My current truck is a Ford F-450 regular cab pickup with the bed removed and a custom flatbed built by Jayron Fabrications. The main part of the bed has a 4-foot-long open-top block box on each side with drop-down doors for easy access.
The Marathon carriage is mounted on the frame with an aluminum sheet to protect it and is 3 inches lower than the rest of the bed. Underbody toolboxes are installed in front of the wheels on both sides and behind the wheels on the driver’s side, providing space for tool storage.
Due to the pickup frame being weaker, I installed a Kelderman air ride on the rear and a GenY shock hitch to help soften the bumps and always keep the truck level.
Since I do only home deliveries, I chose the F-450 for its excellent turning radius, a pickup for more power than a cab chassis, and a regular cab for its ability to get into tighter spots, albeit at the expense of some stability on the road.
My current trailer is a 22–37 foot Scenic View single-frame trailer with a swivel tongue instead of sideways wheels.
It is very well built, and I have no complaints about that, but I wouldn’t get another short single frame for several reasons. The tail moves forward and back drastically as it’s raised and lowered, making it hard to position precisely when unloading.
Extending or contracting the frame extensions also raises and lowers the tail. It has a 4-foot front extension, a 6-foot center extension, and a 5-foot tail extension. If one of the buildings comes to the edge of the extension, the next one will have 6 feet from the end that can’t be strapped down. With a double frame, all these issues are minimized.
I have used Mule 3s since 2008, but I finally got a Mule 524 this year. I love the remote control, power, two-speed capability, and other features, but the Mule 3 is still my go-to for small buildings. It is much lighter on the truck, faster to load and unload, the buildings aren’t as tippy, and the forks don’t slip out from under the building on wood buildings 8×8 and larger.
Some other tools I use include a 72-inch Telegraph Digging Bar from Bon Tool that is virtually unbendable when used as a pry bar to shift buildings. Rollers are great, and 2-by-4-foot traction mats that are smooth on one side work well to slide buildings sideways when rollers don’t work.
The Bulldog Farm Jack from TSC is like the Handyman but clicks to the next notch sooner so the handle isn’t as low to the ground.
Customers are awed by the ingenuity and design of the trailer, Mule, and other tools that make the job much easier than 20 years ago when I started hauling or 42 years ago when my dad did the deliveries.
