# service trucks for haying operation



## haymaker1979

I recently just bought an older 2000 chevy 1 ton dually with a 10ft service bed on it. Im trying to figure out a way to keep all my wrenches in my side boxes from sliding all over the place and making a mess. I do believe this is the best purchase i could have ever made. i custom bale over 2000 acres a year in the lexington ky area so keeping my tools in a shop doesnt work for me at all. Thanks for any sugestions you may have.


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## JD3430

My solution was to put all my impact stuff in 1 box, 1/2" in another box, 3/8" in a 3rd box, made a box for electrical connectors, wire, soldering another box for cordless tools.
I guess I tried to group things together. I even have sperate boxes with spare/repair parts for each hay machine, tractor, etc.
I put my compressor up against the cab next to my fuel cell and floor jack.
Gotta get a vice mounted somewhere soon....


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## carcajou

After planning everything out i put plywood dividers evrywhere then put med weight rubber mats under everything. Helps keep things where they belong and quiets things down. I welded hooks for all the combination wrenches on the inside of the cabinet walls then put a tarp strap across them when not in use, if you put a rubber mat behind them on the walls they don't rattle. BTW mine is a 98 chevy dually 4X4, i plan on building a parts trailer with a 300 gallon fuel tank inside for next season to pull behind it.


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## kyfred

My brother in law has a service truck where he works. He purchased from Lawson Co. (not to advertize for Lawson)I am sure other companys has the same type of drawers. He has bought several pull out drawers that are in a stack like a tool box you would see in a garage but these drawers are deeper and some have dividers in them for nuts, bolts, ect. Some of the drawers are for wrenches and sockets.These metal drawers have lids on them and can be pulled completely out so you can have them where you are working at. He has them mounted in the bigger tool boxes on the sides of the service truck. Pretty neat set up.


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## JD3430

Those sliding drawers are great. You wouldn't believe how heavy these trucks get when loaded with tools. My F-550 weighs over 9,000 lbs with just a simple flatbed and my tools, compressor, fuel cell, jack, etc.


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## mlappin

Not to be a smart a**, but we ran a service truck for awhile, found out if said truck justifies itself, you either need newer equipment, a different brand, better employees, need to learn when to slow down or need to read the manual.

BUT, that was_* here i*_n our situation where the farthest we drive is about 12 miles and at the 12 mile drive, a very well stocked auto parts store and a hardware store is less than 2 miles away.


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## JD3430

Well, mine also serves as a gooseneck hay hauler and to pick my boy and his team mates up from football practice!
Couldn't live without fuel cell, air compressor, storage for fluids, service manuals, extra blades, tools, etc.
It also holds my 300G water tank.
For mlappin: We don't have anything around here. No TSC, no tractor dealer within 20 miles. I swear I could be rich if I could open a tractor franchise!! lol


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## mlappin

Like I said, that's_ here_. We keep spare belts on hand during harvest for stuff like the cleaning fan, head drive, combine drive, etc. Really helps that even though both massey's are different models, for the most part the belts are the same. We also keep a complete selection of bearings in the shop, 3/4", 7/8", 1", 1 1/8", 1 1/4" etc. We have an Agco dealer roughly 15 miles away and another about an hour and a quarter away.


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## carcajou

closest parts store 90 miles away, nearest equipment dealer 110 miles, what i don't have yet is a hyd hose press, anyone recommend one that does not cost big $$$?


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## mlappin

carcajou said:


> closest parts store 90 miles away, nearest equipment dealer 110 miles, what i don't have yet is a hyd hose press, anyone recommend one that does not cost big $$$?


You find one let us all know. The owner at our parts store will come in after hours and on weekends to make hoses for us, but i don't like to bug him any more than absolutely required.


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## slowzuki

I won't take on ground far from home. No service truck here we're way too small for that, I can't drive a truck and tractor at the same time. I have been planning to build a metal job box/ workbench on skids that can set in the shop normally but I can pop onto the forks to go to the field. We have loaders on both tractors normally. Should be room to tuck our generator in the corner and cut a port for the exhaust.


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## Mike120

JD3430 said:


> Couldn't live without fuel cell,


Which type/brand do you have and how is it working for you?


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## JD3430

Mike120 said:


> Which type/brand do you have and how is it working for you?


I think the tank is a Delta and the pump is a GPI.
Both work pretty good. I wired the electrical into the aux switches in my 550.


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## Mike120

Ahhhh....you're referring to a Aux Fuel Tank. Sorry, I was thinking a fuel cell that generates electricity.


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## haymaker1979

Ive been getting this truck set up the way i want it for the next year. i have found great socket holders made by mechanics time saver they are magnetic with magnetic bottoms to hold socket in place and holds them from rolling around in the side drawers. my big down fall is im trying to find a way to store my wrenches in the side boxes. all of the wrench holders only hold upto 1in wrenches what do they make to hold all of the larger wrenches that we need to have in the fields for our break downs. glad this topic got so many reviews.


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## JD3430

Take pictures of your set up. I don't have the imagination to make the ultimate service truck!!!


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## haybaler101

Definitely on the wish list I would want 250 gal of diesel, welder/generator, air comp, torch, sockets, wrenches, plenty of hammers, vice and anvil. and what ever else ends up on it. Unlike Marty, even our new equipment will break down in the field and I we make a 20 mile radius from home base.


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## slowzuki

I like old fashioned canvas rolls for wrenches. You can lay them out on a field and gives you a clean little place to work. I'm not sure if you can still buy them, I have some old canvas ones I think my grandfather got a tarp place to make. He had some with extra pockets for double offset boxes too. The plastics ones my dad had are not good now, the rear vinyl fabric is ok but the front is brittle clear vinyl.



atacres said:


> my big down fall is im trying to find a way to store my wrenches in the side boxes. all of the wrench holders only hold upto 1in wrenches what do they make to hold all of the larger wrenches that we need to have in the fields for our break downs. glad this topic got so many reviews.


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## JD3430

Anyone carry a floor jack? Use mine quite a bit.


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## mlappin

haybaler101 said:


> Definitely on the wish list I would want 250 gal of diesel, welder/generator, air comp, torch, sockets, wrenches, plenty of hammers, vice and anvil. and what ever else ends up on it. Unlike Marty, even our new equipment will break down in the field and I we make a 20 mile radius from home base.


That's where I'm lucky I guess, in less than twenty miles I can be to our dealer. Planted 75% of the corn this spring before having a hydraulic hose on a marker arm get snagged by a limb. Was only 3 miles to the auto parts store. Keep a complete set of wrenches in a tool box behind the seat of the planting tractor and the supply truck has two side boxes that usually has a spare fertilizer coulter, a spare no-till coulter and a few seed opener discs.

Since I took over all the maintenance I've proved to father you're money ahead if you have one bearing go out in an seed opener you better take a tape and measure them, most likely they are wore out anyways and all need changed. Much easier to do that all at once at home than a few at a time when you're supposed to be planting. Same goes for the bearings in the no-till and fertilizer discs.


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## slowzuki

I keep a bottle jack in the truck but we have loaders on both tractors so its usually faster to slip a fork under or drop a chain if I don't have a bucket on. I usually leave forks on at least one tractor for prying out rocks anyways.



JD3430 said:


> Anyone carry a floor jack? Use mine quite a bit.


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## haymaker1979

i have a couple different jacks i have a floor jack and 2 20 ton bottle jacks and a 40 ton air bottle jack. i do a lot of trucking also with my hay and im always having to run to the rescue of my trucks and service calls are crazy anymore. the biggest expense ive had is a 1in air impact to keep around for the big stuff.


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## haymaker1979

heres the pics you all asked for.
[sharedmedia=gallery:albums:122]


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## haystax

I'm planning to put a service truck together this winter but mainly I need a lube/fuel setup more than a mechanics truck.

Lots of used trucks around but really nothing from the construction trades really suits farming unless you find a custom built truck by chance.

I need fuel, twine, grease, and a big air compressor and that's about it. A 5 mile radius from the shop is the farthest I usually get but moving equipment back and forth for daily service takes a lot of time. I'm planning for 500 gal diesel, 185 CFM compressor and room for couple pallets of twine.


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## Starvation Plantaton

To JD3430
You said you were looking to mount a vice on your truck. Does your truck have a reciever hitch on it? If so you can use square tubing(heavy walled) that will slip into the hitch and mount the vice on some heavy plate. When needed, just slip it into the reciever and use it. When not in use put it in the back of the truck.
This has worked out well for me!


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## AaronQ

for your guys questions on wrench racks, i ran a service truck in heavy equipment and natural gas field work for a few years and i used really tightly wounded springs almost as tight as a slinky. rivet it or bolt it down to the bottom of your drawer and slip your wrenches inside. worked pretty slick and only cost a few bucks. i dont have any pictures but the guy i sold the box too could probably send me some i'll try.


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## JD3430

I want to remove one of my standard toolboxes between cab and rear whell and replace it with a outdoor type sealed box with roller trays inside about 3' wide. The trays would have wrenches in them. I'm tired of keeping my wrenches all piled up in traditional portable tool boxes. They're too heavy and they're unprofessional.


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## Chessiedog

I have one of these Montezuma boxes. Keeps things pretty neat .

http://www.strictlytoolboxes.com/montezuma-toolbox/montezuma-tool-boxes-professional-portable-tool-box-aluminum-30-x-15.html


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## Starvation Plantaton

To JD 3430
I've had good luck with a vice mounted in the receiver/tow hitch.
Used a pc of 2" rectangular tubing to slip inside, another pc for the upright and mounted it to a pc of scrap plate. when done just pull pin and put it in the truck.
I know mine sure comes in handy doing in field repair!
Just my 2 cents.


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## panhandle9400

I run a c7500 diesel with a 14' service bed with right hand side entry, pto air compressor,pto generator pto hydraulics , cutting torch, and miller 250 welder , auto crane , 120 lb air grease gun, lots of storage for tools and extra parts also have f350 4x4 service pickup .We are spread out with our business here, so I can take my shop on wheels where ever needed.Far as my fuel needs we will take a 500 gallon trailer or for big jobs we have a 1000 gallon trailer too . I dont like leaving anything sitting around unless it is a very isolated area, due to thieves, we can lock most everything if needed .btw all my boxes are lighted with led rope lights and 12 volt work lights too so it easy to see at night when your working.


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## S10491112

I need one very bad. I just use the pickup truck but I have talked about building one for years it just don't seem to happen maybe one day.


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