# Anyone own a bucket truck here ?



## Navyguy (Mar 15, 2010)

Talk to @Kevin_Essiambre he was doing a fair amount of research on them as he was in the same boat. I think his final answer was to continue to rent.

Cheers
John


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

Check out Rbauction.com 
They have a bunch of auctions coming up with bucket trucks


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## Navyguy (Mar 15, 2010)

I have found with Richie Brothers, you really need to go look at what you want. Their descriptions and pictures don't always jive with the actual item.

I am sure that is not the case always, but it was a thing at whatever I was looking at at the particular time.

Cheers
John


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

Navyguy said:


> I have found with Richie Brothers, you really need to go look at what you want. Their descriptions and pictures don't always jive with the actual item.
> 
> I am sure that is not the case always, but it was a thing at whatever I was looking at at the particular time.
> 
> ...


Any auction, it's always best to take a look.
Wrongun may have someone in the area take a look for him.
I've had my son in AB look at some stuff for me and it's worked out well


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## u2slow (Jan 2, 2014)

A neighbour snagged a bucket-truck body for a good price. (Not sure where the F450/550 went). He found a cheap 80's chevy 1-ton dually to stick it on. No scales around here for a weight audit.

EDIT: For the bigger trucks... you're competing with the arborists for used equipment. So much so, a colleague went across the continent to pickup an old used linework truck from NC I think it was. His was a Freightliner with a 4wd conversion.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

I have a friend that I do a lot of work with / for and his main daily driver work truck is always a big bucket truck like you want. He uses doesn't need the bucket daily but uses it quite a bit. 

There is a local dealership that always has good deals on high mileage former fleet trucks, that's where he gets them. They are always fully functional but little or no warranty and they always break and the repairs are pricey. Even routine maintenance is pretty pricey. The cabs are generally nasty. 

I personally wouldn't be bent on the 45' working height, 35' or 40' can do an awful lot of work. The smaller trucks will get in places the bigger ones won't. 

It's gotten him service work that other contractors lost because they drove their customers nuts renting trucks, waiting for rentals, and charging for rentals. I am sure it pays for itself for him. It might pay for me, except the only thing better than owning a bucket truck, is borrowing a bucket truck when you need it.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

We have a 1 ton truck with a 35' boom on it. Sure, the extra 7' would be nice, but you can get a lot done with a 35' truck on a 1-ton, the insurance is a lot cheaper, and the trucks are way cheaper. I think ours was $3500. It's a former Verizon truck so its a gas engine truck with an onan generator/hydraulic power unit. It's been super useful for bucket work as well as temporary power as its a 4500w generator hooked up to the truck fuel tank. That truck has made us over $150,000 that we wouldn't have been able to make without it. The last truck was a diesel with a PTO hydraulic pump, and that was a huge pain in the butt and a maintenance nightmare. The current one with a gas engine is waaaay easier to work on, more affordable for mechanical repairs, and waaay more reliable. We have put 15,000 miles on it since we bought it 3 years ago, and its only needed tires, a blower motor, brake lines, and oil changes. Not bad for a 1993 truck.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

One reason that larger trucks are often the same price as smaller 4500-5500 series is that you will need a CDL to drive it and the extra hassles that entails. I've had a CDL since the 80's and it is a bit of a headache to maintain but it is worth it. Smaller trucks, anyone can drive so they go for more than a larger 26000 GVW model.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

I def don’t want a large truck. I want a 2012-2015 F450-F550

I thought they were mostly diesel but I see some gas V10’s. 

If it can handle material and have a service body I can make lots of use for it. They are hard to find when you need specific things, I’m still searching. 

I need to at least be able to lift 20-25’ light poles.

This would be ideal. This truck has 78,000
Miles asking 39K 










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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

How about this?


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## jw0445 (Oct 9, 2009)

@WronGun I'm also in the market and am finding the same things you are. I've never tried a tow behind bucket lift but I think I'm going to rent one of them to see if I like it or it's a pain in the a$$. For that $39,000 you can get a new tow behind with a material handler. I'm thinking the insurance for it may be covered by the vehicle insurance like towing a boat. Anyone have any experience with a tow behind?


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## Forge Boyz (Nov 7, 2014)

jw0445 said:


> @WronGun I'm also in the market and am finding the same things you are. I've never tried a tow behind bucket lift but I think I'm going to rent one of them to see if I like it or it's a pain in the a$$. For that $39,000 you can get a new tow behind with a material handler. I'm thinking the insurance for it may be covered by the vehicle insurance like towing a boat. Anyone have any experience with a tow behind?


We used to rent them. A truck is much more versatile. The upside to them is you do not have another drive train to maintain, but I would much rather work out of a truck.

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## LEVY (Jan 28, 2021)

I still have one, but is a little old.

1984 Chevy C70 Kodiak.

Nice unit, with auger.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

jw0445 said:


> @WronGun I'm also in the market and am finding the same things you are. I've never tried a tow behind bucket lift but I think I'm going to rent one of them to see if I like it or it's a pain in the a$$. For that $39,000 you can get a new tow behind with a material handler. I'm thinking the insurance for it may be covered by the vehicle insurance like towing a boat. Anyone have any experience with a tow behind?


I would hate to tow something around. Rather get in and go and have it setup for certain things. 


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

460 Delta said:


> View attachment 153591
> 
> How about this?


There are a lot of cheaper options but they make me nervous. 


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## Mobius87 (May 20, 2019)

I just bought a used 55' tow behind lift, picking it up Friday. 

I went back and forth about the towable for awhile; it won out in the end as I lose too much work doing the rental thing, and the cost of a truck is just too much. 

The biggest downside (as mentioned) is moving it around on site, but there are plenty of upsides.


Lower initial capital, overhead, and maintenance. Which also translates into a faster recovery on that capital.
Not having to outfit a truck with tools and materials, or deal with the frustration of "I need that, but it's in the van".
Being able to pull it behind the van solo, without having to have a second person to do the vehicle shuffle/convoy.


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

Navyguy said:


> Talk to @Kevin_Essiambre he was doing a fair amount of research on them as he was in the same boat. I think his final answer was to continue to rent.
> 
> Cheers
> John


I'm after a bucket truck still. Something like this. The camera company I work for is having some trailers built, so I need something to tow the trailers (unfortunately my 2006 Honda CR-V service van isn't up to the task haha). A bucket truck would be a good investment, as I have work for it (not enough, but build it, and they will come...). I also need to buy a pole trailer when I get a bucket truck... So many free poles but I cannot move them!

As for OP, find something that doesn't need a CDL/license that you or your employees don't have. 

Find one that has come out of a fleet, they tend to have been taken care of better. I'm not sure about in your area, all I know is that rumor has it, in my area the boom has to be X-rayed after a fixed number of years, and the hoses need to be changed after a fixed number of years... It may be worth it to find out what parts have been changed recently, if possible. 

Unless you have a need for a heavy truck like the one I have linked in my post here, stay far far away from them. The tires and general upkeep on them is too expensive. You're on the right track looking for an F-450 or F-550, the tires, and parts in general are more common, and if it needs to be towed, you _may_ be able to do it with a small tow truck, or at least a medium sized wrecker (you won't need a 30 ton wrecker to tow it...).

As mentioned before, one with a generator is a nice feature. Not only do you have power to run general tools, you have power to test lights in the field, use as a power source during a power outage, etc.

If you're looking for one with material handling, you will be narrowing your search criteria. Some booms can handle 2000lbs at a lifting point on the lower boom while some will have a 500lb capacity. Here's one from altec that with the right parts (Altec ARM JIB) can handle up to 1100lbs.

There is also lot's in general related to know about operating and maintaining a bucket truck. You'll need someone certified to work on the bucket truck components, and in the cases of bigger trucks, a heavy truck mechanic. I do not currently own a bucket truck, however, these are general things to know about these things. In my case, I have a friend that used to work for Volvo working on tractors for them, but kept his heavy truck license, so he is going to be my mechanic... I have yet to meet anyone that can help me with the bucket truck repairs.

You may or may not also need to take some additional training courses for your new truck. In my area (Ontario), I need not one course, but at least 2. Working at heights, and Vehicle mounted aerial device training. Someone also has to be trained in rescue (I think...). The last fellows I worked with that had a bucket truck had a rescue kit on the truck, It's a safe guess that it's required by the ministry of labour.

If you're going to be doing night work, I would invest in some good worklights on the truck. Having a bucket truck in general, make sure you have around a dozen traffic cones with you... They are invaluable when working in a parking lot or even on the side of the road. You can block spots off, or keep people back using some cones and caution or danger tape.

As the others have mentioned to me when I inquired about it, make sure you have enough work to have the truck on the road. You don't want to invest in an asset like this if you only have 1 job a week to use it on... It will take forever for it to pay for itself.... Unless you have the equity to pay for the unit without financing, then I'd consider it... But regardless, you want to have that truck on the road at least 50% of the time to make money... It doesn't make money sitting in a yard.

The nice thing is, once you have it, you open yourself up to many things that can pay for the truck. In my area, electricians can install customer owned primary and secondary line work, and call the POCO to do final tie-ins (It's a little bit complicated, approved drawings, permits, inspections, etc) but it's work for a bucket truck... But if you get into this, you will likely end up needing a digger/derrik... Light poles and similar you wont... 

You will also find yourself using the bucket truck for simple tasks. Change a lightbulb? why not use the bucket truck. Cleaning the gutters at home? I have a bucket truck! You'll never use a ladder again... lol

Just my 2 cents on this.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

jw0445 said:


> @WronGun I'm also in the market and am finding the same things you are. I've never tried a tow behind bucket lift but I think I'm going to rent one of them to see if I like it or it's a pain in the a$$. For that $39,000 you can get a new tow behind with a material handler. I'm thinking the insurance for it may be covered by the vehicle insurance like towing a boat. Anyone have any experience with a tow behind?


I occasionally rent a 40' or 50' tow behind. There are actually a fair number of places I work where I can't drive the bucket truck to where I need to work. The two behinds are narrower. Once it's on site, you can tow it with a Rhino type golf cart or quad. I find the straight telescoping boom on the bucket truck much nicer to work with, but once in a great while you can reach over something with the articulating boom that you can't reach with a straight boom. 

It's obviously much slower working with a lift you have to tow from spot to spot but it's so much less maintenance and insurance etc. It's also a lot easier to store.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

Kevin_Essiambre said:


> I'm after a bucket truck still. Something like this. The camera company I work for is having some trailers built, so I need something to tow the trailers (unfortunately my 2006 Honda CR-V service van isn't up to the task haha). A bucket truck would be a good investment, as I have work for it (not enough, but build it, and they will come...). I also need to buy a pole trailer when I get a bucket truck... So many free poles but I cannot move them!
> 
> As for OP, find something that doesn't need a CDL/license that you or your employees don't have.
> 
> ...


I think the same way. Build it and they will come. I’m
Also thinking the same on not having to lug massive ladders everywhere which often need 2 people. 

My only other thought was these would come in even more handy if they ran off of electric like an RH ladder truck like you have in Canada. We have a number of jobs in large trucking stations and shops where we could just drive in and service the high bays if a gas motor wasn’t running. 


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## jw0445 (Oct 9, 2009)

WronGun said:


> I think the same way. Build it and they will come. I’m
> Also thinking the same on not having to lug massive ladders everywhere which often need 2 people.
> 
> My only other thought was these would come in even more handy if they ran off of electric like an RH ladder truck like you have in Canada. We have a number of jobs in large trucking stations and shops where we could just drive in and service the high bays if a gas motor wasn’t running.
> ...


Some of the bucket trucks I've been looking at have an inverter that run the hydraulics. The engine only starts when the batteries are getting low


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

WronGun said:


> I think the same way. Build it and they will come. I’m
> Also thinking the same on not having to lug massive ladders everywhere which often need 2 people.
> 
> My only other thought was these would come in even more handy if they ran off of electric like an RH ladder truck like you have in Canada. *We have a number of jobs in large trucking stations and shops where we could just drive in and service the high bays if a gas motor wasn’t running*.
> ...


That was the I thought I had after doing some work in an autoshop with 30' ceilings.

Turns out some of the manufactures are making hybrid trucks that have batteries. 

They're too pricey to buy new, and finding a used one may need new batteries.

A good hydraulic mechanic should be able to figure something out that is compliant. Most of the trucks should have a 12 volt backup pump. I'm wondering if it's possible to have a 120 volt hydraulic pump installed in parallel with the 12 volt pump, so that you can use 120 (or even 240 with a minor wiring change) to run the unit indoors.


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## Navyguy (Mar 15, 2010)

There should not be any reason why you could not have a 120 volt pump in parallel with a 12 volt dc pump. You could use a combination of hand and solenoid bypass valves on the inlet and outlet ports to isolate the pumps from each other and stop any back pressure and back flow though the idle pump and the accumulator.

Cheers
John


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

jw0445 said:


> Some of the bucket trucks I've been looking at have an inverter that run the hydraulics. The engine only starts when the batteries are getting low


Check out the RH ladder trucks, pretty cool. All electric. Just dreaming tho...











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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

Navyguy said:


> There should not be any reason why you could not have a 120 volt pump in parallel with a 12 volt dc pump. You could use a combination of hand and solenoid bypass valves on the inlet and outlet ports to isolate the pumps from each other and stop any back pressure and back flow though the idle pump and the accumulator.
> 
> Cheers
> John


That's what I suspected, and would be a relatively easy thing to do. It would be handy for indoor work, and cheaper than the cost of upkeep on batteries.

I wouldn't want manual bypass valves on the system. I think check valves would work, allowing you to still use the 12 volt system for getting down if the power goes out or cord gets unplugged. But I am not a hydraulic expert.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

And then you have this with only 52,000 miles asking 38,000 ?!?!

Would this style boom be harder to operate compared to a telescoping?

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## LEVY (Jan 28, 2021)

Don't know, but with a telescopic you can usually lift heavy loads, with this one I doubt.

Good to work on lights, but not to lift a transformer, poles etc.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

You’re gonna have to have a class B CDL to drive that, yearly Federal Annual Inspections just on the truck, and Apportioned plates if you cross over any state lines. 
Ultimately a bigger truck is better in many respects, like MUCH better brakes, but there’s Federal regs to contend with. That is why these sell used for about the same as a non-CDL (5500 size) truck.


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

LEVY said:


> Don't know, but with a telescopic you can usually lift heavy loads, with this one I doubt.
> 
> Good to work on lights, but not to lift a transformer, poles etc.


I have yet to see an overcenter style bucket truck with a lower lifting capacity compared to the telescopic articulating ones.

Here's a similar one to what was shared. It has a max. of 2000lbs on the jib.


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

WronGun said:


> Would this style boom be harder to operate compared to a telescoping?


I wouldn't say harder, but the overcenter (and non-overcenter) booms are more restricting in the way of where you can fit.

With the telescopic articulating booms, it's a more compact machine. If you want to use it inside a building, it's the machine you'd want. With the one like you shared, it would be nearly impossible to use it inside, unless you had enough room for one of the booms to go up 90 degrees verticle (overcenter machines you need space for the boom to go from stowed, 180 degrees into one long straight boom).

For linework and most outdoor work, that would work fine, but for small jobs, it would be overkill and likely the wrong tool for the job.

An easy way to think of it is comparing the two main styles of boom lifts. Although they are both telescopic, it's the idea that one has more flexibility of how to use it.

I hope this helps you.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Going_Commando said:


> We have a 1 ton truck with a 35' boom on it. Sure, the extra 7' would be nice, but you can get a lot done with a 35' truck on a 1-ton, *the insurance is a lot cheaper,* and the trucks are way cheaper. I think ours was $3500. It's a former Verizon truck so its a gas engine truck with an onan generator/hydraulic power unit. It's been super useful for bucket work as well as temporary power as its a 4500w generator hooked up to the truck fuel tank. That truck has made us over $150,000 that we wouldn't have been able to make without it. The last truck was a diesel with a PTO hydraulic pump, and that was a huge pain in the butt and a maintenance nightmare. The current one with a gas engine is waaaay easier to work on, more affordable for mechanical repairs, and waaay more reliable. We have put 15,000 miles on it since we bought it 3 years ago, and its only needed tires, a blower motor, brake lines, and oil changes. Not bad for a 1993 truck.


Ding ding ding we have a winner!

Check with your insurance carrier and you might just stick to rentals.

Marc Shunk was the guy to talk to about this, I believe he had a couple bucket trucks.

My BIL had bought a POCO truck at auction cheap and ditched it for a telco van to reduce overhead and increase his bottomline.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

MechanicalDVR said:


> Ding ding ding we have a winner!
> 
> Check with your insurance carrier and you might just stick to rentals.
> 
> ...


Our bucket truck is $1200/yr, the same as our other trucks.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

Same quote I got for 2012 F550 $1250 per year. 

Convenience is a major consideration on things I do. Costs more but if it makes my life easier I’m all in and maybe, just maybe I can produce more profit with my own. 


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## Forge Boyz (Nov 7, 2014)

WronGun said:


> And then you have this with only 52,000 miles asking 38,000 ?!?!
> 
> Would this style boom be harder to operate compared to a telescoping?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


We have a smaller version of this lift on a F550. It has a 1500 LB (I think) jib on it. It has worked very well for us. Both styles of booms have advantages and disadvantages. Probably the biggest downside is as has been said, harder to use inside a building, although we have done it. I think there are also times when the overcenter boom gives you more flexibility than a telescoping, so like I said it is a trade off. Bottom line? We are happy with ours.

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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Going_Commando said:


> Our bucket truck is $1200/yr, the same as our other trucks.


Is there any addendum for liability coverage on your business insurance for bucket truck use or do you have an umbrella policy to cover it?


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## LEVY (Jan 28, 2021)

Going_Commando said:


> We have a 1 ton truck with a 35' boom on it. as well as temporary power as *its a 4500w generator hooked up to the truck fuel tank. *That truck has made us over $150,000 that we wouldn't have been able to make without it. The last truck was a diesel with a PTO hydraulic pump, and that was a huge pain in the butt and a maintenance nightmare. The current one with a gas engine is waaaay easier to work on, more affordable for mechanical repairs, and waaay more reliable. We have put 15,000 miles on it since we bought it 3 years ago, and its only needed tires, a blower motor, brake lines, and oil changes. Not bad for a 1993 truck.


Not sure it is legal to have the generator hooked to the truck's fuel tank.


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

LEVY said:


> Not sure it is legal to have the generator hooked to the truck's fuel tank.


Not sure why it wouldn't be... RV generators are designed for exactly that...


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

I'm a big fan of Altec in the small telescope/artic range.

If you get a newer LD diesel chassis from any of the big three with a bucket on it be prepared for it to eat DEF if it's got it, regen constantly, and have after treatment system issues eventually. A constant high idle application like that is bad news for these trucks.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

MechanicalDVR said:


> Is there any addendum for liability coverage on your business insurance for bucket truck use or do you have an umbrella policy to cover it?


We have an umbrella policy on top of general liability.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

LEVY said:


> Not sure it is legal to have the generator hooked to the truck's fuel tank.


It was built that way for Verizon and phone company trucks are still built the same way, so I would say it's fine.


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## BigM33 (Mar 3, 2021)

WronGun said:


> My only other thought was these would come in even more handy if they ran off of electric like an RH ladder truck like you have in Canada. We have a number of jobs in large trucking stations and shops where we could just drive in and service the high bays if a gas motor wasn’t running.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Though the RH Ladder trucks are nice for work indoors with the electric ladder, you don't get the possibility for electrical insulation as you do with a typical bucket truck so keep that in mind depending . Other things to consider are how you can position the bucket to perform your jobs, and material handling capabilities of the truck which will be heavily affected by whether the truck has outriggers or not. A 550/5500 Chassis will be cheaper in the long run for maintenance while a larger truck like a Freightliner M2 will offer the ability to have a larger boom with more lifting capacity as well as a hiring payload and towing rating. Other things to potentially look into for lifting and using as a work platform are Elliot sign and lighting work platforms, they do offer a non-CDL insulated boom truck that can both be used as a small crane and a work platform.


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## BigM33 (Mar 3, 2021)

LEVY said:


> Don't know, but with a telescopic you can usually lift heavy loads, with this one I doubt.
> 
> Good to work on lights, but not to lift a transformer, poles etc.


A truck like this when equipped with a proper jib can lift transformers, poles on the other hand are better off being lifted with a digger derrick or a small crane, in general, bucket trucks are not meant for setting poles.


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