Tree service work in Texas is hard, physical, and gear-intensive. Whether you’re trimming live oaks in Houston suburbs, removing storm-damaged pines after a Gulf Coast hurricane, or doing right-of-way clearing across rural South Texas, the right truck body can make or break your daily operation. At Star Truck Equipment in Wharton, TX, we work with tree service companies and arborists across Texas and Louisiana to build work trucks that handle the demands of the job.
What Tree Service Companies Need From a Work Truck
Tree crews haul a lot of different gear — chainsaws, pole saws, chippers, climbing gear, ropes, rigging hardware, fuel cans, water, and safety equipment. Beyond tools, many arborist crews need to move heavy limbs, brush, and logs. The ideal truck body for a tree service company needs to:
- Carry a large volume of hand tools and power equipment
- Handle rough road conditions and job sites (dirt, mud, uneven ground)
- Support a mounted crane for lifting heavy logs or sections
- Be durable enough to take daily abuse without rusting or falling apart
- Stay organized so crews can find the right tool fast
Top Truck Body Options for Tree Service Crews
1. Flatbed Truck Bodies
A heavy-duty flatbed is one of the most versatile setups for tree service crews. It gives you a large, open deck to haul equipment, limbs, or gear, and it pairs naturally with a mounted crane for lifting work. Bedrock and CM flatbeds are popular choices — both build rugged steel flatbeds in Texas-relevant configurations. The Bedrock Granite 9G in particular is a favorite for crews that need a low-profile, heavy-duty deck that can take punishment.
Flatbeds are especially useful when you’re hauling longer logs or branches that won’t fit in a standard bed. The open deck also makes loading and unloading with a crane much easier — no bed rails in the way.
2. Service Bodies
If your crew runs a large toolkit — multiple saws, rigging sets, safety gear, first aid, fuel, bar oil, and climbing equipment — a service body gives you organized, lockable storage for everything. Side-access compartments keep gear accessible without digging through a pile in the bed, and drawers or shelving systems inside can turn a service body into a well-organized mobile shop.
STI (Service Trucks International) builds some of the best service bodies in the industry for demanding applications. Their all-steel construction and large compartment options work well for arborists carrying a wide range of tools and supplies. CM also offers quality service body options at a strong price point.
3. Crane Bodies for Tree Work
For professional tree removal operations — especially large-diameter trees in residential neighborhoods where sections need to be rigged and lowered — a crane body with a truck-mounted crane is a game changer. Instead of renting a crane or relying on hand lines, you have lifting power on every call.
Tiger Cranes are a strong choice for tree service operations. They’re compact, powerful, and designed specifically for truck mounting. A 2–5 ton Tiger Crane mounted on a flatbed or crane body gives your crew the ability to lift and swing heavy trunk sections without straining ropes or putting workers at risk.
We install Tiger Cranes at our Wharton, TX shop and serve customers across the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana. Call us at (979) 532-1486 to discuss crane body builds for your tree service fleet.
Best Trucks for Tree Service Work
Most Texas tree service crews run Ford F-350 or F-450 Super Duty trucks for primary service vehicles — they offer the payload and cab-to-axle dimensions needed to mount a service body or flatbed and crane combination without being overloaded. For heavier crane setups or larger crews, the Ford F-550 or Ram 5500 chassis cab gives you even more payload capacity.
If you’re running a smaller residential or commercial trimming operation, a Ram 3500 or Ford F-350 SRW with a service body is often enough. We help match the right truck body to your chassis — just bring your truck to Wharton, TX or give us a call.
Storm Season and Emergency Tree Work
Texas and Louisiana get hit hard by hurricanes and tropical storms, and tree service companies become first responders in the days following a major storm. During storm season, the ability to carry more gear, more fuel, and more supplies — plus a crane for faster limb removal — can define how much ground your crew covers in a day. A well-equipped work truck isn’t just a productivity tool; it’s a competitive advantage when demand surges after a storm.
If you’re prepping your tree service operation for hurricane season, now is the time to upgrade your truck bodies. Call us at (979) 532-1486 — we can often turn around service body and flatbed installations in just a few business days.
Shop Tree Service Truck Bodies in Wharton, TX
Star Truck Equipment is located at 2507 County Rd 231, Wharton, TX 77488. We serve tree service companies, arborists, and landscape crews from Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Beaumont, and across South Texas and Louisiana.
We carry Bedrock, CM, Norstar, STI, and other top brands, plus professional installation from experienced upfitters. Call (979) 532-1486 today to talk through your tree service truck build.
