# problem with hydraulics on bucket truck



## crossy

First off I was wondering if anyone could tell me why the outriggers don't work at all but all the other hydraulics are? 
Also it acts as though all the hydraulics are overpressured. both lift cylinders leak bad.
I don't know much about these rigs. I bought it from a friend who is upgrading just so i can do my own trees around my house , then i am going to sell it but For the next year it's going to stay here and i need those outriggers- or at least I think I do. 
I'm kind looking for anyone into doing mobile hydraulic repairs too.
I live on the Jersey side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge near Wilmington , De.

.thanx for any help. 

the truck is an 83 Ford/Asplundh


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## SmokinDodge

Yes you need those outriggers working. Does it do anything when you pull the lever to activate them? Does it make any sounds? Have you checked that the hydraulic resevoir is full?

The leaking cylinders, are they the main lift cylinders for the boom? If so, please do not get in the bucket until you have these issues resolved! Where are the cylinders leaking from?


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## crossy

No noises at all , the reservoir is not full but it is huge(25 gallons??) and powers the boom with no problem. I didn't want to totally fill it yet cause of the leakage. the tank is about 5 Gallons low. I looked down in the tank and there are no 'higher' up outlets so the the 'feed' for the outriggers must be the same as the other hydraulics. 

Yep, its one of the main cylinders the top one(fold/ unfold), i thought the lower one was leaking bad also because the oil runs down across it when it's folded.

I've only been up in it a few feet, trimmed my one Pine tree which is only 15' high  , I'm too scared w/o the outriggers even though i know this monster prolly won't tip over. thanx for the help. 

BTW- even the door handles on the boxes say ASPLUNDH on them so i assumed these are made for or by Asplundh's own subcontractor?? so is there an Asplundh parts warehouse???? I could use a few control(sticks) knobs/labels.
crossy


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## CylinderService

*Crossy's bucket truck*

Don't know if you've resolved this yet, but it's a perplexing problem. I've seen a couple instances where the inlet & outlet hoses were mixed up on the valve, and they had some wierd problems. Be sure the hose going to the "in" port of the valve is the one which comes from the pump!
Another possibility which might account for the system running at pressure all the time is plugging the outlet on a valve set up for power-beyond use. I don't think that would prevent the outriggers from working though.
You do need to find someone in the hydraulics business to help I think. If you're ever driving it past Rochester, stop in. Otherwise look in the yellow pages. There should be a shop somewhere near you.
You could also post some photos of the valve.

Good Luck,

Don the Hydraulics Guy


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## crossy

hey thanx for the reply w/o telling me to scrap the truck. 
I actually got the outriggers working. they were locked out by the bypass(?) knob up on the top near the bucket. Also at the same time the right side was still locked out by a HYDRAULIC TOOLS lever that was up[on]. 

I used it for 3 hours, 8 trees topped out, then the main cylinder started leaking pretty bad so i brought her down and parked it. I need to find someone in the area that does it. shame i have to take them off and then somewhere just for a re-pack. I thought there were a lot of mobile hydraulics firms but Guess not. thanx , DAVID


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## CylinderService

David,
If you want to do it yourself, take the seals out and mail them to us. We'll size them up and send you new ones. Send me a private email & I'll give you our address.

Don


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## jerseywild

I thought I saw a lot of oil on Columbia Dr. The Cherry log yeided 300 bf as for the cylinder check with dink at the end of street. He can get the seal kit you need and show you how to install it. You can't get much closer than that!


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## antigrassguy

crossy, NEVER operate without outriggers down and solid and leaks out of cylinders. You should identify your boom model and year of manufacture. There is suppose to be a tag on the pedestal by the dead man levers that says model, height, year, etc., if not its a little trickier but doable. Inspect all parts of this boom ie. cable, fiberglass, leveling chain, nuts, bolts, hoses. Please fix the leaks and any other issues you find as you are putting you personal welfare at risk by not doing so. If not for you, do it for your family and friends.


TreeCo said:


> Your boom is a death trap. Asplundh has been sold to Altec and the older booms are not being supported any longer and the company strongly recommends that they be taken out of service.


The Asplundh booms have a 25 year life. Mandatory retirement after that. They can be serviced prior to age 25, with verification. I think it was a issue with the fiberglass on booms failing because of fatigue. They were nice, when new, as I spent a few hours flying one around power lines, back when.


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## crossy

This was certified as late as 1997 by Atlantic electric before they gave it up. 
I found everything i needed to know on it, outriggers work fine, all I need is time to get things apart. 

JerseyWild, small world eh, just so everyone knows this guy lives less than a 1/2 mile from me and we were in same High school at same time and didn't know each other were on the forum, yep small world on the internet. He also took down a HUGE wild cherry tree for me that there was no way i was going to tackle, even if i did have a boom truck back then, which I didn't. After i saw all the bees come out of the ground and sting him, i was even more happy I didn't do it myself. He Is very professional and cost effecient so If you live around Salem County, NJ and need work done send him an email. He's not blowing his own horn with his business name on here so I'm not going to do it for him. He may be incognito for a reason . John, Dink has less time than me on his hands but I'm sure he'll help if i get it apart. thanx. 
NOW, which one of the 500 nurseries in the area do i buy cheap arborvitaes from ? crossy


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## DDM

Where is the fluid leaking from?Is it from the ram end?Have you tried tightening the gland nut?


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## crossy

yeah its coming from ther am end and I remember trying that to start with and could not get it to move but i will go back and try to be more persuasive. I think once they blow out like that it is pretty much over though. thanx , DAVID


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## jerseywild

Dave
On Rt 49 just before Bridgeton is a wholesale nursey where i buy my arborvites. Last time I paid $11 cash per plant for 3 to 4 footers.


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## zybourg

*Asplundh LR42 Hydraulic leak out of Lower Boom*

Hey Guys
I have a F800 with a Asplundh LR42 over center boom Bucket Truck.The truck worked fine when i parked it last year.When i went to use it yesterday the outriggers worked fine but i could not get the boom to operate.Now there is hydraulic oil pouring out of the lower boom.I added more hydraulic fluid but no go.Now the outriggers which worked fine before are operating very slow and "stuttering" when going up.I am not very familure with the operation of this unit and any input would be appreciated.


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## Frank Boyer

zybourg said:


> Hey Guys
> I have a F800 with a Asplundh LR42 over center boom Bucket Truck.The truck worked fine when i parked it last year.When i went to use it yesterday the outriggers worked fine but i could not get the boom to operate.Now there is hydraulic oil pouring out of the lower boom.I added more hydraulic fluid but no go.Now the outriggers which worked fine before are operating very slow and "stuttering" when going up.I am not very familure with the operation of this unit and any input would be appreciated.



It sounds like you are low on hydraulic fluid. The leaking cylinders should go to a hydraulic shop unless you are very good at rebuilding cylinders.


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## Dadatwins

Frank Boyer said:


> It sounds like you are low on hydraulic fluid. The leaking cylinders should go to a hydraulic shop unless you are very good at rebuilding cylinders.



Agreed, and the system must be bled out of any remaining air before being used, this should be left to a specialist unless you are extremely familiar with the operation.


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## Crofter

Dadatwins said:


> Agreed, and the system must be bled out of any remaining air before being used, this should be left to a specialist unless you are extremely familiar with the operation.



Dont take the above warning as someone jus trying to spoil your fun!  

It sounds like you do not have the operation manual for that lift. The bleeding procedure on over centre booms is a lot more involved and important than the average hydraulic shop serviceman might be aware of. Both sides of the cylinders must be blead or you can have a run away as you go over centre and the forces go from push to pull. (or _vice~versa_)Example; Some vertically mounted cylinders on some equipment have to be unpinned, laid flat and stroked or they can trap air for quite a period of time.


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## CylinderService

Please listen to these guys! There is nothing keeping you from hurting yourself, or others, than your own good judgment. Air in the system can make them really hard to control. You need someone who knows that system to help make sure it's safe & ready to use.


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## lxt

actually the life span of an asplundh bucket is 20 yrs. I would suggest looking at their website & contacting someone in the maint. dept. they had a real good mechanic(wally rheam) spelling unknown!! who can give you better advice.

LXT..........


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## flyboy63

*Bob*

I have a 1985 LR 50 Asplundh bucket.Does anyone know what was as the orignal hydraulic pump which was attached to the power take-off.The outriggers work fine but the boom suddenly stopped working. It makes a noise like it is trying to pick the boom up but wont pick it up.
Thank's , Bob


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## greg storms

*altec bought asplundh?*

Bob,
Some1 said altec bought asplundh. If so, I've used an altec technical advisor named Ed, who was very helpful in my case. His # 816-364-2244. (eastern time zone). In my case, he used my serial # & model # to pull prints & assisted me in the treoubleshooting. He was very helpful & took a day to acquire the prints. Be patient with him. In my case, an interlock stopped the main boom hydraulics from operating. Trace your inlet/exit hydraulic lines & get familiar with the flows! Good Luck!:bang:
Greg


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## WBODDE

*Repair Altec AA500 bucket truch*

I do not know much about hydrolics on bucket trucks.
I have a problem with the boom on 1986 Chevy c60 bucket truck. The outiggers work but the boom will not raise. The hydrolic is making a thumping noise when it tries to build up with pressure. 
The outriggers down and working. Loosen the bottom line on boom cylinder and does not leak oil when tring to raise.
System has been sitting a long, long time not being used.
The coil on switch over valve was bad and put new one on [ sounds like valve is working and is full of oil in tank ]
There only seems to be only one safty valve with coil for outrigger to boom use. 

Bill


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## greg storms

*hydraulics.. gotta study them*

1st, I'd call and see if a maintenance manual is available. My truck is a 2000 model & they got me a manual : service and operators' for about 250$ & it took a couple of weeks. Call Ed...but it'd be wise to learn your truck's hydraulics' systems 1st. I knew very little about hydraulics also, but work at a chemical plant & know how to trace lines. Find the supply & return lines & see where they go. If 1 spool valve has a collapsed o ring, the flow will stop there. So, if your outriggers work, but the boom doesn't, there is a restriction...possibly. In my case, the bumper mounted 20000# (hydraulic) winch worked in 1 direction only. Upon disassembly of the spool valve for the directional control of the winch, I found a loose/swelled oring. Fixed that, then found a few leaks. Fixed that & all works fine. It's just like plumbing in a house....determine what goes where & see what's stopping it. Now, BEWARE of 3000PSI hydraulic lines with pressure on them. I borrowed gaGES from a hydraulic repairmen & ended up removing 3 trees in trade for his assistance. Also, there is pilot pressure (300psi on my truck) & true hydraulic pressure (300psi on mine). There are places to test the pressure, but you need gages...& they are expensive. It would have been cheaper for me to repair a serviceman (maybe 1000$), but i wouldn't have learned the truck as I did. If it breaks down in the middle of a job, I want to understand it in order to safely operate/repair. I was out of work with an illness (paid leave for 5.25 mos) so had nothing better to do. You might be better off paying a serviceman...or barter.


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## WBODDE

*hydraulics.. gotta study them*

Greg
Thanks for reply.
I was playing around with controls last night and found out when I would purge top and hold lever then try to move boom it works great on boom controls, Except bottom boom did work but not now it tries to lift top is ok.
I did ordered a maintence and parts book but on a older 1985 system not veary much info in it.
They did not keep good records on them back then they said. The l;ines on purge system look correct, in the beginning when I purged it it had oil flow in upper and bottom controls. It had air in lines from sitting so long and almost no oil from being worked on, but it did clear up.
Might have to rebuild purge valve because it has a leak when purging bottom controls. Upper controls OK no leaking.

Bill


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## WBODDE

*Aa500*

Grey

Got system up and running now had a missing o-ring in purge valve and rebuilt outriggers.
Works great except Altec boom tag said 54 ft work height but it only measured 37 ft height when all the way up from top of bucket to ground.

Bill


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## greg storms

*got it going!*

hey, great that you got it going! Now, you've gotta run it & test it. If it says 54' somewhere, but you measured 37', there must be something amiss. are both booms relatively straight up & you only show 37'? I still haven't stayed in my bucket while booming mine around. I'm repainting the boom & all the parts that secure the bucket to the boom before I run it with my 210# in the bucket. If yours sat for quite a while without fluid flowing & cylinders working, you might want to keep purging it & booming it around from the ground to give the cylinders working time. There may be seals that are somewhat out-of-round from sitting for extended periods. The manual says that can be the case from EXTENDED storage. Also, if your tank/oil reservoir has a bottom drain, drain a gallon or five out & check for contaminates (water would settle to bottom of tank & should be drained)...drain 1st quart or more in something you can see through...to see a interface between water & oil. The hydraulic oil should be yellowish, not milky white (water contaminated). gOOD lUCK! bE CAREFUL!


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## WBODDE

*Testing*

Greg

The boom tag said 54' [bottom of platform] and when I called Altec when they first read sales records on it they said 54' but that unit only came out with 44' bottom of platform max. I think they sold it to state as 54' and scam them out of money.
I have put the unit to running test but not the 800# boom hold test yet. all works good but think I need to lower the max psi down to 1750 it is now 2000 [ 2100 is max psi ]
Had it at 2000 to get outriggers to work before rebuild. It did have milky white oil but it cleared up after getting oil warm.
Have already cut limbs with it but no lifting until I get weight test done. Will need to make me a jib for it [ missing ].
If you need any new Altec pins for it let me know and will look to see if have a print on it.

Bill


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## shawn watson

Have ford 800 bucket truck bucket goes up an to the right as it should but left an down not so good have to pump it up then maybe go left then pump to go down whats the problem any help


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## Johnkawi

My bucket truck won't go side to side or up and down on the bottom boom from pistol grip control in the bucket all lower controls work fine but I can only go up and down with top boom from the bucket I have checked fluid level and bled the system off to check for air and still nothing any one have any idea what is going on


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