Shoeing Saddlebreds, Bill Hill requires a truck where he can inventory a huge number of products, wants a weather-protected area for working on these complicated pad and shoe packages without having to pack up his tools between stops and needs a warm, dry place to work in the Midwest’s ever-changing weather.

Some folks might argue that working out of the large-sized Peterbilt truck shown here is overkill, but the Cambridge, Wis., farrier finds it’s an ideal setup.

Yet he’s the first to admit that he’d be driving a much smaller rig if he didn’t want to carry a huge product inventory for working with Saddlebreds.

Reasonable Truck Costs

Hill credits the truck with providing reliable, low-maintenance transportation and the opportunity to look more professional to clients and prospects.

“With the big inventory that I carry in the truck, I’m done for the day when I pull into my yard at home,” he says. “There’s no need to check my inventory or load more supplies in the truck.”

At 55 miles per hour, the rig averages 15 miles per gallon along two-lane country roads. Fuel consumption drops to 8 to 10 miles per gallon at higher interstate speeds.

The truck’s air-ride chassis allows Hill to leave shoes and tools in the rig’s work areas without worrying about them ending up on the floor as he drives down bumpy roads. Thanks to the air-ride feature, even water doesn’t slop out of a half-filled water bucket. Plus, it offers a more comfortable ride…