Truck Recommendation

[Sundance]

OK you guys are in the know. I currently have
a 95 GMC 3500HD flatbed with 6.5L TD. This
isn't going to cut it when I start traveling to
the south.

What used truck would you recommend given the
following:

1. Hauling 100 colonies

2. Pulling bobcat

Thanks

[AmericasBeekeeper]

Time to move up to a medium duty, under 26k unless you love paperwork. Freightliner, International, Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Sterling all have a good truck in that class.

[Trevor Mansell]

If you are going to haul a 100 hives you are going to have to go to a medium duty, unless you haul just singles. Put a Bobcat and trailer behind that as well. Why not just build up to a semi load maybe just 320 and go 3 high. Its allot less stress and it would be more worth while.

[Sundance]

I had to spend a night in a Walmart parking lot
in Iowa last year with my 1 ton dually pulling
a scissor lift!! My own lift but the cop said I
was "commercial" and required log book, fire
extinguisher, etc. 18 violations but he "let me
off" with 1 $85 ticket.

So......... does under 26K really exempt you from
log books???

[Sundance]

Why not just build up to a semi load maybe just 320 and go 3 high.

Thanks Trevor, but I have no intention of getting that
big. Too many other irons in the fire. Maybe 150....

Going south is not just about the bees, I need to get
out of the tundra as well.

Any specifics on brand, transmissions, engines, etc
would be appreciated.

My budget dictates a used one with likely 200k on
it. But the truck I am looking at are just getting
broke in at 200K.

The truck will only see 5k miles a year.

Getting a CDL isn't out of the question. And
to run 2 one ways I wouldn't mind the log book
I guess.

[bluegrass]

Look into an M35a3, you can get one surplus for about 8 K, it has a Cat diesel with an Allison Automatic. Also will give you 6x6 and on board tire inflation system. It will have plenty of power to pull a bobcat.

CDL is not required for farm trucks... The weight does not matter. Farms are exempt and any ticket issued to you because you didn't have a CDL should be taken before the court.

Another truck to consider would be a Nissan NPR.

[Trevor Mansell]

I dont know what your budget is or really what you are looking for . Do you want a sleeper ,a 10 wheeler what are you looking for ? A International 4900 will serve your purpose you can pick those up relatively cheap.

A big truck can be challenging to work off of if you are not used to it.

For the amount you are driving it anything would be fine they are only reliable as the maintenance that has been done on them.

I still don't understand why you don't want to go to a semi load of bees, having just 100 hives and traveling from ND seems a little silly.

[Sundance]

Look into an M35a3, you can get one surplus for about 8 K, it has a Cat diesel with an Allison Automatic.

Wow, that is a beast!! Do you just convert them
to a flatbed?? What size bed will they sport? It
must be a kidney banger. Cheap for sure.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/M35a3...ehicleQ5fParts

CDL is not required for farm trucks... The weight does not matter. Farms are exempt and any ticket issued to you because you didn't have a CDL should be taken before the court.

That is what I understood, but I don't want to have
to screw with courts on the road.

Another truck to consider would be a Nissan NPR.

Do they have enough power??

Thanks

[Sundance]

I still don't understand why you don't want to go to a semi load of bees, having just 100 hives and traveling from ND seems a little silly.

Getting the bees south is for 2 reasons. I am going
to sell 100 to 120 nucs a year and winter kill is
just too harsh. I am tired of spending $3000 to
$5000 on brood and queens.

But as I said. Going south is less than 50% about
the bees. It's about getting out of the tundra, fishing,
hunting hogs, etc.

[kwest]

We just sat through a class given by the Montana DOT and a Fedral Department of transportation official. Dont let the farm clause fool you. They said that if you are hauling anything long distance, out of state, or hauling anything on your return trip to home you are not considered farm. They said you need a log book for anything over 150 miles from home. From my understanding you dont need a cdl if you are under the 26,000 gross but you still may need to keep a log book. The law really suprised us all but it was a fedral guy stating all this. We also believed that if you ran sm plates that you could run red fuel but the fedral guy said that isn't right even though our local state guys say its okay.

[Sundance]

kwest....... That follows what my fresh out of fed
school Iowa trooper told me.

I'll do the log book and get all the little items needed
to keep legal. Regardless if I really need it or not. I don't
like the driving hour limitations though. But my wife and
I can fudge those, we'll only drive 12 hours a day or so
anyway.

[Barry]

It will have plenty of power to pull a bobcat.

and get about 2 mpg!

[Sundance]

and get about 2 mpg!

Yeah that is a bummer. I know I won't get anything
spectacular, but 7 or 8 mpg would be nice.

[HVH]

I just went through all this crap myself and the bottom line is that you can get out of the medical card requirement and that is about it. Under 26K and you don't need a CDL but crossing state lines and going beyond the 150 miles makes you responsible for DOT, log book, fed safety regs, green fuel, etc. I don't think IFTA will apply if you stay under 26K.
I bought a used International 4300 with a DT466 from Penske. They have a lot of trucks for sale all across the country and you can browse their site here

http://www.penskeusedtrucks.com/used...ed-trucks.html

I chose the 4300 under 26K GVWR because the DT466 has a good track record. If you get one with a lift gate, keep in mind that most of these gates don't accept a hitch. I had a lift gate and hitch added with an 8 ton combination pintle/ball so I can pull a trailer. If you get a loan you may want a little extra cash for any extras. I went with air brakes and air suspension - 24 foot bed. The rig probably gets around 8-9 mi/gal and is a bit stiff when empty. The air ride makes the bed ride fairly well but the cab is on a 10k axle and it is a bit bumpy. An 8K front axle might be a bit smoother but load distribution might be more critical - don't know yet. My truck is about 16K curb weight which leaves about 10K for a load. I'm not sure if 100 colonies coming out of almonds would go over the limit. Maybe others can address that concern.

[Sundance]

Thanks HVH I appreciate your recommendation
and link. Sounds like a good beast.

And my 100 colonies will never be in the almonds,
I've elected to stay out of that game. Just Nucs,
honey, and queens.

Does the 26k weight limit not include the trailer?
So it's OK to come in at 25K on the truck and have
8K on a trailer behind?

Thanks again

[hpm08161947]

If your truck and it's load weigh 25K and your trailer and it's load weigh 8K then you are going to need to have a 33K license on the truck and a CDL. At least that is my understanding... and I am not sure many understand this stuff.

[Sundance]

If your truck and it's load weigh 25K and your trailer and it's load weigh 8K then you are going to need to have a 33K license on the truck and a CDL. At least that is my understanding... and I am not sure many understand this stuff.

That's my understanding as well. But I am new
at this CDL bit.

I am amazed that it is so murky....... It should be
a cut and dry thing.

[sqkcrk]

Sun,
You need more hives to justify your truck, loader and CDL. Seems like overkill to me. All I had was a pickup truck when I had less thhan 400.

[hpm08161947]

Our truck, a 2002 GMC C6500 with Cat 3126 engine, has a 12.5K curb weight. If your 100 hives average 50lb per and your bobcat + trailer weight 8K, that will bring you up 25.5. So no CDL.

Guess 50 lb per hive might be too small an estimate... but maybe you are hauling singles.

[Sundance]

Sun,
You need more hives to justify your truck, loader and CDL. Seems like overkill to me. All I had was a pickup truck when I had less thhan 400.

Not looking for justification Mark. I have the loader,
a CDL costs nothing really.

My present 1995 GMC 3500HD with 6.5L TD is just
too underpowered to haul 100 to 150 colonies south
with me. If I put my bobcat on back, no way, unless
I cruise at 35 mph maybe.

So what options do you suggest? A decent used International
4300 comes in at $15000, less or equal to a decent used
pickup.

Did you haul 200 hives 1000+ miles with a pickup??

Keep in mind, I AM going south. The bees are coming
with me, not the other way around.

The last 3 winters have seen devastating winter losses.
So much so that I kept my count low last fall.