I wouldn’t say anyone is trying to reinvent the wheel. I simply asked for thoughts/opinions on if I could make it work the way it was. As a result, not having to spend any extra money after the purchase was made. I also expressed that I wasn’t tied to keeping that specific utility body and was willing to replace it with a flatbed. I think you may be assuming if I buy the truck I am keeping it the way it is. Which isn’t necessarily the case.
I’m buying the truck because the truck itself is in great shape, with or without the service body.
I understand your thought process. But unless you take that body off before you put it in service the chance that you will destroy it before you do anything with is 100% not to mention the time and effort it takes to switch a body like that to a flat bad. You are wasting money. Then you will either have to build a flat bed or buy one. I have been doing this a very long time. Find a flat bed and go. You don’t have time to be messing around with trucks if your washing schedule is full.
If you buy that truck you will be trying to fix it in the middle of washing season which will cost you double. Now if you got a flat bed in the shop and are immediately going to swap them buy the truck.
My washing season doesn’t start until the end of March here in Central PA. So right now there is no rush for me. Although, I won’t be wasting any time getting things ready in the meantime. I also have two local businesses that sell Flatbeds & Utility bodies so it will be relatively easy for me to have the utility bed swapped for a flatbed in plenty of time for the start of the season.
I appreciate your input, thoughts and opinions. Thanks!
Have you seen the used truck market lately? I know the history/service records of this truck, plus it’s a private sale, not from a dealer. Rust is very minimal on this truck as it’s been kept inside on a nightly basis. Everything I’ve found that has a flatbed on it is either rusted out or used hard and not well maintained. Not only flatbed trucks but service body trucks as well.
So when I buy a truck, I’m looking at the longevity of the truck, not the service bed/flat bed than can easily be replaced. Buying a used truck is a risk, but I try to minimize that risk as much as possible.
The price is right also. Even if I buy it and replace with a flat bed, I’d still be ahead on the price of a lot of other used trucks out there that dealers have heavily inflated selling prices. This isn’t a rushed decision on my part either, I’ve been looking for months and have been very patient.
Well it sounds like you have found the one you want. Buy it. Sell the tradesman box. Install a flat bed and go make some money. Or work out of it till you realize that the box is a PIA and build it twice. The truck isn’t the problem its the box. But like I always say. You have to do what is right for your company. I can only give you advice based on past experiences. Good luck with whatever you choose to do. If you have questions feel free to PM me I will gladly give you my cell.
100% I spoke with our dealer about mapping out when I might need the next 2 new trucks (I decided not to go with another right away in the springtime this season). He told me earliest availability is probably 8+ months.
I’ll buy 'em new, how I want them, ideally…but it really isn’t a massive undertaking to swap one out if the truck is sound and cost-effective, but I could be wrong. We have a flatbed and a service body that will probably both be seeing pickup beds in the not-so-distant future (esp. if selling and getting a new one seems unlikely anytime soon).
IDK your specific situation, but not everyone who is running a PW business is eating into their wash schedule messing with trucks during the season. For most I know, you probably need to have your model to get you “off the truck” by the time you have a full 2 truck schedule at least. At that point, you (or a full-time staff member) probably needs to be focusing on the business itself (which can include estimating/sales/etc.). I say that only from my experience with our company, and several others I have coordinated with in management collectives, etc.
I’ve had two new vehicles in my life and both of those were mistakes. Never thought about a new one for a work truck. My goal is under 150k miles and under $10k, replace every five years. But, I’m a big Clark Howard fan
I’m the same way…but the low miles we put on them, and the high cost of downtime (along with our ability to pay pretty low monthly payments) won me over…I still buy almost everything else used, lol.
