ford transit

[Mr Ed]

2700...

 

 

Are 3.5 tonners just a waste of time if you want to be legal?

 

You said it Brother. Unless your doing utility work and need to carry very little chip, a 3.5 tonner is useless for treework (if you wish to remain legal).

7.5 tonners are even worse in a way. A conventional 7.5 tonner will only carry 3 tonnes. Thats why I use a lightweight Merc Vario 7.5 tonner, and built the body to be virtually impossible to overload.

[Log-ologist]

I'm happy with trimmed down ply painted nice. We can take it out easy. Often we side load material, or crane on a butt for sawing . Fixed sides make that hard.

[Andy R]

heres our transit with newly built back. We had a friend make it who has just started out on his own as a fabricator/welder. It was his first attempt at anything like this. It's neat, basic, very light, strong and a good price, 850quid built, painted and fitted. Rather than have the top fixed as well we are having a removable canopy made. The top of the chip box near the cab has been reinforced and used thicker sheet steel so we can stand on it if needed.

[Mr Ed]

Lovely job mate, but I would'nt even half fill that box for fear of overloading...

[treewizard]

This is the new van the company work for has got for me really like it, its got heavy duty shocks on and esp so really stable when its got chip in

[Andy R]

Lovely job mate, but I would'nt even half fill that box for fear of overloading...

 

yes, it requires a bit of common sense when transporting chip/logs/brash etc....but you can fill it more than half with chip, with only the tailgate at the rear you can only fill it slightly more than half anyway, the overall cc of the box is not the capacity of woodchip it will hold, more a containment box for the spray from the chipper tbh. It may also look bigger in the photo's than it is in real life I think. It suits us anyway as a small firm, and the responsibility is ultimately with the driver of the vehicle.

[Andy Collins]

yes, and the responsibility is ultimately with the driver of the vehicle.

 

Isnt it always, and of course the bosses of companies never tell the lads to over-fill the trucks so the job doesnt go into the next day do they?

[Lee Winger]

I agree with Ben 3.5 ton trucks are a waste of time imo, the only truck i'd buy other than a 7.5 tonner is an 18tonner with hiab

[Arborlord]

I think im right in saying 99% of tree companies use or have use 3.5 tonne trucks its were we all started.

 

To state they useless is just rediculous.

[Lozzatrees]

I agree with Ben 3.5 ton trucks are a waste of time imo, the only truck i'd buy other than a 7.5 tonner is an 18tonner with hiab

 

The company I work for has a fleet of several lorries including two 7.5tonners and two larger grab lorries, but we still need transit sized vehicles to get into narrow access sites and going onto ground where you wouldn't risk taking a heavier vehicle for fear of getting stuck or damaging the ground (e.g playing fields, lawns, manhole covers, driveways, etc.)