Home/Rants/💬 General/Hit $150k this year hauling with my Ford F-350, but damn the maintenance costs are killing me
Hit $150k this year hauling with my Ford F-350, but damn the maintenance costs are killing me
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HaulHero2
·8mo·64 replies·65 participants
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HaulHero2⚒️ JourneymanOP8mo
28
Finally crossed $150k in revenue this year running my general contracting side hustle, mostly hauling materials and small demo jobs with my trusty Ford F-350. It's been a grind, but seeing those numbers makes it worth it after 8 years of scraping by. That said, the truck's repair bills hit $4k last quarter alone, mostly brakes and suspension from all the heavy loads. If you're in the hauling game, what's your go-to for keeping costs down?
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PaintSplatterPat4⚒️ Journeyman8mo
4
man, that truck maintenance BS is universal.
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CanvasCrusader⭐ Expert8mo
6
yep, my dodge ram is a money pit too.
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TenYearVet21⚒️ Journeyman8mo
4
ford's solid but parts add up quick.
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BoxTosser2⚒️ Journeyman8mo
7
switched to a used international, saved 2k on repairs already.
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RustyNails3⚒️ Journeyman8mo
5
good call, internationals hold up better for hauling.
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TenYearVet6⭐ Expert8mo
3
congrats on the milestone, but yeah those bills suck.
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TarPaperTiger2⚒️ Journeyman8mo
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f-350's a beast but treat it like a rental, budget 10% of revenue for upkeep.
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DustBusterDave⭐ Expert8mo
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10%? that's low, i'm at 15% easy.
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SprayTanSavant⭐ Expert8mo
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nah 12% if you drive smart.
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RoofRat87⚒️ Journeyman8mo
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fuck these supply chain delays jacking up parts prices.
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DrainDiver5⚒️ Journeyman8mo
5
solid win, brother. just got my own truck paid off after 5 years.
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ColorChanger2⚒️ Journeyman8mo
12
haha, my first big check went straight to tires that blew out on a job site.
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TenYearVet2⚒️ Journeyman8mo
6
homeowners haggling over every dollar while our overhead skyrockets.
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SparkPlugStan2⚒️ Journeyman8mo
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congrats man, felt that truck pain last month.
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LawnLad4🔧 Apprentice8mo
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every damn time i hit a milestone, some repair bill wipes the smile off.
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FixItFelix⚒️ Journeyman7mo
3
my cummins diesel was cheaper long term, swapped from ford and never looked back.
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CircuitSurfer2⚒️ Journeyman7mo
5
PSA: get a fleet card for fuel and repairs, saved my ass on taxes.
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PipeLord4204⚒️ Journeyman7mo
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good advice, just filed and deducted $3k in maintenance.
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GreenThumbGuru4⚒️ Journeyman7mo
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$150k is huge, keep grinding.
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GarageGuru2⭐ Expert7mo
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those f-350 payments are no joke when they hit.
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SawdustSavant11⭐ Expert7mo
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watched tommy mello talk about scaling with vehicles, he said lease if you can.
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SpotlessSteve11⚒️ Journeyman7mo
10
same here, hit 120k but vet bill for my dog ate half the profit lol.
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SweepSquad2⚒️ Journeyman7mo
12
fml, just towed my rig after a job and it cost me $800.
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AmpedUp2⭐ Expert7mo
3
guy in contractors network fb group ranted about ford reliability, mixed bag.
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BoxBoss2⚒️ Journeyman7mo
4
budget for it or you'll be broke again.
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KeyMaster⭐ Expert7mo
4
proud of ya, but yeah maintenance is the silent killer.
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HandyDanDoIt⚒️ Journeyman7mo
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asked on r/smallbusiness about truck costs, everyone said same thing.
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SparkChaser⚒️ Journeyman7mo
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congrats, i remember my first 100k felt like winning the lotto.
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VoltVampire⚒️ Journeyman7mo
3
wiring issues on my old ford cost me a week off.
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HammerTimeHero6⚒️ Journeyman7mo
3
get extended warranty if under 100k miles, worth every penny.
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DrainDoctor⚒️ Journeyman7mo
4
the grind pays off, but trucks don't last forever.
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GarageGuruGus⚒️ Journeyman7mo
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hit my milestone last year, spent it all on a new hitch setup.
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NailGunNinja2⚒️ Journeyman7mo
5
ford's great for power but thirsty as hell on gas.
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VineVanquisher⚒️ Journeyman7mo
9
same struggle, $150k but taxes and repairs ate 40%.
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LadderLad5⚒️ Journeyman7mo
6
congrats dude, keep those wins coming.
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DustBunnySlayer⭐ Expert7mo
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commercial hauling margins are tight with these prices.
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ACAvenger⚒️ Journeyman7mo
3
saw a post on r/contractor about f-350 mods for better mileage.
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CircuitSavant2⚒️ Journeyman7mo
6
upgrade to led lights and tires, drops costs 20%.
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ComboBreaker⚒️ Journeyman6mo
1
$150k? nice, but my overhead is 60% now smh.
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PipeLord42027⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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yeah materials doubled, kills the vibe.
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GarageGuru7⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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tommy mello's advice on vehicle fleets changed my game.
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MoverManic⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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laughed when my truck broke down mid-haul, client waited 3 hours.
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ArcFlashAl⭐ Expert6mo
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don't skimp on brakes, had a close call last summer.
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LeakHunterPro2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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felt that, my milestone check bounced to repairs.
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NotAnElectrician18⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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not an electrician but hauling wiring jobs wrecked my suspension.
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TenYearVet15⚒️ Journeyman6mo
3
scaling up means more trucks, more headaches.
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TermiteTerror3⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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truth, hired a driver and now insurance doubled.
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NotAnElectrician20⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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congrats on the revenue, man.
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MowMan⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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mower attachments for my truck cost a fortune to maintain.
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PipeDreamer11⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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r/homeimprovement had a thread on contractor vehicles, all complaining.
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LawnLad⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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lawn debris hauls are the worst for wear and tear.
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MoldMilitant⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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mold removal gigs require heavy hauling, same issue.
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DovetailDave⚒️ Journeyman6mo
5
custom racks helped my f-350 last longer.
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JoltJockey⚒️ Journeyman6mo
5
electrical supply runs eat tires fast.
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PipeDreamer22🔧 Apprentice6mo
1
how do you track those maintenance costs?
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DirtBagDan⭐ Expert6mo
4
dirt hauling in wet weather destroys undercarriages.
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ChillMaster6⭐ Expert6mo
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ac unit hauls are brutal on the back too.
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FlushFreak2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
11
plumbing fixtures weigh a ton, same problem.
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DirtDiggerDan⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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digging jobs mean constant trailer towing stress.
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BoxHaulerBob⚒️ Journeyman6mo
7
boxes don't sound bad but volume kills the truck.
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DrainDiver3⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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drain snaking gear is heavy af.
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HammerTimeHero5⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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hammering out dents costs extra.
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RollerRanger🔧 Apprentice5mo
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paint roller hauls? nah, but ladders wreck the bed.