Mid mount bucket truck

rangerdanger

rangerdanger

TreeHouser
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
2,471
Location
Lexington, KY
Gonna start keeping an eye out for a mid mount forestry style bucket truck. What are things to look for and watch out for when buying a bucket?

Any manufacturers you'd recommend? I've only ran Altec and ALC, more partial to the ALC from what I've heard and read.


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Why do you want mid mount, so that you can have 2 trucks in one? I'm sure you know all the plusses and minuses of forestry vs rear mount. ALC 60' are legendary, simple, workhorses. Don't get a 62'er, I heard there were issues with them being too long/high.
 
Pistol grip wrecks elbows/shoulders, unless the safety lockout is disabled. ALC levers are safe, easy, fast, ergonomic, and outlawed.

Just my opinion, having run both.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7
I'm aware of all the pros and cons. We're in need of a new chip truck soon though, and I've been wanting to get a bucket for awhile now, so if we're gonna make it happen it's gotta be forestry mount.


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Here's my opinion, and I've never owned a bucket. Look at the basic things on the rest of the truck. That stuff tells you a lot about the seller. Knowing about the seller give you a good feel for the truck. Is his equipment all in some phase of disrepair? Is his place of business a complete dump? No, that doesn't tell the whole story or any of it. But it shows you a bit about the sellers mind frame about business and iron. Do the drive tires all match? I the truck riddled with tons of tiny "TLC" issues? Is there some record of service and repair? Does the seller ever mention "well we were in the axle to repair this and figured while we were there we might as well take care of the other because t would need it soon". Things like this show you how they care for their equipment. That's a good gauge for getting a feel for whether or not you are buying your next big headache. None of what I said relates to boom info. But it gives you a sense f the seller, and that in itself can tel you about the life that boom has lived.
 
I own a 60' hi-ranger that I can't complain about. It's on an international with a dt466. I have used an altec. The boom is much faster on them. Make sure that you take a close look at the table bearing. It's quite costly to replace.
 
The safety lockout on my pistol grip seems quite effortless? I prefer it over my last truck which was levers.
 
Love my pistol grip controls, no issues at all. My 93 f700 with an Altec lb650
Is going back up for sale soon. Gotta finish a 2 bucket job first. Well used but good shape. Good rubber all around
 
Another vote for rear mount. Terex are nice A big Co. in the area has two 75' rear mount elevators on 4x4 Internash chassis simply bad ass!
 
Having run several I am convinced that : We can get used to almost anything.
We tend to love what we have that is working for us.
We always long for more. More speed. More height. More side reach. More mobility. More french fries.

Altec makes a lot of booms and they all work but have some very different handling characteristics. ALC made a great reputation before shutting down. Terex XT series booms are on a lot of line clearance forestry packages for good reason. The square boom feels more solid. The control system works simply and reliably.

Have fun shopping Adrian. Check for leaks and signs of abuse. Look the turret over carefully for cracks. Ultimately you have to make a choice on limited knowledge. Just learn what you can , pray for wisdom and do your best.
 
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  • #18
flushcut said:
Another vote for rear mount.
Click to expand...

My idea is to get a mid mount, use it for a few years until we move totally away from chipping, then switch it around, remove the chip box, and rear mount it. I've seen it done a few times and it's not that hard. Just a matter of switching the boom around and adding two more outriggers.


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Doesn't sound worth the fabrication and down time. If there is no pony motor, you suck a lot more chips into the radiator, I've heard.
 
Probably the better plan is get the Forestry package , use it a few years and if you get ready to go to rear mount then sell it and buy the "perfect" rear mount. I get why everybody loves a rear mount......but, a forestry package can be the most efficient for some operations-including mine. I have both but the FP goes to work every day. The RM is spec ops.
 
squisher said:
The safety lockout on my pistol grip seems quite effortless? I prefer it over my last truck which was levers.
Click to expand...

Mine is fairly effortless too but it forces your arm/wrist/elbow into bad positions to activate it or to use the pistol grip as you continue to hold the lockout. Did your levers have individual lockouts, or were they just plain levers?

Edit- with the lockout disabled, you don't have to squeeze anything, just push or pull or turn or tilt the pistol in whatever way is comfortable
 
With the forestry package you do have to clean the radiator a lot more. I rigged a piece of fine screen over the grill of the truck to help with that problem but still blow it out every couple of weeks. The chip bed comes in handy at the end of the day or when you only have a bit left to clean up when the chip truck is full. Boss is getting me a rear mount elevator in the spring. I'll see which one I prefer after a few weeks in it
 
rangerdanger said:
My idea is to get a mid mount, use it for a few years until we move totally away from chipping, then switch it around, remove the chip box, and rear mount it. I've seen it done a few times and it's not that hard. Just a matter of switching the boom around and adding two more outriggers.


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Click to expand...

Right on! Sounds like you have a plan in mind.
 
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