# Another fatal boom failure.



## ddhlakebound (Jun 22, 2006)

When I was up in a bucket all the time a mechanical failure was my #1 fear. We greased and visually inspected the boom regularly, and each truck went in for service and inspection yearly. Still always had a little worry, failures happen. 

Other than abuse and neglect, how can these things fail?

My condolences to his family

Article link


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## Optiboli (Jul 3, 2006)

*Trust Your Equipment?*

HI YA ddh just a quick comment on bucket trucks .I still have a hard time having total connfidence when im in the bucket trucks .Im still kinda new to the field.Im thankfull that we dont have the old reach alls any more (lots of turret slack ). Funny i feel safer tied off in the tree than working from the bucket truck. The link you have doesnt have many details ,is thepicture of the truck the one that failed?,How old was it?Maintenance history etc.


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## Treeman67 (Jul 3, 2006)

boom will fail for simple reason, that why when you get on boom bring life line and saddle in case if you had to get urself down if it get suck up there with boom.worse case i see is hydralic leaks or busted cause upper boom lowering slowly itself down and messy but can't control it, got to swtich hydralic power to truck ,so guy on ground can steer and lowering boom safety.cautious is... don't push bucket into tree limbs where hydralic lines, it will busted the lines. make sure you have enought clearance for your bucket
when i see line clearance guy raise upper boom over primary line, they are stupidity.noway my life i ever go over primary lime becuz what if upper boom had failed...
Treeman67


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## clearance (Jul 3, 2006)

Treeman67 said:


> when i see line clearance guy raise upper boom over primary line, they are stupidity.noway my life i ever go over primary lime becuz what if upper boom had failed...
> Treeman67


Are you drunk?, use spell check, how else do you trim above the primary with a boom truck? I guess I am stupidity. A well maintained boom with a curent non-destruct and dia-electric test sticker is good. Dry run it in the morning, look after it, check the fluid, do drift tests, etc. Boom failures usually occur because of neglect or misuse, other causes are very rare, have a little faith.


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## Treeman67 (Jul 3, 2006)

*Hey!!!*



clearance said:


> Are you drunk?, use spell check, how else do you trim above the primary with a boom truck? I guess I am stupidity. A well maintained boom with a curent non-destruct and dia-electric test sticker is good. Dry run it in the morning, look after it, check the fluid, do drift tests, etc. Boom failures usually occur because of neglect or misuse, other causes are very rare, have a little faith.



hey Mr SmartA**
No i ain't drunk, and ohh did i misspelled, jezz i am so sorry that offend you?? yea, you are probably one of sputidity if go over primary, i guess you haven't got Zap yet..ohh so you say you never neglect or misuse the boom Uhhh??? becareful what you said people are watching you... have alittle faith,??? you better check bible again, Clearance.....
if you have tree nearby primary line, don't you agreed that tree consider as hazardous within too close and jeopardized public safety??? 
treeman67


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## clearance (Jul 3, 2006)

You started it, calling people stupid that use the boom for its intended purpose. Have you ever seen utility guys work? Do you have much training, or any training on boom use? What is your problem, or do you just want to argue? Why not start a new thread- "using boom above primary stupid".


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## Treeman67 (Jul 3, 2006)

clearance said:


> You started it, calling people stupid that use the boom for its intended purpose. Have you ever seen utility guys work? Do you have much training, or any training on boom use? What is your problem, or do you just want to argue? Why not start a new thread- "using boom above primary stupid".


 yea i used to watch guy do line clearance, just one of few guy willing to take a risk take upper boom over line and boom failure does happen. i only use boom for pruning tree and removal only but no line clearance.. i have seen enough accident climber got injuried becuz of power line with my own eye. Again do you think if the tree is to close to primary line is consider as hazardous and jepordize public safety??? if that a yes , then why don't you guy removed all tree away from primary line instead just pruning every 3 to 5 yrs. therefore i am sure you know other options work around the primary line than go right over...
Treeman67


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## Komitet (Jul 3, 2006)

Personally I'd rather be above the primary than splitting through it andthe neutral, not every county will allow you to remove a tree just because it's close to the wires, this is where Knowledge training and experience comes in, if you ran a boom on my crew, and wouldn't go over primary, I'd tell you to get down and grab a rake. it's part of the job, like it or lump it.


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## Treeman67 (Jul 3, 2006)

Komitet said:


> Personally I'd rather be above the primary than splitting through it andthe neutral, not every county will allow you to remove a tree just because it's close to the wires, this is where Knowledge training and experience comes in, if you ran a boom on my crew, and wouldn't go over primary, I'd tell you to get down and grab a rake. it's part of the job, like it or lump it.


 Mr komitet,
give me a rake, that part of job at least i ain't stupid to go over primary line, you know, what is odd are when boom does fail,even though you make proper maintence on boom truck??.last year 3 Summer ago we got 3 boom failures.not just work power line , pruning trees only... the line busted on bucket no life threathening ever occur.
when i said give a rake, i told my boss noway i work this tree with primary line, why??? i'm noncertified line clearance,under OSHA law noncertifed do line clearance with 12 feet from primary line.. my county, any tree is hazardour nearby primary line can requested to takedown by property owner. i surley not wanted take training to do line clearance, i had alot repected those line and i had no business to be around it..
Treeman67


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## cord arrow (Jul 3, 2006)

Tree(perhaps)man67 said:


> hey Mr SmartA**
> No i ain't drunk, and ohh did i misspelled, jezz i am so sorry that offend you?? yea, you are probably one of sputidity if go over primary, i guess you haven't got Zap yet..ohh so you say you never neglect or misuse the boom Uhhh??? becareful what you said people are watching you... have alittle faith,??? you better check bible again, Clearance.....
> if you have tree nearby primary line, don't you agreed that tree consider as hazardous within too close and jeopardized public safety???
> treeman67



and THAT was EDITED???


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## trevmcrev (Jul 4, 2006)

cord arrow said:


> and THAT was EDITED???



Yeah i find his posts very difficult to read:bang: 

Sorry Treeman but can i ask, is english your first language?
If not that might explain your grammar. Its not so much your spelling but your sentences dont make much sense to me.
I'm not slinging sh_t at you, just curious to understand you better.

Trev


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## Ekka (Jul 4, 2006)

Does anyone know what caused the boom failure for this poor guy to die?

Sad case, harness on and all.


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## matthias (Jul 4, 2006)

Quote tweeman67: when i said give a rake, i told my boss noway i work this tree with primary line, why??? i'm noncertified line clearance,under OSHA law noncertifed do line clearance with 12 feet from primary line.. endquote.

So, you're not certified to be near the lines and therefore not experienced in it but us line clearance guys that have some years in it are stupid for taking the boom over the primary. I can appreciate your respect for the line but it almost sounds like you are terrified of bucket trucks.


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## Treeman67 (Jul 4, 2006)

trevmcrev said:


> Yeah i find his posts very difficult to read:bang:
> 
> Sorry Treeman but can i ask, is english your first language?
> If not that might explain your grammar. Its not so much your spelling but your sentences dont make much sense to me.
> ...


 Trev,
English is not my frist language. my frist language is ASL (American Sign Language). i alway had difficulties with english with writing because ASL is alittle different than english
i am deaf.... i been in therapists many years when i was young to bring myself normal function alike anyone else. 
Treeman67


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## Treeman67 (Jul 4, 2006)

matthias said:


> Quote tweeman67: when i said give a rake, i told my boss noway i work this tree with primary line, why??? i'm noncertified line clearance,under OSHA law noncertifed do line clearance with 12 feet from primary line.. endquote.
> 
> So, you're not certified to be near the lines and therefore not experienced in it but us line clearance guys that have some years in it are stupid for taking the boom over the primary. I can appreciate your respect for the line but it almost sounds like you are terrified of bucket trucks.




i like bucket, it make my job whole alot easier and quicker than climbing to finished the job. let me ask you one question....if you are certified, does your training course teach you go over primary line??
Treeman67


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## jazak (Jul 4, 2006)

Hey treeman67 I don't know why everyone had to make a big deal about how you write, its not like its being read by the president. On another note thats sad what happened to that guy but stuff happens and sometimes theres nothing you can do about it.


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## darkstar (Jul 4, 2006)

*Inspection*

Could someone give me some pointers on inspectin my LR 3 . If i leave it sitting for say an hour it will very very slowly lower down . I recon its because one of the out riggers leaks a tiny tiny bit.I check the cables weekly but there is a lot of plumbing you just cant see . What could cause catastrophic failure in a altec LR 3. IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE IT WOULD ALMOST HAVE TO BREAK BOTH CABLES. If a hose burst it would seem to me that it would still work briefly and certainly wouldnt crash.Pointers please


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## Treeman67 (Jul 4, 2006)

jazak said:


> Hey treeman67 I don't know why everyone had to make a big deal about how you write, its not like its being read by the president. On another note thats sad what happened to that guy but stuff happens and sometimes theres nothing you can do about it.


 

Jazak
hey , no worries... everyone talk or write different, some may understand each other , some don't. Sometime i had hard time understand as i read or hear and take few time before i can understand.
it is sad what happen to that guy and got me very curious , how and why, i probably can think 100 things what may go wrong but i'm not go there with my own imagination. the more i hear about guy fallen from tree, i just wanted retired from climbing or tree works, sometime i felt it not worth my one life and $$$$$. i think i almost had enough of it and do something else...
Treeman67


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## trevmcrev (Jul 4, 2006)

Treeman67 said:


> Trev,
> English is not my frist language. my frist language is ASL (American Sign Language). i alway had difficulties with english with writing because ASL is alittle different than english
> i am deaf.... i been in therapists many years when i was young to bring myself normal function alike anyone else.
> Treeman67



Ok, thanks for sharing that. I appreciate the efforts youve made and well done on making a go of things in the Arb industry. Coincidently there is a deaf tree guy working in my area.


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## treepres13 (Jul 4, 2006)

darkstar said:


> Could someone give me some pointers on inspectin my LR 3 . If i leave it sitting for say an hour it will very very slowly lower down . I recon its because one of the out riggers leaks a tiny tiny bit.I check the cables weekly but there is a lot of plumbing you just cant see . What could cause catastrophic failure in a altec LR 3. IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE IT WOULD ALMOST HAVE TO BREAK BOTH CABLES. If a hose burst it would seem to me that it would still work briefly and certainly wouldnt crash.Pointers please


a lift is your airplane, inspect it daily, LR III rotation bearing bolts ,check top bolts often, the boom is drifting down, there is a time limit for checking drift it is all in the manual all cylinders have lock valves,if you blow a hose the lift can not fall as long as the valve is good .as far as cables go the bottom cable is hooked to the bottom upper boom cyl this cyl and cable have load on them as soon as you uncradle the upper boom, this cyl is doing all the work intill youare straight up that is win the top cable and cyl take over!all the way to the ground over the back Understand learn about this lift read the manual inspect daily fix all hyd leaks the fall doesnt hurt a bit it is the sudden stop!!!! good luck


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## darkstar (Jul 4, 2006)

treepres13 said:


> a lift is your airplane, inspect it daily, LR III rotation bearing bolts ,check top bolts often, the boom is drifting down, there is a time limit for checking drift it is all in the manual all cylinders have lock valves,if you blow a hose the lift can not fall as long as the valve is good .as far as cables go the bottom cable is hooked to the bottom upper boom cyl this cyl and cable have load on them as soon as you uncradle the upper boom, this cyl is doing all the work intill youare straight up that is win the top cable and cyl take over!all the way to the ground over the back Understand learn about this lift read the manual inspect daily fix all hyd leaks the fall doesnt hurt a bit it is the sudden stop!!!! good luck


How can i check the lock valves. Thanks


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## Treeman67 (Jul 4, 2006)

trevmcrev said:


> Ok, thanks for sharing that. I appreciate the efforts youve made and well done on making a go of things in the Arb industry. Coincidently there is a deaf tree guy working in my area.




its good to know, deaf tree guy is out there, for a while i though i was a loner..
Treeman67


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## matthias (Jul 4, 2006)

Treeman67 said:


> i like bucket, it make my job whole alot easier and quicker than climbing to finished the job. let me ask you one question....if you are certified, does your training course teach you go over primary line??
> Treeman67



My training course taught me limits of approach which apply above, below, left and right of the line. As long as the insulated portion of my boom stays a certain distance from an energized conductor I am good to go. 

You seem to be worried about boom failure over the line but the with the trucks being dialectrically tested yearly I am confident in their structural soundness. I've seen 3 hydraulic hose ruptures with the booms in the air and the booms have stayed put where they are. 

On the other hand, I might jinx myself with my bravado and my boom might rip a coulple spans off the poles tomorrow.


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## treepres13 (Jul 4, 2006)

darkstar said:


> How can i check the lock valves. Thanks


when you first get to your truck if the outriggers are still up all the way up and not down thays good now put the outriggers down mark them with a piece of tape or marker, shut power off, hit outrigger controls up and down if tk dosnt move outriggers do not move all is good,
lower boom lift out of craddle 3 or 4 ft shut off power ,move lower boom lever in and out if boom drifts down need repair it may drop a like a inch to lock thats ok now put lower boom up all the way just over center and shut off power a move controls observe, no movment ok lower boom cyl has 2 lock valves, top & bottom same as outtrigger cyls. there are 2 upper boom cyls. top and bottom 1 lock valve on each ,to test raise upper boom ouy of craddle 10 ft. shut power off , move control boom should not drift down,the load is on the bottom cyl. put upper boom over the back , shut power off, move control , no drift all ok the load is on top cyl in this position.all these cyl may move like a inch to lock. but if the booms drift down more than that replace the lock valve or at least the cartridge ,hope these helps it is all in the manuel altec parts are easy to get any magor hyd shop


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## darkstar (Jul 5, 2006)

treepres13 said:


> when you first get to your truck if the outriggers are still up all the way up and not down thays good now put the outriggers down mark them with a piece of tape or marker, shut power off, hit outrigger controls up and down if tk dosnt move outriggers do not move all is good,
> lower boom lift out of craddle 3 or 4 ft shut off power ,move lower boom lever in and out if boom drifts down need repair it may drop a like a inch to lock thats ok now put lower boom up all the way just over center and shut off power a move controls observe, no movment ok lower boom cyl has 2 lock valves, top & bottom same as outtrigger cyls. there are 2 upper boom cyls. top and bottom 1 lock valve on each ,to test raise upper boom ouy of craddle 10 ft. shut power off , move control boom should not drift down,the load is on the bottom cyl. put upper boom over the back , shut power off, move control , no drift all ok the load is on top cyl in this position.all these cyl may move like a inch to lock. but if the booms drift down more than that replace the lock valve or at least the cartridge ,hope these helps it is all in the manuel altec parts are easy to get any magor hyd shop



That helps a whole LOT . Ill check and check and check again . Thanx . I really appreaciate the helpful pointers . Dark


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## darkstar (Jul 5, 2006)

*Out rigger*

One of my out rigger has been slowly lowering and leaking . It takes about 3 days for it to lower about a foot. Im new to bucket truck maintenance so its a big deal to me . I appreaciate any comments .


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## trevmcrev (Jul 5, 2006)

Treeman67 said:


> its good to know, deaf tree guy is out there, for a while i though i was a loner..
> Treeman67



Yeah he runs his own business and been around 10 years or so that i know of, so he has made a good go of things.
Trev


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## doggonetrees (Jul 5, 2006)

I had a problem with one of my out-riggers, it was the lock valve had some blockage. I have my truck tested yearly, but all this does is certify that it safe to work around energized lines. Daily inspections are a must, for this is where you hopefully find all the faults and are able to correct them. Possibly there was some damage done to the boom from improper use( overwweight, " springing the boom ") or something of that nature. I have had to trim over primaries and will continue to do so. The school that I went to did not adress this as it was a school for linemen, not trimmers. And I was working for a rural electric power association. Sad to hear about this accident, this was brought up in my crews safety meeting and now they have a new respect for the inspections I require of them.


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## Patrick62 (Jul 5, 2006)

*Have a little faith*

I have been up with a Genie S60, but not on trees. It was doing electrical work in a airplane hanger.

The lift was in excellent condition, and I had to run the boom right over a very expensive aircraft. Just about 30 million $$$ worth of aircraft to be more precise. If that thing had blown a hose....

I would be a little concerned about working around high voltage wires thou.

-Pat


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## Treeman67 (Jul 5, 2006)

matthias said:


> My training course taught me limits of approach which apply above, below, left and right of the line. As long as the insulated portion of my boom stays a certain distance from an energized conductor I am good to go.
> 
> You seem to be worried about boom failure over the line but the with the trucks being dialectrically tested yearly I am confident in their structural soundness. I've seen 3 hydraulic hose ruptures with the booms in the air and the booms have stayed put where they are.
> 
> On the other hand, I might jinx myself with my bravado and my boom might rip a coulple spans off the poles tomorrow.



i not worried, i had my own judgement of common sense, with confidence with my experiences. it up to me decided if what practical or not, just my opitions which may not apply other line man or climber. i had to seek out what best for me. Now i never had any line rupture while i was on the boom, but i seen guy operated and rupture line and get out conrol and i had to switch hydraulic power to ground bring bucket down.. it puzzle me as Why?? nobody talk about it, expected splice rupture line together. however you may be high maintenance guy to keep up your equipment , i think it really important but few company i had work for don't,so my apology to you and Clearance of my comment of about " stupid over primary line "
Treeman67


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## clearance (Jul 5, 2006)

Treeman67 said:


> i not worried, i had my own judgement of common sense, with confidence with my experiences. it up to me decided if what practical or not, just my opitions which may not apply other line man or climber. i had to seek out what best for me. Now i never had any line rupture while i was on the boom, but i seen guy operated and rupture line and get out conrol and i had to switch hydraulic power to ground bring bucket down.. it puzzle me as Why?? nobody talk about it, expected splice rupture line together. however you may be high maintenance guy to keep up your equipment , i think it really important but few company i had work for don't,so my apology to you and Clearance of my comment of about " stupid over primary line "
> Treeman67


Sorry I asked if you were drunk, Treeman, I said that running a boom over the primary is fine, but, to be honest, my time spent running booms around power or not never did I feel totally safe. I feel safer tied into most trees. Booms do fail from time to time, that is true, so do tie in points, when I tie in I am looking right at the branches, cause I always climb with spurs. Do what feels right for you, its right to trust your instincts, be safe.


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## darkstar (Jul 5, 2006)

*Bucket trucket failure*

This should be a sticky. 
Common reasons why booms fail ,and how to prevent them.


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## Treeman67 (Jul 5, 2006)

clearance said:


> Sorry I asked if you were drunk, Treeman, I said that running a boom over the primary is fine, but, to be honest, my time spent running booms around power or not never did I feel totally safe. I feel safer tied into most trees. Booms do fail from time to time, that is true, so do tie in points, when I tie in I am looking right at the branches, cause I always climb with spurs. Do what feels right for you, its right to trust your instincts, be safe.



its alright, at least we work it out with better understanding each others.i do repected of line of your work, you alot braver than i am..lol, thanks for your honestly, Clearance.... 

Treeman67


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## matthias (Jul 6, 2006)

Treeman 67, we'll just change your statement to, "Untested, unmaintained bucket over primaries: stupid. Or at least that's what I got out of it.


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## Treeman67 (Jul 6, 2006)

matthias said:


> Treeman 67, we'll just change your statement to, "Untested, unmaintained bucket over primaries: stupid. Or at least that's what I got out of it.



alright, that fair .... 
Treeman67


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## Sunrise Guy (Jul 7, 2006)

I have watched many a guy work in a bucket. I have seen outriggers shifting ever so slightly on the ground as the arm extended. I have seen trucks lean with the shifts. There is no way I'd ever work a bucket truck, no way. I am sure that with painstaking maintenance the buckets are reasonably safe, but I'm also sure that this type of maintenance is rarely done by many, if not most, companies that are more concerned with their bottom lines than with the power lines their expendable workers are perched above. I'll hang upside down cutting limbs eighty feet off the ground on my line that I check daily, but try to send me up in a bucket and I'm outta there. Call me a [email protected]##y, I don't care. If I had a degree in engineering and knew all of the specs on a given bucket backwards and forwards, and could do all of the maintenance checks myself, things might be different. As it is, I'm a climber on ropes, and that's the way it's gonna stay.


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## beowulf343 (Jul 7, 2006)

I feel the same way Sunrise-can do anything in a tree while hanging from my rope but I avoid buckets like they were the plague.


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## RedlineIt (Jul 8, 2006)

Sunrise,

If you're grounding for a bucket operator and you see the outriggers sinking into soft soils and the truck leaning or rocking, it's your job to tell the operator this is happening! Immediately!

Booms have a lot of flex in them, movement of the truck is impossible to detect while floating on the end of that stick. That's why you're on the ground, to see the unsafe situation and REPORT IT TO THE OPERATOR!

If I came down off a boom to hear you tell me the outriggers were shifting, and you said nothing, I'd kick your teeth out.

RedlineIt


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## Sunrise Guy (Jul 9, 2006)

Man, did I say anything, ANYWHERE, about keeping quiet about what I observed???? Cool your jets. I don't take kindly to implied or expressed threats.


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## clearance (Jul 9, 2006)

RedlineIt said:


> Sunrise,
> 
> If you're grounding for a bucket operator and you see the outriggers sinking into soft soils and the truck leaning or rocking, it's your job to tell the operator this is happening! Immediately!
> 
> ...


When you set up a boom truck, you use proper outrigger pads to prevent settling. I put the outrigger down on the side the boom will work first, sometimes using two pads and lifting the truck off its front wheel to imitate the forces generated by the boom being over the side. Then I put the other outrigger down to stabalize the truck, this is for road side tree work, obviously if soft ground was on both sides of the truck you would use the first method twice. In really bad ground you can cut logs 4' long and make cribbing, don't be in a hurry. If you use a boom a lot, you are attuned to its behavior and quirks, the man running the boom is ultimately responsible for its setup, not the groundsman. If the boom is flexing a lot, it's being abused, smooth movements is the hallmark of good boom use, crane use, etc. Redline, if we were using a boom I would show you a few things, take it easy, no need to assault your groundsmen who doesn't know anything.


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