Picked up new truck and trailer today.

[curtintex]

this is a perfect spot to talk about machine related disasters you've seen along your path.....

Well, lets see.....

I once personally rolled a truck and trailer hauling a boring rig and hit the supporting column of an overpass of I-10 in Houston, during morning rush hour. I had exited off the freeway and coming up to the light at Eldridge drive. All lanes had cars stopped at the lights and I couldn't get it shut down in time. It was hit them or take the u-turn. I took the u-turn and was lucky to walk away. I was 20 or 21.

I had a hydraulic hose on a 100,000lb excavator bust and spray fluid onto the engine block igniting a fire on the side of I-45. Luckily, the operator got out safely. Unluckily, an OSHA inspector just happened to be passing by on the freeway as it burned. He exited and came to say "hi".

I had a guy pull up to a job site to pick up a roller compactor. My guys were so kind as to load it for him...and help him chain it down. He didn't work for me and we never saw the machine again.

Doing a free job for a local church and the operator cut a fiber optic cable.....$15k

No matter how well you clean the tracks, at least once or twice a year a motorist will call my office to swear that a rock flew off our trailer and dinged their windshield.

I've replace more $400 batteries than most people have replaced C batteries, because meth heads will steal the hell out of them.

Still....beats a shovel.

[Spearchunker]

Well, lets see.....

I once personally rolled a truck and trailer hauling a boring rig and hit the supporting column of an overpass of I-10 in Houston, during morning rush hour. I had exited off the freeway and coming up to the light at Eldridge drive. All lanes had cars stopped at the lights and I couldn't get it shut down in time. It was hit them or take the u-turn. I took the u-turn and was lucky to walk away. I was 20 or 21.

I had a hydraulic hose on a 100,000lb excavator bust and spray fluid onto the engine block igniting a fire on the side of I-45. Luckily, the operator got out safely. Unluckily, an OSHA inspector just happened to be passing by on the freeway as it burned. He exited and came to say "hi".

I had a guy pull up to a job site to pick up a roller compactor. My guys were so kind as to load it for him...and help him chain it down. He didn't work for me and we never saw the machine again.

Doing a free job for a local church and the operator cut a fiber optic cable.....$15k

No matter how well you clean the tracks, at least once or twice a year a motorist will call my office to swear that a rock flew off our trailer and dinged their windshield.

I've replace more $400 batteries than most people have replaced C batteries, because meth heads will steal the hell out of them.

Still....beats a shovel.

Wow..
I just thought I had liability exposure.

[Trevor73402]

Are we allowed to post links to Facebook business pages on here?

[curtintex]

Are we allowed to post links to Facebook business pages on here?

I don't know the answer to your question, but I don't think it's that expensive to become a Sponsor on this site. Then you could advertise as needed and send links to wherever you like without worry. You've had several people on this thread mention reaching out to you in the future to have you do some work. Become a TBH Sponsor, advertise here and then TBHers will be more likely to call you when you need it. I know I would if you were closer to me.

[Trevor73402]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I don't think it's that expensive to become a Sponsor on this site. Then you could advertise as needed and send links to wherever you like without worry. You've had several people on this thread mention reaching out to you in the future to have you do some work. Become a TBH Sponsor, advertise here and then TBHers will be more likely to call you when you need it. I know I would if you were closer to me.

I will check on the cost of sponsorship here and see if I can budget it. I have had few people here contact me, but only 1 was close enough for it to beneficial to them to use me over someone else. The others were 5,6,8 hours away. The main reason I asked about the Facebook page was because I posted a short video there earlier that I was going to let y’all see. I don’t know how to post one on here and I don’t have WiFi either and it would take forever to upload it.

[curtintex]

I will check on the cost of sponsorship here and see if I can budget it. I have had few people here contact me, but only 1 was close enough for it to beneficial to them to use me over someone else. The others were 5,6,8 hours away. The main reason I asked about the Facebook page was because I posted a short video there earlier that I was going to let y’all see. I don’t know how to post one on here and I don’t have WiFi either and it would take forever to upload it.

People post FB links all the time. I don't think it'd be a problem and if it is, they'll politely let you know.

[TX03RUBI]

I say post it. We want to see the video

[Trevor73402]

https://m.facebook.com/oakhillslandmanagement/

It’s nothing that exciting. Just me knocking down a few cedars. I had to zip tie my cell phone to a T-post. Clearly I’m not set up for video making.

[Quackerbox]

https://m.facebook.com/oakhillslandmanagement/

It’s nothing that exciting. Just me knocking down a few cedars. I had to zip tie my cell phone to a T-post. Clearly I’m not set up for video making.

ingenuity!

But the link didn't work for me

[TX03RUBI]

Link wasn’t working for me either. It may not be very exciting, but I love watching that type of thing. I’m always curious to see machinery work.

[Slickrick]

Very Nice set up. Best of luck to you .

[lostbrd]

TTT
Just curious how things are progressing?

[Trevor73402]

TTT
Just curious how things are progressing?

It’s been going pretty well. I’m staying pretty busy on my days off. My initial worries of just being able to pay for the equipment are long gone. I think I brought in around $10K the first month I owned it just working on my days off. That wasn’t all profit obviously. I’ve paid for some advertising, put up a big billboard, and I advertise on Craigslist as well. I’m putting all the money I make back into the business for now. I’ve been trying to find a good dozer and a mid sized excavator to buy. I get calls for larger clearing jobs that I’ve had to turn down because I don’t have any larger equipment. I’m going to solve that problem pretty quick. I need the dozer more than anything, but I WANT the excavator really bad. I’m wanting to get into general dirt work and demo work as well.
Dealing with customers has been interesting at times. So many people are such tight wads and want you to work for nothing. Others are just the opposite and are happy to pay for the service and are very happy with the results of the work. I’ve not had any bad experiences so far or unhappy customers. Did have one guy get an attitude with me on the phone. Rather than burning him alive like I would have done in the past, I held my tongue and thought about my future.

I’m very happy doing what I’m doing. I hope I can grow it into a full time business that encompasses more than just mulching/clearing. I have a long way to go, unless I can get on the Vendor List for one of the oil/gas pipeline companies doing work for them. That seems to be where the money is. I don’t have any connections in that area though.

If anyone has any questions about any of this, I’m happy to give my take on it.

***Let me add that my rates quickly increased as I started getting plenty of work. I’m getting $170/hr now for an 8hr day. I offer a discount if it’s a multi-day job. I’m still the cheapest in my area, as far as I know. I will still offer a discount to anyone on this page, provided you aren’t asking me to drive 2-3 hours one way plus get a discount.

[Trevor73402]

Someone had commented previously in the thread about having an auxiliary diesel tank. This was something I knew I would need pretty soon. I tried to get by the first month or so just carrying extra fuel in 5 gallon cans. That was a huge PITA. I could run 6-7 hours on a full tank, but I’d always have to stop right at the end of the day and add 5 gallons to be able to finish up. Plus, getting my trailer with the machine on it, up to a pump and fueling it up in the mornings wasn’t always the easiest thing. The fuel fill is on the back of the machine inside the engine bay door.

I had to get a fuel tank setup. If you have read this thread, you know my new F350 is a short bed. That’s what I wanted. However there is not a lot of room in the bed once you add a fuel tank. Thinking ahead, I knew I’d have additional pieces of equipment in the future that had larger fuel capacity than my current machine. I saw no need to spend the money on a 37 gallon tank for the bed of the truck. That won’t even fill up most dozers and very few excavators. I found that that 90-100 gallon tanks were the same price, or cheaper than the smaller ones. I went back and forth on this and finally decided to mount a 100 gallon tank on the front of my trailer. I would still have plenty of room for my machine, plus the bucket unattached if I needed to carry it as well to a job. This setup has worked out great. I stop in the mornings and fill up the truck and the tank. I get to the job and unload my machine and then fuel it up and grease it. No more 5 gallon jugs for me.

***Since this pic was taken, I added a 10 micron particulate/water filter to the pump.

[GA Bowhunter]

I’m getting $170/hr now for an 8hr day.

That's good news! Didn't you start at $125?

On a side note, my forestry mulcher threw a tooth 200'+ through the woods. At the end of the day when I got to my truck I had a 3" by 10" trench in the windshield and a tooth laying on the cowl by the windshield wipers.
That sucked. The disc type mulcher can throw debris 150', but the is the first time I ever sent a tooth flying(I have had other teeth come off, I don't know where they went.
When I work that muchler in proximity to a road/house/vehicle/ect I will only have it pointing away from stuff that can be damaged from now on.
My business partner was clearing a detention pond on the excavator all day and he was in my line off fire(200'-300' away). That tooth may have killed him if it hit him.