Bucket truck question

[TumblebugTaylor]

I was on a job a few weeks ago cleaning up storm debris. I saw a well known tree service that was using a bucket truck with a sling shackled to the end lowering sections of trunk down to the ground. THe kicker was it had a guy in the bucket. I m not familiar with bucket trucks but when I was a crane operator I knew you couldnt use a man basket on the crane and hoist an object no matter how light from the basket, or the other line on the crane. They also were lifting several logs this way to. I have a friend that is a labored for them and has been under the boom a few times and he was asking this.

 

[prentice110]

Some buckets are rated material handlers, most arent. I would never get into a unit that I had know to be used as a crane.

 

[sgreanbeans]

Yep, he right, I had a Ford C8000 bucket that had a 2000lb cap winch on the end of it. I used it one time to pic a log in chunks, didnt feel right so I never did it again.

 

[Buckettruckbabe]

Yes, some bucket trucks have material handlers that you can use to assist with lowering limbs and branches. The key is to make sure that it's all factory installed, never anything installed after market or jerry-rigged. Some sign trucks (non-insulated) have handlers that rate for 5,000 lbs or more.