Welding rigs, which would you have?

[Antibling]

Alright fellas, wondering what others would chose in this situation.

I'm working as a welder right now at Case-New Holland, and before I moved to the big city I lived 24 years of my life on the farm.

Well I moved here to make the big bucks but OT is drying up, and the dilemma, if I got more free time I need to have money to either leave the city, or enjoy the city. I'd rather be working most of the time so I'm making money rather than spend it.

So I'm starting my own welding business. Mainly portable welding as there aren't many around here.

So I have two options for trucks to use.

First, my daily driver, 06 Silverado 1/2 ton, 4x4. 5.3 Auto, reg cab long box.

Second, a truck my dad leaves in ND for when he drives his semi up. 95 F-350 2wd ext cab, 7.3 Powerstroke, auto, 189,000 miles.

I want a heavy duty truck, but my reasoning for even considering my truck is 4x4.

And pros of the other truck is it's already beat up, and it's got an ext cab.

So you guys with more experience than me, is the 4x4 worth the lost room and and payload capabilities?

Keep in mind farmers will be my main customers.

[tresi]

4x4 or not a half ton is just to light for a welding truck unless you're going to carry a bobcat class machine the leads and little else. I have a 2500hd with a service body and it's a little too light for a service body and a welder. I would really suggest a 1 ton dually if you get off of pavement. My single rear wheel will sink on a thought without the welder in it.

[DesertRider33]

I would definately go for the one-ton. My F350 welding truck is even too small a truck for how much weight I have on it (over 10,000 lbs) and I'm not carrying a big diesel welder either, just a gas Bobcat, but I carry a complete fabrication shop on my truck, so I have alot more stuff on it than just a welder, leads, torch, grinder and small tool box like I see on some of the smaller rigs around here. Also, you'll definately want at least a long box pickup bed, but a flatbed with side boxes or a utility bed is alot better. Mine has the factory long box pickup bed, but I have a slide-in utility body mounted on it, which works good for me, though I would still like to have some more storage storage space. My next truck will have a diesel and a 10 foot (or longer) contractor style flatbed with upper and lower side boxes and a rack and will be bigger than a one-ton pickup, probly F450/550. Oh yeah, a rack is important too. Without my rack, I'd have to tow the trailer every time I need to carry 20' lengths of material and that would get old real fast.

[DesertRider33]

Go to THIS post topic to see about 5 pages of pics and descriptions of our forum members' welding rigs. Lots of pics of mine are in there too.

[Antibling]

I don't know, between the 6 hours I spent sandbagging today, the heavy rain that's been coming down for over 6 hours, all the snow that's still left to melt, and the bumper height water I had to drive through to get into my apartment, a light tool load in my 4x4 is looking better for me getting out there sooner.

[DesertRider33]

I guess you could start out with the 1/2-ton 4wd while you still don't have alot of tools to haul and upgrade to a heavier truck later on after you've overloaded the light one.

[Dualie]

How many times do you actaully NEED the 4x4? with the added weight that you can carry in the back of the F-350 it will give you a fair bit more traction on snotty roads than if empty.

Your going to kill that lil 1/2ton pretty quick trying to carry a ton of tools in it.

[TozziWelding]

Going in and out of construction sites, the woods, and everywhere else stuff breaks, I use 4 wheel squeel alot.

[Antibling]

I need 4x4 just to get around right now. Don't you watch reporters on CNN getting arrested, we got a flood going on in Fargo.

I went and got the F-350 and I'm going to try and sell it and get a 4x4.

But the F-350 has a 80 gallon aux. tank. so most of the bed pace is already taken.