Bucket truck

[GG]

What would your advise be for someone considering buying a bucket truck?
1) Would you buy new or used?
2) What is the max. height you would want it to reach?
3) Would you bill the man hours and the bucket truck hours seperately? Ex. - guy works 1 hour so you charge $80 for him and another $100 for the bucket truck + material.
4) Would you only buy one if you had customers all ready calling you to do pole, sign, etc. type work or would you buy one and try to find a place in the market?
5) Do most of you own bucket trucks or have any plans to ever buy one?
Thanks.

 

[celtic]

Re: Bucket truck

Originally posted by GG:
What would your advise be for someone considering buying a bucket truck?

First and foremost consideration is:
Do you WANT one, or NEED one? . ...even if only p-up/van mounted.

I have been in lots of buckets...the leased/rented ones seemed to always start ~ even on cold winter winter mornings; and the cabs had working heat for the long drives.

 

[charlie tuna]

Re: Bucket truck

find a bucket truck owner in your area and get a good rate for him and his truck. it worked for me for over twenty years. he charged me $45./hr for truck with operator and he charged my costomers $65./hr when i refered him to them for trimming or lamp changes. he knew all my customer's needs and they were happy with him. he would work with my men as necessary. check out the insurance rates -- you pay them even when the truck is parked!!!

 

[tshea]

Re: Bucket truck

1) Would you buy new or used?

Used Checked out by my mechanic first

2) What is the max. height you would want it to reach?

What is the average height of whatever you want to work on?

3) Would you bill the man hours and the bucket truck hours seperately? Ex. - guy works 1 hour so you charge $80 for him and another $100 for the bucket truck + material.

Yes. Electrician is billed seperate from bucket truck. Material is also seperate.

4) Would you only buy one if you had customers all ready calling you to do pole, sign, etc. type work or would you buy one and try to find a place in the market?

THAT is your business decision!

5) Do most of you own bucket trucks or have any plans to ever buy one?

I OWN it.

 

[mdshunk]

Re: Bucket truck

I own a 32' used from the phone company. I use it for farm poles and parking lot lights. It doesn't get very much of a workout, but really helps out for certain things. The upkeep on it is too expensive to have it be an assigned truck for a guy's every day truck. I have an old piece of junk digger derrick that somehow still manages to drill a few holes and set a few poles each year.

[ July 26, 2005, 05:19 PM: Message edited by: mdshunk ]

 

[iwire]

Re: Bucket truck

Originally posted by GG:
What would your advise be for someone considering buying a bucket truck?

We rent them as needed. We have place near our shop that we can rent bucket trucks of all sizes and types. It is not cheap but then again we only pay when we have it. It also means it is regularly serviced and inspected. Inspections and die-electric testing of insulated booms are a must.

Originally posted by GG:
2) What is the max. height you would want it to reach?

We do not use less than a 45'. With a 45' you can reach over obstructions (parked cars) and still work on a 35' pole.

Originally posted by GG:
3) Would you bill the man hours and the bucket truck hours seperately? Ex. - guy works 1 hour so you charge $80 for him and another $100 for the bucket truck + material.

We charge by the hour for the truck, plus fuel, plus men, plus material.

[ July 26, 2005, 05:42 PM: Message edited by: iwire ]

 

[iwire]

Re: Bucket truck

By the way, we also do what Charlie Tuna suggested.

We have an another EC that we use to do bucket work when our guys are tied up.

His truck is a 65' bucket / material handler and cost about $160,000 loaded with toys.

[ July 26, 2005, 05:51 PM: Message edited by: iwire ]

 

[charlie tuna]

Re: Bucket truck

i have known a few contractors that speciallize in pole work -- ballast and lamp maintainance. they do alright and can afford new trucks since they have large yearly contracts with shopping centers and chain stores. they do alright --not millionairs --make a good living! bucket trucks are very expensive and require upkeep and maintainance of hydraulics plus the engine. i am into antique tractors and go to equipment auctions. this is where to buy one if you want one! they have these auctions all over the country at different times of the year -- look up an outfit called "yoder and frye auctions" on the internet and find out when they will be close to your location.....

 

[apauling]

Re: Bucket truck

I took a break from construction in the early 80's (N. CA construction bottomed out then) and worked as a tree climber for a municipality, often ran a 57 foot Hi-ranger. Loved the way it handled over some of the other boom trucks. Many boom trucks have no reach or height unless directly below where they are supposed to work. Fiberglass non-conducting booms on the Hi-Ranger need to be checked before purchase for cracks.

There is another type boom truck that is similar to the Hi-Ranger that lets the knuckle swivel 360 degrees, but these are expensive in the longer reaches. The short reaches are limited in usage. I have seen 57' Hi-Rangers really cheap at equipment auctions. Hydraulics can be fixed unless the leak is in interior of control unit. Check boom for cracks and flex. Lay out at 180 degrees horizontal with load and check for any deflection. Make sure truck isn't a beater.

I loved doing that kind of work and often thought of buying a used truck and specializing in high wiring. Worked in a warehouse a couple of years back where it would have been a lot faster to use the Ranger than the vertical lifts.

The list of types of work for lifts is increasing and the only decisions are if you want to do it and finances.

paul