crappy bucket

[NickfromWI]

Why does my bosses bucket drift down when I am in it. I will put myself in position to make a cut, get the saw, start it, start cutting, and before I finish, I am almost cutting above my head. I usually have to reset it between EVERY cut!!!

Coincidently, it also drips a LOT of red (hydraulic) oil from the control handle. Are these related? And besides selling this bucket for a dollar, how else could a person remedy this situation.

Remember, I don't know a lot about trucks/hydraulics, etc.

love
nick

ps- usually, I'd rather climb it!

 

[Jumper]

Here in Ontario it is called exercising your right to refuse. I would not be getting into that thing on a bet until it was repaired by someone who knew what they were working on. Place I worked at last fall their bucket and the shaft was held together with duct tape, which really inspired my confidence; at least I was not up in it.

 

[treesurgeon]

i think you were bleeding from a nasty cut and you slowly drifted into the bucket. any bucket that leaks must have many other safety problems. hey, its your life.

 

[Tim Gardner]

In all the years of operating our Pitman bucket truck I have never experienced boom drift. I have had lines blow out and the boom stay in place. There should be devices on the cylinders to keep the boom from drifting. Those need to be checked because if a line blows out you could hit the ground hard. Stay out of that bucket until repairs are made.

 

[Pacific]

If the line blows there should be a check valve that will prevent the boom from dropping but if the controll valve is leaking thats what is causing the boom to drop. It takes a alot of fluild pressure before the check valve kicks in thats if the one on the bucket truck you are working with works.

The hydraulic fluid shouldn't be red if it is somebody has put ATF into the hydraulics which is okay but some ATF eats up hydraulic seals.

Anycase if you did have some common sense you shouldn't be using that bucket truck if you got hydraulic leaks fix them.

 

[Striker]

Our bucket truck had a drift problem too. Took it back to the dealer and they found an o-ring in one of the check valves had slipped . The high dollar aircraft fluid in our Hi Ranger is red. I have seen it when the tool line ruptured. Didn't know at the time where the leak was so i got the boom down as fast as I could, then looked for the problem. All in all the dealer we bought the truck from doesn't seem to live up to there word. I have had to fix things that were supposed to be fixed before taking delivery.

 

[Tim Gardner]

Originally posted by Pacific
If the line blows there should be a check valve that will prevent the boom from dropping but if the controll valve is leaking thats what is causing the boom to drop.

I am not saying you are incorect regarding the check valves but I had leaks in about every place in the system at one time or another and never had a drifting problem. When the seals in the outriggers started leaking they would drift. When you felt the slow shift you knew to store the boom and replace the o-rings. Maybe Pitman put "magic" cylinders on the boom.

 

[alott]

Hay guy if i were you i wouldnt use that boom truck until it was
fixed . Your boss should have his head examined for letting any
-one use that truck . As for the red fluid double check that it is
atf because dieletric hyd fluid is red in color dont mix the two they are not compatable see ya

 

[NeTree]

Sounds like he might have dumped in some atf and it ate the seals out.

A bucket shouldn't drift. If it does, park it til you get it fixed. Tell you boss it's YOUR life on the line.

 

[DDM]

Get ahold of Treeman14 Im sure he'll sell you a replacement truck.

 

[Reed]

Lot's of positive feedback for a negative situation.

NETree's right about the ATF. It needs hydraulic oil. Big difference.

Get outta that truck - Guy from NC spent time in ICU for bucket failure.

 

[NeTree]

By the way, AW32 hydraulic oil is dialectric, and it's not red, either.

 

[FBerkel]

Nick,

I agree with the others, refuse to use it.

I worked for a guy who still wanted us to use his first bucket, a forty some year old Ranger. Something was wrong with it, and it rotated at carnival ride speeds. I asked another employee about it, and he told me that mechanics had found that the shaft had a 3/4 twist in it. Obviously, the owner knew this as well, but was perfectly willing to send young people out on jobs with it. He was taking advantage of their youthful eagerness to please.

 

[NickfromWI]

Thanks, Fred

And thanks to everyone else...except those that insult.

I am going to print this whole thread and bring it to my boss. I think it would be hard for him to take that I won't ride that thing when his other guys do it often. (He'd rather have me up there because I am capable of doing more technical things than "cut one handed and toss branch with the other hand."

Really, I prefer climbing anyways.

love
nick