1998 GMC topkick bucket truck

[SemperFiSawguy]

Ive been a climber now runningmy two man operation for about a year. One of my friends who also does tree work in my area has a spider lift and offered to sell me his older 1998 GMC TOPKICK with what i believe is an Altec, LRIV 50 foot bucket on it.
I understand these booms to be hydraulic/chain run and far more reliable then the cable style? It has a less then desirable power plant being a worn out 366 big block and a single speed rear end with a 5 speed. But im ok driving slower. Anyone else have a similar truck and can provide me with some feedback and or things to go over?

 

[no tree to big]

How much does he want for the truck?
Go over every pivot point on the boom have somebody aggressively run the lower controls and watch for movement in the pins. With the lower boom stood up verticle work it back and forth loading the turntable look for excessive movement.
Check boom near bucket for chainsaw damage. Check quality of any hydro hoses.
As far as the truck side check king pins all steering components work steering wheel back and forth and watch for movement check u joints and springs. If purchased you'll want to pull the wheels off and check the brakes. Check engine for excessive blow by. How does the trans feel? Firm/strong? Or sloppy?
There are a lot of decent trucks out there dont settle for a heap of junk.

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[SemperFiSawguy]

The boom is allegedly in really good shape but the truck needs an engine soon. The 366 big block burns alot of oil which is a bummer since the truck only has 74,000 miles.
In my preliminary inspection it looks like it may need
Kingpins and or has a broken belt un passenger front tire based on irregular wear
Rear pinion seal possibly it had some residue on it and then
Id love to toss a 427BB tall deck in it
New clutch, water pump, etc while im in there
And then i would have the boom ANSI/DOT inspected and then dot numbers/ insurance etc.
Truck has been sitting since they bought the new spiderlift. Idk if i would pay more then like $2k for it as it sits but he is gonna talk with his dad/bussiness partner and get back to me. I have not run the boom yet myself but will next time im over there. It has a kubota pony motor to run the hydraulics which i do like.
Should mention also this is a forestry package truck. I also have my class CDL so the 33k GVWR isnt an issue for me.

 

[no tree to big]

As long as boom isn't shot if you can get it super cheap you'd prob be in it 12 to 14k by the time you r done.

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[SemperFiSawguy]

That much you think? I also found a rear mount F700 ford with a 55 foot boom in really nice shape but its got a tird 8.2l detroit in it that i dont think i want to deal with.

 

[serdie]

That much you think? I also found a rear mount F700 ford with a 55 foot boom in really nice shape but its got a tird 8.2l detroit in it that i dont think i want to deal with.

Yeah avoid the 8.2 like

That much you think? I also found a rear mount F700 ford with a 55 foot boom in really nice shape but its got a tird 8.2l detroit in it that i dont think i want to deal with.

avoid the 8.2 they were a throw away engine and had a weird semi electronic governer with old fashioned bob-weights in it.

 

[SemperFiSawguy]

Yeah avoid the 8.2 like

avoid the 8.2 they were a throw away engine and had a weird semi electronic governer with old fashioned bob-weights in it.

Sadly i am all to familiar with GM boat anchors. From the 6.2, 6.5 through to the 8.2 liter. All junk.

 

[serdie]

Sadly i am all to familiar with GM boat anchors. From the 6.2, 6.5 through to the 8.2 liter. All junk.

Yeah I was a General Motors diesel tech in the late 70s thru 2010. Retired now, thank god! The Oldsmobile diesels we’re all crap you can’t make a good Diesel engine out of a gas engine. The 8.2s were a 80s bad experiment gone awry. I had to visit several power companies that had these and show em how to fix the weird govener.

 

[SemperFiSawguy]

I wish chevy wouldve used a 6bt instead of the 366BB or the 8.2 or 3116 cat. Makes it very difficult to repower that other one sunce in pretty much forced to find a good used 427TD or 366TD. (TD=tall deck)

 

[mg1944]

once a boom unit hit 25 years old they are generally scrap iron.
nobody wants to work on them
and you are lucky if you can find parts
even if you get it cheap, you are paying anyway to get it in shape
and after all that, it will still probably fail a dielectric inspection, so you can't insure them
spent 25k and get something nice

 

[serdie]

once a boom unit hit 25 years old they are generally scrap iron.
nobody wants to work on them
and you are lucky if you can find parts
even if you get it cheap, you are paying anyway to get it in shape
and after all that, it will still probably fail a dielectric inspection, so you can't insure them
spent 25k and get something nice

OSHA says to retire em at 20 years, I worked for our local power company for 30 years as a fleet mechanic. That’s what we were told. They went to auction after their 20 years. Usually cable companies and tree trimmers (arborists) bought them. Our equipment was in A-1 shape when it went to sale so it was a deal for them. But—-parts are tough to get from Altec cause of their age, and their techs won’t touch em because of liability.

 

[mg1944]

yup, with my truck, I am going to get all my trees taken down and then sell it as soon as possible. probably for 14 or 15. that's a loss but it's still cheaper than paying 30 k to someone to do all the work.
it really has been a pain in the ass though, I just got the collector valve in today without switching up any lines and as soon as the snow is done I'm doing the other outrigger cylinder which is leaking.
that will take the hydro shop 2 more weeks to rebuild. then, just maybe, I can get a stretch of actually working with the truck instead of working on it.
sure has been an adventure.

 

[mckeetree]

once a boom unit hit 25 years old they are generally scrap iron.
nobody wants to work on them
and you are lucky if you can find parts
even if you get it cheap, you are paying anyway to get it in shape
and after all that, it will still probably fail a dielectric inspection, so you can't insure them
spent 25k and get something nice

You can't get anything nice for 25K. Do you own a time machine?

 

[kellenobrien]

As we say in the illegal dirt bike and atv wheelies community, you can’t afford used.
So I kinda use that with work as well.

Taking used questionable equipment to your not only professional money maker but also your very dangerous life on the line moments …opens up for sure slower money making lol possible less money making …time and resource expenses increase due to repairs or down time from said repairs … and I pray not but think …what’s the worst that could happen? Um well death…or a accident.. more common is anger anxiety stress and motivation side effects of something lower on your priority list, mechanic was a job skill I had to learn. Not a deep rooted passion I have going into tree work daily. But resilience humbleness and acceptance makes me sign up to fix what’s broken or problem solve in the moment.

Like all personal protective gear..maybe not our first choice in fashion or spending habits but it’s actually the most affordable life insurance I own.

Your worth every dollar of a new truck, your customers are worth it, your employees or co workers are worth it.

Currently with a crew running old broken failing everything tight budget cowboys …did I have to manually boom down my guy in the bucket stuck today? Yes.
Have I worked for brand new everything crews? Yes….at the end of the day the chipper or the equipment or the skid steer regardless of performance…is getting taken care of top of the list, they make employee of the month every month lol.

Managing a budget better for a little while or hustling a little harder is not a bad thing ever …and from experience the other route has managing time people mechanics parts stores calls call backs sorry s hold ons pay this pay that wtf just happened now what just happened owners manuals YouTube’s …but I said yes to both routes so far and couldn’t be more great full for the lessons and experiences .

Wise choice tested and proven….spend the money go big new fresh

Origin story building character testing your limits grinding learning feeling the whole experience…buy used lol

 

[kellenobrien]

A cdl now makes you aware of the responsibility and impact you partake in as the heavy weight devision big dog of the road….it’s not you or your truck that really is the issue if something was to occur..it’s whatever is about to be on the receiving end of the interaction that most likely gets the worst of it .
I say that not as a negative , actually as a great reason to be proud of the condition and quality of your next rig.
Money is no excuse you know that and you obvi just proved to me your dedication to knowing all the facts and details of the equipment.

Trust your gut feeling as you come to decision time, your education and research is in tended for this exact kind of purchase..if your only tempted because friend and a good deal. Pause be selfish and say is this what I would pick …when you made the decision I hope you post your pics to share lol good luck happy for you

 

[mg1944]

You can't get anything nice for 25K. Do you own a time machine?

you can get a decent UTILITY boom truck for 25k
that is what I was referring to.

 

[mg1944]

something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2042246733...RU&osub=-1~1&crd=20230202202502&segname=11010

 

[mckeetree]

something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2042246733...RU&osub=-1~1&crd=20230202202502&segname=11010

That's from those Bucket Truck Ranch guys in Oklahoma. They specialize in auction trucks they pick up here and there. I stopped in there once...old non over center power line trucks and cable tv trucks is their thing.