Thinking about getting a chipper truck setup...

Gents,

I am thinking about dabbling in a little tree cleanup side-hustle...thinking about starting with something like this:



Guy won’t budge from $7k, but says it has a new Chevy 350 in it with only 3k miles on it. Comes with an Asplundh Chuck and duck chipper.

Am I crazy?

 

What's you're market like...? Too rural and the need for the service is not there. Could put you on a lot of wood if it worked out and if you find a market for the chip it is an added bonus.

 

That Chipper will get old real fast. I've run one & they're a beyotch. They'll whip the crap outta ya in a heartbeat. Direct feed, hence the name, noisy as can be & no multi directional chute. Truck is fine, buy the chipper I would think twice.

 

I’ve run one before too, and they really are torture device! My goal is to get the bare minimal equipment I’d need to start a little side business, and spend as little as possible doing it. If it’s at all something I enjoy doing, and can make a little side cash, I’ll upgrade down the road and maybe get a forestry/bucket truck next, and upgrade the chipper.

 

I’m about an hour and a half West of DC, right on the border if WV, MD, and VA...it’s mostly a mix of residential and rural, and tons of trees EVERYWHERE. Dead or dying Ash as far as the eye can see.

Looking into everything I need to do from a paperwork/insurance standpoint at the moment, and fortunately WV seems to be pretty friendly to the little startup guy. As a native Californian, I’m pleasantly surprised!

 

Always try to make it worth your while. If you build on the networking plan first you’re likely to have a better getting ahead on the budget than if you dont. Trees are down and all but if you don’t have a calling card yet, then the customers can’t make a deal with ya. Markets are only worth it if people want the stuff taken out. You can sell yourself first but people have to be willing to give you the work. Not gonna bust your bubble here bud, just want bases to load up. I was thinking about doing a landscaping business but so many pop up, I wonder if I would have a chance.

 

It’s a lot of work, and tough work. Get a quote on the insurance policies you will need also. They might be more than you expected.

 

Agree 100%...I’ve got a pretty good network established around here, and have already started to get the word out. I’m not quitting my day job or anything...but maybe someday! I’d love to set out on my own and start a company ideally instead of being a wage slave for the man...but he does pay pretty damm well

 

Watch buying used chipper trucks...they are rust magnets, especially if the owner did not keep things pretty clean...surprising how corrosive tree dust/juices can be.
I bought a GMC 1 ton chipper truck a few years back, just to flip...still own it...needs tons of work, worst automotive investment I've ever made...by a mile.

 

Good man!

 

Barcroftb has some experience with the chuck and duck I think...

 

Calling UncleJoe

 

I’m going to call the insurance co. on Monday to see what it’ll run me. Were/are you a pro?

 

not a pro cutter, but run part of a nationwide company. Anyone we bring has insurance requirements, in case your equipment or the counter parties is damaged.

 

It can be enjoyable rewarding work. We used to call them the suck 'n' duck though for a reason. Which inevitably got shortened to "the suck." For the money I guess I'd want to see the paperwork on the new engine, because the equip looks a bit beat. The thing to realize about a chuck n duck is there is no auto roller feed, so they were prone to lugging the engine when over fed. I'd have a good mechanic look over the engine on the chipper. You know excessive blow by stuff like that. Because they are so beloved they usually weren't taken very good care of.

There is a trick to feeding a chuck n duck. Place the stub of the branch about an inch away from the feed then walk back to the tip of the branch and give it a shove. No welts and if you've staged things well the rest of the branches are close at hand to rinse and repeat.

 

Good advice all around...I’ll press the guy for some documentation on the equipment.

 

Ya the fun ends real quick with a chuck and duck! You cant be too careful on a deal like this. Old equipment can break a bank account very quickly. And dont forget that life with puc plates and commercial drivers license is in turmoil right now due to the eld mandate. If you get this setup try to put farm plates on it. I dont mean to be negative ned here, but the dot and their b&%%$hit can really take the fun out of a deal like this.

 

7G for heartache, no. You can easily get your side hustle on for far less. I'd walk far away from that mess.

 

If I had the 7 grand kicking around I would pull the trigger on it. How bad could it be, a few jobs will recoop your investment and you can always sell the stuff for scrap a few years down the road if it does not pan out?

In life I have found when you put a question out there on anything, 15 people will respond that it cannot, should not be done, and while there is a lot of value in that advice, if we had that mindset in 1776 we would still be kissing the Queen's bottom. Ask, take their points and regroup, and then act one way or the other.

My thoughts are, you could sell the truck and chipper at junk prices for $3500, so you are only looking at a $3500 investment. Having one kicking around just to clean up around a person's place would almost have that much value, much less working a few side jobs. At $100 and hour, it would only take 350 hours of work to recoup your money, or put in terms of weekends; 21...or put another way, completely paid for if you worked every weekend for 6 months. Or completely paid for if you worked every Saturday for a year? For simplicity I am leaving out some expenses, but roughly breaking it down for a quick decision.

Is that reasonable in terms of market demand? Is that reasonable for you in terms of lifestyle? Adjust the amount charged per hour, or the amount worked to see if the purchase is justified.

 

35 hours.