Truck, Box Truck, or Stake Body-Dump

[River Hill]

I am looking to purchase a new truck. I will tell you my situation and maybe you guys can give me your opinons. I have a F150 SuperCab and pull a 6 x 12 open trailer. I normally carry 1 48 Walk behind,1 36 Walk Behind, a 21&quot;, trimmer, edger, blower and gas. I do some mulching that is why I am looking for a new truck. I always buy bagged muluch because I find it faster to work with. I was thinking box truck because when I am not mulching I can put my equipment inside and always keep it dry and safe, also I would have a rolling billboard. I could put the mulch on pallets and have them loaded in the truck and always pull a trailer when needed. My second option is a new F350 Crew Cab so I could pull heavier loads. I would buy another open trailer so I could put the pallets of mulch in. My third option is a Stake Body maybe with a dump bed, so I could carry the pallets of mulch and my trailer. I never bag grass, so the only waste I ever dispose of is when I edge new tree and plant beds. What would you guys do? I like the option of the new F350 but I guess I could never carry my equipment and mulch at the same time. <p>

[steveair]

Hello,<p>I won't give you any info on what truck to buy, but was wondering about your mulch situation. You say you never buy bulk mulch, but only buy by the bag. <p>My question here is whether or not you plan on expanding your mulching. I have no idea what size jobs you do, but it sounds like, since you are buying a new truck, and that you are concerned about being able to carry a lot of mulch around, then I would have to assume you plan on expanding the amount of mulch work you do. If this is the case, then I would imagine you will want to start thinking about buying bulk. <p>Now, maybe you will only do smaller jobs or just find it more convenient to use the bagged. I know a few guys that only use bagged, so I can understand this.<p>However, from past experiences and from talking to other people, it always seems that as jobs get bigger and the amount of mulch increases, you need to switch to bulk. <p>My point here, is the planning idea behind a new truck and what you need to narrow. A lot of guys buy equipment without thinking of their long term plans. Sure, you use bagged now, but what if you start needing bulk. <p>I may be wrong, because I don't know your situation, but it seems like short term planning to just think about buying a truck to just transport bagged mulch. For instance, if you start buying bulk mulch, soil, etc. you will deeply regret not having a dump body. <p>If you want a 'rolling billboard', have you thought of a enclosed trailer. A enclosed trailer with a dump pulling it, (either a rack or a regular dump) gives u a lot more options than just a boxed truck. Then again, I don't know your situation. I'm a installation guy, so I guess I think more about that than just being &quot;Pure Maintenance&quot;.<p>Just some thoughts,<p>steveair<br>

[River Hill]

Steve,<p>I will probably always buy bagged mulch because I can buy shreadded hardwood mulch for $19.75 a Yard bagged and bulk mulch cost me $16.00 a yard. For $3.75 more I can install it almost twice as fast. I dont have to worry about cleanup, or using the wheel barrow to move it all and if I have any leftovers I can just take it with me to the next job. I have thought of a dump bed with a enclosed trailer, but then I have to buy another trailer. Who knows! I appreciate your comments and look forward to others as this gives me more to think about. You did make a good point, what if I do get into moving topsoil....... or other things like hauling brush away.

[Richard Martin]

Duh! I don't know why I never thought of using bagged mulch. I only do mulching for a few select customers and it is usually by myself. Some of the places I have to put the mulch are impossible to get to with a wheelbarrow requiring it to be handled twice by me. Bagged mulch would probably decrease the time it takes me increasing my profits. Nice idea!

[Getmow]

It sounds like a box truck would fit your present and future needs. I just did away with one truck trailer combo and replaced it with an open landscape rig. The next step is to move up to a box truck like the Super Lawn Truck. Check their site out ist has some good info on it superlawntruck.com . <br>There are some great advantages to having a dump truck. Just don't use it to haul a trailer when it's not needed. Or you can install an EZ Dumper in the back of your new 350. Just my $2 worth.

[FIREMAN]

KEEP YOUR F-150, HAVE SOME CUSTOM SPRINGS PUT IN.. DEPENDING ON THE YEAR YOU COULD HAVE 250/350 SPRINGS PUT IN AND GET AN EASY DUMPER INSERT, ALSO BOX TRUCKS ARE A NICE CHOICE GREAT FOR SECURITY AND WEATHER PROTECTION. AS FOR BAGGED MULCH, I SOMETIMES USE IT ONLY WHEN ACCESSIBILITY IS IN QUESTION. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO KEEP BOTH TRUCKS YOU CAN BE ASSURED THAT EVEN WHEN ONE BREAKS DOWN YOU CAN STILL WORK AND ALSO IF BUSINESS IS GOOD YOU COULD HIRE SOME LABOR AND GET MORE DONE IN A DAY WITHOUT HAVING TO STOP AT A JOB AND DROP PEOPLE/EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES OFF BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT JOB. HOPE SOMETHING HERE IS USEFUL.

[ZYAL8R]

those super lawn trucks are sweet. how much they go for??? what an investment. 39 gal aux gas tank, a 12 gal aux mixed gas tank and electric pumps for wach, damn. pretty slick. that ramp is art in motion itself. how many miles are those NPR's good for???<br>WOW www.superlawntruck.com are there any other companies that make similar trucks? i remember seeing an open style NPR in FLA.<br>

[Barkleymut]

Where do you purchase bagged mulch for under $20/yard? I've heard you can at Home Depot but never tried. Do you have to buy a certain # of bags before you get this discount?

[mattingly]

Hey guys,<br>Here's my two cents worth.<br>I just bought an 88 Iveco 14' Box truck. I had a hydraulic ramp installed along with hitch receiver for trailer = 2160. Truck cost 4100. I had a graphic artist design a logo for 50. Sign company put up a 6x5' sign on each side for 550. Of course getting the mower up and down isn't quite as fast as a trailer but like said earlier, it is art in motion. You should see the people stop and watch. This is my first year and the big boys in town are already stooped by my rig. Next year I will probably go with a flatbed style instead of the box truck for my lawn crew. I'll retain the box truck for landscape installs and a few side lawn jobs. I will use it to haul fertilizer and everything else. It is damn handy and a sweet ride. I will hopefully have it on my website in a week or two for you'all to look at. Any more questions feel free to email.<p>----------<br>Integrated Landscape Solutions<br>Lexington, KY

[Barkleymut]

Can't wait to see it Mattingly, let us know when you get a pic up.

[River Hill]

Barkleymut,<p>I normally don't buy and landscape products from Home Depot. Go to any Lawn and Garden center, Hardware Store, or Nursery and tell the them you are looking to buy a few pallets of mulch, not all at one time just a pallet at a time. They will normally give you a great price break. They always have it in stock and you don't have to use your storage space. Let me know how this works for you.