# boom painting



## JOS 2012 (Jul 15, 2012)

Hey guys, this is my first post ever!! So I am a new business owner we are now entering our second year. I purchased my first bucket truck yesterday and was wondering if i could paint the boom and can i use regular exterior paint??

:help:


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## no tree to big (Jul 15, 2012)

no it has to be special non conductive stuff


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## cfield (Jul 15, 2012)

When I worked for big orange they painted their booms once a year, before their truck inspections. Its was always regular spray paint, and those upper booms are frequently in contact with wires.


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## jefflovstrom (Jul 15, 2012)

Really? Even the hydraulic fluid has to be changed. Paint is the same, oh well, I should be quiet or I will be called a bully.
Jeff


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## 2treeornot2tree (Jul 15, 2012)

The problem with painting your boom is that could cover up a crack that could cause boom failer. If you are painting the whole truck, i would paint the metal parts of the boom only.


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## les-or-more (Jul 15, 2012)

jefflovstrom said:


> Really? Even the hydraulic fluid has to be changed. Paint is the same, oh well, I should be quiet or I will be called a bully.
> Jeff



The loss of a life from not pointing out possible hazzards is a much heavier cross to bear than the label of internet bully will ever be.:msp_wink:


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## ATH (Jul 15, 2012)

cfield said:


> ....Its was always regular spray paint...



"regular spray paint"...like the stuff in rattle cans. I seriously doubt that. I am sure they sprayed the paint, but I can't imagine any worthwhile company who is going to spray multiple trucks each year is going to use spray cans...very inefficient, costly and ugly.


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## cfield (Jul 16, 2012)

jefflovstrom said:


> Really? Even the hydraulic fluid has to be changed. Paint is the same, oh well, I should be quiet or I will be called a bully.
> Jeff



I didnt say it was right or that i agree, its just what they do.


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## Pelorus (Jul 16, 2012)

My Asplundh service manual recomended spar varnish for the booms.
Back in the early '70's


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## stltreedr (Jul 16, 2012)

JOS 2012 said:


> Hey guys, this is my first post ever!! So I am a new business owner we are now entering our second year. I purchased my first bucket truck yesterday and was wondering if i could paint the boom and can i use regular exterior paint??
> 
> :help:



unless you're line-clearance qualified you shouldn't be closer than 10 feet from conductors anyway. For regular day to day tree servcie stuff, it doesn't need to be insulated, nor will you probably ever have it dielectrically tested. That being said, Unless you plan to work around energized conductors, I think you'll be fine to paint it. Good Luck!


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## no tree to big (Jul 16, 2012)

stltreedr said:


> unless you're line-clearance qualified you shouldn't be closer than 10 feet from conductors anyway. For regular day to day tree servcie stuff, it doesn't need to be insulated, nor will you probably ever have it dielectrically tested. That being said, Unless you plan to work around energized conductors, I think you'll be fine to paint it. Good Luck!



what happens when your bucket goes nutz and you cant control it and it swings into a set of lines that you were 10 feet from??? we have a old high ranger sitting in the back that went crazy one day, too old to dump tons of money into so it got parked, the possibility is always there. there was also a guy on here that, I think, had something get jammed into the lower controls and it caused the bucket to try and literally lift a telephone pole out of the ground and the boom snapped. no electrocution but there must have been a pole for a reason...


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## mattfr12 (Jul 16, 2012)

no tree to big said:


> what happens when your bucket goes nutz and you cant control it and it swings into a set of lines that you were 10 feet from??? we have a old high ranger sitting in the back that went crazy one day, too old to dump tons of money into so it got parked, the possibility is always there. there was also a guy on here that, I think, had something get jammed into the lower controls and it caused the bucket to try and literally lift a telephone pole out of the ground and the boom snapped. no electrocution but there must have been a pole for a reason...



He had plywood on the cage and it got stuck up against the lower controls. I think he did get the pole out of the ground. Call one of the guys that refurbish the trucks. I'm sure they will sell you paint that is non conductive. You even are supposed to be using non conductive grease.


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## treeclimber101 (Jul 17, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> He had plywood on the cage and it got stuck up against the lower controls. I think he did get the pole out of the ground. Call one of the guys that refurbish the trucks. I'm sure they will sell you paint that is non conductive. You even are supposed to be using non conductive grease.



I have already exhausted this question and when it was finally answered there is only one true answer any paint will do , you have plenty of metal in the upper and the metallic in paint is the least of your worries thats why you have a insulator , paint is white with a heavy even plasticote type something that coats well, and I even called Altec a ol friend gave me a gelcoat part# but that was for repair and sun damage , it had nothing to do with paint , I hardly doubt all these 'refurbished' beauties out there have anything more than a EARL SCHEIB special 300.00 paint job


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## stltreedr (Jul 19, 2012)

no tree to big said:


> what happens when your bucket goes nutz and you cant control it and it swings into a set of lines that you were 10 feet from??? we have a old high ranger sitting in the back that went crazy one day, too old to dump tons of money into so it got parked, the possibility is always there. there was also a guy on here that, I think, had something get jammed into the lower controls and it caused the bucket to try and literally lift a telephone pole out of the ground and the boom snapped. no electrocution but there must have been a pole for a reason...




I guess anything could happen, especially if your boom has a mechanical malfunction. If my boom went crazy or failed altogether, my last worry would be if I had non-conductive paint on it. There are many booms that arent insulated at all, just be careful.


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## millbilly (Aug 1, 2012)

Your kidding me, to many FE's, sometimes i forget that.


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## sgreanbeans (Aug 2, 2012)

Use what ever paint u want, just don't paint the fiberglass, just the metal. I wanted tough paint, so I used container paint and mixed it to my liking.


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