Center or Rear mount bucket

[BillC]

I am getting ready to invest in a bucket truck and am looking for your opinions on a rear mount or center mount. Which do you prefer and why? Thanks for the input.

 

[Marquis]

I'd go with a center if you can, that way you can put a chip box on the back or find a bucket truck with a box already.

 

[PTS]

The way I look at is if you are doing residential back yard work your chipper box on the back will probably not get utilized because your chipper will not be where you want it. I prefer a truck with at least 55' height but 60+ is better and it is best if the truck has a lot of reach. Some trucks reach 55 ft however that is straight up and down and that puts your truck right in the way. If the truck has a rear or mid mount you can back up to your tree and keep the cap far away from the work which will keep it looking better longer. If you are new to the bucket removals and trimming you will find that you are going to have pieces slap the truck no matter how careful you are, it will happen. So the farther you can get the truck away from the work the better off you will be.

Forestry Package trucks with the chipper box are great on small trims because you only have to take one unit. Your boom is also your chipper truck. However this type system will force the dragging of brush beside the truck and you can expect a lot of scratches.

If you have employees that will be running the equipment, I suggest buying a TANK put a bucket on it and send them on there way. However I can assure you that they will indeed find a way to break that too.

 

[clearance]

I have run both, here goes. If you only have one truck, get a forestry unit, pull the chipper and chip into it. This is good for small removals or powerline trimming. The best setup is a chip truck and chipper along with a rearmount boom truck. PTS made some good points, the rearmount gets you closer to the work every time. Also the truck doesn't get hit as much. You can keep using it while the other guy takes the chip truck to dump, and you can put way more chips in a chip truck than in a forestry unit.

 

[ASD]

I have run both, here goes. If you only have one truck, get a forestry unit, pull the chipper and chip into it. This is good for small removals or powerline trimming. The best setup is a chip truck and chipper along with a rearmount boom truck. PTS made some good points, the rearmount gets you closer to the work every time. Also the truck doesn't get hit as much. You can keep using it while the other guy takes the chip truck to dump, and you can put way more chips in a chip truck than in a forestry unit.

+1

 

[corndogg]

I just put together my first bucket truck. Got the bucket '94 Versalift VO-55I off ebay for 3500 with a truck that supposedly needed an engine. Bucket looked good truck did not. Hauled it back anyway. Bought an old (89) Ford CF 8000 for 2000. Shortened the frame and stuck the bucket on the far back. So far it is an awesome truck! The bucket is 55' to the floor. I can back it into yards with plywood right up to the tree. Even 60' working height is too short! Both large removals I've done have required boom fully extended straight up with truck right up to the tree then had to go big with top cuts! It is however quite compact. The Versalift boom is awesome. Double overcenter, continuous rotation, all hydraulic, no cables and very heavy duty which also makes it a bit heavy. The coolest part though is it is rated to lift 1500 lbs at the knuckle so I can lift logs, stump grinders, dingos or whatever. Yesterday I used it to pull a motor out of a boat and then lift the whole boat onto a trailer! I'm going to put a 12' bed between the boom and the cab and make it a side dump! Then I hope to haul a dingo and stump grinder on the back and pull a dump trailer. I'll post pics soon.

But to answer your question rear mount is best I think but requires two trucks and the hard part, drivers. On the other hand there are a lot of cheap center mounts out there right now.

 

[tree MDS]

Quote: "from trimming to removals you gain more hieght by working off the back" Aerial Lift of Conecticut.

 

[TreeBot]

I have run both, here goes. If you only have one truck, get a forestry unit, pull the chipper and chip into it. This is good for small removals or powerline trimming. The best setup is a chip truck and chipper along with a rearmount boom truck. PTS made some good points, the rearmount gets you closer to the work every time. Also the truck doesn't get hit as much. You can keep using it while the other guy takes the chip truck to dump, and you can put way more chips in a chip truck than in a forestry unit.

Also, a rear mount truck (with only a boom on it) is lighter and more manuverable.

 

[BillC]

Thanks for the great info. I was leaning towards a rear mount as a couple of companies I sub for use them and they seem to work very well. The chipper is not in the wrong spot either. Now if I can just find a 4 wheel drive one I will be set.

 

[DFD34]

Rear mount is the only way to go

Bill, A rear mount is the only way to go especially for residential work. They are on short chassis and super easy to get around tight spots. I have a 2004 aerial lift of conn. with 62ft of working height and love it. Get the tallest reat mount that you can afford.. Goog luck---DFD34

 

[juststumps]

mhttp://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=67741&d=1206492609ount,,

rear mount all the way.....you can see the chipper behind the bucket on another truck... 90 % of the time,, this truck isn't pulling a chipper... you get better reach backing into a tree ,, than reaching over... jmho

 

[Job Corps Tree]

try to go with a Rear Mount, much more Reach! when a chip trk is full the bucket can keep working

 

[BC WetCoast]

I just put together my first bucket truck. Got the bucket '94 Versalift VO-55I off ebay for 3500 with a truck that supposedly needed an engine. Bucket looked good truck did not. Hauled it back anyway. Bought an old (89) Ford CF 8000 for 2000. Shortened the frame and stuck the bucket on the far back. So far it is an awesome truck! The bucket is 55' to the floor. I can back it into yards with plywood right up to the tree. Even 60' working height is too short! Both large removals I've done have required boom fully extended straight up with truck right up to the tree then had to go big with top cuts! It is however quite compact. The Versalift boom is awesome. Double overcenter, continuous rotation, all hydraulic, no cables and very heavy duty which also makes it a bit heavy. The coolest part though is it is rated to lift 1500 lbs at the knuckle so I can lift logs, stump grinders, dingos or whatever. Yesterday I used it to pull a motor out of a boat and then lift the whole boat onto a trailer! I'm going to put a 12' bed between the boom and the cab and make it a side dump! Then I hope to haul a dingo and stump grinder on the back and pull a dump trailer. I'll post pics soon.

But to answer your question rear mount is best I think but requires two trucks and the hard part, drivers. On the other hand there are a lot of cheap center mounts out there right now.

Climb out of the bucket and take more manageable tops.

 

[clearance]

Removal to tall for bucket?

You can hang tops. Put in the undercut, tie above and below with a stout rope, clove hitches. Then make the backcut. Easier said than done. Make sure you will not be hit by the swinging top, and that the tree can take the shock.

I have seen my buddy hang a 50' top from a red cedar about 110', it was wild, but its faster than anything else. When it hits and calms down you just strip and chunk, but its upside down. Sometimes you have to climb out of the bucket, but if you can do this, try it. Carefully.

 

[DDM]

I have a forestry unit and everywhere we go we run the bucket,chip truck and a dump.Usually the only thing that gets loaded into the back of the bucket is the yard rakings and the small amound of waste that comes out thru the chipper feed rollers.When replacing my bucket I'll probably be looking for a rear mount as well. When on occasion we do blow into the bucket we will generally back the chippper up behind and beside the truck since the brush will be falling in front of the truck.That way we dont have to drag it all the way around the chipper to feed it.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

try to go with a Rear Mount, much more Reach! when a chip trk is full the bucket can keep working

+1

You usually have more then the two drivers on these jobs, so the dump driver can run and do his thing while the "extra" man stages brush.

I've used mostly over-back, and hate center-mount units. I've set up right under my work area and laid plywood over the tanks and pony, just in case. I've seen guys drop stuff on everything, and it seems that it might cause problems with the outriggers someday. Plywood is cheap.

I did see one limb flip around an over-centers crash rack and spiderweb the window