MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Not me. Give me a conventional set-up anyday.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
I'd take either.
SkwerI
Treehouser
My biggest concern is the comments on the boom speed. Everyone seems to agree that they are painfully slow. On a day-to-day basis I feel like the conventional bucket will make me more money in my area. I can still climb fairly well and feel on average I can climb a couple backyard trees per week faster than all the time it takes to set up and use that lift. I get impatient with the boom speed on my Altec and if that thing is 1/3 as fast then I'm afraid I'd fall asleep in between cuts.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
The speed is similar to my manly lifter. I can do alot more from my basket than from a rope (cut and throw limbs) and venture to say that on an equal tree, my lift could outdo most above average climbers on an average (of course there are extremes) day in and day out.
They don't replace climbing, but they sure offset a bunch of it.
Last Friday in 4 hours I slayed 3 trees and some broken limbs from 4 jobs. The jobs were within 10-15 minutes from one another. I also felled another tree at a neighbors house in that time.
The first tree was a 60' pine, most of the limbs would have to be rigged climbing, were cut and thrown from the lift. Outriggers down to outriggers up took 20 minutes, climbing would have been double that, plus another worker. A regular bucket truck wouldn't have been allowed on the grass.
I went across to the neighbors house and felled the tree, was gone in about 40 minutes (customer was interested in me and my company's doings).
10 minute drive
Second job was removing some broke limbs from a spreading oak, bottom limbs about 30' from the trunk. Took 15 minutes roll on to roll off, climbing would have been about 30 minutes.
15 minute drive
Third job was a rather large water oak, 80' tall, spreading over a fence and the hedge. Set up, removed the limbs up to the tops (about 60' up it forked into 2 large tops) and reset the lift on the other side of the tree (and driveway, gravel drive). Stretched out over the pile of crap around the tree (about 20' from the trunk) and made my felling cuts. Stretched out to the top of the tree and pushed it over with one hand (felling cut was 28" in diameter) dropping the "top" into the right side of the circle drive. This job took about 45 minutes and I was off to the last tree (about 545pm now).
15 minute drive
4th tee was a short 35' live oak that was all of 60' wide over the house's power/cable/telephone and the house. I setup on the far side of the tree and knocked out all the easy stuff and drove back around (backyard tree) to the wire side of the tree and set back up (note, putting the outriggers down or outriggers back up takes approx 1 minute). I took off all I could reach (all off the wires, still had one limb over the house I couldn't get to) and stretched out and over the tree and repelled out. Knocked the last of the tree out and went to the ground. Packed my climbing line back up, packed the lift, took about an hour. Then I talked to the customer till about 7:30, (works for the housing athority and we were talking business
and drove back home.I think the times add up, I estimated on the driving and talking times, the tree slaying times are fairly accurate. The last 2 jobs would have been easier with a bucket truck, the first 2 were dandy with the lift.
In the lift I burned about a 50 cents of gas maybe 24 cents of electricity and put a maybe a dollar of wear on the tires. In that time I did around $650 of work, manly lifter works well for me.
T
top hopper
Guest
Show off!!
tntree
Just slice it
The manly lift, ha! Girly lifts if you ask me - climb it . . . wus 
Boy I'm gonna catch it now
Boy I'm gonna catch it now
K
Koa Man
Guest
When a big spider lift is being used off a truck, the outriggers are put down and the tracks are lifted completely off the flatbed. It does not put even 1 ounce of weight on the truck. When done, the outriggers are lifted up, the lift is back on the truck and you can move to the next tree. If the trees are all close by, then the lift can be driven at its 1.2 mph speed to the next tree. I have driven my lift from one house to the neighbor's 1/4 mile away and it was slow.
A couple of tree companies hire me and the lift for $600-700 a day. Easy money, as I will either just cut the stuff they cannot reach or take one of their guys with me to do the cutting and I just operate the bucket. That is real easy...$600 price. $700 is if I have to cut. I am seriously thinking of getting a taller lift. I think the 23GT might be in my near future.
A couple of tree companies hire me and the lift for $600-700 a day. Easy money, as I will either just cut the stuff they cannot reach or take one of their guys with me to do the cutting and I just operate the bucket. That is real easy...$600 price. $700 is if I have to cut. I am seriously thinking of getting a taller lift. I think the 23GT might be in my near future.
Z
zzr1200
Guest
DT, nice demo pics, but thats a new unregistered chassis with no body.
Consider this scenario if a spider was mounted as suggested:
Two people: 1 operator, 1 driver.
The problems would start when the operator is in the basket (possibly at 1/2 lift height) and the driver finds a way of by-passing the safety system then lifts the outriggers to move the vehicle/lift. The vehicle is moved forward a wheel drops in to a hole being as the footprint of the spider is not the correct size the lift could/would tip over taking the vehicle with it, safety systems by-passed lift not operated as per approval.........
DT, you cannot lift without the outriggers fully down or drive the machine, the only time the safety system allows drive to be enabled is when the boom is stowed for transport.
The spider lift has a high lift/low weight ratio because it has a very large footprint and cannot be driven while being used, if you require a drive function while elevated you are forced to have a much heavier chassis for stability.
The vehicle chassis would not be heavy enough to meet approval standards plus you still have the connection problem between spider lift and vehicle chassis, hence we have spiders, platform, scissors and bucket trucks, machines designed for a specific purpose (a bit like adapting a post hole boring attachment to fit a 880, could be fun until it go's wrong).
A Genie Z45/25 4WD weights 14,000 lbs and a Z60/34 weights 22,100 lbs a bit different from spider lifts of the same approx height.
D
DTW902
Guest
I don't think anyone was suggesting you drive the lift while elevated. The only time the lift would be attached to the truck is during transport. I know that was a demo picture it was leached from Teupens site. It was only to show that it could be transported in that fashion.
I know all about setting them up at least a 23GT as thats what I own..
Z
zzr1200
Guest
Top Hopper maybe below:
+
If there is a possibility that someone could drive the while elevated it may well happen
If only on the truck for transporting while not working fine no prob's.
I know all about setting them up at least a 23GT as thats what I own..
DT, as an owner and user you can see the benefits from using a spider lift correctly. Now please I am not slaging anyone off but if you had an operator and/or driver who was only interested in getting the job done ASAP there are ways around safety systems that could increase the speed of the job. With a spider lift mounted/strapped to a vehicle the problems don't bare thinking about because of the lack of ballast weight to keep the thing upright.
If the spiders outriggers where used for leveling, how strong do they need to be considering that the spider maybe swopped between different vehicles and would be required to lift part of or all the vehicle weight to level its self.
Hence purpose built units, I'm not saying its not a good idea, I just don't see how its could be built to pass type approval for safe use at a senible cost.
T
top hopper
Guest
jeez dood- ya wanna twist my words anymore?
I said it would be cool if it could be transported and/or used from the deck of the truck. Did I ever say it'd be cool if you could move the truck with the boom elevated? What you are saying is no more dangerous than moving a bucket truck with the boom elevated.
Anyway- I was just using creative thinking in making the transport and use of the lift more versataile...... but you just dont get that do you?
anyway.......is there anything else?
I said it would be cool if it could be transported and/or used from the deck of the truck. Did I ever say it'd be cool if you could move the truck with the boom elevated? What you are saying is no more dangerous than moving a bucket truck with the boom elevated.
Anyway- I was just using creative thinking in making the transport and use of the lift more versataile...... but you just dont get that do you?
anyway.......is there anything else?
Z
zzr1200
Guest
I was reading your post as service engineer who repairs these things for a living, I've seen some interesting operator lead adaptions from standard to these machines to allow non approved/tested use.
Including a 125ft boom that could been driven at full speed at max height.......interesting to say the least.....
As I stated I'm not having a go, last year a guy at work was killed because the machines safety system didn't operate as per approval/spec and he was service engineer.
T
top hopper
Guest
ohhh- your an engineer......
I should have known.
Anyway- back to the drawing board I guess
I should have known.
Anyway- back to the drawing board I guess
Z
zzr1200
Guest
Sorrrrryyyyy.............
PS....note ....check peeps profiles sometimes.............
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
PS....note ....check peeps profiles sometimes.............
Shoot, I wish! 90% of people don't even fill them out.
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Holy moly, this thread sure started going somewhere else. More pics of these spiderlifts in action please, they are an interesting machine. 
D
DTW902
Guest
Holy moly, this thread sure started going somewhere else. More pics of these spiderlifts in action please, they are an interesting machine.
It is ok Justin he is just trying to idiot proof everything.
I will give you one guess who he thinks the idiots are.....
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
It is ok Justin he is just trying to idiot proof everything.
I will give you one guess who he thinks the idiots are.....
And then we will go up in these contraptions and run chainsaws
.
Z
zzr1200
Guest
It is ok Justin he is just trying to idiot proof everything.
I will give you one guess who he thinks the idiots are.....
I pass judgement on the aftermath (accident) or something I have personally witnessed, but I will also comment/warn people of their ideas if only to try and stop an acciddent...............
Now this is an idiot:
I've personally witnessed a maintenance foreman using a 30 ft personal lift with 2 outrigger legs removed and the safety micro-switches by-passed, so he could get the lift closer to the wall to work. He had passed his operator training the day before and was on the works safety committee.............
http://www.genielift.com/Brochures/AWP/109380_AWPS_SpecSheet.pdf
D
DTW902
Guest
Here ya go Derek (Awsomeclimber). A larger picture of my avatar.
R
RIVERRAT
Guest
Hey, why didn't you just flop that?
D
DTW902
Guest
Best option for that tree. Sycamore thats been dead for several years. The spider was already out, dropped it all in a pile. Pull in with the grab truck and job all done very little ground work.
A
Awsomeclimber
Guest
Thanks very much Dave, there are some great shots in the opening pages, the link is cool too. Cheers.
S
Spiderlifts
Guest
The university also bought some options and accessories and spare parts. In that number is the tax they paid for it too. Yes, the university had to pay tax.
