# Boom Truck Crane



## Mijic_Bogdan (Jan 5, 2007)

I am interested in buying a boom truck crane in February/march to get ready for season. I think it will save me time and money. I need crane to be at least 100ft and up and to be able to carry a lot of wood on its bed since I will cut down trees and carry big wood on it. What type of crane do you suggest me ? Used/new? Anything you guys know about cranes please let me know so that I don't make a big mistake

Thank You


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## treeman82 (Jan 5, 2007)

100' of reach AND being able to carry a lot of wood... you are gonna have to give on one of those. You could get something like Mike Poor has, but that's a solid 250K


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## woodchux (Jan 5, 2007)

Whats your budget?


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## jmack (Jan 6, 2007)

Mijic_Bogdan said:


> I am interested in buying a boom truck crane in February/march to get ready for season. I think it will save me time and money. I need crane to be at least 100ft and up and to be able to carry a lot of wood on its bed since I will cut down trees and carry big wood on it. What type of crane do you suggest me ? Used/new? Anything you guys know about cranes please let me know so that I don't make a big mistake
> 
> Thank You


reachout to diltree he is a member here and he has a sweet crane fer sale it should be pictured here in equipment forums, if your lucky he still might have it for sale


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## CraneOp1 (Jan 6, 2007)

*Buy a new one*

Used cranes are kind of like a box of chocolate's ya never know what your gonna get. The reason I say this is some cranes out there have been over on there sides more than once have had their booms or jibs bent and repaired or the machine is just plan used up mechanically. Look @ www.treetrader.com you may find one there new and used. However if your budget wont allow for a new one, I personally would buy one only a year or two old. This way your not getting a machine that has to much history. As for make of crane I like Manitex but thats what I use every day, Trex, Altec and National all have fine units as well. Look for something in 23 ton or greater with a front stabilizer for 360 degree swing on the boom. As for chassis everyone has their own favorites so go with what you like or best price on a chassis, nothing less than a tandem axle. Hope this helps.


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## diltree (Jan 6, 2007)

We still have a 17 ton JLG rear mount available. One owner, boom has never been bent, and it has never been on its side. We take excellent care of our equipment, boom certified this year, both cab and crane in mint condition. Only used locally....9k miles, you can see some pics of this crane in action on our web site


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## jmack (Jan 6, 2007)

CraneOp1 said:


> Used cranes are kind of like a box of chocolate's ya never know what your gonna get. The reason I say this is some cranes out there have been over on there sides more than once have had their booms or jibs bent and repaired or the machine is just plan used up mechanically. Look @ www.treetrader.com you may find one there new and used. However if your budget wont allow for a new one, I personally would buy one only a year or two old. This way your not getting a machine that has to much history. As for make of crane I like Manitex but thats what I use every day, Trex, Altec and National all have fine units as well. Look for something in 23 ton or greater with a front stabilizer for 360 degree swing on the boom. As for chassis everyone has their own favorites so go with what you like or best price on a chassis, nothing less than a tandem axle. Hope this helps.


 btw this is the dude to ask about cranes, and thanks fer all the info last year it helped out alot, craneop1


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## trzz (Jan 14, 2007)

*crane/nuckleboom*

can a nuckleboom do the same job? I have heard of heavy lift capacity and not 100ft of reach but a truck just big enough to carry the capacity of the loader could get closer to what you want to rigg.


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## LightningLoader (Jan 15, 2007)

trzz said:


> can a nuckleboom do the same job? I have heard of heavy lift capacity and not 100ft of reach but a truck just big enough to carry the capacity of the loader could get closer to what you want to rigg.



I wonder the same thing, but I'm not sure that I know what all they do with cranes. Do you use it when cutting stuff down too, or just for loading wood? 

Also, if you don't want it to turn over, maybe you shouldn't get a vehicle that can reach out so far and mess up the center of gravity.


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## trzz (Jan 15, 2007)

I have heard of grapple loaders removing debris off of homes. However I am talking about the hydrolic cranes that unfold. It has a clevis hook and no grapple or wire rope. Bet they could be found at a good price used. I have seen one lift an air conditioner (commercial) on a single bld 25ft deep + 15ft to truck. Plan on using it as second business with someone to run/operate it. Its the only way to pay for itself unless you are a big company always using it.


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## trzz (Jan 19, 2007)

*correction*

I saw a centerpoint energy truck with a nuckleboom that had a winch on it. It looked good. They were using it to pull cable through a pipe.


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## DFD34 (Jan 19, 2007)

*Boom Trucks*

I have alot of experience with boom trucks. There is a diffrence between cranes and boom trucks. Boom trucks are light weight cranes that when used properly can be a very safe and effective way to do tree removals. Boom trucks because of their light weight design and capacities can get you into very big trouble quickly if you do not use them in a safe manner. You can buy a boom truck that has 60ft of stick with a 14ton capcity or a 40 ton boom truck with 142 feet of stick. You need to really do your homework when buying on of these pieces of equipment. It is not like buying a bucket or a chip truck. See what you think will fit you budget and your company the best. If you buy used, make sure that it has been inspected and ceritified. Repairs on cranes are extremely expensive. Take a look at other companies in your area that may have a crane or boom truck. Rent theres and see what they like or don't like about it. I could ramble on and on. Bottom line is to buy a unit that will fit your company and be careful. Like I stated before, boom trucks can get you in alot of trouble real quick when not used properly.

The units that I have experience with are National 580, 1295,and 14127. 18 ton Bantam with 80 ft of stick and a Manitowoc 2892s. I have been a licensed operator for 15 years.

I really like Nationals products the best---Just my opinion

You can find alot of boom trucks and cranes on machinerytrader.com


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## diltree (Jan 22, 2007)

The difference between a boom truck and a crane is simply that a boom truck does not have counter weight and a crane does have counter weight. The counterweight is the large weight behind the crane cab, some are set weights and others you can add or subtract weights to increase your load chart. The other common difference is that cranes are a complete mobile unit, while boom trucks are usually mounted on a separate truck cab.


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## Treetom (Feb 3, 2007)

www.ironplanet.com often has hydraulic truck cranes up for auction. I've never bought there yet but I like their inspection reports and the fact that many items carry a Ironclad Assurance. Good luck.


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## brushbandit (Feb 10, 2007)

I recommend a Terex 4792. It's a 23.5 ton with 92' of power boom, 124' with the jib. They've built a ton of them since 1993 and they are a proven, dependable machine. If you shop you can get a clean low hour late 90's machine for in the $70K to $80K range. Don't get a smaller crane on a single axle chassis, either the crane will be too small or if you do get a 17 ton 80' crane on a single axle you won't have any GVW left to haul wood.


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## jazak (Feb 10, 2007)

Knuckebooms are only good if you can pickup the logs by a road or driveway...if not you're screwed....Also about the crane I wouldn't buy any less then 125'....


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