The perfect sawmill truck

[Crossroads]

It was suggested in another thread that we should have this discussion in its own thread, so here we go. 

I drive a 2001 ram 3500 duelly with the 5.9 diesel. Except for the the extra set of tires in the back, this was a truck I had wanted for a long time. Now that I have it, I'm glad I have the extra tires back there when I'm towing the skiddy, excavator or dozer. The truth is though, that it's too much truck for pulling the sawmill. I have a 89 Jeep Wrangler that I use as a personal driver, but it's all jacked up with big tires like some punk kid would have and I have serious reserves about putting the sawmill behind it. So, I've been eyeing different rigs to use exclusively for pulling the sawmill. 
My must haves list isn't very long, but definitely not negotiable. 
1) 4 wheel drive, as most of my business is mobile and I end up in some interesting places. 4x is a must for me
2) extra cab, must have a collect all area to store parts, extra clothing and emergency supplies. 
3) power, I don't need to be able to stretch the tongue with an abundance of power, but I don't want to be struggling and over working it all the time. 
4) backup camera, I put one on the ram and can't get along without one for hooking to the mill. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I guess the next question has to be bed type. Do you want a flatbed or with sides? 

   I need space for my typical "Kit" which starts with spare bands in fold up wooden box about 3' square and 3" thick with a smaller box for my spare belts on top and also on top of that are my tool boxes (2), chainsaw, leaf blower, and short handled ax. This is all wrapped in a tarp with magic hook and spare chains and 3 cant hooks on top to hold the tarp down. In the side is  5 gallon can of gas, shovel, spare tire, bumper jack, spud bar, 5' long scraper (bark remover), fuel/bar oil/tool box for chainsaw, short boards for chocks and leveling the feet and 3- 3' long 1X6s to drive up on to level the mill side to side, miscellaneous items like ATF, Fire Ext, etc. All that would fit in about a 3'X 3'X 5' space. Inside the truck is a cooler and large briefcase which is my mobile office with laptop, forms, etc.

   How about the ability to do overnight jobs like Eric/OJH does? I think he has a truck with camper and has cubbyholes for this gear and a place to sleep when he stops at the site.

[doc henderson]

I agree with your min. requirements.  I am not sure about a max.  I tow everything with my 1 ton 3500HD, 2007, 210,000 miles 4X4.  I get 18 mpg empty and if I pull a little trailer, I get the same.  drops to 11 mpg if I pull my 24k (loaded) gooseneck, or 16k fifth wheel camp trailer.  the only downside (too big truck) is pulling or backing a 5 x 8 or 10 trailer.  cannot see it in the mirrors.  I have a bed and a bumper camera.  I have been the one pulling the tandem scout trailer.  It can be 7K when loaded for camp... west of Colorado Springs.  It goes up the hills and has the weight, and brakes as well as extra tires on the back in case of a blow out.  If the trailer has a blow out, you can barely tell a diff. in pulling, and confirm a blow out in the mirror or by stopping to see what is wrong.  the torsion axles are great as you can pull missing a wheel on one axle.  I have had two blow outs over the past 10 years and one where the studs broke and lost a wheel and could not put on the spare.  

[doc henderson]

Mine has the full bed (8 foot long) and the B&K gooseneck flip hitch in the bed.  I have an adaptor for my camper and a raised gooseneck ball that fastens to the bed ball.  60 gallon fuel tank.  fleet wiring front and back.  bull bumper with hitch for winch (used) and driving a trailer in (never used), could be good for a boat dock.  Ranch Hand.

[Magicman]

½ ton (F150 equiv), 4wd e/w limited slip, 6' bed, crew cab (4dr), side tool boxes would be nice, BU camera, & front winch.

[scsmith42]

As I recall, an LT40 weighs around 4,500 lbs, which is well within the towing capacity of a 1/2 ton pickup.

I think that my dream truck would be either a 1/2 or 3/4 ton 4wd crew cab with a utility bed on the back.  The utility bed would allow me to store all of the tools, blades, cant hooks, log tongs, straps, chisels (for removing nails), spare gloves, lubricants, filters, etc that I use daily with my sawmill, and to secure them and not have to unload them at night or if I make a run to town.  

I'd want a diesel for the fuel mileage, and some type of refueling rig in the truck for the sawmill.  

I'd probably lean more towards the 3/4 ton, because by the time that I add in 1000 lbs or so of accessories when pulling the sawmill I might be at the upper limits.

YMMV.

[barbender]

Sometimes I've had to pull my 4x6 atv trailer with my Dodge 3500 dually😂 I get nervous when it's not jacknifeing, because you can't even begin to see it in the mirrors and you know it's going to come shooting out one side or the other😂

 At work they had a small trailer like that set up with a water tank and pressure washer. They put snowplow fiberglass marker rods on it so you could see where things were at in the mirrors.

[terrifictimbersllc]

I've probably had the perfect or nearly perfect portable sawmill truck for 22 years now. F350 7.3L diesel 4x4 SRW crew cab long bed.   The bed is rusting and probably before long I will either replace it with a utility body with boxes on both sides to give side storage and partially recreate the contained nature of a regular pickup bed, or get a new truck.

The full back seat (crew cab) is full of tools, ppe, rain gear, spare parts, MS880, bars, chains. A semi-organized not too bad jumble, which is almost always kept in the truck locked and out of the weather.   The 8' bed has Contico plastic boxes either side at the front, one holds fluids, the other a couple chainsaw and logging chains, one with magic hook.  Down the center are peavies, jack, two 4x4 x 8' boards, on either side are 1-2 flatpack blades, fuel containers, blocking, leaf blower, pickaroons.

If I get a new truck for sawing,  it will probably be:
F350 4x4 SRW super cab either long bed or utility flat aluminum bed with side access tool boxes down both sides.
Probably gas either 7.3 or the new 6.8, with the 4.3 gearing/10 speed.  Probably not 6.7 psd.  My sawmill is 6000#. Either of the new gas engines would be just as strong as my 2001 7.3 PSD which tows the LT70Super just fine. With 10 speed and 4.3 gearing, no issues.

I would not want a DRW for sawing.  Squeezing in and out of sawing sites, and seeing what I'm doing when backing up to the sawmill is the norm. The tongue weight of a sawmill and the half ton or so of cargo wouldnt take the edge off of a rough ride in a dually.

Our other truck, 2021 F350 4x4 6.7PSD DRW long bed, Arctic Fox camper on back, would indeed tow the sawmill, but just isn't going to see any sawdust. At 14000GVWR with a 6000# GVWR mill, it would also be over my state's 18000# limit for needing to be tagged with a USDOTCT number for intrastate driving, and I'm not going there.

[Crossroads]

A flatbed with 12" side rails might be handy. Right now I have a 60 gallon slip tank with tool storage on top that is plumbed in with an automatic pump. 

For whatever reason, I don't get a lot of calls that I can't drive to and from. Most of my jobs are 1 day. So, it's easy to get up an hour early and just have a long day. I typically make a couple trips a year back to the homeland with the mill, but can stay with friends. Otherwise, I simply make arrangements with the customer to put me up, whether it's in a motel, camper or a yurt like one customer has provided. 
I guess with my 1 ton, I would like to save it for the big loads where it is needed and have something smaller to pull the mill with. I had a ram 1500 before the 1 ton and I think it would have done well with the mill, except the 1 ton gets better mileage with a lot more power. 

[SawyerTed]

Ideally, I think I need two trucks.  

One dedicated 4x4 3/4 ton with service body to pull the mill to portable jobs.  I could just keep the tools on it.  No loading and unloading continually.  Some alternatives might be a 4x4 van (rare and $$$$); a Suburban; a Tahoe; Excursion.  Again all need to be 4x4 and tools could remain on board.  

The other a 1/2 or 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup to drive, pull trailers/camper/boat. 

I have an 18 foot trailer to haul my tractor.  I need to add a dump trailer to my "fleet."  

I had a Ram 3500 flatbed dump with gooseneck hitch.  It was too expensive and I couldn't work it enough to have it pay its way and run the sawmill too.  It was great except for loading and unloading tools.  

I learned I can hire trucking of logs or anything bigger than my camper cheaper than I can own a truck to do it correctly. 

[Patrick NC]

I agree with @SawyerTed about needed 2 trucks. My ideal setup would be an extended cab half ton 4x4 to pull the mill and a 1 ton or larger flatbed to haul things that the 1/2 ton can't handle.  Obviously it would be better if both were paid for and easy to work on like early 90s gm products were.

[Guido Salvage]

I am truck poor... I currently use a 1995 Dodge 1500 4x4 as my sawmill truck. The only thing it does is make the less than 1/2 mile trip from my house to my mill and an occasional trip to my neighbors.

I have a 2006 F-350 4x4 that I tow with. I also have a 1973 IH Loadstar grain truck (41K original miles) that I haul logs with and a 1984 IH 1900 with a dump bed I use as well. I have 7 other big trucks including a rollback and a M-35 Army duece.

[chet]

An old logger buddy swore the best woods truck he ever owned, turned out to be his last. A big ole green '77 Ford LTD station wagon, he used it for years. His crew found him on the tailgate beside his cup of coffee and half sharpened saw. He was 75.

[barbender]

Chet, I've looked over my wife's old Dodge minivan a few times. Lots of dry storage, a set of tire chains up front and it would go about anywhere my 4x4 pickup would.

[Crossroads]

My conundrum with having a second pickup, is that it's a whole new set of expenses to maintain another piece of rolling stock. I'll probably just continue with what I have, but I'm gonna look pretty funny when the ram has an issue and I have to show at a job, pulling the mill with the dump truck lol

[SawyerTed]

If this thing were 4WD... 



 

[OlJarhead]

As you know, I tow my mill with my Dually but fir me its a must since I bring my home with me.

I used to use a half ton 4x4 but coming down a very steep mount grade (Peter Dan Rd North of Coulee Dam) my brakes got toooo hot.  

My mill brakes were just a little light and should have been adjusted heavier but that was it!  3/4 ton or 1 ton was my decision right then and there and I bought my first F350.

Then I put a camper on it...nothing better.

Then I got a nicer camper and knew I needed a Dually.  Today it's the only way I mill and it's the best!

Ok once in a while I am close to home but it's rare.

My old setup (not the best for such a big camper)


 

The new one (as of 2019).

 

[firefighter ontheside]

I don't have a mobile mill, but I'll tell you that a flatbed truck may be the best thing out there for towing any trailer.  I haven't towed with mine a lot, but immediately I could see it was great.  I can see the whole trailer as long as the bed is not full of big stuff.  With my F350 I can't see my 18' trailer at all out the back window.  Of course I can see it with the camera, but that isn't useful for backing too much and not at all for going forward.  Have to use the side mirrors for backing.  

[Tom K]

FireFighter - You just need bigger trailers! Get some 102" wide trailers, or goosenecks and the visibility thing won't be an issue.

As for trucks, I'm partial to my current one. It's a '07 GMC 2500 classic, extended cab, long bed with the 8.1L and Allison 6 speed, 4x4. It's got the power of a diesels or that vintage, less maintenance, and is bullet proof. It's been one of my better purchases, I bought it sight unseen out of New York city and had it delivered. Unfortunately rust is starting to take it's toll, I'm hoping to make her last another 2-3 years.

[firefighter ontheside]

I can see my trailer just fine in the mirrors, just saying the visibility looking over a flatbed is amazing.