tomtrees58
Addicted to ArboristSite
o you mean wen you want to go up you go down yup i don that tom trees
Best aerial lift ?
- Thread starter Don Peters
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o you mean wen you want to go up you go down yup i don that tom trees
familytreeman
ArboristSite Operative
aerial lift
The hi ranger is an excellent BOOM, if it has over center capabilities
As always, choose used equipment wisely!!!
Also, do you plan to work ALONE, or down a BLVD?
Otherwise, why would you want a aerial lift AND a chip box???
The hi ranger is an excellent BOOM, if it has over center capabilities
As always, choose used equipment wisely!!!
Also, do you plan to work ALONE, or down a BLVD?
Otherwise, why would you want a aerial lift AND a chip box???
prentice110
SpongeBob Fap Pants
the hi ranger xt is a nice unit but when you have the booms side to side it can make manuvering a little difficult on trims compared to the design of the a l o conn. keep in mind that those hoses being tucked into the elbow make it impossible to change yourself(on the xt). we just spent $12g on the boom alone because it had to go to deuco to get the hoses changed. if it were a a l o conn i couldve done it myself. the pistol grip is nice but the bucket is deeper wich again leads to problems in tight spots. altec seem to crank out a new boom every few years while a l o conn has been the same since it came out . also im told that if you get too floppy in an LR4 or 5 , you can snap the hyd. fitting off the elbow cyl. . stay away from the old hiranger linesman booms there not over center and stink imo the company that makes the mat-3 started out making parts for the hi ranger so thats why they look simalar. personally i would never get into a telescopic boom, because ive seen to many log loaders fall out the end after a few years. dont get a skyworker or a strat-o-tower . they have been blacklisted by osha if you use one you better have a good life insurance policy. my dad had 2 skyworkers and 1 of the came down on him twice luckily the boom fell into limbs and caught him. another man we knew wasnt so lucky when his strat-o threw him into a street
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
Wow so my 60 foot high ranger is **** eh:monkey: I have worked out of the linesman models for near twenty years so please tell me why they are bad?
If I had my pic for residential it would be the Elliot which is telescoping and built different than log loaders so they don't fall out the end:jawdrop: I have also worked lr booms including the early asplundh built that I would not get in today.
Rftreeman
Addicted to ArboristSite
For me it would probably be altec or hi-ranger, most likely altec though being that i'm 65 miles from their Creedmoor plant.
prentice110
SpongeBob Fap Pants
I grew up in a skyworker and probaly have over 2000 hours logged in flyin em' so when you get out of that and into something that cant even stand up straight, it can be a little frustrating. Plus they dont go over center so if you cant get the truck past an obsticle, like a fence or something, you have to climb out. and Im not bashing the xt, i run a 60 footer myself at least 3 days a week. Im just saying do you want to pay $120 an hour to have someone swap hoses when you could do it yourself on a aerial lift? Now if the goal is just to get out of climbing, then hey who cares? they all rock. is it against the law to state an opinion?
sharkfin12us
ArboristSite Operative
buckets
I agree with this guy on the altec if i had the money woule be rear mount or with a chip box.My 3 preferences are this aerial lift of conneticut since i own that.Altec and high ranger.Over the center yes.If you go used stay away from GMC i was told by mechanic hard to get parts.I have international 1998.Go diesel.I bought mine on ebay for 39,000 with 56,000 miles on it.good luck.
I agree with this guy on the altec if i had the money woule be rear mount or with a chip box.My 3 preferences are this aerial lift of conneticut since i own that.Altec and high ranger.Over the center yes.If you go used stay away from GMC i was told by mechanic hard to get parts.I have international 1998.Go diesel.I bought mine on ebay for 39,000 with 56,000 miles on it.good luck.
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
No not against the law but when you make false statements I am going to call bs. I for one don't understand a fence getting in you way of boom movement so maybe you can enlighten a 25 year vet how a six foot fence gets in the way of a sixty foot boom? Also maybe you can't replace hoses on a 52 pbi but I have and can so please if you don't know what your talking about just say so. By the way if you ever tried and Elliot you would forget about anything built in conn.
familytreeman
ArboristSite Operative
hey Prentice
I have operated a couple, but never owned a lift truck.
What kind of faulty equipment would cause those accidents you described? When I do buy one I want to know what to look for!
I have operated a couple, but never owned a lift truck.
What kind of faulty equipment would cause those accidents you described? When I do buy one I want to know what to look for!
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
The type is a factor look for drive cables ,leveling cables frays wear etc. Look at the attachment points for worn misaligned pins cracks in welds etc. Look at stress points for cracked welds and hoses wore out look look look and fly from lower controls and look some more grease all fittings lube all cables load lines etc. If you don't know maintenance of an aerial lift you really have no business flying one. Check booms for cracks in insulation wear in resting areas,check holding valves and know how to do emergency bleeding and know how to adjust the valve to its correct setting too tight or high pitched squeal and you may have made a hydraulic grenade! Anyway many operators of lifts don't know their equipment and imo should work for someone who does.
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familytreeman
ArboristSite Operative
dont know their equip
This is true about a lot of things, some people in general dont have a clue how to use something correctly, let alone maintain it.
This is true about a lot of things, some people in general dont have a clue how to use something correctly, let alone maintain it.
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
Yup and some do but don't do what they know needs done either being lazy or in my case poor not able to afford the best stuff. It is all good if they don't know but have the maintenance done regular by competent shop but they need to learn inspection and grease whether they can not rebuild their own lift or not!
prentice110
SpongeBob Fap Pants
the older booms were built to crane specs because they had different standards back then. back in the dark ages when skyworkers first hit the market they didnt know much about aluminum and the elbows would crack and break. product liability lawsuits put them under in the early to mid 80's. Aerial lift bought the rites or something like that and had an engineer design a steel elbow and put some upgrades here and there. Also, the problem with used lifts is, you never know what dumb @zz was running the thing before you. Some ignorant folks out there seem to think that its ok to rope 1000 pound logs to a boom rated to 300 pound cap. . Ive also heard horror stories about boneheads putting the basket on the ground on over center units, pushing the lever instead of pulling and subsequently raising the truck off the ground with the boom. Or maybe getting the boom hung up on a limb and not knowing it and keep yanking on the lever till the machine rips itself apart. With older units, fatigue can play a huge factor. Sometimes cracks are hidden under other parts.
prentice110
SpongeBob Fap Pants
I want you to imagine that you have a large cottonwood between two houses and theres a chain link fence and can only reach one side of the tree. Can your truck magically fly over the fence and into the backyard? And WTH is a 52 pbi? Are you running an old linesman or what? I just like a stick boom that will unfold 200 degrees so i have a lot of side reach. We all know this is impossible with a linesman because the bucket is attached to the boom the way it is.
M.Green - SVTS
ArboristSite Member
Hi, I am new to this site & new to the tree care business. I've found a lot of useful information here! It really sounds like you guys know what you're talking about! I am 39 years old & just figured out what I love doing.better late than never I guess. I'm a tool & die maker by trade while doing tree care on the side, looking to do tree care full time in the near future. I'm looking for a bucket truck with chip dump. Which is the best aerial lift out there, High Ranger, Altec, Aerial Lift of Conn., Teco's , Lift All.etc...
Thanks.
I personally think Altech and Aerial lift of CT are close to the same. Altech is a fast moving boom. Be careful with it around powerlines. The company I work for full time uses both. Same storage, both use PTO but I am pretty sure they can be modified to use pony motors. The new Altec PTO's are easy to engage. It is a flick of the switch and your ready to go. Almost like old four wheel drive where you had to turn the hubs to the new ones where you engage in the cab.
That reminds me, if you are doing residential, I personally recommend having two seperate trucks. You want your dump and chipper out of your drop zone obviously so you don't damage. And second so you can keep it on solid ground in bad weather. That way you can drop the chipper and pull your bucket truck out when it get's stuck. If you get a forester truck your going to get stuck and the only way out is a wrecker to come and get you and I don't know anyone that includes that fee in there estimates.
Good luck and I suggest also to not finance anything. Unless you are already booked up the you know what you can't guarantee your bills getting paid. Save up and pay cash for used equipment. Then save up and buy the shiny new stuff.
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
Look older units like mine are fine if you understand how to inspect them and do so on a regular basis. As far as your hidden crack thing goes a stress test will find all you can't visually see. If your going to speak about lifts learn what you are saying. Btw many accidents have came from brand new trucks with faulty built components such as but not limited to drive cables, leveling cables, attachments etc. If you think Aerial lift of conn is impervious to failure you are wrong. The reason I like Elliot is they build sign trucks which are designed to carry heavier loads so your weight is little wear. They do telescope but have a good track record a material handler on them is a better fit than any fiberglass constructed boom but pricey.
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
I have a magical rope and saddle that will allow me to get the unreachable tree which btw is not too often.
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
You mean you know how to climb, too?
I am fast forgetting lol!
prentice110
SpongeBob Fap Pants
You still have not told me what model your using and Im going to assume its a linesman, which Im not bashing due to age. In fact, I have never heard of one of those failing. Nor have I ever heard of any Fatalities in one of those. I just dont like them because the stick boom is kinda floppy, and they are not over center. The older booms I am Bashing are the osha redflagged, blacklisted, known to have huge flaws and a long history of killing people. Like skyworkers and strat-o-towers. Dont attack me like I dont know what Im talking about when you obviously have not takin the time to read and fully understand what Ive written.
