asplund 55' asplund bucket over hi ranger 53 comparison comparison,

[ctkiteboarding]

anyone operate these two machines and can pro and cons them? thanks R

 

[begleytree]

Need a little more info from you. is one a LRIII 55' or LRIV 55'? other an XT series (52/55)
-Ralph

 

[ctkiteboarding]

the hi ranger is mine its a 53 but i will have to get the details the asplund is a 55 but i also will have to ask the owner details etc,,,,, whats your overall opinon on these units ,, ill get the info in the am Thanks R

 

[clearance]

Over all opinion is I favor High-Ranger, ran old and new High Rangers and newer Altecs. Just the fact of all the controversy over the Asplundh booms is reason to stay away from them, and I do mean Asplundh booms, not the newer Altecs.

 

[begleytree]

I like the LRIIIs, prob better than I like the LRIVs. Things to watch for on the LRIII includes the cables (had a guy I know die when one cable broke, it takes both cables to hold the upper boom) and the fiberglass rods in the leveling system. as always, check for boom and outrigger drift. check out the outriggers for the boom interlocks, make sure they're working correctly, and not disabled. another thing I always did was grease the boom. It shows you how often it was greased (broken zerks, frozen, or takes a tube just on the bottom boom) imo, if someone didn't bother to grease it, what else didn't they do? Clean the grease off the cables, if smeared, and check for broken strands. If I remember right, 2 broken strands on 2 different lays constituted red flag, and cable change.
I read somewhere here that asplundh/altec will not provide spares for units over a certian age, but I can't confirm this, others can.
Check pins and rods on the LRIV. I know much more about the IIIs than the IVs, so if it's a 4, perhaps someone else knows more about it.
Great overcenter movement on the 3s and 4s, if I remember your HR 53 correctly, don't both booms just stand up, no overcenter? If so, the OC is a great feature, almost a must, but you can get by without it, but I wouldn't want to for very long myself.
-Ralph

 

[ctkiteboarding]

the rig im talkin about is on treetrader 1st inter w/ a asplund 55 , maybe u can jump over and take a peak ,,, when u say over center ,do u mean over the center of the rear axle,, my HR53 i think ,is a over center but im not sure,,,, the bottom stands up past vertical and the top will almost macth that but not totally vert.,,,, im lookin at the truck on tree trader as a replacement to my HR or as my other post says ill have to sink 15k to switch my HR to a new truck R

 

[eagle23]

the rig im talkin about is on treetrader 1st inter w/ a asplund 55 , maybe u can jump over and take a peak ,,, when u say over center ,do u mean over the center of the rear axle,, my HR53 i think ,is a over center but im not sure,,,, the bottom stands up past vertical and the top will almost macth that but not totally vert.,,,, im lookin at the truck on tree trader as a replacement to my HR or as my other post says ill have to sink 15k to switch my HR to a new truck R

Over the center means the buck/booms will travel forward or over the pedestal so you can work over the front of the truck

 

[ctkiteboarding]

the unit is an 1983 on a 93 4700,,,, 55 workin height, overcenter,,,

its been repainted a few times so the # are lost is there somewhere to ck for a serial model #

the guy seems up to speed on maintainence,, and says the units bushings and misc parts are in solid , go to work condition,,,,

i can sell my rig for 8k or so and take the 11k budget for the truck switch and buy this unit ,,,, what was the issue with asplund booms ?? R

 

[begleytree]

the main problem was improper or complete lack of inspection and/or maintence on the rear cables. The cables are easy to rub against trees while working, you gotta inspect them. if memory serves, 2 broken strands on 2 different lays of cable is automatic shutdown and replace. between the 2 cables, you have 6 lays. Cables fail from the inside out. The guy I knew that died in one had his greased all the time, his cables looked great, but looking after they broke, the whole insides were powdered rust. You can't just smear grease on them, you need something to penetrate the cables themselves, and push the water out. LPS spray is what I recommend for that.
The pins, while important, are not what you're looking at on a LRIII. check those cables, or better yet, replace them as soon as you buy it.
-Ralph
edit in: Oh yeah, this truck, at the time, was bought by him brand new, and was 3 years old.

 

[ctkiteboarding]

do u think this is a better unit then the H/R i have and Is 20k a fair price? how expensive are the cable replacements and is it something i can get,,, what about parts ? it looks like a nice unit but i have reservations about the asplund?? should I ? R

 

[begleytree]

CT, this unit will be more manuverable than the boom you have now. as far as price and suitability for your operation and pocketbook, well, honestly only you can truely answer that.
-Ralph

 

[ctkiteboarding]

its a 25yr old unit ,,, can i get parts and have it repaied easliy? that is the big question,, i think im going to buy it ,, if i can repair it easily thanks R

 

[clearance]

its a 25yr old unit ,,, can i get parts and have it repaied easliy? that is the big question,, i think im going to buy it ,, if i can repair it easily thanks R

I really do not want to go against what Ralph has said but I have a bad feeling about old Asplundh booms. When I went to utility school, Asplundh sent an older trimmer out to the course with an F800 that had an Asplundh boom. The guy proceeded to tell us horrror stories about these booms, basically explained every part of the boom to us with a death story that went along with every part, Asplundhs new trucks here have High Rangers. Look into the Asplundh boom story, it is worth investigating. If you do get this boom, make real sure it is checked over with a fine tooth comb by someone impartial. And have the cables changed, no matter what.

 

[begleytree]

Clearance, you are not going against what I have told him. I am urging caution, and close inspection. I have sent him a link to another truck dealer with good prices in hopes of expanding his horizons.
-Ralph

 

[ctkiteboarding]

thanks guys ,im abit hesitant now knowing what you are refering to,,,, im inclined to continue with my hi ranger,,, the over center seems like a nice option ,, but my HI Ranger is 6' taller,,,,,, its hard to buy a item so far away without going to see it,,, texas is three days round trip,,,, anyone know of a inspection co. in the texas region? thanks R