Bucket truck troubleshooting

[ChoppyChoppy]

I bought a 1980s Ford F800 bucket truck for work around the property.

I can't get the boom to work though!

The PTO works, the outriggers work, but the lower controls and bucket controls do nothing.

It looks to be some sort of air and electric controlled system?? I don't even know where to start to troubleshoot it! I'd guess there's some sort of valve block somewhere to get the boom to work?

It's a Hi-Ranger 6TDI-65PBI 28211817 500lbs

I thought Hi-Ranger was a good brand, but seems they are buried in the Terex conglomerate. I got no where trying to find a service manual for this. They don't even list any dealers within a few thousand miles of me!

Looks very similar to the boom in this video:

 

[Bango Skank]

Is there limit switches on the outriggers? If so, those are there as a safety interlock for the boom. If it thinks the outriggers aren’t deployed, the boom will not work. Possibly a broken wire or weak connection at a wiring harness, maybe a bad switch. It might have prox switches rather than limit switches, but same concept.

If you’re a little handy with electrical stuff, you can probably bypass those switches and see if the boom works. There’s a very good reason for this interlock, I would only bypass that interlock for troubleshooting purposes.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Is there limit switches on the outriggers? If so, those are there as a safety interlock for the boom. If it thinks the outriggers aren’t deployed, the boom will not work. Possibly a broken wire or weak connection at a wiring harness, maybe a bad switch. It might have prox switches rather than limit switches, but same concept.

If you’re a little handy with electrical stuff, you can probably bypass those switches and see if the boom works. There’s a very good reason for this interlock, I would only bypass that interlock for troubleshooting purposes.

I think whatever switches it once had stopped functioning years ago. There's a light in the dash labelled "outriggers" that doesn't work either.

 

[thenne1713]

ARE YOU EXTENDING OUTRIGGERS FULLY? PARTIAL MAYBE NOT ENOUGH? THEN FIND/ CHECK SWITCHES ON OUTRIGGERS?... Suspicion is they power the HYDRAULIC SOLENOIDS that allow the remotes & in-bucket controls to operate the bucket?

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

ARE YOU EXTENDING OUTRIGGERS FULLY? PARTIAL MAYBE NOT ENOUGH? THEN FIND/ CHECK SWITCHES ON OUTRIGGERS?... Suspicion is they power the HYDRAULIC SOLENOIDS that allow the remotes & in-bucket controls to operate the bucket?

Shouldn't they not all have to be fully out so the truck can be levelled out? My yard is sloped a bit, so I had one side out further than the other side to level the truck.
No extreme slope, talking like maybe 6" in 10ft.

I've never used a bucket truck before, so all new to me.

 

[bck]

Start with new batteries

 

[bck]

There should be an override button on the solenoid that activates the hydraulics.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Start with new batteries

Truck has a new battery if that's what you mean. Otherwise, not sure what you are referring to.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

There should be an override button on the solenoid that activates the hydraulics.

Maybe, but I have no idea where that would be at.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I also mention this is a ~40 year old bucket. The truck is listed as an 81, so I'd imagine the lift is right around that age as well. I'd imagine that many features or safeties that are required on modern trucks don't exist on this one.

On that note, I would assume in teh case of a hydraulic failure this thing would have some sort of valving to stop it from crashing down, much the way a forklift does?

Some of the hoses are weathered, but nothing concerning to the point that I feel I need to spend a grand or two replacing them all.

 

[thenne1713]

Shouldn't they not all have to be fully out so the truck can be levelled out? My yard is sloped a bit, so I had one side out further than the other side to level the truck.
No extreme slope, talking like maybe 6" in 10ft.

I've never used a bucket truck before, so all new to me.

EXTEND ALL FULLY AND SEE IF IT THEN ACTIVATES THE OTHER CONTROLS?

 

[bck]

I also mention this is a ~40 year old bucket. The truck is listed as an 81, so I'd imagine the lift is right around that age as well. I'd imagine that many features or safeties that are required on modern trucks don't exist on this one.

On that note, I would assume in teh case of a hydraulic failure this thing would have some sort of valving to stop it from crashing down, much the way a forklift does?

Some of the hoses are weathered, but nothing concerning to the point that I feel I need to spend a grand or two replacing them