well i started my company and went and looked at my first job today and realized a few things. 1. people lie 8 acres is not 3 2. if im do bush hogging i need a bigger tractor and bigger bush hog 3. i gotta keep advertising
A few words of advice ,don’t take anything for granted and get everything in writing.
well ill be honest i went and walked what was suppose to be 3 acres by the time i walked it and came back i was sweating like hell but yeah i think im make some contracts
FYI, when needing to know an area, google earth when used on a home computer has a measuring tool. It'll measure area or distance. And it's damn accurate, I measured stuff on our farm and checked it with a laser rangefinder....dead nuts. Ed
that would of been great to know but now i know how much is bush hogging 7 acres is going for with stuff thats about 6 foot high
Jobs like that do by the hour and have a clause that anything hidden that causes damage is extra. A heavy duty flail mower is best for tall grass and weeds but they are expensive. It always good to walk an area first but you can't walk every square inch of 1 acre let alone 7 or 8. There could old barbed wire, posts, rocks, garbage, holes and who knows what else in a large field of several acres.
Yeah they sent the small children out there I guess to watch me and they told me there might be some barbed wire laying out in the field so I’m just pass on that was the only person who called me little disappointed that it dint work but I guess it take more then a week to get customers since I haven’t proven myself yet
Friend of our family is into Custom Brush Hogging, charges by the hour, does use plat maps from the county as well Google Earth and one other mapping system I cannot remember to cover for 'Guesstimated sizing' by owners. He was explaining to me a similar guy had "About 5 Acres" he needed brush hogged, that turned out to be closer to 20 mapped, owner refused to accept the higher estimate stating he only had five so buddy went in and bush hogged the center five on a signed Five Acre contract. Took photos and measurements, guy refused to pay ended up in court where he then admitted he had underestimated his property size, paid the bill AND court costs. Oh and the client ended up hiring another to finish the remaining more or less 15 acres as our friend refused to perform any additional work for the client, refused to pay him too where ended in court AGAIN. Be ready as are many unscrupulous out there that will try ANY and ALL angles to not pay.
People like that are why I never even thought about doing outside work while at the quarry. One of the few times I did was when my brother's brother-in-law and his dad wanted me to do a tune up on a truck with an 855 Cummins. This included at their request to install a set of re-man injectors. This was many years back and they told me they were given a price of something like $35.00 for the injectors with exchange. I tried to tell them that I thought that was a mistake but they insisted they were right. Lucky for me the son was the one that went to the dealer to pick up the injections and gaskets! Guess he got a bit of a surprise when he was told that the $35.00 was the price for one not six injectors! Some people only hear what they want to hear and can't be bothered to listen to what you tell them. If they were so smart why the heck are they hiring you to do the job when they know more than you?
As a new guy you will get the flakes seeking you out for some kind of deal.The school of hard knocks will soon teach you how to sniff them out ,you have just had your first lesson.You just have to work through the bad ones sometimes. As the guys have said ,watch out but dont be discouraged theres lots of good work out there to ,thats how the rest of us in have survived in business over the years. If your good at what you do you can look forward to a better customer base ,municiple,govt,larger business and farms. Research who your customers are and be prepared to jump thru a few more hoops .
Have had neighbors ask if I would consider digging out ponds as I have a High Lift, told them unequivocally NO, not only do I not have a license to do such I have no insurance should a levee bank fail regardless the cause. Will not consider using it for more than my own work at this point as my Insurance agent explained it is shown as OUR Farm equipment not commercial use so would not cover any damages to a neighbors place if used there.
Beware of customers who have a long list of things they want done. I had a customer do this and was really happy with the job progress... right up until it was time to pay. Then he was complaining about everything and even told me he had broke his house builders leg for over charging him. I took that as a threat and considered going to the police but figured he'd just deny saying it. I lowered the price and got the heck out out of there. I hoped his house got hit by lightning and burned to the ground. One of his complaints was concerning his garden. He asked if I could rototill some manure into it from the mushroom farm. Sure as long as there's no baler twine in it. He had 3 tandem loads delivered that was almost a foot deep! He complained I didn't mix it in with the topsoil. I said no rototiller goes that deep but I can bring a cultivator that will go deeper. He was happy with that but I had to spend over an hour cutting and pulling baler twine out of the rototiller. It was buried in the loads so wasn't immediately noticeable.
all i got is a tiller bushhog and box blade i want a land pride blade to do driveways with but i had someone at work talk to me about there driveway and i told them what they could do instead of hiring me which was road fabric and asphalt millings to make a nicer driveway. i doubt they hire me to do that but be better then what they told me they where gonna do
If you're going to be in business you need a good lawyer, or a good bill collector who doesn't take no for an answer. I think i'm getting to the point i'd rather the bill collector for people like that. The other part i'm finding with residential is these builders who've never built before run into problems and trying to blame it on the contractors and sue and try to think they can claim all this BS. I've had two now and took care of both but it's still a lot of time and money wasted defending it.
Dahm i'm the opposite. If a customer threatened me like that i'd be responding along the times of "it's not wise to upset someone who has equipment with the ability to dig deep holes in short order". If someone doesn't pay me in full I just accept whatever I can get, lien it for the rest.
You do anything then you get charged.
Well I got my first job then two more to go quote after it so progress
Good luck your going to need it One thing I learned is I dont want all the work in town and I dont want everything that gets offered to me just the stuff I know I can make money stick to what your good at try new things on a small scale and slowly to mitigate risk and trust your gut when it says back away cause even if it were to work out the time you dont listen to yourself can be very rough and bad customers are not always what sinks you when things go sideways
Who said anything about doing anything? The guy i've been trying to track down who ripped me off a year and a half ago i've said a million times worse things to then that, just saying something means nothing. I mean if the guy ended up in the hospital i'd get a visit from the cops but so would the dozen other people he owes money to. You'd be surprised what happens behind closed doors. There is a lot of knee breaking bill collecting that goes on here.
If you damage a customers property on purpose you would be liable and could get charged. Now if somehow the customers new lawn suddenly died because 5 gallons of Round Up "accidently" spilled on it, not much they could do without proof.
Truly amazing what occurs in the cover of darkness or during working hours as a creep has to go to work
I wish I knew all the warning signs when dealing with people. The ones I've learned to watch for is people who smile too much, are "charming" and act like your friend. Some leave tell-tale signs that their word is no good and excuses are always good enough for them.... like when they show up late for a meeting.
Too many to manage, side slipping snakes in the grass until they strike at you do not ever know friend or enemy. I tried to avoid work on friends and family machines, always something starts a fight, expense of parts, too long a time worked, no matter how well job is done a new scratch or odor in machine or not cleaned well enough. Grandparents different story, neighbors down on luck and known to me also different story. Associates I came to know working elsewhere knew I was cash and carry they supplied parts I suggested, did not do that knew was no recourse and lived by it.
That last one always pi$$e$ me off even more so these days with everyone carrying a cell phone and GPS systems. You should be able to find most places and have a time to get there within a couple minutes. If something unavoidable comes up it only takes a couple seconds of time to make a call. Just an example Google maps took but a few seconds to tell me I could be in Herman Missouri in 14 hrs and 1 minute!
That to me is a sign of disrespect. If I'm not half hour early then I'm late.
Aggravates me to no end as the wife has to be Just on Time, I am always up early, off to a running start and as PC stated if not a half hour early I am late. She cannot be convinced even as I show early for appointments and get out of them early so can get more done.
Look up ones address on states cadastral or county tax parcel assessment and it will tell you the said acreage of ones property. I have a iPad and have Gaia app that I pay $30 a year for and I can tell the terrain of ones property, acreage, satellite view, who owns it, streets around it and many other layers. Here this will save you some time https://www.nconemap.gov/pages/parcels
When we set up a time to meet meet our daughter she will say now which time is it EDT or dad's time? We live about 15 minutes away. So I time it to be getting in the car 15 minutes before the time. Invariably I'll say you ready ? to my wife. The answer is Just as soon as I get my shoes on. Now she's a big girl so "dad" shouldn't have to say 10 minutes till we leave, 5 minutes till we leave. Get to the daughter's 5-10 minutes late and say "I was ready but someone had to put her shoes on, sometimes go to the bathroom, check to see if the tv is off and just like my mother used to, check the stove (which we rarely use any more - all microwave . Other appointments, 5-10 minutes early. Dr office's are getting much better. They used to schedule 4 for the same time, 1st come first in. And take in the cuts and broken bones that now go to the urgent care or ER. Used to **** me off. I have an appointment for 10 Am, get there 5 minutes early and wait 45 minutes for 3 people ahead of me. Like my time isn't valuable. With covid, they schedule 2 people every 10 - 15 minutes and there's only seating for 2 about 10 feet apart. I also do dr appoints the first one in the am. They can't get behind if you're first one of the day LOL I do cut my eye surgeon some slack. I got me in right in the middle of his schedule with a torn retina and saved my vision. i don't expect him to leave spots in his schedule just in case some one has an emergency eye issue. It's not like you can to to the urgent care for your eyes.
Yea well that doesn't always work earlier this year, "before Covid" BC for short!, wife had a neurologist appointment. Just a routine thing no tests more or less "How you doing, any problems? See you next year!" very first appointment of the day and we were there at least 15 minutes early and it was close to half an hour after the appointment time when he finally showed up. No apology or anything! Now earlier this week I had a 10:30 am cardiologist appointment and was told to schedule a date for a stress test. Talking to the nurse and she said how about 12:30 pm? OKAY!!! She said go have a light lunch and let us know when you are back. Much better than the Gastrologist who wants me to have a colonoscopy to check on why I'm having pains "down there" go to schedule that one about a week ago and they say October 3rd! Guess I just have to wait 3 months and hope it does not get worse.
My wife and her whole family don't even do just in time. If they say in a hour, you can add 3-4 hours to that first hour. Drives me insane. I want to start early and end early so that I can do what I really want to do. Which is sitting on the couch in my underwear watching TV.
You certain we are NOT related!!
TMI guys, the visual isn't good
First job was I underpriced and it was a mess Bc I was suppose to just weedeat a ditch turned into tree removal and everything I dint want it to be and no one is happy with the work I’m not happy Bc the ditch looks like hell and the guy who is paying me is happy his wife is not. That job turned into doing something for the neighbors which paid me more for a easier job and they where happy with the results so I did the math I made a little over minimum wage for 8 hours of work
You have to be very clear what the job entails and anything extra is charged for. You also have to know how to make the job look like it's supposed to. Years ago an operator told me anyone can run an excavator. Knowing how to make the job look like it's supposed to is the hard part.
At least you didn't lose money on the job. You did learn something ... Right ? Education is expensive. Don't repeat the lesson.
I learned if they act like my aunt then don’t take the job but I have gotten two more clients
A lesson in reading people... That's a very valuable skill. Some folks make Mega $ or become influential with it.
Yeah gonna learned to do that real quick I can’t even use my first job as a before and after because I dint even take after pictures and then my 2nd job I took no pictures at all
They are now happy after cutting a 5 little things for 15 whole minutes
Welcome to self employment. It’s the most thankless job you can ever have.
Yep. But it's far from all bad. I love being able to choose my own hours, if I want time off, if I don't want to work for someone being able to tell them where to go, etc. Also huge benefit is the financial freedom, it's a lot of headaches and hours, but it also pays a lot better then being an employee. I could never work for someone else.
well i just tried to hire my buddy to help me on some bigger jobs but he cant i went and looked at one i might not be able to take it on
Same for me.
Me 3.
You will have to learn how to do jobs you never thought possible by yourself cause no matter what you think you have hired for help your name is on the door not there's so expect to be let down Careful hiring friends can be an all time backfire have low expectations and high hopes and if one of you cant separate work and personal then dont do it
yeah its just the one job i need help on but beyond that really only job so far i need help.
Back a couple decades, contracted to companies as a wrench but not an employee, worked for a fee not wages under a given contract IN WRITING while maintaining a job as a mechanic working foreman in a independent garage. At one time was a somewhat Proud OTR Truck owner and part time operator, some really good times in all occupations and some really terrifying times to boot.
ill be honest more people are calling and im getting nervous because i wasn't expecting this much in two weeks
Calculate work hours, limit to what can actually get done and do NOT be afraid to say no on rush jobs or recommend another company.
well one i looked at i would want a skid steer so im recommend a old coworker who has a company that does more clearing and such
Go slow and don’t take on to much at once. Having ticked off customers waiting is FAR worse than not having any at all because they are the ones to blast you to everyone. Expect break down delays and service the hell out of your equipment or pay for it later on and expect to learn some expensive lessons early on to lol
well im trying to learn how to price right kind of hard to actually figure out a competitive price
many years ago when I went into business for myself I talked to a bloke doing what I intended very successfully - I asked for advice - he told me two things - be totally honest and only ever book half your time. I asked what I should be charging, he said that doesn't really matter much, just remember those first two rules. He was right.
really the guy i asked told me dont do it, dont quit my day job, and go big or go home
It's really easy for others to tell you quit your guaranteed income and go all in. It's not their livelihood on the line. Nothing wrong with starting as part time or turning a hobby into full time if you have the work.
right now its just part time weekend work mostly to keep me busy since i wont doing anything on the weekends anyways
You don't want to get burnt out working 7 days a week that it affects your full time job.
well im doing it friday afternoons and on saturday no work on sunday
I started working 'Other Jobs' at 20 alongside my regular one, ended up little to no time for myself, do not get caught up in that race as it is a sure thing short lived. Was really burnt out by 40, ended up switching professions seemingly to get away from the past, is always one step behind me.
yeah well im brunt out from my job now this is a little differnt besides being in a factory all day
Congratulations on the good start... There will be more. LOL
A slogan to live by: Everyone if a cheat and a liar; except me and thee, and I am not too sure about thee.
Some advice I was given before going in the forklift repair business: Do one thing, do it well, charge its worth, then collect our money. Collect for last periods work before going out seeking new business. You let your customers alone, they will sure as the devil let you alone. People do not hunt you up to pay you.
Competitive is right at what the top going price is. They come to you to talk about your price vs another, you have the opportunity to compare what he is offering to do to what your concept is. That is the edge, know what you are competing with.
Yea I wasn't referring to digging holes in the customers property. But I have told customers bluntly no one gets to benefit from my work if i'm not paid. I will dig it up even if none of it is salvageable, so don't tempt me. BTW something along those lines is purely a civil issue, nothing to do with police. I think you have a very innocent view of what happens every single day in business. There is bat wielding bill collectors everywhere. You need to use common sense and not let things get recorded, but other then that it's just words and nothings going to happen to you. People who don't want to pay and try and rip people off need to be taught they cannot get away with it.
Go big or go home watched a close friend do that he went home alright I learned a lot watching that train derail If you ar full time at this in a year your doing good if you dont have any debt by that point your even better My guess is you will be at this 2 years till your confident in your gut just remember fear is not a bad thing indecision kills buissness faster than a shady banker and never ever be scared to walk away or even run away and it's hard to make that choice when you owe the bank money
If you are caught vandalizing a customers property, even if it's in retaliation for not getting paid or work you did, it can certainly be a matter involving police. Just like a customer can't keep your tools or prevent you from getting your equipment off their property. You can sue if you feel you are owed money and/or the customer can sue you if they feel they were overcharged or the work wasn't completed to their satisfaction. Any time a lawsuit is filed the other party has the option to file a countersuit so it can be a gamble to bring a lawsuit. In some instances you can put a contractors lean on the customers property. A lot of people talk about undoing work they have done but legally the recourse they have is to sue for what they feel they are owed. You can certainly have bill collectors act on your behalf but you can't just take matters into your own hands and do what you want. Nowadays there's camera's everywhere and everyone has a cell phone. Perhaps you need to do a little more research into the law.
You have to walk away from some jobs. Went to an "easy" root ball removal for a customer. I got there and it's 20ft tall root ball with the tops of the tree still hung up in tree tops 200ft away. Best part it was all new construction, I would have had to track across two neighbors yards with brand new and freshly watered sod, of course I had permission even though the neighbors weren't home.....lol.
I always cringed when explained 'Just a Easy Job, just a short time to fix' from someone asking for MY handiwork. Picked up some plasma cut pieces this morning, going to try to produce some 3 point sway blocks for my AG tractor that cannot be bought, little guy was in the office arguing about getting a Goose hitch installed in his pickup to haul his skid steer. Looked out the window, there sat a late model Ford RANGER, he was wanting the hitch for, seems got a ticket for over gross on trailer(Commercial as has Business name on both) two axle 14? footer, twin five lug 2000, MAYBE 3500 lb. axles behind the pickup and a SSV 75 Kubota trying to press the tires thru the asphalt
I too cringe when people tell how easy the job is and that it shouldn't take long. Another pet peeve is when they tell me how much it should cost. Those are the customers I walk away from. Don't tell me how easy my job is and how much to charge you. If it's so easy then why aren't you doing it! Even if it is a easy job. It's my skills, know how, and tools that get the job done. So you pay what I charge or find someone else. Rant over. It just burns my ass when people think my job is easy and I am just a dumb mechanic that will eagerly take the job. Even if I am desperate for cash I will not work cheap. I know what I am worth and I will get it.
i quoted out one job early this morning was able to get another customer and was able to complete two jobs today so far ive been lucky and have been paid by everyone and everyone seems to be happy however my truck wont make it doing this with the trailer i have so it might be time to part ways and trade it in on a used f250
Oh i've got a good one to add there. Putting in sewer and water to house I dug the foundation on last winter, rolled old house off and put a new foundation in. City put new sewer line in off main. They tell me city is "done". Knowing better I go check out the job first, the line is in but the asphalt isn't put back yet, they didn't mark the depth of invert, there is a temporary post for a deck right untop of where I need to dig, and the worst, the whole spring and summer they've been pumping their sump out in the backyard where I need to dig. Needless to say, hands down the WORST sewer and water line i've ever done. A little over 2 days about 22 hours to put in 110' of regular 4" sewer. A job I can generally do in 6-7 hours. It was 12' down at the alley which made for a lot of extra work as that's really deep for my 6 ton. But within 20-30 mins of digging it was caving in, I had to dig 40' at a time, then backfill it as my trench was so big there was just no room and the banks would not stop caving in. Customers still clueless and wondering why I said I expect extra for the time, especially considering they contributed to the extra time. Oh and the kicker? They made a comment after "I guess we'll have to hire a landscaper to redo the backyard", i'm not sure how you can replace a sewer line without devastating the grass? Never mind they have trees and flowers everywhere that I didn't do any damage to, or the fact that the yard needed regrading for proper drainage anyway. Jobs like this i'm so happy i'm only a few years away from being done doing dirtwork. I don't mind it, but so many customers to be candid are idiots and my patience has worn very thin over the years.
one of my jobs today that yard needed to be regraded badly it was a rough one
also can anyone tell me if this would be a good truck to use for my company i know not looking at it and all but anyone tell me anything to look for on those types of motors or anything https://www.mycapitalford.com/used/...a0e0a176a8d7b38a9da83be.htm?searchDepth=46:73
I know it's far from where you are but my company has this truck for sale. It's a cash only deal and its a 2012. They are asking 7k.
It's in Longview, Texas
It's a truck ... But what are you going to use it for ?? Towing, hauling or Cowboy Cadillac ? Each different use requires different options.
I’m in Canada so I can’t say much about pricing but that seems really high to me. I picked up a 09 ram 5500 diesel with 110k miles on it for $16k. Trucks down south should be cheaper. Just imo but I wouldn’t want something with much more then about 120k miles unless you want to be doing a fair bit of work on it. And diesel is much better if you’re going to tow/haul very often.
Later Fords 6.4 diesel have real issues The 6.2 gas is known for fuel needs but strong Have not a clue as to longevity of the v10s Average locker life in a ford doing hard work has been 2-250k miles Average trans about 300k Eyes on truck under truck finding previous owner as to why traded and how maintenance was done would an only your end can do.
towing and hauling i have a car for a daily
Customer picking up a machine/weld job at my friends shop, grumbles at bill. Hell, If I had those tools, I could have done this myself. My friend replies."Ya wanna buy my tools or just rent." End of conversation.. I fix, you complain on price, you pay me, I no longer fix for you.
Again ... different uses demand different options. Towing: Depends on trailer type and weight. extremes.. Lawn mower trailer on bumper hitch under 1000# no problem. GN, dual tandem with 20,000 excavator... large problem for that truck. Hauling depends on weight ... What are you using a truck for ? You have a business... what is does your business do ? It's a business asset ... There are tax implications and benefits.
Personally a tricked up truck(Wheels/Tires) indicates not a useful machine right off the bat. Check load range of tires, doubt are even D Rated, aftermarket rims are great to look at not very functional. Look for a Work Truck will be better satisfied when scratch/dent it the first time.
Another thought, Customer sees mega money tires/wheels knows is paying too much, that word travels faster than positive responses.
I have a 2014 F250 crew cab 4x4 with a 6.2 - absolutely gutless compared to our '13 6.7 F350 and no comparison to the '18 6.7 F350 or '19 Ram 3500 6.7. Bought the '14 used because we needed a cheap truck to put a crew in and it fit the bill at the time. I wouldn't buy another one. Just my $.02.
I am guilty of that. When I see a contractor with a large expensive truck with shiny wheels. I can't help but to think that he's only in it to afford expensive toys and probably doesn't do work that reflects his expensive toys. I don't want to see a beater pull up I just want to see a truck that looks like work gets done. It's kinda like the saying. Dirty hands clean money.
It's kind of a double edged sword. Your pick up is kind of your signature but if you pull up in a brand new new fancy truck sometimes a customer will think your rich because you charge too much. Sometimes they expect a deal because they figure you have lots of money. You show up in an old beater and they think your work is sub standard. I think for a work truck you want a happy medium. I see some welding rigs and have no idea what the owners were thinking. It's like they want the big lifted 4x4 with the huge tires and fancy wheels but also want a welding truck. They need a step ladder or something just to be able to reach the controls on the welder. They have to climb up to get anything out of the truck. If they have a table on the tailgate, it's way too high to work comfortably or lift a heavier piece on. Makes no sense to me.
For a debt free start up I wouldn't hesitate to run a beater for a couple years. I would avoid financing at all costs, especially in these days of uncertainty. JMHO.
The impression the vehicle makes is important but not that important in the grand scheme of things. You may show up on a job site having only spoken on the phone and the customer not even on site, in that case who cares if you drove up in a 1982 Subaru as long as the work gets done.
That pretty much sums up the plumber I use. Nice lifted diesel 3/4 ton but it's a show truck and not a work truck with a work bed. He and his helper have to dig around in the cab or the box for plumbing stuff, waste of time and he doesn't carry everything he might need. I asked why he didn't have a work truck - "it doesn't look good." Really buddy?
i do lawn and land management i have a 40hp kubota tractor right now thats the biggest thing ill be hauling for a while
hmmm well i guess im lucky everything i went and looked at got sold before i arrived
i use my honda to go meet the people because its a 2017 i went and had it cleaned the other day before going to a nicer part of town to give quotes. the truck so far i have just needs the hood painted its a 2002 so the paint is needed but beyond that it anit a beater
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...AL_SCORE&sellerTypes=DEALER#listing=275680340 this might be the one
That looks like a USFS auction truck. I have a Jeep that color I bought from them. Puke green should impress them.
its green for lawn care perfect match wont bring the bank and can do what it needs to do
Seems like a good truck for towing, axle code is for a 4:10 limited slip. It was a special order, Check it carefully. A carfax report is worth the cost.
https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?partner=DEY_0&vin=1FTWX31Y66ED06398 luckily dealership post them free
I just started mine too.. Got most of my paper work in from Legalzoom.. Did an LLC to cover my ass lol.. Bought an older machine in decent shape.. came with a Brush hog that needed some work but the I got a nice bucket too.. Just be careful. WALK WHAT YOUR GOING TO CUT..Trust me. My old boss and I would take whatever time needed to walk every property we touched. barbed wire,hidden posts and you name it..Would of destroyed the hog several times over.. Take a walk..Take your time. Think of fuel cost and time management.. congrats on a new career.. Its not going to be easy for any of us..but much more rewarding. Old boss had Hired a badass layer in VA to make his contracts for him..They are worded as a mechanics contract and basically all work completed is HIS until paid for. So if they dont pay.. He can go to the courts and put a lein on their house.. Now saying that it shows in any kinds of loans they want and they cant sell the house til hes paid...it cost him a pretty penny. But customers ALWAYS paid. A few times there were excuses and boss told them.."read the contract in full" once they did.. payment was given.
Not sure if the V10 would be a good choice for a truck you'll likely keep for a few years.
Seen a few v 10s hold up surprisingly well every one I have seen started using oil in the high hundreds getting to 200 hundred but a school district had one for there ag department it had 350 on it when a valve dropped so for the right price I would take one Just dont pass a gas station and if your pulling all the time a v10 beats a 5.4 any day
really ?
Friend is a mechanic at a Ford dealer (does mostly diesel but other heavier duty vehicles) and had V10 out of a 550 (I think) when I took my 1/2 ton in for service. It was a service truck set up for rail use. It was getting a new short block and friend said they were OK but not the best engines. I think a V10 would be more expensive to maintain. Seeing what all was involved to pull the engine out the front gave me a new respect for mechanics. He did say Ford had pretty good service manuals but still a ton of stuff to disconnect. The rail wheels and lift mechanism didn't make things easier.
V10 compared to what? In that year range the alternative would be a 6.0 diesel or a 5.4...I would choose gas over diesel in a used truck of that age any day now. Gas you have to feed it and repairs are more of a known quantity vs the uncertainty of very expensive repairs to a diesel. To confess, we just did buy an old diesel truck similar year but at least it was cheap to start. Nevertheless we immediately had to fix the oil cooler, all the cups and the HEUI pump was leaking like a sieve. It was down for a couple months and we haven't even seen the bill for the repairs yet. We knew there would be problems going in, and we have other vehicles to back it up, but if that had been an only truck it would have been a disaster.
Used vehicle pri I'll have to disagree Dave. I'm running a Ford V10 (2008), and aside from the exhaust manifold needing a gasket, the truck has been a solid performer. I'm currently a bit over 220,000 miles with no oil consumption. Will it ever live up to a newer diesel engine performance? No. But it performs darn well, handles a 10,000 pound trailer with ease, and consistently gets the job done on an economical budget. Around here, gas is cheaper than diesel, and, when towing, my mileage isnt much different than a same era 6.0 or 6.4. For a weekend tow vehicle, the v10 makes a compelling case. When his business has grown and hes towing daily, upgrade then if its deemed necessary.
I wasn't comparing the V10 to a diesel or suggesting it's a bad engine. I got the impression the OP was looking to upgrade his truck and didn't want to spend too much. I think there's other options that could be explored and it doesn't have to be a Ford.
Well its a upgrade from current truck but im exploring on a budget i went and looked at two trucks yesterday both got sold real quick but it would just be used on Friday and Saturday to tow the trailer with the mower and possible tractor if anyone ever gets interested in that service. Im going to go look at it Monday afternoon from the pictures a little rusty
going with a f250 with a 6.2 went and saw it today picking it up Monday
Sounds good.
yeah after thinking the v10 will drink more gas then i need plus this is a long bed it isnt 4 wheel drive but it will sever its purpose maybe i can upgrade at a later time