Spider lifts?

[lumberjack]

Are your niftys spiders or are they the bigger ones with wheels and outriggers? For me I really need a compact unit for tight areas more than anything and a minimum 55-60' working height

Bigger, tires/outriggers... most commonly 70' working height.

 

[SkwerI]

Carl, how wide is the Nifty 64? About 5'?

 

[lumberjack]

81"

 

[Billhowe1]

Unfortunately for most of my work I'd need a narrower machine.

 

[lumberjack]

That tracks if you’re going from climbing to a lift; you have no competitive edge against mechanized companies, so you get the climbing jobs.

 

[lxskllr]

That tracks if you’re going from climbing to a lift; you have no competitive edge against mechanized companies, so you get the climbing jobs.

That's interesting. Aside from RoW clearance companies, are there typically arborist companies that would turn down a climbing job? How does that work in practice? Bid so high the client goes elsewhere, or do most companies have "friends" they refer out scope jobs to?

 

[flushcut]

In the two year of having a lift there have been five jobs, maybe, that I couldn’t do with the lift. So it’s kinda a wash.

 

[SkwerI]

IMO if you have to choose between the slow lift with narrow access or the faster lift with a wider stance I would take speed over skinny every time. The speed will make you money every single day while the slow skinny one will cost you money and time every day. But you will be able to do those 5-10 narrow access jobs per year.
When I bought my first bucket truck I lost access to all those back yard jobs. But it was the best thing I ever did, because I made more money by utilizing the equipment and blowing out those front yard jobs. A friend of mine has a narrow access tracked Nifty Lift (only 34') and it is incredibly slow. For trimming palms on large properties it's faster to carry a ladder. Don't get so hung up on narrow access but focus on what can give you the biggest return. That means the lift with the faster ground speed and faster boom speed.

 

[flushcut]

I do a lot more than 5-10 narrow access jobs a year. The wide open jobs you can back the lift on the trailer up to the tree, unstrap, drop the outriggers, and off making saw chips. The lift will crawl up grades you would be winched up in a bucket. Minimal turf damage without mats. There are pros and cons to both lifts and buckets but I am glad I bought a lift over a bucket.

 

[Billhowe1]

IMO if you have to choose between the slow lift with narrow access or the faster lift with a wider stance I would take speed over skinny every time. The speed will make you money every single day while the slow skinny one will cost you money and time every day. But you will be able to do those 5-10 narrow access jobs per year.
When I bought my first bucket truck I lost access to all those back yard jobs. But it was the best thing I ever did, because I made more money by utilizing the equipment and blowing out those front yard jobs. A friend of mine has a narrow access tracked Nifty Lift (only 34') and it is incredibly slow. For trimming palms on large properties it's faster to carry a ladder. Don't get so hung up on narrow access but focus on what can give you the biggest return. That means the lift with the faster ground speed and faster boom speed.

The platform lift didn't seem too slow to me, a bucket truck for roughly 80 percent of my work would sit, and for at least 75-80 percent of my work I have narrow access out my way, so really the best bang for my buck would ultimately be the narrower lift, which is still faster and can produce more daily and consistently vs climbing.

 

[lumberjack]

That's interesting. Aside from RoW clearance companies, are there typically arborist companies that would turn down a climbing job? How does that work in practice? Bid so high the client goes elsewhere, or do most companies have "friends" they refer out scope jobs to?

It could be that, or just being more efficient doing what you're equipped for, more likely to get those jobs, less likely to get the jobs you're less efficient with. I pay a sub for climbing (Scott or my crane operator will climb/I run the crane) but cost wise we're more efficient using the lift.

On a $3k job, having to add $500 for climbing (for example) could be enough to not get that job.

 

[WoodCutr]

my big question since im looking to get an 83HD soon ish, what does a boom inspection normally cost? anything about having to rebuild them every certain number of years like bucket truck booms?