Start-up Contracting Pics

[eddie86]

Been a while since i updated this (as usual) however nothing much exciting has been happening....... until now

So being winter everthing goes a bit quieter but also theres been contract changes/renewals taking place for the people who we carry out the biggest amounts of work for, the first spreading biosolids & the second being moving poultry litter.
So first up spreading the bio-solids. Unfortunately the company we used to spread the biosolids for lost the contract to another firm, however we've been doing less and less each year due to picking more of our own customers up closer to home - think we only did about 10,000t last year. We could carry on with the new company however they're not doing as much in our area meaning we'd have to travel further but also the price we get paid hasnt gone up in about 5 years yet kit prices has risen massively in that time so I decided enough is enough & we'd just concentrate on spreading for local farmers. But as they say as one door shuts, another opens - and on the same day we were offered work from the poultry producer (who is our biggest customer) to help their guys with maintenance on boilers they have on each poultry site. I nearly turned it down but thought it would be handy work to fill in any gaps with it being not weather dependant but also if the poultry litter contract didnt go to the guy who we move it for we would have another income to make up for the loss of that. So far its gone really well and is worth more per year than spreading biosolids and its more profitable, so much so we have got another full time member of staff hopefully starting with us next month just carrying out this work with the potential of putting a second person on it later in the year.
Secondly moving the poultry litter, so having been through this 3 years ago (although we didnt actually tender for the contract back then as i didnt have enough experience or contacts to be confident to pull it off) I decided & got asked to tender for it. All our work with the trailers have been in the hands of somebody else since i started contracting and i decided i would like to 'paddle my own canoe' having been involved in the job for a few years now & building up good contacts. As expected there was massive interest from our local competitors but also national companys, but after a few weeks of nervousness it was announced that I had won the contract Meaning we would purchase all the litter from the farms and sell & transport to local farmers along with disposing of all the dirty water etc. So bascially in a couple of months we are going to busier than we ever have been, however having 2 tri axle trailers & 1 18t trailer isnt going to be enough and also wont reach farmers further away so after a bit of thinking i decided to go shopping...


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Not being someone who does things by half, yesterday i bought 2 Daf 410 8 wheelers :rolleyes2: They've had 1 owner from new & have been on a Daf main dealer service & maintenance plan all their life and also arent high mileage. So the plan is to take the bodies off that are currently on them and put 2 new bodies on built to our requirements (similar to the below one)

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This will mean we can keep on top of the job, but also gives us a more professional look rather than running loads more tractors & trailers, but once these are complete they will have cost less than 2 new tri axle trailers - and thats without buying addtional tractors to put on the front of them so for me it was a no brainer to go for these, especially as we're already picking up more work for them like moving compost over longer distances where tractors & trailers become less efficient. So now ive just got to wait for the bodies to be built & be put on which should be around May time - which means i can concetrate on getting all the licensing etc sorted :Thumbp2:

Looking at those truck pics was like spot the difference trying to figure out if they were pics of 1 or 2 trucks. :scratchhead: I got there eventually.
Well wear.

 

[Paw]

Looking at those truck pics was like spot the difference trying to figure out if they were pics of 1 or 2 trucks. :scratchhead: I got there eventually.
Well wear.

Spots in the lower part of the bumper on one of them :Thumbp2:

 

[eddie86]

Spots in the lower part of the bumper on one of them :Thumbp2:

Even more definitive and should be more obvious are the fogs. I also spotted the marked bumper first .

 

[Cork]

Just found this thread, and have run through it from the start. Great story so far and still driving ahead, inspirational even. Fair play and best of luck with the trucks. No doubt you will make it work. :Thumbp2:

Just found it too!! Great story, well done @Camerov

 

[Camerov]

Thanks very much all :Thumbp2:

Picked them up last Saturday - 700 mile round trip later....


Got a couple of bits to do to them but nothing too serious, the guys that are building the bodies called in for a measure up yesterday so the first one will be off for it’s new body at the end of this month which will make them look a lot tidier. In the meantime we’ll give them a good polish up get a few stickers on them then they'll hopefully be ready to hit the road properly as soon as the bodies are on

 

[Camerov]

Bit more progress & another step accomplished today



The ‘not brand new’ route was never going to be easy but one down one more to go. This truck will be taken to the body builders next week & hopefully will be back in a couple of weeks with it’s new body on :cool1:

 

[Camerov]

The long awaited O licence came through yesterday meaning we can make a start using one of them whilst the other one is having its new body fitted



Should be ready in about 2-3 weeks meaning we can pull the body off the one in the picture & swap them over for it’s new body to be fitted - another milestone reached :cool1:

 

[Camerov]

The first of the new bodies is progressing now - look forward to seeing it fitted :cool1:

 

[bagenal]

View attachment 66055
View attachment 66056 View attachment 66057 View attachment 66058 The first of the new bodies is progressing now - look forward to seeing it fitted :cool1:

Did you consider having the bodies made with smooth/plank sides at all? They're supposedly easier on the go go juice due to less wind drag and easier to wash.

 

[Camerov]

Did you consider having the bodies made with smooth/plank sides at all? They're supposedly easier on the go go juice due to less wind drag and easier to wash.

I did consider it (it’s what I ideally wanted first) however after speaking to the body builders about what we’re going to be doing/carrying they recommended to go for the above - there was a technical reason they said about as well but I can’t remember what it was now. Definitely would have been easier to wash & probably slightly better on fuel although the furthest we’d probably go with them is 30 miles from each poultry farm & a lot of that would be back roads so not sure we’d get the full benefit especially as it would add more weight & reduce the payload a bit

 

[bagenal]

I did consider it (it’s what I ideally wanted first) however after speaking to the body builders about what we’re going to be doing/carrying they recommended to go for the above - there was a technical reason they said about as well but I can’t remember what it was now. Definitely would have been easier to wash & probably slightly better on fuel although the furthest we’d probably go with them is 30 miles from each poultry farm & a lot of that would be back roads so not sure we’d get the full benefit especially as it would add more weight & reduce the payload a bit

Quite true, you'd need to be doing mostly A roads, dual carriage ways or motorways to get the full benefit. I look forward to seeing the finished job and well wear with them.

 

[Camerov]

So after owning the fastrac for roughly a year & a half I decided to trade it in. From a drivers view it was a good machine & nothing would compare to the comfort, speed & size of the cab, however from an owners point of view the running costs were high in terms of repairs etc. Maybe it’s because it was becoming a high houred machine but even parts we changed last year around the same time this year we had to change the same parts again to be told ‘it’s a fastrac that’s what they’re like’. The jcb parts seem very expensive compared to the case stuff & the local jcb dealer hasn’t got the best reputation so that’s ruled out another fastrac so I’ve stuck to what I know & bought another Puma. This time it’s a 2010 210 (although it doesn’t look 9 years old!) done 4500 hours & has been well cared for so should definitely do the job :Thumbp2: Quite a few people think I’ve lost the plot buying a 9 year old tractor (mostly other contractors with brand new Deere’s & Fendt’s) but it’s got no adblue system to play up or go wrong & will do just as good a job as a brand new one would - and also finance isn’t cool so I’d rather go for the older second hand well looked after option

 

[johndeere6920s]

So after owning the fastrac for roughly a year & a half I decided to trade it in. From a drivers view it was a good machine & nothing would compare to the comfort, speed & size of the cab, however from an owners point of view the running costs were high in terms of repairs etc. Maybe it’s because it was becoming a high houred machine but even parts we changed last year around the same time this year we had to change the same parts again to be told ‘it’s a fastrac that’s what they’re like’. The jcb parts seem very expensive compared to the case stuff & the local jcb dealer hasn’t got the best reputation so that’s ruled out another fastrac so I’ve stuck to what I know & bought another Puma. This time it’s a 2010 210 (although it doesn’t look 9 years old!) done 4500 hours & has been well cared for so should definitely do the job :Thumbp2: Quite a few people think I’ve lost the plot buying a 9 year old tractor (mostly other contractors with brand new Deere’s & Fendt’s) but it’s got no adblue system to play up or go wrong & will do just as good a job as a brand new one would - and also finance isn’t cool so I’d rather go for the older second hand well looked after option
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That's mint.
Roughly what did it set you back?
Thinking of going for one myself in the next few years

 

[Paw]

... I’ve stuck to what I know & bought another Puma. This time it’s a 2010 210 (although it doesn’t look 9 years old!) done 4500 hours & has been well cared for so should definitely do the job :Thumbp2: Quite a few people think I’ve lost the plot buying a 9 year old tractor (mostly other contractors with brand new Deere’s & Fendt’s) but it’s got no adblue system to play up or go wrong & will do just as good a job as a brand new one would - and also finance isn’t cool so I’d rather go for the older second hand well looked after option
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There's some shine on that paintwork

 

[Mike]

Lovely tractor :Thumbp2:
Fair lump of a tank too!

 

[Camerov]

That's mint.
Roughly what did it set you back?
Thinking of going for one myself in the next few years

Was around the £36/37000 mark (I can’t remember the exact figure & I’ve not had the bill yet ) When I first heard about it I did think it was up there in price for a 9 year old machine but now I’ve seen it (bought it blind from our dealer) it was definitely worth every penny as it’s like new throughout. I personally wouldn’t run anything other than Puma’s now, for what we buy them for second hand & the work & hours they do & how little they cost us in repairs & breakdowns they’re cheap tractors to run.

 

[Camerov]

Lovely tractor :Thumbp2:
Fair lump of a tank too!

Thanks :Thumbp2:

It’s a hell of a tanker (4000 gallon) just trying to find another good second hand 3-4000 gallon hispec to run alongside it in the winter but they seem to be like rocking horse poo

 

[Ptk44]

Was around the £36/37000 mark (I can’t remember the exact figure & I’ve not had the bill yet ) When I first heard about it I did think it was up there in price for a 9 year old machine but now I’ve seen it (bought it blind from our dealer) it was definitely worth every penny as it’s like new throughout. I personally wouldn’t run anything other than Puma’s now, for what we buy them for second hand & the work & hours they do & how little they cost us in repairs & breakdowns they’re cheap tractors to run.

Pristine tractor. What gearbox is in it?

 

[johndeere6920s]

Was around the £36/37000 mark (I can’t remember the exact figure & I’ve not had the bill yet ) When I first heard about it I did think it was up there in price for a 9 year old machine but now I’ve seen it (bought it blind from our dealer) it was definitely worth every penny as it’s like new throughout. I personally wouldn’t run anything other than Puma’s now, for what we buy them for second hand & the work & hours they do & how little they cost us in repairs & breakdowns they’re cheap tractors to run.

Cheap tractor for how good it is

 

[Arthur]

Pristine tractor. What gearbox is in it?

I'm guessing its the Case version of Power command otherwise it would have CVX badging.

 

[nashmach]

Lovely looking tractor Camerov, it is a credit to it's previous owner and drivers. Well may you wear!

 

[Camerov]

Pristine tractor. What gearbox is in it?

Powershift - not managed to get a cvx one yet but I’d definitely consider it if the right one came along

 

[Camerov]

Big day today....






First one complete & they’ve done a fantastic job of it Dropped it in for a 6 weekly check/mot prep then should be ready to hit the road - just need to give the cab paint a good clean & polish which should come up well then add some sign writing - then do the same for the second one :Thumbp2:

 

[Camerov]

As usual, been meaning to update this for ages but with summer & everything else being absolutely flat out I haven’t managed to find enough time.

So, since the last post both trucks are built & on the road

Apart from a couple of niggles here & there so far they’re performing well carrying 19.5t on a load & have hopefully opened more doors into compost work in the future.

Whilst they’ve been busy hauling poultry litter around, the spreader team had been chasing them around making the stockpiles they make disappear. Everything went/performed really well this season & we didn’t really stop until early October when the weather changed. We picked up a few more new customers this year which have all been pleased with the spread pattern & job those Bunning HBD’s do along with the reduced compaction by loading with an excavator.




Think I’ve finally got the spreading set up I’m happy with now, kept thinking about running 3 spreaders but it’s getting harder to find seasonal staff, new spreader prices have gone up & I’d have to travel further afield to get the work to make it pay so think I’d end up being a busy fool.

Now spreading is all over the main focus is getting poultry litter onto fields - which has been a bit of challenge with the weather being so wet - and especially running trucks as well! So both Roadkings have been out





Although it got to the point where even they were making a mess so I had to come up with a solution fast to avoid us stockpiling on hardstanding then having to rehandle it when it dried up which would have not been cost effective. So after a quick bit of googling the solution was to invest in some trackway which would keep both trucks & tractors & trailers moving without making a mess. The stuff we bought can be laid out by 1 or 2 people & each board is rated to 80t. Whilst it’s not as good as what the biosolid guys use (which is 1000 quid/board) these are doing the job very well at a fraction of the cost.



We’ve actually also had a lot of interest & got some jobs booked in from farmers wanting us to go with our excavator & trackway to help them get their own muck out into fields which is an added bonus & helps justify buying it.

 

[Camerov]

Whilst all this has been going on, I’ve kitted out a van & set up a 3 man team that work on biomass units on the poultry sites helping the engineers carry out routine work/services which is working out really well especially as I wasn’t really keen or interested in the idea to start with due to it being a bit different to what we usually do - but I guess sometimes it’s good to diversify & try something different to run along side the current services we provide.


So plans for the future! Our jcb I’ve had since I started out is still going strong & has only let us down once (which was only an alternator) has got 10,000 hours on now & with an increased workload I feel I should be looking at something fresher. Whilst it was waiting for an alternator our dealer lent us a farmlift 742 to try which was an impressive bit of kit for an uncommon loader brand.






However, like all new kit now they are expensive & I don’t really want to be working just to pay the finance. Whilst the farmlift was good our dealer can also get manitous which I do like the look of - especially the centre pivot ones they do so going to have a look at Lamma show in the new year & see what’s around. On the flip side our jcb is still going, doesn’t give us much bother & although it may not be as quick as newer machines it does the job, has no adblue or regen stuff on it & a lot less sensors to go wrong on it. So I’m also contemplating buying a toe tip bucket for it instead of buying a newer loader just to make its life a bit easier & less wear & year on it. I’ve looked into loading shovels many times but due to a majority of our telehandler work a loading shovel would simply be too big.