Cedar privacy + picket. 6' standard, board-on-board upgrade.
White / almond / tan, full-panel kits.
Powder-coated black/bronze. Self-closing gates.
Galvanized + black vinyl-coated.
High-tensile, woven, T-post.
No dig, no concrete. Past frost line.
Down from $195K in the original full-CTL plan. ~46% less capital, 90% of the operating capability for the first season's residential job mix.
| Bucket | Spec | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Truck | Used '20–'22 F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 EcoBoost | $30,000 |
| Truck upfit | Toolbox · headache rack · liner · bed extender | $2,150 |
| Trailer | 8.5×20 V-nose tandem 7K enclosed (mini skid + tools) | $9,400 |
| Mini skid | Used Toro Dingo TX 1000 HF, ~800 hrs | $25,000 |
| Driver + auger + forks | Mini-skid post driver, auger, pallet forks | $10,000 |
| Backup drivers + augers | Skidril G2XD-4 · Stihl BT 131 · T-post | $3,400 |
| Power + hand + safety + layout | Milwaukee M18 · Stabila · Klein · Topcon | $11,000 |
| Insurance year-1 prepay | GL $1M/$2M · Auto · Inland marine | $8,000 |
| LLC + plates + bonds + memberships | INBiz · USDOT · Marion bond · AFA · BAGL | $3,500 |
| Initial marketing | GBP · LSA deposit · yard signs · partial wrap | $5,500 |
| Doors open | ~$25K cash down + financed equipment | $108,000 |
The driven-post system is the differentiator. Spend where it matters (drivers + chucks), buy mid-tier on layout + safety, defer everything else.
Skid Pro or Eterra mini-fence driver, ~$6,500. Drives Postmaster (3.5 × 1.75) cleanly, fits Toro Dingo's 7–17 GPM flow, and seats a post in under 3 minutes.
Why mini, not full CTL: A 36"-wide Dingo drives through residential gates without removing them. A 70"-wide Bobcat T66 doesn't. That single fact decides 80% of year-1 access logistics.
2696-26 6-tool combo · impact wrench · 12" miter · 4 spare batt
CF325XP cordless framer · N66C coil siding · FS1664K-E fence stapler
Type 196 levels · D248 / D213 pliers · Goldenrod 400 · WWPJ-A-30 stretcher
Rotary laser · tripod · grade rod · 300 ft tape · marking paint
Electric mixer for gate posts · fast-set Quikrete
Hard hats · ISOtunes · Mechanix · 200 marking flags · Indiana 811 ticket SOP
Indianapolis is the procurement hub — three wholesale distributors and one Lafayette lumber yard cover ~95% of weekly material flow.
Indianapolis · (317) 419-2355 · PostMaster backup, FenceTrac, Galv Pro, Little Beaver augers, Simpson Strong-Tie. Indiana-owned, often beats giants on lead time.
Columbus, OH · (614) 285-3584 · Best raw chain-link pricing if you can take truckload. PowerCoat steel post (PostMaster analog) 5–15% under MH.
Center Point, IN · (812) 835-2189 · Country Estate vinyl wholesaler · Regis aluminum · LMT Mercer post caps · Nationwide hardware.
Farm & ranch path. Red Brand made in Peoria IL — closest woven wire. Rural King Lafayette + TSC for T-posts, Bekaert HT, barbed.
The big pivot: skip the full compact track loader. Run a mini skid that fits through residential gates and tows behind a half-ton.
| Full CTL · Bobcat T66 | Mini skid · Dingo TX 1000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 66–70" (won't fit residential gate) | 36–42" (drives right through) |
| Weight | ~8,800 lb | ~3,200 lb |
| Ground pressure | 5–7 psi (lawn damage risk) | ~3.5 psi (much gentler) |
| Capital · used 1,500 hr | $52K–58K | $20K–28K |
| Tow vehicle needed | F-250 / 2500 HD diesel | F-150 EcoBoost is plenty |
| DOT / CDL math | Always in scope | Often stays under threshold |
| Lift capacity | 2,400+ lb | 700–1,000 lb |
3.5L EcoBoost · Max Tow Package · 11,300 lb tow rating · ~$30K with 60–80K mi.
Used Pace American or Wells Cargo · ~$9K. Mini skid in via rear ramp; tools live on e-track walls.
Master Halco runs daily routes to Tippecanoe. Von Tobel boom-trucks cedar same-day. $75–150 per drop, often free over $1.5K. Build it into the estimate.
F-150 with headache rack + bed extender carries 8' lumber and ~1,000 lb of fasteners / pickets / hardware for go-back trips.
Parts shelf at the V-nose, e-track walls. Curbside cargo door lets you pull material without moving the Dingo in the rear.
Skip the open landscape trailer year 1. Saves $4–6K and one trailer to register, insure, and maneuver. Add it in year 2 if gate fab or demo haul-off becomes regular.
Indiana has no statewide fence license — but ten different city/county jurisdictions, a real 811 obligation, and a sales-tax bulletin you have to pick a side on.
Indiana licenses plumbers, not fencers. But Carmel ($95 + no chain link in front), Indianapolis (Accela + $10K bond), and 8 others all run independent rules. Build the matrix once.
Indiana 811 (IC 8-1-26). Two full working days. 20-day ticket window. No exceptions for "we're just driving." The first gas-line strike ends the company.
Lump-sum contract → pay tax at supplier, don't charge customer. T&M → use ST-105 resale, charge customer on materials. Standardize on lump-sum for cleaner books.
JobNimbus ($25–35/user/mo) for CRM + scheduling + QBO sync. ArcSite for satellite drag-and-drop fence quoting — generates linear footage and BOM automatically.
~$99/mo. Project-level P&L from day one. Don't try to live in the CRM's "accounting" — feed QB.
Google added "Fence services" as eligible LSA in 2024. IN CPL ~$25–71. Get Google Guaranteed badge after license/insurance verification. Yard signs after every install.
Quote Hub, MJ Insurance, Indiana Farm Bureau. Bundle for 10–15% multi-line. Marion County requires $500K minimum + $10K license bond.
The website sells "no dig, no concrete, fast install" as the moat. Without a hydraulic driver of some kind, you're pricing speed and executing slow. ~$35K of driving capability turns the marketing into operating reality — and stays nimble enough to fit through the gate.