# boom lifts or bucket truck



## cphily21 (Feb 16, 2006)

i was lookin into boom lifts and bucket trucks and was wondering which is better off to start out with


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## Robert Mickley (Feb 18, 2006)

While I'm no expert Arborist, I would think theres advantages and disadvantages to both. I do know about Boom lifts though.

Boom lift your going to have to trailer it everywhere, the truck just drive it.

Boom lifts with reach capabilities under 128 feet usually don't have out riggers. This is a pro and a con. Pro: you can be 128 feet in the air and drive the machine around if its not quite in the right place. CON: you have to operate with in a certain grade slope.

Boom lift: your not going to rig anything for lowering of the boom. Most booms, like Genie, JLG and Snorkel have limits of 500 pounds, theres a few with ratings of 750 pounds.

Then you get the choice of either a straight boom or an articulated boom.
Straight booms 80 feet and under you can extend out the whole way and swing up, where as a articulated boom like a Genie 60/34only has 34 feet of outreach, but you can wiggle a Z boom into places you can't get a straight boom and operate in much tighter confines.

If you do buy a Boom stick with the big 3. Genie, JLG, and Snorkel.
Whatever you do, DON"T buy a Condor. COndor used to make production changes as they where rolling down the assembly line. They where the most miserable thing to work on.

Markklift isn't too bad

IF you want the best customer support buy Genie and be one with it. It's also the Caddy of booms but worth every penny


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## skwerl (Feb 18, 2006)

Simply look at what the most profitable companies use. How many boom lifts do you see in treework production year after year? I see 100+ bucket trucks for every 1 boom lift. hmmmmm, you think the owners might know which is more cost effective?
:monkey:


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## PTS (Feb 18, 2006)

Depends what you will be doing with it. If you are using it for high removals then a bucket truck is the way to go but if you are using it for trimming and need to insert yourself in the middle of the tree with no damage then a telescoping lift would be better but in my opinion get a bucket for the large removals and climb your trims. It will no only save you time but money. For a bucket truck get one that reaches quite a ways out from the truck. If you don't have a good horizontal reach your truck is now an object in the dropzone that will always be in the way. SO you end up rigging stuff they you may have just cut and dropped.


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## clearance (Feb 18, 2006)

Bucket truck-forestry package with a High Ranger or newer Altec. It pulls the chipper takes the chips, carries all your stuff. You can use it for many things, trimming by powerlines, removals even if you have to climb out of the bucket you can still get most of it with the bucket first. If you can, get an overcenter one, more reach, can touch the ground.


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## Tree Machine (Feb 18, 2006)

I like the over-center concept. Here are a few pics of Skwerl's rockin rig. This one is a utility rig with a jib crane. Can you say Teeties and beeer?


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## OutOnaLimb (Feb 19, 2006)

I have rented a Genie lift for a few jobs. Its a handy little machine. Extremely versital and mobile. I can get a Genie in the back yards where we would never be able to take the bucket truck. I especially like the telescoping boom and the jib boom. For me its a little bit easier to control than a bucket. Im still gettin used to the pistol grip controls on our bucket. One draw back is that it has that big ole basket instead of the smaller bucket on a bucket truck. If your lookin for something in the middle you may want to look at the Spider lifts or the Teupen lifts. Carl (lumberjack) has one you may get some good info from him.

Kenn


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