# Bucket truck cable wear???



## Tripled's (Mar 18, 2010)

Another local service had an incident today where the cable inside the boom broke,dropping a good friend of mine who was operating it nearly 30 feet down before stopping. This then launched him from the bucket into a brush pile on the ground (so I'm told) and caused some pretty serious injuries. Should recover but as of right now is hospitalized. 
This all got me thinking about my boom and cable, realizing it is a older boom which I inspected upon purchase but how long should you really run this cable. And how often do you inspect the cable on yours. Once strands start breaking you obviously need to replace it but is there a certain time span where you just do preventative maintenance to insure no failure. This thing does have your life or a fellow workers life in it. 
Just looking for some thought or opinions from people that have been involved for longer than me. Still fairly new to the game. Either way mine will be getting a new cable very soon.


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## Bermie (Mar 18, 2010)

What happened to his harness?


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## Torin (Mar 18, 2010)

Do a lot of guys not have annual ANSI inspections?


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## Nailsbeats (Mar 18, 2010)

Not to beat a dead horse but,:deadhorse: did he have a harness on?


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 18, 2010)

is it and old asplundh if so the level cable broke mine did it happens


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 18, 2010)

TreeCo said:


> I had a 1976 Asplundh AR50 and got a funky ride once when a bird's nest got between the cable and a pulley it rides in. Nothing broke.....but lesson learned! It's no fun having your bucket tilt 45 degrees forward.



yes treeco i have a 1976 to and the chain on the end broke from saw dust i was hanging up side down  tom


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## lone wolf (Mar 18, 2010)

1978 asplundh lr 50 broke the rotation chain at the master link and threw me into the power lines how do you like that one?


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## utilityman (Mar 18, 2010)

*ANSI Inspection*

If you want to live and go home everynight and don't want to break the law you better be getting an ANSI inspection done on your bucket truck every year.


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## Tripled's (Mar 19, 2010)

unfortunately he wasn't wearing a harness. I'm not sure on the type of boom he was in. After further research I found that my boom (an altec) would not fall if the cable was to break. The bucket will come free and turn under the boom but the as long as you are tied in you will remain in the air. Im still trying to find out exactly what happened and so far its all second hand information but this boom collapsed from around 30 feet up slamming the bucket into the truck. Not sure what caused the boom to fall though...-


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## fishercat (Mar 19, 2010)

*when topieces of metal rub together.............*

one will eventually wear out.No one around here seems to fix anything until it breaks and no one here wears a harness or even has one on the truck.

now you know why I don't like bucket trucks.


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## RAG66 (Mar 20, 2010)

FALL ARREST is critical ! I can't see going up without it. What is different about a boom truck, you wouldn't climb a tree without being tied in at least in one if not two points, would you??? As for the inspection every year with the replacement of critical components 3-5 years. This is what I have been instructed by "experts"...


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## Nailsbeats (May 19, 2010)

RAG66 said:


> FALL ARREST is critical ! I can't see going up without it. What is different about a boom truck, you wouldn't climb a tree without being tied in at least in one if not two points, would you??? As for the inspection every year with the replacement of critical components 3-5 years. This is what I have been instructed by "experts"...



Yeah, I would, but that's besides the point. In a bucket, no way would I fly without a tie in.


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## arbor pro (May 19, 2010)

RAG66 said:


> FALL ARREST is critical ! I can't see going up without it. What is different about a boom truck, you wouldn't climb a tree without being tied in at least in one if not two points, would you??? As for the inspection every year with the replacement of critical components 3-5 years. This is what I have been instructed by "experts"...



Most manufacturers spec 5 yrs on lifting cables, 3 years on leveling cable(s). Hoses are every 5-8 years I believe.


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## treemandan (May 19, 2010)

Bermie said:


> What happened to his harness?



During the accident it had come undone, flew off and exploded into nothing on impact? That's just guessing though.

I suppose there is not much to say to a person who owns a bucket and has no where in mind to take it to get inspected...to get it inspected not so much for his own self but for who the hell ever. l-o-g b-o-o-k That spells relief.


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## treemandan (May 19, 2010)

TreeCo said:


> I had a 1976 Asplundh AR50 and got a funky ride once when a bird's nest got between the cable and a pulley it rides in. Nothing broke.....but lesson learned! It's no fun having your bucket tilt 45 degrees forward.



I think I saw that. This 30 foot collapse sounds like something else though. I thought the hydraulics had check valves so the boom wouldn't collapse. I don't do a whole heck of a lot of bucket work. Sometimes I get put in a tree but even then I am not on the controls.


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## Treetom (May 19, 2010)

*Another free lesson on AS*

Same thing happened here. Two guys in a bucket changing a lite bulb on a pole. Both tumbled out of the bucket, no harness. I believe it was a High Danger. I have an Altec, inspected last winter. We look at the cables three times a year during maintenance. We have gut straps, time to order up a couple harnesses with a tear-away lanyard.


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