A different kind of arb setup

[donnk]

put a towball on your front bumper for backing up the trailer.

[aspenarb]

If its all local work it sounds like a job for a small tractor with pto chipper and trailer, all the kit on the job in one go. That wont struggle backing up a steep drive, it may get your heart racing coming back down though

 

Bob

[Stephen Blair]

Believe it or not, things are expensive here too.

If budget is that low then forget the chipper, get an old trailer, weld some big cage sides on it and tow it with a jeep or van.

Spend 2-3 hrs a day handballing it in and out, jumping it down and owing farmers favours for the pleasure of tipping it at their bit.

Hire a tractor off a farmer and a chipper off a hire company, get up at 5am, drive the tractor an hour to the chipper that's lying at angle on a broken pallet, spend an hour in the rain trying to get things going, drive another hour with saws at your feet to the job, have some breakdowns, then spend until 11pm at night putting everything back to where it has to be.

That's what I used to do. Do that for a few months then the loan payments don't seem as bad on the right kit.

That's just what you have to do BUT always have the dream of the ideal bit of kit, even if it is £100k, it's all doable.

You may need to drive thousands of miles to find it, grovel to bank managers for loans, stress every day and night for years about finance payments and breakdowns.

That is what you future will be and the joy of climbing will be a distant memory

[Gray git]

Believe it or not, things are expensive here too.

If budget is that low then forget the chipper, get an old trailer, weld some big cage sides on it and tow it with a jeep or van.

Spend 2-3 hrs a day handballing it in and out, jumping it down and owing farmers favours for the pleasure of tipping it at their bit.

Hire a tractor off a farmer and a chipper off a hire company, get up at 5am, drive the tractor an hour to the chipper that's lying at angle on a broken pallet, spend an hour in the rain trying to get things going, drive another hour with saws at your feet to the job, have some breakdowns, then spend until 11pm at night putting everything back to where it has to be.

That's what I used to do. Do that for a few months then the loan payments don't seem as bad on the right kit.

That's just what you have to do BUT always have the dream of the ideal bit of kit, even if it is £100k, it's all doable.

You may need to drive thousands of miles to find it, grovel to bank managers for loans, stress every day and night for years about finance payments and breakdowns.

That is what you future will be and the joy of climbing will be a distant memory

 

You've definitely missed your calling as a career motivational speaker 😜

 

Sadly you speak the truth and we have all been in that place,

exactly how I started off on my own but soon said sod this for a game nd took the plunge on finance and the business has never looked back despite the stress that go's with it if your in it for the long haul sometimes it just makes sense.

[harvey b davison]

Stevie, didnt you once run a luton box van with tail lift and a load of wheelie bins. If he pulls a chipper behind that, then surely that is a decent set up, if not a bit slow.

[Goaty]

Hence stevie used too!

It's either expense and good gear or extra time and cheaper tackle. Stevies business evolution is a case point.

 

If your going to be in the game for a long time to come, get the best gear you can. Work hard and progress. Wheelie bins and faffing about will hinder productivity no end. I dread to think of the efficiency of hand unloading.

Caravan mover will probably burn out on a steep drive. Keep it robust simple and effective. Less maintainence.

A quicker way I found was my ordinary low side plant trailer lay ratchet straps across it in two places. 3 if needed. Stack it well. Strap round it to make a bale. Strap bale down tight. Undo then retension the bale . Redo outer straps. It's amazing what you get on compressed. Back at yard either fork it off. Or attach a rope at one side. Pull from other with a vehicle it rolls off. Go back for logs.

 

Chipping increases load volume needed.

 

Because you can cut to trailer lengths less handling on site.

Then have a day in yard firing(NZ remember folks) or chip it.

 

Only chip if your set up for it. i.e tipper or customer wants it leaving.

Utilise what you have best you can. Upgrade when it's viable.

Or get something like the load handler.

[Tentman]

Gidday Timmy (from Southland).

 

If a 2wd van won't push a trailer up due to traction then a caravan mover "won't have a snowballs chance in hell" of doing it as they are very low traction - and are basically as weak as weasel piss anyway.

 

I used to live in Dunners so I know what steep (and particularly steep wet) driveways are. I'm going to ponder on it a while.

 

Cheers

Foster

[Timbermcpherson]

Hey Timmy, where are you based?

 

Your by no mean the first, and by no means will you be the last to try to get around the standard truck chipper combo. I cant think how many times I have done the maths, looked at sliding axles, sliding drawbars, side tipping bins, etc etc etc.

 

But there is good reason the truck and chipper combo is used my 99% of arborists, at least in NZ (we dont have the option of using tractors so much here or I would be using mine!)

 

Trucks are made to carry weight and tow heavy loads in a reliable and economic fashion. Put a chip bin and tool cabinets and your ready to go. Generally with conventional arb work they are the way to go.

 

BUT if you play your cards right, market your niche way of doing things (more environmentally friendly, less carbon miles, better for the garden keeping mulch etc) you could very well charge more while "doing" less and paying less in equipment and ongoing overheads.

 

Get a tipping trailer, set up a system that you mount the little chipper on the drawbar and chip directly into it, and your half way there.

 

Think seriously about getting rid of the van as they can be very limiting, they are not secure for tools, tend to become brain cell killers with various fumes (if you stop noticing this, thats a REALLY bad sign!) and you can look like a failed jims mowing franchise with it. A single cab 4wd ute with decent tool cabinets possibly work much better and can help people take you more seriously. (crazy but its true)

 

Put a chip box on the back then if you need to do a bigger job you can chip into the tip trailer and ute which will be as much as a light trucks going to handle and you only have to rent the chipper. (or do a little contract climbing with other companies in exchange for chipper rental)

 

Lots of options, but you can end up wasting alot of time and money on a system that you end up throwing away to get a truck and chipper.

I HATE trucks but until I come up with a better alternative.........

[Mike Hill]

Land-cruiser,Tipping trailer and Tracked Chipper.

[arbwork]

mount or purpose build your chipper on to a 4x4 with a tool box and tow, when you need to transport arisings, a tipping trailer. simples ( Meer cat type squeak ) http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/large-equipment/88158-would-pto-chipper-realistically-fit-landy.html

Edited July 17, 2016 by arbwork