need topper in lex area

[uneekcowgirl]

Hey Ya'll!

I'm new to the forum and I've never posted on bulletin boards, so here goes. I need a topper for an F350 LWB. I am still fairly new as a practicing farrier, though not new to the industry, and money is a factor. Anyone know of a good used topper reasonably priced? Any ideas on how to project a professional image, even if I don't have the "big rig" that others have? Any ideas to help are GREATLY appreciated!

Teresa

[Rick Burten]

Check the classified ads section of the site.

One projects a professional image by being professional. A neat appearance, promptness, communication, etc . You don't need all the bells and whistles some of us (ahem) old geezers have acquired over the years, but you do need the minimums. Good tools, a reasonable amount of supplies, reference books and articles on hand to help you answer questions, an ability to converse with others using more than one syllable words, a thirst for knowledge and skill improvement. Your work vehicle should be clean. Your tools and supplies, neatly organized, not thrown in a couple of buckets in the back of your rig Your invoices and business cards should look professionally done, which should be easy since you have a computer and should be able to make them up using one program or another, at a very reasonable cost.

No swearing, drinking either with or infront of clients, no bad mouthing other farriers, owners, vets, or horses. Preferably, no smoking, or at least not in someone's barn. As a woman, you will need to dress, dare I say, modestly.

And, always remember that the people who are your clients are not necessarily your friends, even though they may profess otherwise. You will have to work to keep the two seperate and distinct.

Rick
(now, if only I would follow all that advise all the time, myself :o )

[uneekcowgirl]

Thanks Rick!

What I'd really like to know is how to have a rig set up with all the minimum bench tools,not to mention anvil,forge and inventory needed. Until I get a topper, I'm kinda limited. Maybe some of you "Old Geezers" can remember how you first started out until enough money came in to buy the rig or topper you needed?! ;)

Teresa

[Jason Maki]

I am not a geezer, but sometimes I feel really old, so maybe I can help! :D
My first rig was a tool box, the kind that construction guys put in the bed of there truck that leaves most of the bed open. I stored shoes in small boxes in the box, had a little tupper ware containers for nails, drill tech etc. I had another tool box that held pads, and the assorted junk we need. I had a drill, and a hand grinder, a four outlet electric box and fifty feet of extension cord I wound up each time. I built a plaform from 2x4 and plywood, that had a flip top lid to cover my little two burner forge. I should have covered that with a thin sheet metal, as it eventually smoldered away! I would slide it forward when I needed it. My Dad built me a NICE anvil stand with a vice that i still use when I park my trailer rig. It was simple, and it worked. I, however, already had the box, from my time working construction on the intercoastal in Ft. Lauderdale( never take a job working for a troglodyte heiress horse woman---they tend to be a little difficult. I am pretty passive, but I had to leave or kill her! I digress...sorry) A used topper might cost less than a gangbox, though!
Jason

[uneekcowgirl]

Thanks Jason!

My mind is working now, hence the smoke coming from my ears, and you've given me some great ideas! When I come up with a plan I may throw it out there to see if any of ya'll have an opinion about it. I am old enough to learn from everybody else's mistakes! but don't ask how old ;)

[Mike Ferrara]

The first pickup I had was a little 85 S-10. I was going to buy a cap but a buddy who was a great carpenter had a bunch of wood laying around.

In about an hour and a half he threw together one slick cap. It was flat on the top, had a shallow angle down on either side and both sides were doors that flipped up. He sealed the wood up and even used bondo in a few spots and painted it.

Sometimes where money is short a little extra work will get you by.

[calshoer]

Mt first was a restored 67 Ford fairlane ranchero.....no topper.
I had two truck type tool boxes in the bed so I could keep all my (minimal ) supplies hidden and out of the weather. I had lined the bed with thick plywood ,so I built wooden block things into the bed floor to keep the forge (coal at that time), anvil and stand from sliding around, and I chained them in to some tie down rings so they couldn't go flying in the event of a fast stop or wreck. .
That worked pretty well until I got a cargo van and built racks and things inside that.
(PS the kicker is I traded in the little ranchero,(which was given to me by a very kind ex husband, and when he found outr he nealy broke down and cried. Turns out he had a LOT of money in the restoration ,a lot of special stuff in the engine and so on, and the thing was worth about ten times what I got in the trade in. Made me sick when I found out too. :eek:
Patty

[John Barney]

Teresa
I'm still building a business as well, money does get tight. What I use is a car top carrier that I got at a yard sale for five bucks. It works great to store anvil, forge, tool box, and some shoes. I have two roller stands in my shop so I can roll the whole thing out by my self if I need the truck for something else. It hinged on the side and I did take that off and hinged it in the back so it would lift back towards the cab. I also have a cross bed toolbox for equithane and other misc. I made the mistake of selling my S-10 (with 210,000 miles) and getting a Dakota. Seems like everything is about double in price due to the odd bed size. I just came through northern KY, hope you didn't flood out like they did in Ohio and IN.

JB

[uneekcowgirl]

We haven't flooded out here in Lex, thank goodness! I don't think it will ever quit raining,though!!!! I'm getting good ideas from everybody and it's great to have a forum like this to communicate on. Ya'll have been wonderful! Keep the ideas coming, though! You can never get enough input on things like this!

Teresa

[farriersmom]

Don't know if this idea will help any, but my son has a box off a telephone truck. It has several different doors some with bins that hold nails, others have slide out drawers and racks. The back opens up the middle with room for forge and other stuff. He is mounting it on a frame to use as a trailer. He got it used, cost $300 I think.

[J.H. shoeing]

Teresa

I would suggest going to a RV sales center, because most of them can get toppers. They have a cheaper line of tops that have doors on all sides. You can probably get one new for a few hundred dollars. The ARE toppers are good and better quality. You may be able to find on of those used as they make several for commercial building contractors and most of the contractors use one ton trucks. Be careful about buying one with out the side doors as you will have to build or buy a pullout for your truck. It will get very old very quickly crawling in and out of the back to get to stuff in the front of the bed. I bought one of the cheap ones and used it three years and sold it to someone else and they used it three more before I lost track of it. If you have to pay a little for a top, just remember how much easier it will be to work out of, how much more professional you look, how much longer your tools will last keeping them out of the weather and not having to store them in and out of a big tool box between every stop. I worked out of a one ton with a GIANT tool box that I had made. I could put all of my tools in the box along with a bunch of nails and shoes. I just remember getting thru at the end of the day and knowing I would be shoeing the next morning and having to spend that 30 minutes putting everything up and the 30 minutes the next morning unloading. When I could have left it in the bed (in the weather, mostly rainy) and set up in a couple of minutes. EFFICIENCY and fire is your friend. It is a pain in the backside to have to load and unload a hot forge to keep it out of the weather. Cause if it starts raining in the middle of a horse you have to stop and store the hot forge or let it get full of water. It takes about 30 minutes to burn all that fresh rain out of it after it gets good and soaked. Not exactly the best way to take care of your nice $400+ forge. There are a lot of little tricks to keep your hand tools out of the weather without having to load and unload out of the big box but storing the hot forge is hard. I looked all over for a topper before I broke down and bought the cheap first one I had and afterwards figured that all the supplies and tools that the weather ruined would have paid for two of them. It will be much easier to find a top without the side doors but it will be hard to use without a slide out because it is so hard to get to the front of the truck where everything you need will magicly end up at the most inopportune time. My advice is to figure out how much money you have to spend and shop around and spend it wisely. It is easier to by good equipment than to buy something that you won't or can't use.

Jeff

[uneekcowgirl]

Hey Jeff,
I have looked at ARE and some of the construction toppers. My question is has anyone priced these compared to the Stonewell toppers? I haven't gotten far enough to get a price quote from a dealer. Curious to see if anyone else has. And I agree wholeheartedly about getting quality the first time or paying double for it in other ways. That's why I saved until I could buy the quality hand tools I needed the first time. That's essentially what I'm doing now...researching and asking questions before I invest in a new topper. I figured I could get into a used one cheaper or make something else to work for now. All the advice and input has been sooooo helpful! Ya'll are great to take the time to share your wealth of knowledge to the rest of us!! Thanks!!

Teresa

[Dave Purves]

An ARE topper that goes on top of the bed of your pick up truck with two side half doors and a full back door painted to match the truck will cost around $1500. The last time I looked into Stonewell, Monetta, Goergia Farrier Supply, Omni, or any other full farrier bed maker they started around $6000. By the time you put in shoe racks, pad racks, tool racks, slide out's for your belt sander and bench grinder a slide out for your drill press a swing out for your forge, a swing out for your anvil, a TV/VCR/DVD player and a radio, you're looking at anywhere from $10,000 to $12,000. I'm sure it's well worth the money, I just don't have enough. For a couple of years now I've been dying to get a stonewell body but I just don't have that kind of money laying around. I do know someone that went down to Monetta and found a really good used body for about $4000. It was almost new and that included the racks and swing outs. Call around
Dave Purves CF

[Dave Whitaker]

Teresa,
If you have a farrier supply company near enough to you to drive to, they are usually great sources of info on used stuff of all sorts for sale. Just leave a list of what you are looking for with them and you might be amazed at the response. I found a used ARE top like that at about half the money. I did find that a quality top makes a difference 'cause you are in and out of it so much...they hold up better.

I hope the floods don't hinder the Cincy conference on the 26th!

Good luck! Dave

[uneekcowgirl]

Dave,

I'm hoping that by letting enough people know what I'm wanting, someone will remember me when they come across a good used topper. I've priced the Stonewells vs Monetta and Stonewell really isn't more expensive than Monetta. I lived close to Monetta for 3 yrs and have looked at their products. I haven't been that impressed with them for the price. So I'm making do with what I can get by with till I can afford "The Rig"! I've got so many good ideas and things to consider with the advice of those who have "been there, done that". That's why I love this forum. Someone else mentioned old telephone truck toppers that go at auctions the company has periodically. If anyone has a buddy that works for one of the phone companies and can find out when they retire their truck toppers, please let me know! It may be worth the drive. See ya'll in Cincy!

Teresa

[Dave Whitaker]

It was great for me to be able to work out of a few different rigs day after day before I set my own up. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted and what works well 4 me..... It let me get "pretty close" right away. Though your rig has to be your own. If you stepped into mine and I into yours we would both look like we had all left thumbs! Looking forward to Cincy.(sounds like we need to bring the canoe)... Dave

[Jason Maki]

I was thinking, my cargo trailer was about $2500, but you could find a decent used two horse for a song. A little paint, tires and some carpentry and you could have a nice, efficient rig that keeps you out of the weather. and eliminates the need to pick up that damn 125 lbs plus paper weight.
Jason Maki

[Bill Adams]

I had a different brand, now I have an ARE just like it but the ARE is much higher quality for about the same price.
Bill

[Gary_Miller]

For you folks that have used both a trailer, and a truck which do you like best? pros and cons of both?

Gary

[Gary Hill]

It mostly depends on your clientel and how the barns are set up for you to work. People that design horse barns hardly remember that the farrier will be there taking up space every 6 or 8 weeks. For a barn to be Farrier Friendly it should be where the farrier can get to his rig and the horse without walking himself to death. If your clients have a nice area for you to work then a trailer would be great because you would have so much already setup in the form of drills, sanders or whatever. BUT if all the barns are setup where you can barely back your rig into ,then the smaller the truck the better. My S-10 can creep into some barns with about four inchs of clearance on the sides from the mirrors, but I can get in out of the bad weather and not lose a day or get behind because of it. Plus the horses are usually dry from being up anyway. Hope this helps answer part of your question? Good luck! Gary
P.S. When I do drive in some barns I don't get to open the sides of my ARE topper but I still get to work.

[Jason Maki]

I love my trailaer. I grew up on a farm, learned to drive a teactor at eight, and was bouncing around in a '64 Chevy on the farm at ten. I could back a manure spreader or hay wagon in and out of a tea cup. With a little practice, you can put a trailer anywhere you can put your truck. I have lights, eight outlets, two presses, a three burner forge, a mounted anvil, six shelves. I am never in the weather, heated in the winter by a two burner propane heater, and cool in the siummer with a fan. The only downside is feul, I get about 500 miles to a tank without the trailer, and about 425 with the trailer and a cap.
I hated being wet, my tools getting wet and lifting the anvil.
Jason

[Mike Ferrara]

Jason, do you shoe in the trailor?

[Jason Maki]

Oh yeah! A few months ago I thought I would save a few bucks on fuel and park it. I took one bench apart and Tech screwed it to my truck. A few rain storms and one bitter cold day later, I put the bench back in my trailer and rehooked the electric. The little 6x12x6 is just tall enough. I am about 6 feet in my boots, but I just do not stand up straight in the trailor. If you want, post your email address and i can send a couple pictures of the setup. I can shoe a horse, but I'll be damned if I can set up my computer to allow me to post pictures here! That reminds me, I need to delete the add I posted here! :D
Jason

[J.H. shoeing]

I have got a 5X8X5 trailer with doors on the sides and rear and a single axle. It works well for me. I like a truck rig if it is set up where I can use all the space.

Jeff

[Mike Ferrara]

Oh yeah! A few months ago I thought I would save a few bucks on fuel and park it. I took one bench apart and Tech screwed it to my truck. A few rain storms and one bitter cold day later, I put the bench back in my trailer and rehooked the electric. The little 6x12x6 is just tall enough. I am about 6 feet in my boots, but I just do not stand up straight in the trailor. If you want, post your email address and i can send a couple pictures of the setup. I can shoe a horse, but I'll be damned if I can set up my computer to allow me to post pictures here! That reminds me, I need to delete the add I posted here! :D
Jason

ferrara@pwrtc.com

[redd2001]

I have been reading about everyones rigs, trailers, vans, ect. I have noticed that everyone has fans, drills, grinders everything that runs on electricity,
where are ya'll getting the juice? Do you have your own generator or do you ask the client to plug into available barn circuits?
Redd

[Jason Maki]

I have a hundred feet on a reel...wind it out, plug it in! I have never asked if I could use the power, it never occurred to me. I do'nt ask for a bucket of water, either... I just fill er up and git'er done! :D
Jason

[Moses Shaw]

For you folks that have used both a trailer, and a truck which do you like best? pros and cons of both?

Gary
In the summer i love my trailer and i have enuff room for back stock and it keeps me out of the blowing rain. in the winter its great to except for when there is snow or ice. the limits are i cant get in and out of everywhere so ive lost some accounts because of that factor. but when im on the road you cant beat it i drop it and go back to the room. and i dont need a second truck to haul my horse trailer but next winter there will be a new truck in the drive and this one will have a stonewell body on it. Be Safe Mo

[Meg Oliver]

Congratulations, and welcome to the club. When I first started out, I built myself a metal box for my anvil at the back of my truck. It was bolted to the bed of my pickup at the back and when I shut the tailgate, it was closed in. When I got to the farm, I simply lowered the tailgate and slid my anvil out onto the anvil stand. My forge had a similar box on the other side. It worked. And I put my shoe inventory (small but practical) in different colored buckets in one of those typical tool boxes that bolt into the back of your truck near the cab. Even with a little Toyota that still left me room to haul hay or have my truck for other things. Be safe out there...and check out our association for female farriers on the associations page on this web site...Sisterhood of Shoers.

Be safe.

Meg Oliver