotta have the 11 footer so i can get the gang boxes. the gang boxes for a 9 foot body are too small and dont really provide much storage.

99sdpsd? where did you buy your truck at? i am looking at brewster ford, however they are being anally retentive so i think i am gonna go to bridge haven ford. did you try them at all?
i know that they have a good service and price history, just wondering what you think of them?

 

[thelawnguy]

Sure go buy it, Ill buy it from you at the auction next year and park it next to mike smiths Kenworth I bought lol.

 

[lawnboy82]

i dont get it...

 

[99SDPSD]

I got of my trucks at BridgeHaven. Have had a great experince dealing with them. My 550 was on the lot with the body on it. My 350 is used as the utility truck the 550 light weights at 94 hundred 300 more than my 350. I can carry 3.6 tons of sand legaly.

 

[66Construction]

It's a great truck, I'm drooling just thinking about it. I wouldn't put it in a driveway. Especialy if they're paved soon or later you're going to sink in especialy if you go off the side. I've damaged pavement with a heavy load in a 3/4 ton. That truck will hold a 10' blade, you said you like to beat things find some nice big lots or sub it out for roads like you said. Buy a beater and plow the driveways. It just seems like to much truck for a driveway. That truck will move some serious snow take advantage of it.