I would just buy 1 *****in nice truck for a personal and plow truck... I see your point on having 2 trucks, but as soon as you get ya-hoo's working for you its pretty simple, your paying them to break your trucks...

Instead of the second truck I would add a tractor, and have a ya-hoo run that... Atleast its not gonna cost you plates, insurance and the maintenace will be less plus it should take the abuse alot better... Also, add a ebling back blade to your truck to increase your productivity alot, have your boss pay you per plow and then that would give you more time to do your own stuff or just sub the tractor to him and you do your own stuff the whole night....

 

I would do one nice one and call it a day.

 

I would just buy 1 *****in nice truck for a personal and plow truck... I see your point on having 2 trucks, but as soon as you get ya-hoo's working for you its pretty simple, your paying them to break your trucks...

Instead of the second truck I would add a tractor, and have a ya-hoo run that... Atleast its not gonna cost you plates, insurance and the maintenace will be less plus it should take the abuse alot better... Also, add a ebling back blade to your truck to increase your productivity alot, have your boss pay you per plow and then that would give you more time to do your own stuff or just sub the tractor to him and you do your own stuff the whole night....

Good thinking Triple L on a tractor or skid. I know of a JD 332 Skid Steer that sits 90% of the time. Has a cab with heat/ac, 2 speed, and a weight kit. Its 4ish years old with 128hrs on it. Yes, 128hrs, up until this summer it had less then 50hrs on it. I could possibly work out a deal with the owner to lease it for the winter and slap a 10' box on it. And the trucks I'm looking at for myself would be able to pull it. (LBZ Dmax or 6.7 cummins)

I've thought about an ebling on the next truck but without having much thought on what lots I'd bid on I can't say if it would be worth the money or not. You should just trade trucks with me for a storm or 2 so I can test out your combo of blades. (A Boss 9.2 is going on my next truck)

 

Maybe drop a check on the personal truck, no loan. Then keep subbing next year, build up the bank account up again and then if you need to get a small loan ($5k tops) for the second truck so be it. I don't think 1 year on the farm and working would ruin your nice truck as long as you stay on top of keeping it clean. With the skid though you lose the ability to salt and you don't have your longbed either.

 

Maybe drop a check on the personal truck, no loan. Then keep subbing next year, build up the bank account up again and then if you need to get a small loan ($5k tops) for the second truck so be it. I don't think 1 year on the farm and working would ruin your nice truck as long as you stay on top of keeping it clean. With the skid though you lose the ability to salt and you don't have your longbed either.

If I went the route of a skid I'd still be able to salt. I'd just have to take my tailgate spreader out and toss it in the bed of the truck or on the trailer with the skid if I used a tag trailer. Or if I used a gooseneck I just couldn't run a V Box. I could live another year or so with a short bed truck, I have plenty of trailers I can use if I need to haul something. I mostly just wanted the ability to have my huge toolbox+ a backrack and still be able to pull a gooseneck. Or have a backrack+toolbox+transfer tank and have more then 2-2.5' of bed space left. But I could live, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

 

True, might be best to follow suit (you know who lol) and have the skid just sit somewhere where it can easil handle everything vs. serving the purpose of a second truck. I'm sure you thought of that already lol.

 

Wait till June or July...trucks will be cheaper and then you can decide on 2 trucks or 1 truck and a skid.
The skid may be handy to have on the farm too.

 

i was in the car business for 8+ years. buy in the spring and sell in the fall. if it's trucks, cars are opposite. y not keep your truck and add a second to that? you know what you have.

 

id buy 1 nice truck and use it fo everything. maybe strip your 98 down and use that as your DD when you dont want to drive the nice truck. slap a new blade on your future nice truck and be good to go.

 

1 Truck - Diesel / 9'2" Boss

1 Skid Steer instead of another truck. For snow and some summer time side jobs etc. Also for stacking and removal.

If you are serious about getting your own account then I would get a skid,a second truck will not make you any money sitting all summer. I add a skid every year or two for snow and still seem to be short every winter season.

 

The skid may be handy to have on the farm too.

Good thinking but the farm I work at already has 1 skid, 3 loader tractors, and we have access to the JD 332 skid I talked about in Triple L's post.

i was in the car business for 8+ years. buy in the spring and sell in the fall. if it's trucks, cars are opposite. y not keep your truck and add a second to that? you know what you have.

My reasoning for getting rid of my 98 I put somewhere near the bottom of my original post.

maybe strip your 98 down and use that as your DD when you dont want to drive the nice truck.

I have a 91 Chevy S10 that's cosmetically getting pretty rough but mechanically its pretty good. I can use that for the times that I would worry about my nice truck getting damaged. Another dent or scratch wouldn't be noticeable on it, all the rust would make it blend right in.

 

Two things. First, biggest mistake I see when people get 2 trucks they really don't no what its going to cost. Insurance, fuel, tires, regular maintenance...you can figure that out fast. The real cost is when you stick a person in that truck. Then its a tranny, brakes, crap like that. Remember its not his truck. The reason I say that is because thats what my buddy did with his brother. He was never going to put a plow on his baby (his truck) but he did. And my buddy and his brother don't talk nice to each other.
Second, rent a skidsteer your first year. See how that goes. worse comes to worse, springtime it goes back.

Ok third know what you have for work, money and expenses before you go doing something dumb like starting a snow plow business.

 

When starting out I had one nice truck and a buddy that could back me up if the unthinkable happened. (Never used him, lucky I guess.) That origianl truck is now my backup (which I rarely use) but is keep safetied and plated and cost about $1500 a year to maintain. You'll know when you need the second truck, I would procastinate buying a second before you know what you have for clients.

 

Don't get the cart before the horse. Upgrade your truck, either to the nice one or to the work one, line up work to keep it busy the first year, then add a second the next year if you can see the potential. Remember the ups and downs in plowing from year to year and don't get caught going big in a bad season. Here in Manitoba we have virtually no snow. Very strange year so far.