July 2008, Work Truck - Feature
Cyclng Truck Bodies: Is It a Good or Bad Idea?
By Joe Bohn
Considering all the variables, "It’s not as easy as just unbolting a dump truck body," said Weichman.
Weighing the economics, a fleet also must consider the lost value in selling an older complete truck versus selling just its cab-and-chassis.
Palm Beach County can sell a seven-year-old dump truck for $22,000 - $28,000 (with 12-yard capacity), but loses at least one-third of the profit when selling only a cab-and-chassis.
Still, county officials with a fleet of 4,500 vehicles, found it more cost-effective to refurbish a 10-year-old under-bridge bucket truck and recycle the bodies of some of its animal trucks.
The under-bridge bucket/aerial truck cost $268,000 to refurbish versus $400,000 for a brand new model. Refurbishment included sending the vehicle back to the original equipment manufacturer Aspen, and having it completely upgraded to the level of a new model.
The County’s animal cage trucks are viable candidates to have the bodies moved or reused, said Weichman.
"We did this in the past and we consider each truck as it comes up for replacement on a case-by-case basis," Weichman adds.
The high cost of the bodies, about $15,000 each, favors their reuse. Their light weight, fiberglass construction and manageable size make them easy to handle. They don’t incur rust and are typically in good shape. And, having no hydraulics or other items to transfer, they’re relatively easy to bolt onto the back of a ¾-ton cab-and-chassis.
As an alternative, Palm Beach County has also sold these trucks to operators at dog tracks for 30 percent of the original purchase price to be used for transporting their greyhounds.