bucket trucks

[Al Smith]

When Tom was on his quest to find a better truck last spring he went to the place in Birmingham ,Smidleys and maybe a dozen other places .

What he found was over priced trucks , that needed worked on probabley just because of the time frame .He ended up with an old Davey truck that was in remarkabley good shape he found at an auction in Pa ,I think .

If you go galivanting around the country though my advice is take somebody with you that knows equipment if you don't know yourself .Else you might end up with a pig in a poke .

Now ,if anybody is interested ,the old boy has a gas engined Ford with a either a 52 or 57 Hi-ranger sitting on it .The booms were restrung and recerted two-3 years ago and the 391 Engine is fresh . His lot is starting to look like a used truck sales lot so he has to get rid of a few including the two at my shop .

Speak up if anybody is interested and I'll get the pics and praticulars.

 

[SkwerI]

I'd rather buy one low mileage 'overpriced' truck than buy and sell multiple old worn out, rebuilt and worn out again POS trucks. 'Fresh' motor means to me that it's worn out and somebody did a half-fast rebuild, probably hiding or creating more problems than they fixed. Gauges that don't work, strange noises, quirks, 'special' procedures required to perform certain functions, who needs it. Give me a truck that isn't old enough to need to be 'fixed' and hasn't been 'freshened up'.

And I sure as Hell wouldn't buy a gas bucket truck, fuel costs will kill you. Diesels may cost more up front but are much less expensive to own and run.

 

[okietreedude]

I dont know about the fuel savings on a deisel...here diesel is 1.20 higher than unleaded.

as for towing power, etc. I do think the diesel takes the cake.

And I agree w/ you on the newer over priced vs. old, wornout.

a buddy of mine bought a used 92 and has spend probably 1/2 what he paid on it repairing things. The latest to be fixed, he cant find the part for.

 

[Newfie]

I dont know about the fuel savings on a deisel...here diesel is 1.20 higher than unleaded.

You'll end up burning twice as many gallons in a gasser as opposed to diesel. You do the math. Please show your work.

 

[NeTree]

Having had a gas bucket truck, I can vouch... they SUCK fuel like no tomorrow. No balls, either.

 

[Al Smith]

It's just an option for a low priced truck .Not everybody has good credit or a ton of money gang rolled ya know .

That danged old Ford has 6 new tires on it plus the restrung boom ,somebody could use it .

It's the way this stuff goes .A guy starts off with cheap stuff ,makes due saves his pennies and upgrades .

 

[NeTree]

It's just an option for a low priced truck .Not everybody has good credit or a ton of money gang rolled ya know .

That danged old Ford has 6 new tires on it plus the restrung boom ,somebody could use it .

It's the way this stuff goes .A guy starts off with cheap stuff ,makes due saves his pennies and upgrades .

About how I started.

 

[Jonseredbred]

You'll end up burning twice as many gallons in a gasser as opposed to diesel. You do the math. Please show your work.

I have a bucket with a gas engine. 5.5 mpg but it sips gas idling while using the bucket.

I have another with a DT360, 6.5 mpg and it uses a tad bit more fuel idling than the gasser does.

I always called it a wash, wasn't enuff savings over the other to worry about.

 

[SkwerI]

Damn, my old Detroit 8.2 turbodiesel got better than 7 mpg on my cross country trip running wide open for 3 days. Around town was probably better than that and my current 210hp Cat turbo gets closer to 10.

The retired Asplundh Chevy chip trucks with gas motors (no bucket) seem to get about 5mpg. I know 2-3 people with that style truck, LJ (Carl) has one as well.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

About how I started.

Me too. run old beaters till you've made some pennies, then invest in something better.

Like you say though, paint costs very little. Just because its old does'nt mean it has to look trashy.

 

[lumberjack]

Damn, my old Detroit 8.2 turbodiesel got better than 7 mpg on my cross country trip running wide open for 3 days. Around town was probably better than that and my current 210hp Cat turbo gets closer to 10.

The retired Asplundh Chevy chip trucks with gas motors (no bucket) seem to get about 5mpg. I know 2-3 people with that style truck, LJ (Carl) has one as well.

My chip truck gets 6-7mpg, normally.

 

[arborworks1]

If you are getting a newer bucket or a brand new one. Get a pony motor to run the boom. I have run mine which is a gas model all week long on about 8 gallons of fuel. Running time varied from 4 to 6.5 hours per day over 4 day stretch. Plus its alot cheaper to maintain than the big motor. I average 50 gallons a month total in my bucket. But I work in a very small town.

 

[sotc]

shoot, i get 10mpg in my bucket. worn out 5.9 cummins

 

[Al Smith]

You could likely get 7 or so MPG on a Chevy 350 .If it has a 366 or 427 it won't do that good .

 

[stehansen]

My speedometer doesn't work since I put in the Allison tranny, my cable is too short. I can't believe I just admitted to that.

 

[lumberjack]

Why not Steve?

I really wouldn't need the speedometer in my chip truck. It can't get over 65mph and it's too slow to get over the 35mph between traffic lights.

 

[Al Smith]

My speedometer doesn't work since I put in the Allison tranny, my cable is too short. I can't believe I just admitted to that.

It really doesn't make any diff on the fuel consumption .When it gets empty yas gots ta fill em up .

 

[stehansen]

It kind of bothers me when things don't work even when they aren't really necessary. You guys are right, in most instances I would have to really work at violating any speed limits, so I just go with traffic or a little slower. Did you use the new truck yet?

 

[Al Smith]

Well,find you a truck junk yard and get a cable . If it's too long it isn't a big deal to shorten it and re shape the end .Kind tough to stretch one though .

 

[Cobleskill]

You could probably get rid of a bit of length by changing the route of the cable.

 

[okietreedude]

Hey, I used the truck today.

Quite a ride...kind of rusty, but like riding a bike. didnt take long to get the hang of it.

Ive got signs coming in next week.

I also took off those shiny wheel covers. They were too flashy.

 

[squisher]

Lol, I think simulators(the chromy hubcaps)are kind of goofy looking on work trucks too. But heh maybe I feel that way cause I don't have 'em.

Congrats on breaking in the new rig!

 

[Al Smith]

You could probably get rid of a bit of length by changing the route of the cable.

Some of the Alisons use an electronic speedo . Basically just a prox switch that counts RPM s.

 

[stehansen]

It's on the list Al. Cool the new truck got put to work already. I think I would have ditched the simulators also. A little too "Pimp my Ride" looking for me.

 

[Cobleskill]

So you could use a tach and calibrate it for a speedo?