Equipment advice for starting out

[Brightone]

I'm starting a tree service business and would like some thoughts on what equipment would be better to have starting out. Mostly I'm wondering if I should get a dump trailer, or a bucket truck. Also wondering if getting a chipper right away with either of those would be a good idea.

Here's some additional information that may be helpful:

~ I'd be working in the Southern MN/Northen IA area (it's more of  rural work area)

~ I have a 2003 F450 for hauling equipment/trailers

~ I have access to a large-ish skid steer (my father owns, could probably work something out on a rent to own)

~ This isn't relevant to tree work, but I just purchased a fixer upper property and have plenty of debris/scrap metal to haul.

~ I have about 6.5 acres of rural land where I could process and/or burn wood.

 

The bucket truck  is appealing because there are a lot of ash trees in the area that are dead/dying from emerald ash borer and would open up opportunities when they are unsafe to climb. The dump trailer is appealing because I could haul the skid steer around in it, and use it to get the bigger pieces out; also, if tree work grew slow during the winter there may be more of an opportunity for snow removal. I think a chipper would be nice to have with either. I think I may be able to afford 2 pieces of equipment. Which 2 would you choose in this situation and why? If 2 pieces were not an option then which 1? 

[Dan Maynard]

If you don't get the trailer then your customers better be happy being left with a huge pile of rubbish so that would be number one.

 

Chipper is mainly an advantage in reducing the volume of brash and hence number of tip runs, you might be able to do without for a bit. Depends on travel times but could save hours per job.

 

Unless you have a functioning setup I wouldn't get a bucket truck, you'll just overload the trailer even quicker.

[Brightone]

13 minutes ago, Dan Maynard said:

If you don't get the trailer then your customers better be happy being left with a huge pile of rubbish so that would be number one.

 

That makes sense, I know that I can rent a dump trailer around here for about $100 a day but then that cost would need to be figured in to the quote as well. A fair amount of customers may not mind having the larger chunks of wood to deal with/use for firewood, but I'm sure there would be plenty that would want it hauled out as well.

[peds]

Trailer 1st, chipper 2nd. Can you winch a wee chipper (or the biggest chipper you can fit or afford) into your f450?

 

Bucket/mewp/hoist later on down the line. 

[Brightone]

26 minutes ago, peds said:

Can you winch a wee chipper (or the biggest chipper you can fit or afford) into your f450?

Do you mean put a smaller one in the bed? I could do that. If I bring the skid steer with it would be fairly easy to load/unload.

[peds]

Different people have different setups, but either a truck you can fire chip into from a road-tow chipper, or a tipper trailer you can fire chip into from a tracked chipper or otherwise portable chipper would be the basic for a one-man-band, before you start needing a second vehicle with a second driver etc.

Alternatively, put the money for a tipper trailer towards a tippable chip box on the back of your f450, and get a road-tow chipper. Probably the most economical and simplest setup you could begin with, but the box on an f450 would probably fill up pretty quick.