If you move trees for a living, the machine under your truck bed decides what jobs you can bid, how far you can haul, and how much your crew can finish in a day. A truck-mounted tree spade puts the digging power and the transport on a single rig that drives straight to the planting hole. For landscape contractors, tree services, nurseries, and municipalities moving large stock over real distances, that is the difference between a profitable transplant and a logistics headache.

Big John Tree Transplanter Mfg, Inc. has built truck-mounted spades in Heber Springs, Arkansas since 1975. Every unit is assembled and tested in one factory by people who know the machines down to the last pin. This guide walks through the full truck-mounted lineup: the 100D, 90D, 90DLP, 90DAG, 80D, 65D, 55D, and 45D. It explains how to pair each one with the right truck, and gives you a clear framework for choosing the right truck-mounted tree spade for your operation.

One quick clarification before we dig in. The models in this guide are the truck-mounted units. Big John also builds DL-suffix machines, such as the 90DL, that are loader-mounted or tractor-mounted rather than truck-mounted. Those are covered separately, so do not confuse them with the truck-mounted D-series below.

Why a truck-mounted tree spade in the first place

A truck-mounted spade integrates the digging head, the lift, and the haul vehicle into one machine. You drive the whole rig to the tree, dig the rootball, lift it, drive to the new site, and plant. No separate tow vehicle, no trailer to position, no extra equipment staging.

That matters most in three situations:

• Long moves. When trees travel more than about five miles, a truck-mounted unit is almost always the right call. It runs at road speed, carries the tree securely, and gets there without the handling delays of a towed setup.
• The largest trees. Big rootballs need a heavy, stable platform. Truck-mounted spades are built to dig and carry the biggest stock in the field, from a 45D lifting a 1,500 lb rootball up to a 100D moving 15,000 to 18,000 lb of tree and soil.
• High move volume. When you are transplanting trees all day, every day, the time you save on staging and transport compounds into real billable hours.

If your work is concentrated on a single nursery lot or a tight job site with short hauls, a trailer-mounted unit may serve you better. We cover that tradeoff in detail below, and the tree spade buying guide breaks down the full decision.

The sizing logic every buyer should know first

Before you compare models, get the sizing math straight. Picking a spade is not about buying the biggest machine you can afford. It is about matching the spade to the trees you actually move.

The caliper-to-rootball rule

The industry rule of thumb is that a tree’s rootball diameter should be roughly 10 to 12 times the trunk caliper. Caliper is the trunk diameter measured a set height above the ground, commonly six inches up for smaller stock and twelve inches up for larger trees, per nursery standards.

In practice that means:

• A 3-4 in caliper tree wants a rootball around 40 in, which is the 45D range.
• A 5-6 in caliper tree wants a rootball around 52 in, which is the 55D range.
• A 6-7 in caliper tree wants a rootball around 62 in, which is the 65D range.
• A 10-12 in caliper tree wants a rootball around 90 in, which is the 90-class range.
• A 12-14 in caliper tree wants a rootball around 100 in, which is the 100D range.

Undersize the rootball and you cut too many roots, which stresses the tree and hurts survival. Oversize it and you are hauling needless weight and soil. The right spade digs a rootball that lands inside the 10 to 12x window for your typical tree, and the Big John lineup is built so each model lands a specific caliper class cleanly inside that window.

Match the machine to your typical job, not your biggest one

A common and expensive mistake is buying for the one oversized tree you might move once a year. Size the spade for the work you do week in and week out. If most of your trees fall in a given caliper range, buy the spade that nails that range, then subcontract or rent for the rare outlier. The cost of carrying too much machine, in payment, fuel, and truck chassis, usually outweighs the cost of handling the exception some other way.

The Big John truck-mounted lineup

Big John builds eight truck-mounted spades so you can match digging capacity to your trees and your truck. They scale from the compact 45D up to the 100D, the largest truck-mounted tree spade made in America. Here is how the models line up, from smallest to largest.

45D: the compact entry into truck-mounted work

The 45D is the smallest truck-mounted spade in the family and the most affordable way to put road-speed transplanting to work.

• Caliper: 3-4 in trees.
• Rootball: 42 in wide by 38 in deep.
• Machine weight: 5,800 lb.
• Rootball weight: approximately 1,500 lb.
• Hydraulics: 2,500 PSI at 12-15 GPM.

At 5,800 lb of machine weight and a 2,500 PSI hydraulic system, the 45D is the lightest truck pairing in the lineup. For contractors and nurseries moving smaller caliper stock who still want the integrated drive-up-and-dig advantage of a truck-mounted unit, the 45D is the natural starting point.

55D: the single-axle workhorse

The 55D steps up to mid-size stock and is built to mount on a class 7 single-axle truck, which keeps the rig manageable for crews that do not want to run tandem axles.

• Caliper: 5-6 in trees.
• Rootball: 52 in wide by 48 in deep.
• Machine weight: 12,260 lb.
• Rootball weight: approximately 3,600 lb.
• Hydraulics: 3,000 PSI at 20-22 GPM.

The 55D shares the 3,000 PSI hydraulic platform and the 20-22 GPM flow that carries through the rest of the D-series, so you get serious digging force in a single-axle package. It is a strong fit for operations that move 5 to 6 inch caliper trees regularly and want road transport without committing to a tandem-axle chassis.

65D: more reach on the same flow

The 65D widens the rootball and reaches a bigger caliper class while running the same hydraulic specs as the 55D.

• Caliper: 6-7 in trees.
• Rootball: 62 in wide by 53 in deep.
• Machine weight: 12,760 lb.
• Rootball weight: approximately 4,300 lb.
• Hydraulics: 3,000 PSI at 20-22 GPM.

At 12,760 lb of machine weight, the 65D is only slightly heavier than the 55D but digs a noticeably larger 62 in rootball. If your typical tree runs 6 to 7 inch caliper, the 65D nails that range without jumping to the heavier 80-class platform.

80D: large-tree capability with a water tank standard

The 80D moves into true large-tree territory and ships with equipment that supports long days and big transplants.

• Caliper: up to 10 in trees.
• Rootball: 80 in wide by 54 in deep.
• Machine weight: 15,760 lb.
• Rootball weight: approximately 8,500 lb.
• Hydraulics: 3,000 PSI at 20-22 GPM.

The 80D ships standard with AR550 spade material and a 400-gallon water tank, and the larger D units in this class carry a 45-gallon oil reservoir. AR550 is an abrasion-resistant steel, which matters when you are slicing rootballs in tough or rocky ground day after day. The integrated 400-gallon water tank means you can water in transplants on site without a second vehicle. For contractors moving stock up to 10 inch caliper, the 80D is a capable, well-equipped platform.

90D, 90DLP, and 90DAG: the 90-class trio

The three 90-class machines all dig the same rootball and handle the same caliper range. They share specs across the board:

• Caliper: 10-12 in trees.
• Rootball: 90 in wide by 60 in deep.
• Rootball weight: approximately 11,800 lb.
• Hydraulics: 3,000 PSI at 20-22 GPM.

What separates them is the build and the transport profile, not the hole they dig:

• 90D is the standard 90-class spade at 16,760 lb machine weight. It closes for transport to approximately 13 ft 6 in tall by 8 ft 5.75 in wide.
• 90DLP matches the 90D on rootball, caliper, hydraulics, and 16,760 lb machine weight, but the LP version closes to a lower transport height of approximately 13 ft. If overhead clearance on your routes is tight, the lower-profile transport height is the reason to choose this build.
• 90DAG is the heavier-built variant of the three at 17,760 lb machine weight, a full 1,000 lb more machine than the 90D and 90DLP. The extra weight reflects a heavier-duty build on the same 90 in by 60 in digging capacity.

All three 90-class units mount on a tandem-axle truck with a 156 to 186 in frame length. They are the everyday workhorses for high-volume movers handling 10 to 12 inch caliper stock. Choose the 90D for the standard build, the 90DLP when transport height matters, and the 90DAG when you want the heavier-duty platform.

100D: America’s largest truck-mounted spade

The 100D is the flagship. It is the largest truck-mounted tree spade made in America, built for the biggest transplants in the field.

• Caliper: 12-14 in trees.
• Rootball: 100 in wide by 68 in deep.
• Machine weight: 21,000 lb.
• Rootball weight: approximately 15,000 to 18,000 lb.
• Hydraulics: 3,500 PSI at 20-22 GPM.

The 100D is the only model in the lineup that steps the hydraulic system up to 3,500 PSI, which it needs to drive a 100 in by 68 in rootball weighing 15,000 to 18,000 lb. That capacity puts mature, large-caliper trees in reach, the kind of specimen stock that municipalities, estates, and high-end landscape projects call for. If your bids regularly involve trees in the 12 to 14 inch caliper range, the 100D is the machine built for that work. See full details on the 100D product page.

Model comparison table

Use this table to position the eight truck-mounted models side by side. All specifications were pulled from the Big John product pages.

The three 90-class rows look nearly identical on purpose. The 90D, 90DLP, and 90DAG dig the same 90 in by 60 in rootball. The 90DLP closes to a lower transport height of about 13 ft, and the 90DAG is the heavier-built unit at 17,760 lb. Choose between them on transport profile and build, not on digging capacity.

Pairing your spade with the right truck

A truck-mounted spade is only as good as the chassis under it. The digging head, the lifted rootball, and the soil load all transfer into the truck frame, axles, and suspension. Get this pairing wrong and you fight handling problems, premature wear, and possible weight-rating issues every day.

A few principles to guide the pairing:

• Bigger spade, heavier truck. A 100D digging a 100 in rootball moves 15,000 to 18,000 lb of wet soil and tree on top of a 21,000 lb machine. That demands a heavy-duty chassis with the gross vehicle weight rating and frame strength to carry it. The 45D, by contrast, is a 5,800 lb machine lifting roughly 1,500 lb of rootball, so it pairs with a proportionally lighter, though still stout, truck.
• Match the axle configuration to the model. The 55D is built to mount on a class 7 single-axle truck. The 90D, 90DLP, and 90DAG require a tandem-axle truck with a 156 to 186 in frame length. Confirming axle count and frame length up front keeps the mount correct and the rig legal and stable.
• Rate for the loaded rootball, not the empty machine. Soil is heavy and wet soil is heavier. The rootball weights in the table above tell you the worst-case load each model adds on top of its own weight. Size the chassis around that loaded condition, with margin to spare.
• Plan for the terrain. If you work soft nursery ground, sloped sites, or rough access, factor that into axle configuration and capacity. Stability under load is a safety issue as much as a performance one.
• Plan for transport clearance. The larger D models close to approximately 13 ft 6 in tall by 8 ft 5.75 in wide for transport. The 90DLP closes to about 13 ft, which is the lower-profile option if your routes have overhead clearance limits.

Big John builds and tests every unit in-house, so the team can confirm which chassis specs suit the model you are considering and how the spade integrates with it. Do not guess on truck pairing. Confirm it.

Truck-mounted vs trailer-mounted and loader-mounted: how to choose

This is the decision that trips up the most first-time buyers, so it is worth a clear framework. The spades dig the same way regardless of how they are mounted. The difference is how the machine gets to the tree and back.

Remember the loader-mounted distinction noted up top. The DL-suffix models, such as the 90DL, are loader-mounted or tractor-mounted, which suits operations that already run a loader or tractor and work within a defined site. The eight D-series models in this guide are truck-mounted and built for road-speed transport. Below is the truck-mounted versus trailer-mounted call.

Choose truck-mounted when:

• Your trees travel more than about five miles between dig and plant.
• You move the largest trees in your market and need maximum digging capacity and a stable, heavy platform.
• You run high move volume and want to cut staging and transport time.
• You want one rig that drives at road speed without towing a separate trailer.

Lean toward trailer-mounted when:

• Most of your moves are short hauls on or near a single property or nursery lot.
• You already own a capable tow vehicle and want to keep the spade investment separate from a dedicated truck.
• Your typical trees are smaller and do not require the heaviest digging platform.
• You want flexibility to swap the tow vehicle over the equipment’s life.

There is no universally right answer. There is a right answer for your trees, your distances, and your volume. If you are weighing formats, the tree spade buying guide lays out the full comparison, and the Big John team will help you run the numbers for your specific operation.

New, used, and financing

You do not have to buy new to get a Big John in the field.

• Used and reconditioned units. Big John offers used and reconditioned truck-mounted spades. Because every machine is built and serviced by the same factory, a reconditioned unit can be a smart way to add capacity or get into truck-mounted transplanting at a lower entry cost. Browse current availability on the used equipment page.
• Financing through Oakmont Capital. Equipment this capable is an investment, and financing keeps your cash free for trucks, crews, and growth. Big John offers financing through Oakmont Capital so you can structure payments around your cash flow. Details are on the financing page.

Whether you buy new or reconditioned, you are buying a machine made in America by a company that has done nothing but tree transplanters for decades.

Putting it together: a simple selection path

Here is a practical sequence to land on the right model:

1. Measure your typical tree. Find the caliper range you move most often, not your rare maximum.
2. Apply the 10 to 12x rule. Translate that caliper into the rootball diameter you need the spade to dig.
3. Match the rootball to a model. Step up through the lineup as your typical tree gets larger: 45D for 3-4 in, 55D for 5-6 in, 65D for 6-7 in, 80D up to 10 in, the 90-class for 10-12 in, and the 100D for 12-14 in.
4. Check the haul distance. If you move trees more than about five miles, stay truck-mounted. If almost everything is short-haul, reconsider trailer-mounted.
5. Pair the truck. Confirm a chassis rated for the loaded rootball and the machine. Remember the 55D mounts on a class 7 single-axle truck and the 90-class units need a tandem-axle truck with a 156 to 186 in frame.
6. Decide within the 90-class if you land there. Choose the 90D for the standard build, the 90DLP for the lower 13 ft transport height, or the 90DAG for the heavier-duty 17,760 lb build.

Follow that path and you will buy the machine your work actually needs, not too much and not too little.

The Big John difference

Since 1975, Big John has built tree transplanters in one factory in Heber Springs, Arkansas. More than 40 years on, every unit is still assembled and tested in-house by people who understand these machines completely. That focus shows up in the field as reliability, serviceability, and a team that can answer your sizing and truck-pairing questions from real experience rather than a spec sheet.

If you also need trees moved rather than a machine to move them, ask about tree transplanting services. And when you are ready to choose a model, the people who build the machines are the right people to help you spec it.

Request a quote

The fastest way to get the right truck-mounted tree spade is to tell Big John what you move and how far. Share your typical tree caliper, your haul distances, and your trucks, and the team will recommend the right model, confirm the specs, and walk you through new, used, and financing options.

Request a quote today and put an American-built Big John truck-mounted spade to work on your operation. Start on the truck-mounted spades page or reach out to the factory directly.

FAQ

What is a truck-mounted tree spade and how is it different from a trailer-mounted one?

A truck-mounted tree spade integrates the digging head, the lift, and the haul vehicle into a single rig that drives straight to the planting site. A trailer-mounted spade is towed to the site by a separate vehicle. Truck-mounted units are the better choice for moves over about five miles, for the largest trees, and for high-volume work, because they run at road speed and cut staging and transport time. Big John also builds loader-mounted DL models like the 90DL, which are a different format covered separately.

What size tree can the Big John 100D move?

The 100D is the largest truck-mounted tree spade made in America. It digs a 100 in wide by 68 in deep rootball and handles trees in the 12 to 14 inch caliper range, with a rootball weight of roughly 15,000 to 18,000 lb. The machine weighs 21,000 lb and runs a 3,500 PSI hydraulic system, the highest pressure in the lineup.

What is the difference between the 90D, 90DLP, and 90DAG?

All three dig the same 90 in wide by 60 in deep rootball, handle 10 to 12 inch caliper trees, and run a 3,000 PSI hydraulic system at 20-22 GPM. The 90D is the standard build at 16,760 lb. The 90DLP matches those specs but closes to a lower transport height of about 13 ft. The 90DAG is the heavier-built variant at 17,760 lb. Choose between them on transport profile and build, not on digging capacity.

How do I know what rootball size I need for my trees?

Use the industry rule of thumb that rootball diameter should be roughly 10 to 12 times the trunk caliper. For example, a 6 to 7 inch caliper tree calls for a rootball around 62 in, which is the 65D range. Size your spade to the trees you move most often, then handle rare oversized trees by subcontracting or renting rather than overbuying.

Which truck do I need to mount a Big John spade on?

It depends on the model. The 55D mounts on a class 7 single-axle truck, while the 90D, 90DLP, and 90DAG require a tandem-axle truck with a 156 to 186 in frame length. Larger spades move heavy, wet rootballs and require a chassis rated for the loaded weight, so confirm the right chassis and mount with the Big John factory before you buy.

Can I buy a used Big John tree spade or finance a new one?

Yes. Big John offers used and reconditioned truck-mounted spades, all built and serviced by the same factory, and provides financing through Oakmont Capital so you can structure payments around your cash flow. Both options are good ways to add transplanting capacity without a full upfront cash outlay.