2 vans or 7.5 toner

[simonm]

After stupidly surrendering my operators licence last year i am trying to find the best solution for chip & log etc.

Is it better to have 2 3.5t tippers or a 7.5 toner on site? i already have a 3.5t which i would keep for smaller jobs but take the 7.5 tonner on bigger stuff.

 

Extra fuel running 2 vehicles around all the time would surely cost more than running & operating a 7.5 t vehicle.

[woody paul]

what about a trailer behind a pickup.

[swinny]

HA!

 

Exact same thing i've been thinking yesterday and today.

 

Jobs are always getting bigger and having to tip off is time off a site i do not need!

 

Was thinking 6-6.5t iveco.

 

Whats the point of keeping a 3.5t vehicle aswell if you go for the above?

 

I always class an extra vehicle as 1k a year plus repairs

 

I have a 4x4 and could buy a tipping trailer but there aint many that have a license nor many that can back a trailer competantly

 

You open yourself up to staff issues with the second vehicle.

 

Bigger truck i say.

[swinny]

My only issue for a bigger truck would be the bed loading height for handballing logs

[simonm]

what about a trailer behind a pickup.

 

I have a big brian james tipper that i drag chipper out with then on bigger jobs fill the van then trailer its ok but still end up tipping twice. Most stuff we do i would get in a 7.5t vehicle, go to job do work then leave instead of go to site fill van...fill trailer then have to tip so i can pick chipper up! its eating up too much time.

[simonm]

HA!

 

Exact same thing i've been thinking yesterday and today.

 

Jobs are always getting bigger and having to tip off is time off a site i do not need!

 

Was thinking 6-6.5t iveco.

 

Whats the point of keeping a 3.5t vehicle aswell if you go for the above?

 

I always class an extra vehicle as 1k a year plus repairs

 

I have a 4x4 and could buy a tipping trailer but there aint many that have a license nor many that can back a trailer competantly

 

You open yourself up to staff issues with the second vehicle.

 

Bigger truck i say.

 

You wont be much better off as the 6.5 ton iveco are not much bigger than a transit so volume wise your still screwed, we do quite a bit of fencing so the small van would still be handy for that & log deliveries etc, & on bigger jobs they both could run out...7.5t with road tow chipper then 3.5t with trailer on would be fantastic.

Handballing would be a pita but then so is having to go tip.

Edited April 8, 2017 by simonm

[richy_B]

My only issue for a bigger truck would be the bed loading height for handballing logs

I thought this - the mitsubishi fuso tipper is only 20mm higher than a standard transit. An iveco 75 for example was 120mm which would be a push.

[Stefan Palokangas]

 

3.3 ton would not mind a heavier truck. This one is lgv...

 

 

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[swinny]

We use a grain trailer on bigger jobs but takes up some space with trailer and tractor. Then you'd still need staff insured to drive the trucks (which i do)

 

Doesnt seem to be a lot of bang for your buck at the moment in the 3.5t market

[Tom D]

I thought a lot about this recently, the 3.5's are permanently overloaded and as I'm not driving them its unfair to ask employees to drive around a ton overweight or more. The thing with the 7.5 toners is the mot's and the having to put everybody through another trailer test. I have a pre 97 licence but none of my staff do. Ideally you want a bigger truck with a chipper on the front and a trailer for timber on the back, which means a mog really. A decent mog will do everything the 7.5 toner will do and more and you don't need a new licence to drive it. They are expensive to run maybe but they last for a long time and really hold their value. Ive no experience of 7.5 chip trucks but i'll bet they are easily overloaded too, unless you keep the chip box the same size as a 3.5 one.