marketing to right of way maint / utility

[LightningLoader]

Maybe you guys can help me with this. We're about to run our first ad in Utility and Telecom Fleets magazine, and I can't figure out what to say. We manufacture grapple trucks/knucklebooms. The points I was thinking of including involved using grapple trucks to:

- clear/haul brush after cutting back trees (Is there an official word or phrase for cutting trees around powerlines?)
- help clear your path so that trucks can get in to work on power lines after storms
- move around utility poles/ haul off old poles

Am I on the target here? Is there something I'm overlooking?

 

[beowulf343]

L-loader, I worked transmission and backyard row trimming for a couple of years. To be honest (and this is just my opinion) I didn't see alot of need for a grapple truck. On transmission lines we would just winrow and dice the brush along the sides of the right of way. In backyard line clearance, everything had to be hauled out through the yards by hand and then was chipped. And for on road trimming, most everything dropped near enough to the truck, that it was no big deal dragging it to the chipper. When we went on storm, we wouldn't even bring our chippers-we would just clear off the lines and leave it. The clean up crews might have some use for it but so much stuff is in backyards were you can't get a grapple truck in, or right by the road so it is easily chipped up.

 

[jonseredbred]

I agree,

those are not good trigger points for that particular brand of magazine. Not very many utility companies use loaders a all, even for tree work.

In our area I only see utility crews using cranes/derricks to load and haul poles.

Save the money, find a mag more suited to your product. Are you the peterson lightning loader? same company?

 

[LightningLoader]

Thanks guys for your help. Glad to get a straight answer.

I agree,

Save the money, find a mag more suited to your product. Are you the peterson lightning loader? same company?

Yes, I am the Petersen Lightning Loader. I keep an eye on the forums here in case anything comes up about grapple trucks. Not to sell things so much as to make sure that there's reliable information getting out there on the web. This is a great site, so I've been happy to contribute.

 

[geofore]

overlooking?

Maybe you guys can help me with this. We're about to run our first ad in Utility and Telecom Fleets magazine, and I can't figure out what to say. We manufacture grapple trucks/knucklebooms. The points I was thinking of including involved using grapple trucks to:

- clear/haul brush after cutting back trees (Is there an official word or phrase for cutting trees around powerlines?)
- help clear your path so that trucks can get in to work on power lines after storms
- move around utility poles/ haul off old poles

Am I on the target here? Is there something I'm overlooking?

What you're overlooking, the trees in the ROW belong to the land owner. Your contract says you can cut them but it in no way implys you can take them off the property. Someone sees a grapple and they think you're there to take the trees you don't own.

 

[LightningLoader]

Someone sees a grapple and they think you're there to take the trees you don't own.

Interesting. I never thought of that.

Reminds me of a customer in CA. They said that they had to paint their trucks green because otherwise noone believed that their waste was going to be recycled, and they'd call to complain. Property make some crazy assumptions just on appearance.