# Finally bought a bucket!



## miko0618 (Sep 24, 2016)

I've been kicking this around for a long time and decided my life would improve with a bucket. Its a 94 international utility. It has a high ranger linesman 2 boom. Dt466 motor. He said the motor was rebuilt a year ago. The truck is basically rust free. The rack over the cab is rusted some and a little bit on the top of the boxes. It was sitting a little while and it has a couple issues. Maybe you guys can guide me a little. Also, any advice on using buckets would be appreciated. 

The crankcase vent tube in the top of the rocker cover runs down like a hot water tank pressure release drain. It drips oil when its idling. Any idea why?

I need to grease the entire boom. I can see the fittings. What about the cable? And do I grease the chain under the chain cover?

One of the lower control levers drips fluid. Its not too bad. It looks like the covers come off to replace the o rings? Should I not use it until that is fixed? Can I fix it myself?

Is the whole boom steel with the top insulated with fiberglass? Or is the top all fiberglass? 

Last question lol... do bucket truck booms break? Under normal, proper use? 

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## no tree to big (Sep 24, 2016)

miko0618 said:


> The crankcase vent tube in the top of the rocker cover runs down like a hot water tank pressure release drain. It drips oil when its idling. Any idea why?
> 
> We had a chipper do this then it blew up[emoji107]
> 
> ...





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## miko0618 (Sep 24, 2016)

Thanks! I drove it 400 miles home. I hope theres no problem.

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## miko0618 (Sep 24, 2016)

I had blow by in my intercooler tubes on my supercharger all the time. Could this oil be from the turbo?

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## benjo75 (Sep 25, 2016)

Congratulations on your truck. 

Is the oil level correct? If it's too full it could be blowing out. Not sure why else it would be dripping. Normally they will have blow by and a little evidence of oil.

On my Altec they recommend replacing the cables way more often than I do. I inspect mine pretty often. Not sure about the chain. 

Wouldn't hurt to rebuild the lower control levers. It's not uncommon for that to happen. When equipment gets some age on it things will start to leak. I repacked the rotary joint in mine. $200. Started leaking again after about 2 months. I called Altec and they don't recommend rebuilding them. Just replace it. They couldn't have told me that when I ordered the seal kit. $850 for a new rotary joint. That's the valve below the rotation bearing where the lower hoses beneath the truck connect to the upper hoses running through the boom. . Also called a collector. 

Haven't seen your boom. You can look and tell what's steel and what's fiberglass . Both of my trucks have steel lower with a fiberglass section in the middle and fiberglass upper boom once it gets away from the joint. 

I have seen broken booms. Under normal use, they're not supposed to break. But you have no way to know if the previous owner was using it to push tops out with. Or if he overloaded it with persons or used it to load logs with. Both of mine have 2,000lbs winches on the jib. They are very sturdy but they don't carry only people. Sometimes I lift pretty good loads with them. Especially in storm damage. But I don't overload them. A 25 year old bucket won't take what a new one will. They may have had bad loads put on them that you don't know about. Check the rotation bearing. I had to replace the one on my Altec. $9,500 for parts and labor. Plus they had it for over a month. I've seen a lot of bucket trucks with slack in that bearing. That's the big bearing and ring gear at the turntable. Watch it close while someone runs it. When the boom comes over center you will see it move if there's slack. The boom will pop off if it gets too bad. They told me at Terex, where mine was fixed that Altec allows something like 1/4 slack. I can't remember exactly. But mime had about an inch. I was cutting it pretty close they said. 


Inspect it or have it inspected. Watch everything closely. Have the ground man trained to run the lower controls to get you down in case on an emergency. Never ever ever ever ever go up without being tied in correctly. Did I mention ever? I also carry at least one climbline to rapell down on in case of a hose blowout or fuel filter clogs up. I also keep a fly reel spooled up with throwline and a small throwbag with me. It helps for setting your line and you can send down for things. If nothing else, keep a new package of dental floss in the bucket. It doesn't take up much room and can be sent down to pull up a line for self rescue. I keep floss in my Powered Paraglider in case of a tree landing.


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## miko0618 (Sep 25, 2016)

benjo75 said:


> Congratulations on your truck.
> 
> Is the oil level correct? If it's too full it could be blowing out. Not sure why else it would be dripping. Normally they will have blow by and a little evidence of oil.
> 
> ...









I dont think the cable on this one gets replaced. I could be wrong. Its not like the lr50 trype. Everything seems tight on it. I hear creaking like it needs greased. I'm not getting any "blow by" as far as air blowing out of the blow by drain. The oil was too full and it seems thin on the dipstick. I'll give it a tune up and see if thats all it is. 

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## benjo75 (Sep 25, 2016)

Sometimes my cables creak a little. WD 40 takes care of it. I usually go around it with WD 40 and spray all the moving parts that don't get greased.


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## no tree to big (Sep 25, 2016)

That truck boom pretty clean none of the little cover plates are bashed in no nasty rub marks on the boom, at least that are visable in the pic. We had one of those booms from 1986, just retired it a few years ago still solid as could be and it got worked every day like a mule. Only reason it retired was cause the motor blew in the truck. Never had any major issues needed the bottom cylinder rebuilt and was coming time for a new bucket but that was from rubbing and ramming trees...

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## jefflovstrom (Sep 25, 2016)

Get it inspected,,cover your butt,
Jeff


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## miko0618 (Sep 25, 2016)

jefflovstrom said:


> Get it inspected,,cover your butt,
> Jeff


Where?

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## miko0618 (Sep 25, 2016)

no tree to big said:


> That truck boom pretty clean none of the little cover plates are bashed in no nasty rub marks on the boom, at least that are visable in the pic. We had one of those booms from 1986, just retired it a few years ago still solid as could be and it got worked every day like a mule. Only reason it retired was cause the motor blew in the truck. Never had any major issues needed the bottom cylinder rebuilt and was coming time for a new bucket but that was from rubbing and ramming trees...
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


This was used as a line truck. The only dents are from backing the rear steps into something. Nothing is banged up. Can and should I grease the cable where the knuckle is?

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## jefflovstrom (Sep 25, 2016)

miko0618 said:


> Where?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk



See if you can find a mobile guy near you, http://www.altec.com/service/preventive-maintenance/

Jeff


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## Erwin (Sep 25, 2016)

Glad to see another newbie bucket guy! I'm turning 53 and can still climb another 10 years. However I decided to get a bucket a month ago so I can last longer and I loved it. The first time I took it out for a real job I have a fountain of oil for at least 15 seconds and lost lots of oil. It turned out the last owner could not afford replacing the 1/2 inch upper control supply line. He just had it spliced. It popped from there. I replaced it myself and it's not ok hard. Costed me close to 600 just to have the line made. 
Two suggestions:
1. Wire a kill switch for the truck engine and ur pony motor if u have one to the bucket. So if u work alone if can kill the pump when u have a leak. Another incident yesterday bumped the line fitting with a falling branch and it started leaking although not too bad. Glad was able to kill it and tighten it up with a wrench. 

2. Bring a throw line as others suggested or u can do what I did. I built a frame exactly the dimension of the inside of the bucket. Made a two piece cover to put on top of it out of weather proof 3/4 inch plywood. I hide a 80 foot 8mm single rock climbing rope and a simple repealing Device. I like to stand a little higher in the bucket. Also withe the plywood floor I can wear my Spurs and be ready to climb out into the tree.


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## Erwin (Sep 25, 2016)

This is mine. A 97 GMC 6 liter gas. Which it were a more powerful diesel. 50 feet to the bottom of the bucket. 

Another suggestion: if u r not planning to use it regularly near power lines lose the bucket insert. However make sure ur bucket has good structural integrity. In my case all four corners are cracked and I have to fix it. That way the load on the boom is at least 50 pounds less.


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## Erwin (Sep 26, 2016)

The lettering on the truck belongs to the last owner. Still in the process taking it off. "Affordable?" not for everyone. I'm not cheap by any standard ):


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## AGoodSteward (Sep 26, 2016)

My fav trick with a boom is to slide branches down the upper arm instead of throwing them. The elbow is usually out in free air.
Use chain lube(aerosol) so it doesn't get gummed up. Our HR manual has all the grease specs and locations marked.
Watched a guy one time with his groundie just bouncing their bucket up and down for 15-20 minutes. Definitely find somewhere to have it inspected. You never know what abuse it's seen.
Get ground protecting sheets and keep them stashed onboard. Folks with well cared for lawns don't mind paying extra for not leaving ruts.
Laser range finder so you can see clearences and reaches when bidding.


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## AGoodSteward (Sep 26, 2016)

Keep kneepads or a piece of foam rubber in the tool box. You'll find yourself bracing your knees on the inside of the bucket. Especially when using a big saw.


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## BC WetCoast (Sep 26, 2016)

Get a good set of outrigger pads. There have been incidents where the outriggers (without pads) have punched through the ground they were on and tipped the truck causing a fatality. 

In hot weather, I've seen outriggers dent asphalt. Not an easy thing to explain to a customer why their driveway has a divot.


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## miko0618 (Sep 26, 2016)

That brings up a question I had. How much angle can the truck be at without fear of tipping? On flat ground, is it even possible to tip a truck?

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## miko0618 (Sep 26, 2016)

Thanks for the tips everyone!

The fiberglass splinters are tearing up my forearms. 

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## treebilly (Sep 26, 2016)

Actually I think ansi now requires that outrigger pads be used on every setup. I'm not sure if the new standards have been released yet but that was in there when I read over the proposal.


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## no tree to big (Sep 26, 2016)

miko0618 said:


> That brings up a question I had. How much angle can the truck be at without fear of tipping? On flat ground, is it even possible to tip a truck?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


I've seen pics of tipped ones, I've also in person seen a 55 foot non over center high ranger(like yours) rear mount go straight off the side no outriggers deployed and not flip... very bouncy but tires stayed on the ground. Side to side you are supposed to be max 5 degrees out of level, I assume same for front to back but we've done worse, Your rotate motor will strain tho. We always try to get as close to level side to side as possible. Don't be afraid to pick your wheels up off the ground In the back if you are crazy sideways. If you had a forestry truck and set your outriggers high then go over the front you can teeter on the riggers lifting the back wheels off the ground but not the case of a rear mount. If you do need to level a lot use a lot of out rigger padding vs using a lot of the outrigger itself if you extend them all the way sometimes they will bind up on you and not want to retract grease helps that but still happens. 


miko0618 said:


> Thanks for the tips everyone!
> 
> The fiberglass splinters are tearing up my forearms.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


What's splintering? That's not good!!

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## miko0618 (Sep 26, 2016)

no tree to big said:


> I've seen pics of tipped ones, I've also in person seen a 55 foot non over center high ranger(like yours) rear mount go straight off the side no outriggers deployed and not flip... very bouncy but tires stayed on the ground. Side to side you are supposed to be max 5 degrees out of level, I assume same for front to back but we've done worse, Your rotate motor will strain tho. We always try to get as close to level side to side as possible. Don't be afraid to pick your wheels up off the ground In the back if you are crazy sideways. If you had a forestry truck and set your outriggers high then go over the front you can teeter on the riggers lifting the back wheels off the ground but not the case of a rear mount. If you do need to level a lot use a lot of out rigger padding vs using a lot of the outrigger itself if you extend them all the way sometimes they will bind up on you and not want to retract grease helps that but still happens.
> 
> What's splintering? That's not good!!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


Nothing is splintering. The microscopic glass fibers irritate my skin. The same as fiberglass insulation. I cant touch the stuff. 

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## no tree to big (Sep 26, 2016)

miko0618 said:


> Nothing is splintering. The microscopic glass fibers irritate my skin. The same as fiberglass insulation. I cant touch the stuff.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


You scared me haha

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## miko0618 (Sep 27, 2016)

So whats the safety features of a bucket? What if a line blows? What if that large cable breaks? What if the pump or pto take a crap? Am I gonna fall?

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## Zale (Sep 27, 2016)

Short answer, maybe. Ideally, no. That's why you really need to get it inspected. I'm not breaking balls but you really should have known the answers to your questions before you bought it.


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## miko0618 (Sep 27, 2016)

Zale said:


> Short answer, maybe. Ideally, no. That's why you really need to get it inspected. I'm not breaking balls but you really should have known the answers to your questions before you bought it.


Why? 

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## miko0618 (Sep 27, 2016)

Its going in for a clutch and inspection. I was just curious how they work in a failure. I'm not sure why now is a bad time to ask?

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## Zale (Sep 27, 2016)

It's not a bad time I'm just an ******* sometimes.


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## miko0618 (Sep 27, 2016)

I'm here to learn. You guys are my comrades. I want to know everything I should to be as safe as possible. I climb safe and I am treating the bucket the same way. 

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## Erwin (Sep 27, 2016)

miko0618 said:


> So whats the safety features of a bucket? What if a line blows? What if that large cable breaks? What if the pump or pto take a crap? Am I gonna fall?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


1. If a line broke, all the cylinders or just the affected one will "lock" in the position it was in so no free fall. Then u better have a way to **** down the engine or u'll watch all ur fluids dumped on ur customers lawn or deiveway. Read my earlier reply. 
2. If the pump or PTO take a crap u r stuck up there again read my previous reply. 
3. If u mean the cable system that keeps the bucket upright. If it breaks u r fine. Again its function is only to keep the bucket upright. If u mean the large heavy chains things that rotates the booms, then bad luck u free fall. However that's very unlikely since that thing is way over engineered. Plus, it right there and u can see it all the time.


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## treebilly (Sep 27, 2016)

If a line blows nothing " should" fall. There are check valves that keep that from happening. If the leveling cable snaps you should be ok. Depending on where it breaks, the bucket may or may not tip over. If the main cable or chain snaps, you're ****ed. If that happens you really screwed up or you never look at your knuckle at all


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## miko0618 (Sep 27, 2016)

Mine has a very large steel cable that lifts the upper boom. Then it has 2 smaller cables that I dont know where they go

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## Erwin (Sep 27, 2016)

Miko0618,
U r a respected veteran here. I'm still green. It's quite an honer to share my knowledge and fresh learnings with u. If u say thank u for the in depth replies I shared with u then I have more. I'm just one step ahead of u on bucket and u r many steps ahead of me in other things. Just Like u I did not know a thing about bucket before I went out and bought one. I don't agree with some guys here who always stand at their pedestal and criticize us new comers. I try to b as safe as possible with the budget I have. I don't learn everything about bucket and then take out a mortgage to buy a new one and then have to work my tail off to make payments. I pay everything with the cash I have.


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## treebilly (Sep 27, 2016)

The smaller ones are probably the leveling cables. 
When the inspection is done ask if you can be there. The guy doing it can tell you a lot about what to check on and look for. The problem with an older truck is getting parts. Manufacturers change things up and after so many years you can't buy parts. This is in an effort to keep older lifts from being used with out inspections. Getting a pin machined can take a couple weeks depending on how busy the shops are.


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## miko0618 (Sep 27, 2016)

Erwin said:


> Miko0618,
> U r a respected veteran here. I'm still green. It's quite an honer to share my knowledge and fresh learnings with u. If u say thank u for the in depth replies I shared with u then I have more. I'm just one step ahead of u on bucket and u r many steps ahead of me in other things. Just Like u I did not know a thing about bucket before I went out and bought one. I don't agree with some guys here who always stand at their pedestal and criticize us new comers. I try to b as safe as possible with the budget I have. I don't learn everything about bucket and then take out a mortgage to buy a new one and then have to work my tail off to make payments. I pay everything with the cash I have.


I appreciate all the info I can get. Peace of mind or "trust" is major in this field. I want to trust my bucket like I do my ropes. 

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## Erwin (Sep 27, 2016)

Mine is 97 and it uses large chain thing to lift. Older models use cable. Before I bought this one I looked at a 88 model. It's quite scary. The main lift cable was frayed.


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## no tree to big (Sep 27, 2016)

miko0618 said:


> Mine has a very large steel cable that lifts the upper boom. Then it has 2 smaller cables that I dont know where they go
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Two small cables are going to be for the bucket leveler. 

Something you should always do and osha will get u for if you are ever inspected mid operation is wearing a fall arrest harness. They are for certain mechanical failures and also work operations that cause you to get pulled or flung out of the bucket. The harness does save lives! there is a company about 20 mins away from me that had a mechanical failure in the leveler system and it tipped the guy right out left him hanging 40 feet in the air! Now I think there was a little user error in that situation but somehow it happened. Now if you go and ram something and break the boom in half that harness will not do diddly squat besides hold you within a few feet of the bucket as it crashes to the ground but it's good security when you are reaching out trying to get that extra 4 inches of reach

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## miko0618 (Sep 27, 2016)

Ahhh I see. I will always be tied to the boom. My upper boom has a cable running through it. I'm thinking its to catch me if I snap the boom. I saw it in the inspection hole. 

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## miko0618 (Nov 4, 2016)

benjo75 said:


> Congratulations on your truck.
> 
> Is the oil level correct? If it's too full it could be blowing out. Not sure why else it would be dripping. Normally they will have blow by and a little evidence of oil.
> 
> ...


The ring gear bearing on my truck will gap about a driver's license thickness when I rock it up and down. Side to side it goes about an inch in the ring gear. I assume the side to side slop is in the gears and the gapping I see during rocking is the bearing. Is this right?

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## benjo75 (Nov 5, 2016)

The side to side should be the play in the gears. The up and down should be the bearings. They allow a little bit of slack. Not much. If it's a drivers license thickness it should be fine. Mine had about an inch up and down before I got it fixed. 

As far as the side to side play, not sure about yours but mine has an offset steel bushing about 1.5 inches thick and about 4 inches in diameter. It sits in in the framework by the ring gear and the smaller gear of the turn motor goes in it. It is thicker on one side than the other and has notches. You have to pull the turn motor out to get to it. By rotating it you move the smaller gear closer to or farther from the ring gear. Thus taking up the slack. I don't know the tolerances on that but if it gets too much slack it could strip the gears and or have a run a way and spin out of control.


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