spiderlift

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I don't think he was predicting the end of the bucket truck Butch. Just a smaller market share.
 
jonseredbred said:
My post was not that Spiderlifts as a product line won't be around in 18 yrs it was that the particular unit wont have a service life span of 18 yrs.

That is proven by the current manlift market, according to a friend in the manlift rental business, 10 yrs is the max life on a manlift unit.

As far as Six Flags rides, one of my employee's used to work at one thier parks here in NY. Wanna guess how often they have to perform rescues or how often rides get hung up due to an electronic malfunction?? LOTS.

I like your last statement that a groundman could become a competent spiderlift operator in a month. That is worlds different and alot better than what your advertisement sez.
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Andrew you missing somthing, the booms on my lift are nothing like the tow behind lifts, there is a lot more material there. I am not in the rental biz. If my lift gets rented it is with a operator. I agree in the rental market any equipment they rent gets abused, people just don't care it's not there equipment.
My lift is only outside when it is working and inside when not. I am sure you take care of your equipment a lot better than you would a rental.

As far as dropping something on them, you have to remember you can move the lift in a matter of minutes. We set up as far from the tree as we can so that anything being dropped is as far from the base unit as possible. You don't have to try and work the whole tree from one place. I'm not saying something can't go wrong but that can happen no matter what we are doing. We just take precautions to minimize the risks.
 
My concern is that it's not a question of if, but when is somebody going to make a bad cut and drop a log on the outrigger. Is the outrigger strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a 150 lb log falling from 30'-40' without placing the operator's life in danger? My bucket truck won't kill me if I drop a 300 lb log across the back of the truck while aloft.

Regardless of any other advantages, this one concern is enough to prevent me from calling the spiderlift 'superior' to a bucket truck. They look great for trimming but not removals.
 
My 250# fat ass sat on the cylinder covers and didn't bend them. the outriggers are a lot more substiantial than the covers!!!
 
Maybe you should look at one Brian remember it's not your typical tow behind.
Now if you have owned both and make a statement like that it would hold water as far as I'm concerned. If I thought a new bucket would have served us better , thats what I would have bought. But I did keep our bucket truck as a back up and if we have to work around near power.
Do you live your life with the attitude that this may be the day I screw up. Becouse it's not if but when you screw up. That could pertain to anything we do.
 
If you are dropping three hundred pound logs on your bucket truck for fun, then we have some issues we should prolly talk about. I feel certain that the spider could take a hit and get you down safely. As with a bucket truck, you will have compromised either one dropping shat on the outriggers or booms, heavy enough to matter.
 
Since I started doing tree work (1984), till now, the only time I ever screwed up and dropped a piece by mistake was when I was holding it by hand. I never had a log that I tied off come loose by mistake. Some guys tell me I cut stuff too small or tie off pieces when they can be free dropped, but I don't like to take ANY chance of damaging stuff. It will generally take longer to repair something than spending an extra minute per cut to tie something off (once your lowering line is in place). Even if I did a 30 "unnecessary" tie offs, that will only take an extra 30 minutes.
 
Skwerl said:
My concern is that it's not a question of if, but when is somebody going to make a bad cut and drop a log on the outrigger. Is the outrigger strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a 150 lb log falling from 30'-40' without placing the operator's life in danger?
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I've done it they are more robust than you would think. But no, I do not think it can take near the hit a bucket can.



I have spent day after day for weeks at a time in a spyder lift in Germany. Again, I would say they are pointless for one or 2 trees. They are priceless if you have say, a school with 150 trees that you can't get a bucket to and the only other option is climbing.

You can also do a better reduction with a bucket or lift.

.02
 
Some pictures a customer sent me. It was a Silver Maple removal. Very windy on this job.
 
They are 16ft Burnham, we needed the length to keep the angle down when loading the lift. So it won't hit the roof. But they come in handy getting into some limited access areas. Like across ditches, retaining walls, ect. :D
 
Skwerl said:
My concern is that it's not a question of if, but when is somebody going to make a bad cut and drop a log on the outrigger. Is the outrigger strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a 150 lb log falling from 30'-40' without placing the operator's life in danger? My bucket truck won't kill me if I drop a 300 lb log across the back of the truck while aloft.

Regardless of any other advantages, this one concern is enough to prevent me from calling the spiderlift 'superior' to a bucket truck. They look great for trimming but not removals.
Click to expand...

Man i am so with you on this one...
 
I don't know if I'd use one near power then but I guess it is just as dangerous climbing around power.
 
dave, i see your weariing just a belt. i went into the crane shop the other day and asked if they had any of those. they said it was illegal, i used to use them all the time and hadnt heard tha, do you know?
 
sotc said:
dave, i see your weariing just a belt. i went into the crane shop the other day and asked if they had any of those. they said it was illegal, i used to use them all the time and hadnt heard tha, do you know?
Click to expand...

Yes just a belt with the lanyard hooked in the corner of the bucket corner. I am not sure Willie. It is what I have always worn in a bucket. I have a couple full harnesses, just always hated wearing them. I would think it would be like wearing a climbing harness. However, as far as being legal I am not positive about the belt anymore. Rules change I suppose.
 
I did some reading Willie, looks like it all hinges on a 2ft drop. If your lanyard will keep you from being ejected from the basket or less than a 2ft drop if falling over or ejected over then a belt will work. Therefore, I guess if you fall out of the bucket and your fall is over 2ft you had better have a full harness on.
It is a lot of gray area, because your anchor point is supposed to be rated for 5000 pounds. Most bucket/manlifts are not rated for a 5000-pound load.:dontknow:
 
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