I've been climbing all these terrifying dried out dead crusty ash trees. As EAB climaxes here in north-central PA it's going to get worse. I do a fair amount of crane jobs but the thought occurred to me that getting a bucket truck would save me some stress.
I really don't know much about bucket trucks and never expected to buy one. My thought is that since we're in a rural area, I'd like to consider getting something I can drive into backyards and, since I already have a chip truck, I'd prefer a stakebed or utility body. All that said, if I'm going into people's yards it would be nice to get a 4x4. That's where I'm running into trouble. Is it generally true that larger trucks are typically 2x4? I've seen a few 5500's that are 4x4 but they don't seem to have the height I'm looking for.
Alternatively, I could just get a smaller bucket truck with 4x4 and compromise on height- (30-40'?). Not sure how helpful that would be since the most dangerous climbs are up higher.
Also, my budget for this is probably 15-20k max so I'll be looking at something pretty well used. yikes!
I really don't know much about bucket trucks and never expected to buy one. My thought is that since we're in a rural area, I'd like to consider getting something I can drive into backyards and, since I already have a chip truck, I'd prefer a stakebed or utility body. All that said, if I'm going into people's yards it would be nice to get a 4x4. That's where I'm running into trouble. Is it generally true that larger trucks are typically 2x4? I've seen a few 5500's that are 4x4 but they don't seem to have the height I'm looking for.
Alternatively, I could just get a smaller bucket truck with 4x4 and compromise on height- (30-40'?). Not sure how helpful that would be since the most dangerous climbs are up higher.
Also, my budget for this is probably 15-20k max so I'll be looking at something pretty well used. yikes!