Posted by Sherman in Idaho [24.32.202.166] on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 23:55:17 :
In Reply to: OT Speaking of business builders... posted by Tom in Oregon [98.246.225.169] on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 18:09:39 :
This isn't an answer to your question, but maybe something else to think about. Yours sounds to be in a lot better shape then mine, but I learned the hard way that when you lose hydraulic fluid, the bucket won't go down. I lost all the fluid twice, thanks to what turned out to be a deteriorated low-pressure return line that periodically jammed downstream of the filter, blowing the filter out and blowing 20 gallons of oil onto the parking lot. If it starts making a funny noise, look down fast, and if you see a puddle of oil on the ground, drop the bucket immediately. In my case, I was lucky that I wasn't too high off the ground, and I had a ladder nearby and was able to holler at someone to get the ladder and prop it up to the bucket so I could get down. My bucket goes 60' up in the air, and I don't know what I'd have done if I was up there when it lost fluid.
On the plus side, once you have a bucket truck, a ladder is obsolete, at least anywhere you can get the truck in. Be sure to use the outriggers, take all the weight off the truck's springs, and put some lagging under them if the ground is at all soft. The truck looks big on the ground, but from 60' up in the air (I've been all the way up), it looks pretty small, and too easy to tip over.