Box trucks

[cclllc]

How many are using the Box truck setup and what are your pros and cons? Can you post some of your setups? I am leaning that way this year.Thanks

[Lakewlc]

its a good idea

[Fordsuvparts]

Here is a picture of one of our trucks, I bought 2 of them, but sold one to another member of LawnSite a few months back. Crewcab Mitsubishi with the vanscaper package.

[NEW CITY LAWN CARE LLC]

How many are using the Box truck setup and what are your pros and cons? Can you post some of your setups? I am leaning that way this year.Thanks

I don't have one, but I've heard more negatives than positives!
Where do you put your debris and clippings?

[Tadams]

I don't have one, but I've heard more negatives than positives!
Where do you put your debris and clippings?

We leave the clippings on the lawn and the only debris that we would haul away would be hedge clippings and they are either put on the dovetail or if it is a huge job we will pull a trailer and load them on that.

The pros: rolling billboard, advertise on all 4 sides, equipment stays dry, best theft prevention, no trailer to pull & back-up, don't have to unhook trailer, turns around on a dime, park in a single parking space, can haul hundreds of bales of pinestraw


The cons: not the best gas mileage, can't haul pallets, can't haul loose mulch, (I've got a trailer for the last 2), can't really think of any other cons.

[NEW CITY LAWN CARE LLC]

There's a guy here in town that has a bunch of those older UHaul Toyota Box trucks, they seem really cool, a little small, but I'm considering getting one? Just need to add a ramp on the back and some weedeater holders and etc, and it should be good to go, what do you think?

[02DURAMAX]

I may look into a box truck for next spring, There Nice!

[syzer]

Boxes are the way to go! We run one now, two next year.

Pros:
Lots, we have on board fuel tanks for mowers and mixed
Secure equipment
We can carry pallets with ours, we have the SLT and put the hydro ramp out, fork lift sits them on that, then our pallet jack moves them into the truck.
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Easy to train new drivers
Great maneuverability
Lots of storage
Professional looking for instant credibility
I can go on and on!

Cons:
If you live in a state with snow plowing you better not have a fleet of box trucks, we run ours in the snow for ice melt products, our 4 wheeler and sidewalk crew but you lose a plow truck for every box truck

um...bulk material hauling? SLT has that figured out with their front dump but you lose the crew cab. We just load all debris in the box truck, its not as bad as you think. We run a dump truck for large jobs, but you can easily manage any residential (except only the largest of resi's) in the box. We handle everything we need and we are all commercial mostly with acreage.

[larryinalabama]

There's a guy here in town that has a bunch of those older UHaul Toyota Box trucks, they seem really cool, a little small, but I'm considering getting one? Just need to add a ramp on the back and some weedeater holders and etc, and it should be good to go, what do you think?

Check trucktrader.com theres a lot of 10 and 12 foot chevrolet or gmc boxes real cheap. Toyota would be ok but the chevy will be able to hall more weight and the mileage wont be much different.

Im looking for a 14 or 16' box.

[Lawn Freak]

They seem like good ideas but yeah I'm planning to start plowing.

[Runner]

You also have to unload all the equipment to fill it up at the station. I have a friend that has one, and he has a hatch i the side to hand a gas nozzle through. The only problem is, with the height of the body, the hose still doesn't reach the other side tanks. he said he has to park the truck off to the side, unload the moweres by driving them up to the pump, then load them al back up again. It is at THAT point, that he gets to then fill the truck. A box truck does work well for someone who needs to secure their equipment, or doesn't have a shop to store open trailers full of equipment.

[MortonLawn]

You also have to unload all the equipment to fill it up at the station. I have a friend that has one, and he has a hatch i the side to hand a gas nozzle through. The only problem is, with the height of the body, the hose still doesn't reach the other side tanks. he said he has to park the truck off to the side, unload the moweres by driving them up to the pump, then load them al back up again. It is at THAT point, that he gets to then fill the truck. A box truck does work well for someone who needs to secure their equipment, or doesn't have a shop to store open trailers full of equipment.



filling up at the gas station really isn't as bad as your making it.

[Lakewlc]

theres a thread that someone just bought one. check it out

[syzer]

You also have to unload all the equipment to fill it up at the station. I have a friend that has one, and he has a hatch i the side to hand a gas nozzle through. The only problem is, with the height of the body, the hose still doesn't reach the other side tanks. he said he has to park the truck off to the side, unload the moweres by driving them up to the pump, then load them al back up again. It is at THAT point, that he gets to then fill the truck. A box truck does work well for someone who needs to secure their equipment, or doesn't have a shop to store open trailers full of equipment.

Thats why we put gas tanks on the side, a piece of equipment has never been filled up inside of my truck. There has never been a need. We have a 30g and a 13g regular and mixed gas tank with nozzles outside. We just pull up to the pump and fill them when we fill the truck. Stop once, sometimes two times a week for 15 minutes.

[davis45]

I've been looking at adding one next season because of MortonLawn's thread.

[JosephLawnCare]

You also have to unload all the equipment to fill it up at the station. I have a friend that has one, and he has a hatch i the side to hand a gas nozzle through. The only problem is, with the height of the body, the hose still doesn't reach the other side tanks. he said he has to park the truck off to the side, unload the moweres by driving them up to the pump, then load them al back up again. It is at THAT point, that he gets to then fill the truck. A box truck does work well for someone who needs to secure their equipment, or doesn't have a shop to store open trailers full of equipment.

Your friend needs a fuel caddy. Go to Northen Tool.com if you don't know what they are.

[riverwalklandscaping]

can be the same deal with enclosed trailers

[peck]

here is one of mine. I've got 3 that i use for maintenance crews in the summer. In the winter there just used for storage.

[DeereHauler]

Thats why we put gas tanks on the side, a piece of equipment has never been filled up inside of my truck. There has never been a need. We have a 30g and a 13g regular and mixed gas tank with nozzles outside. We just pull up to the pump and fill them when we fill the truck. Stop once, sometimes two times a week for 15 minutes.


yeah i was thinking this same thing, who would pull all the equipment out to fuel it up....such a stupid waste of time, i would get the mounted tanks long before that chinese fire drill. even 5 gal gas cans make more sense then unloading everything.....

[z71tiger]

here is one of mine. I've got 3 that i use for maintenance crews in the summer. In the winter there just used for storage.

im not seeing it:confused:

[NEW CITY LAWN CARE LLC]

Yeah, I didn't see anything either??

[mattfromNY]

here is one of mine. I've got 3 that i use for maintenance crews in the summer. In the winter there just used for storage.

Is it white? In a snow storm? :laugh::laugh: