Truck advice [RE-wrenches]

Sat Jan 20 10:49:25 PST 2007

I'll beg to differ on the Isuzu.  We have had two Isuzu NPR's with 14' Boxes
and lift gates and loved them.  They had over 300k on them when got them
(after years as Rent-to-Own delivery trucks, talk about abusive service) and
they were just great for us.  I've got a friend who put a homemade dump bed
on one and takes the truck way past anything it was ever made to handle and
it just keeps coming back for more.  We'd still have them today if they
weren't so cosmetically beat up.  They just wouldn't die and we opted not to
refurb them.  I've sold one to friend in the vending business and another
who is an electrician and they use them every day.

We moved on to late model F250's (one with 7.3 powerstroke, one with 5.4
gas) with custom built contractor shells from ARE.  Plenty of towing power
for our backhoe and have been very reliable.  We will probably buy another
NPR this year or enclosed 16'-20' trailers outfitted with every thing we
need to be towed to job sites and left there until the job is done.

We are preparing to play around with homebrew Biodiesel as I also have 84
Mercedes 300SD.

Travis Creswell
Ozark Energy Services

-----Original Message-----
From: Daryl DeJoy [mailto:penobscotsolar at midmaine.com] 
Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2007 11:09 AM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: Re: Truck advice [RE-wrenches]

Hi Allen,
   We have a Mitsubishi cab-over 4 cylinder diesel (13,500 gvw) that is a
rolling workshop. Plenty of head room, storage, bench and cabinets,
etc. We currently have a 12 foot bed but I am looking for a 14 foot bed
for the next truck. It seems like you can never have enough room.
   The truck runs very reliably and we get 15 mpg around town with it. It
also has a 1 ton lift gate that doubles as a step when we're not moving
batteries. I would stay away from turbo models, as well as Isuzu made
similar trucks. They do not have the reliability of Mitsubishi's. I
have 270,000 miles on this one and it doesn't even burn oil. One friend
had one that was still going at 500,000 mls!!!
Daryl
Penobscot Solar Design
NABCEP Certified installer

>
> Wrenches,
> One of our planned capital expenses for 2007 will be a new(er) truck. We
> are
> small, with only two trucks, so this will replace the oldest. I'm writing
> for suggestions.
>
> Both of our current trucks are one-ton conventional Chevys with utility
> boxes (in place of beds) and overhead racks for conduit. Both have been
> set
> up in similar arrangements, developed over many years, of wire spool racks
> and bins and boxes for fittings and small parts. As such, unless there's
> an
> approach that is so super-outrageously-wonderful that we should start
> over,
> we'll keep the same basic service-body approach so part locations remain
> familiar.
>
> What would your next truck look like if you had $25,000 to invest? (This
> would probably start with a late-model used something.) What if you chose
> to
> spend ~$40,000 and could choose something new? Make, model, engine...
>
> We're tired of ten mpg on gas, but unsure about the time investment for
> veggie-diesel (one +E owner drives a veggie-Rabbit, and I am nearly done
> converting my old diesel Mercedes, so we're not ignorant about doing this)
> on a commercial truck.
>
> Both trucks weigh 8,000-10,000 pounds ready to work, so a small truck
> isn't
> an option.
>
> Isuzu or GM diesel? New Freightliner/Mercedes? Dually pickup with bed
> conversion? 4WD would be nice but not essential, as the newer existing
> truck
> is 4WD, and most of our business growth is grid-tied, not remote.
>
> I have the job of recommending what we get, and I'd like to hear what
> works
> well for you. Thank you for any good advice.
>
> Allan at Positive Energy
>
>
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