what would you do?

[krt400ex]

ok, dilemma. i want to get back into landscaping. if i buy a truck i have it narrowed to two choices. i want an older 7.3 powerstroke, or else i'm going to go with a 12 valve cummins. the problem arises with the quad. i still owe alot on it, and i'm wanting to sell it to pay it off quicker. i cant seem to part with it though. riding has been my escape. its been a big player in keeping me from doing things i know i shouldnt do(drugs, drinking, etc.). my other thought is to sell the quad, put alot of the money on the principal, but take some of it and go buy a yz250 so i have something to ride. what ya'll think would be the best idea?

[buck440]

i would get a yz250 but if its a steel frame gen i personally wouldn't bother. your obviously going to have more fun on a dirtbike.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by buck440
i would get a yz250 but if its a steel frame gen i personally wouldn't bother. your obviously going to have more fun on a dirtbike.


if i got the yz, i planned on '06 or up. i believe that was the first year of the aluminum frame. i enjoy the bikes, but i enjoy both lol.

[Scro]

That really depends on what kind of loan you have. If the title of the quad is collateral, then you can't sell it and not pay it off.

[buck440]

05+ is the aluminum frame. sure a atv is ok but a 2stroke atv is hella fun a 2stroke dirtbike is holly **** fun! your talking about a 2stroke right? 2stroke 250 dirtbike's are comparable to 450 4stroke dirtbikes:eek: once you get a smell of the klotz and feel the power of it you'll be hooked foosoo.

[CJM]

If you were smart I would look for an older truck thats in good shape and fits the bill before I wasted all my cash on exactly the truck i wanted.

You may get the truck, then find out your not getting biz to easily and go belly up. Then your out quad and truck (assuming you sell the truck to recoup costs).

You could sell the quad and buy a used one thats much cheaper so you still got something and also buy a truck.

If your wanting to do landscaping there isnt much a 3/4 ton F250 cant handle, be it gas or diesel. I have a gasser HD 1994 5.8L reg cab and it will pull a house down.

[liex21]

agreed with CJM, maybe try keeping the ktm finding a cheaper truck. That way you still have your pride and joy and you have a vehicle that fits the purpose. If your just going to be using the truck for landscaping there is no need to break the bank on it because then your net profit will be less.

[finsteratv]

i too am with CJM.
why not somthing older or even more economical?
like an older 2wd ford f150 with a 300/ 5spd or somthing like that. its just your landscape truck.

[krt400ex]

i'm not buying a 2wd. and i want a 3/4 ton. the reason i want diesel is because i will be towing and they get much better economy than a gas job under load. through research i have found that a cummins or a 7.3 is the most reliable diesel engine out there. my year range is from '92-'96. so i am getting an older truck, hence the 12 valve cummins. i also plan on a manual. i feel they are better for work, and it is cheaper to replace a clutch than a trans. this part i have thought out. but i want to try and get out from under the loan of the quad before getting a truck. i would prefer to pay cash for the truck if possible(so i want to save as much money as i can in the shortest amount of time), so that is why i'd like to pay the quad off asap. i figure i can reasonably get $4k to $4500 for the quad(its nearly mint and barely ridden). this is where the dilemma is though. because i can put all of it on the principal of the loan, or else i can take $2k-$2500 for a bike and put the rest on the principal and still have something to ride.

i already have a car, so if for whatever reason the business didnt work out, i'd have a truck i paid cash for(so its mine with no note) that i could keep or sell to recoupe some costs and i'd still have a vehicle. basically thats why i have the question of if i should just lose the quad completely, or find something a little less expensive to ride so i can stay in the sport too.

as far as equipment for the business goes, i still have my 48" walk behind, and the trimmer and backpack blower from when i previously did this. all i'd need is a truck and trailer(and trailer i could make do without until i bought another mower)

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by Scro
That really depends on what kind of loan you have. If the title of the quad is collateral, then you can't sell it and not pay it off.


i have the cert of origins for the quad. i talked to the dealer i bought it from and they told me that i would be able to sell it with the loan, they also said that jersey is a non title state for things like quads, so i legally i could sell it without a title. cert of origins is good enough though. thats all i had when i sold the 400ex to a dealer

[CJM]

Then I would sell the quad and buy a truck.

If you want a good shape 4x4 ford or dodge diesel expect to pay 10 g's, its x-cab or crewcab is $$$. The ones that are abused to hell and back and look the part are usually 4-7g's. You wont find a power stroke or a 12v cummins for less, I almost bought a 96 F250 PSD reg cab with 150k for 7g's and it was used asa plow truck, had rust and needed new tires, the guy was not budging on price and thats about the price your gonna pay for a decent one.

If you want a diesel and can live with it not being very fast (acceleration) than an older IDI ford might be the ticket. If you keep your foot out of it then you can get 15+mpg in town, the truck just doesnt have very good acceleration-but for a few g's later down the road you can buy a banks kit and put a turbo on i pretty easy. its also MUCH cheaper than a PSD b/c no one wants them, they all want the PSD. Can nab one for less than 5 g's in good shape.

The dodge will be hard to find, specially in a manual trans as few were made. For every 1 manual you find you will find 10 autos. Also those year dodges typically rusted out quite badly.

Comparatively speaking a 3/4 ton reg cab ford gasser gets about 10-12mpg in town. Thats with stock or close to it tires, driving like a normal person and such, same truck in powerstroke gets maybe 14-15mpg in town, course the ability to haul up to about 15k is nice. But diesel fuel is $$$ vs gas.

The really smart guys who only have one mower and are a 1 man crew dont even bother with a huge truck. they buy a toyota or similar, and put the grass inside those green barrels instead of throwing it in the bed. The toyota toys the small setup fine.


good luck with whatever you do. Just dont put all your eggs in one basket at once, cause if things dont work out-dont count on selling everything off for what you paid for it.

btw, where you at in jersey? Im from freehold.

[Ruby Soho]

Get a 94.5-97 powerstroke.

[TheLane]

Being a loan officer i can tell you this.

Dealers can buy the quad off of you because they essentially take money out of their pocket to pay the bike down/off while they wait on the title/lien release.

However most dealers wont buy the bike from you if you have negative equity because even though you have the MSO a lien is still recorded by your financial institution using a UCC (which is a way to record an interest in collateral with a state that does not title the vehicle)

If you can get out from under it and you really want to do that go for it! but i can also tell you its HARD to pay on something you dont have any more. When you see that money go away every month lol, it hurts the ego.

[fastredrider44]

Settle for less of a truck and keep the quad. If it's a work truck, it isn't going to bring you the joy that cranking on the KTM will do.

[buck440]

Originally posted by TheLane


If you can get out from under it and you really want to do that go for it! but i can also tell you its HARD to pay on something you dont have any more. When you see that money go away every month lol, it hurts the ego.

man aint that the truth i still owe $4000 on a bike i sold a year ago. it suck pretty bad but it needed to be done.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by CJM
Then I would sell the quad and buy a truck.

If you want a good shape 4x4 ford or dodge diesel expect to pay 10 g's, its x-cab or crewcab is $$$. The ones that are abused to hell and back and look the part are usually 4-7g's. You wont find a power stroke or a 12v cummins for less, I almost bought a 96 F250 PSD reg cab with 150k for 7g's and it was used asa plow truck, had rust and needed new tires, the guy was not budging on price and thats about the price your gonna pay for a decent one.

If you want a diesel and can live with it not being very fast (acceleration) than an older IDI ford might be the ticket. If you keep your foot out of it then you can get 15+mpg in town, the truck just doesnt have very good acceleration-but for a few g's later down the road you can buy a banks kit and put a turbo on i pretty easy. its also MUCH cheaper than a PSD b/c no one wants them, they all want the PSD. Can nab one for less than 5 g's in good shape.

The dodge will be hard to find, specially in a manual trans as few were made. For every 1 manual you find you will find 10 autos. Also those year dodges typically rusted out quite badly.

Comparatively speaking a 3/4 ton reg cab ford gasser gets about 10-12mpg in town. Thats with stock or close to it tires, driving like a normal person and such, same truck in powerstroke gets maybe 14-15mpg in town, course the ability to haul up to about 15k is nice. But diesel fuel is $$$ vs gas.

The really smart guys who only have one mower and are a 1 man crew dont even bother with a huge truck. they buy a toyota or similar, and put the grass inside those green barrels instead of throwing it in the bed. The toyota toys the small setup fine.


good luck with whatever you do. Just dont put all your eggs in one basket at once, cause if things dont work out-dont count on selling everything off for what you paid for it.

btw, where you at in jersey? Im from freehold.

yea i been looking at prices. its sickening what those trucks sell for, but imo they are worth it. i'm in sussex. northern nj

[CJM]

I know the area up there, quite a ways from me tho. Was hoping you were close so I could help ya fix it up :)

Anyways, what I would do if your dead set on a PSD or a cummins is find one in good shape at the best price you can find. If you look hard enough ones with some rust and maybe a few small issues will sell for 6-9k sometimes.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by CJM
I know the area up there, quite a ways from me tho. Was hoping you were close so I could help ya fix it up :)

Anyways, what I would do if your dead set on a PSD or a cummins is find one in good shape at the best price you can find. If you look hard enough ones with some rust and maybe a few small issues will sell for 6-9k sometimes.


small issues dont bother me, but rust i hate. i really want to find as little rust as possible. i figured i'll look for one once i've saved up around $10k. if i get out of under the loan of the quad its very feasible i can save $800 a month. its just hard for me to part with something that has been such a big part of my life for the last 8 yrs.

[CJM]

FWIW the fords typically always have rust, find one without and its a miracle. Typically wheel wells rot first. You get one you take WD40 and spray it like every week inside the stakepocket holes that go into the rear fenders and it stops the rust. Why they rust is water gets in there and is trapped.

[400exrider69]

+1 with idi's their's nothing better imo for cheap and reliable their great trucks if taken care off

[slightlybent47]

That’s a very hard way to make a living, especially with all the competition out there.
That’s one of the first things people do when there looking for a job and with so many out there doing yard work it makes it hard to make any money.
I had a landscaping business at one time and back then the economy took a dump and started doing it also. People were cutting yards for 10 bucks where I was getting 80 – 100 for the same job. It got to where I couldn’t afford the gas to cut the yard.
Don’t worry about getting trouble because you will be working so hard for so little you won’t have time to ride.

Keep the quad till it’s paid off and get a cheaper truck that will do the job until you figure out if it will be worth it.

[buck440]

Originally posted by TheLane
Being a loan officer i can tell you this.

Dealers can buy the quad off of you because they essentially take money out of their pocket to pay the bike down/off while they wait on the title/lien release.

However most dealers wont buy the bike from you if you have negative equity because even though you have the MSO a lien is still recorded by your financial institution using a UCC (which is a way to record an interest in collateral with a state that does not title the vehicle)

If you can get out from under it and you really want to do that go for it! but i can also tell you its HARD to pay on something you dont have any more. When you see that money go away every month lol, it hurts the ego.

pm sent thelane

[rbgnwa45]

Buy a couple old S10 single cab's and make your employee's drive them. Lessen the load.

[krt400ex]

well i'm going to end up with a 1996 f250 with the 351 in it. 4wd for only $1800.

[400exrider69]

make sure to post pics sound like a good deal!!:D

[CJM]

Originally posted by krt400ex
well i'm going to end up with a 1996 f250 with the 351 in it. 4wd for only $1800.

Smart man, gas mileage gonna suck on it tho. Tune it up and use ford racing or accel wires, good motorcraft or autolite plugs and bump the timing up 2 degrees-not only will it run better, but it will get more mpg.

[krt400ex]

i def will post pics when i get it. the kid is saving for a cummins but is asking his dad if he can drive a company truck meanwhile so i can take this off his hands asap. my buddy is letting me use his trailer this season so i basically set now. just need to start advertising again.

the truck drives incredibly well for its age. i was genuinely shocked when i drove it. no odd noises, no shakes, no shimmie, no noise from the engine, the trans drives completely perfectly. the engine doesnt even have oil leaks. its got a little body rot(which will get fixed asap) but overall the body is in nice shape. the frame doesnt have any significant rust on it. just minor surface rust, which i will end up wire brushing and coating it with por15

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by CJM
Smart man, gas mileage gonna suck on it tho. Tune it up and use ford racing or accel wires, good motorcraft or autolite plugs and bump the timing up 2 degrees-not only will it run better, but it will get more mpg.

yea he said he is getting around 12 with it. that number even surprised me. i expect to see 10 or so unloaded and god only knows what when i'm towing

[CJM]

Doing that tune up will help a bit. The 302 and 351 came a bit detuned for emissions from the factory.

Join this awesome ford forum, Im a member and they have every single 86-95 OBS ford truck problem covered and fixed.

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum28/

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by CJM
Doing that tune up will help a bit. The 302 and 351 came a bit detuned for emissions from the factory.

Join this awesome ford forum, Im a member and they have every single 86-95 OBS ford truck problem covered and fixed.

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum28/

if i do mods for power i really want to up the low end performance and torque. i'll be towing weight a few days out of the week and i dont want to have to use rpm and beat on the truck

[krt400ex]

here is a picture of it. cell phone quality. not bad for $1800 though

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u193/without_a_clue/0301110032.jpg

[CJM]

Very nice for 1800 :)

Only thing your gonna dislike is the paddle mirrors, I hate mine and when I finally rebuild the truck its getting the old manual style.

What quick check is that btw, I think I know it lol.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by CJM
Very nice for 1800 :)

Only thing your gonna dislike is the paddle mirrors, I hate mine and when I finally rebuild the truck its getting the old manual style.

What quick check is that btw, I think I know it lol.

its on route 23 south in sussex. they just built it about a year and a half ago across the road from franklin sussex automall