Profitability of buying a bucket truck

When I tell people that I'm an arborist they always ask if I have a chipper and/or insurance. I would not have gone into business without a chipper and insurance.

The next question is do you have a bucket truck? No, but I'm a good climber. For whatever reason I seem to always lose points for not having a bucket truck, even if I couldn't get it into half the jobs around here. I have a beat up 1 ton diesel 4x4 chip truck I can jam in almost anywhere.

I have looked at some easy & lucrative bucket jobs lately and not been able to sub in a bucket fast enough to keep the job. I have my eye on a nice older rear mount... we can barely afford the payment, without knowing how soon it will bring in increased cashflow. I am also willing to sub out with the bucket for a very reasonable rate, and have a few contacts for this but not lots.

In my market there are a ton of very small scale tree guys and also a healthy number of serious outfits. Also seems to be a skidder or excavator parked at every other house, kinda confuses my potential customers. Adding isa cert, insurance, and real equipment does seem to narrow down the tree service competition fast. I try to focus on pruning and general tree care but also do some removals. I leave the hardcore removals for the crane outfits.

So.. should I pull the trigger on a bucket this spring, or wait..?

Lie and say you have a bucket truck. I did for years. People think bucket truck means you know what ur doing. I found it means you sure dont need brains to buy a truck.

Show up and do the job, say the buckets out workong on another, no issues from my experience. They didnt tell me to go home. People think your equipment spells your success, dazzle them with your good looks and brain.

I nave a truck now too, but hardly use it. Its a gem when i do, tree killer for sure.

brendonv said:

Lie and say you have a bucket truck. .

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That's keeping it simple

Its true, and works. Keep climbing saving money, wait till you find an old guy who loved his truck, buy it and love it as much as he.

Don't buy one and think work will appear, keep it simple. Im on the verge of not being simple anymore, and miss the simple.

One ton, small chipper, small loader, education. $$$$$$

brendonv said:

wait till you find an old guy

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Hey now, easy there.

I prefer not to lie, I say that we have access to all equipment to take out any tree in any situation. Also, I can say my climber has a bucket... which is true. It hasn't moved since I've known him though.



What kind of payment can you afford? I started in 03, bought a Genie TZ50/30 in 05 and sold it at the end of 2011 for parts.

To me its like asking a carpenter if he has a sawzall. I found only the goofs ask things like "do you have a bucket truck". Usually their next thing will be " i was gonna do it but ....."

Ill treat you like a goof then.

Expensive sawzall.

brendonv said:

Its true, and works. Keep climbing saving money, wait till you find an old guy who loved his truck, buy it and love it as much as he.

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Well that's why I'm thinking about it, I found a truck like you are describing. No orange paint underneath!

I know more work won't just pop up, but I am hoping being able to get a greater range of jobs and sub out with the bucket will make it worth it out of the gate...

Its like a qualification test. Sawzall, yep he's good.

Im on a role, i gotta get outa here!

802climber said:

Well that's why I'm thinking about it, I found a truck like you are describing. No orange paint underneath!

I know more work won't just pop up, but I am hoping being able to get a greater range of jobs and sub out with the bucket will make it worth it out of the gate...

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Trees are trees, what range do you mean?

Where in vt are you.

Jobs that are unclimbable, or much faster/safer with bucket thus able to give a better price

Just NW of Brattleboro

lumberjack said:

Also, I can say my climber has a bucket... which is true. It hasn't moved since I've known him though.

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I have joked about buying a craigslist special for scrap price, lettering it up, and parking it out by the road just as a billboard.

802climber said:

Jobs that are unclimbable, or much faster/safer with bucket thus able to give a better price

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You have any access to a rental lift/ bucket, not a bucket truck?

A Wraptor is waaay more portable. I would start there. $2500. Can't beat it. SRT along with it. No repairs, no certifications, no CDLs.


When people ask me if I would use a bucket, I say, "I might, it depends" . I rent a tow-behind or self-propelled once or twice a year. Money well spent for the right situation. If you have a large parking lot job, bucket can do wonders. Horrible tree, not overly large without a good climbing option, again a great option.

Do you mind if we rut your lawn and cut a bucket hole to access different parts of your tree? Can we drive over your septic field?
They start seeing the reality. Then, for me, I say that it helps to get to the first 40-50', of your 100' trees. Better to shoot a 70' TIP and pull a Wraptor trigger.

Developing a niche as the climbing pro for no access jobs might be better than competing against everybody that will buy a nice bucket truck, down to death-trap bucket trucks. There is a cable lattice-boom bucket around here. I haven't seen it in action. Old as dirt.

So much is local market dependent. When I consider a new purchase, I think of which past jobs would have been easier with X. By all means take the advice of bucket truck owners. I have a little nervous-ness about trusting a bucket owned by unknown tree people.


CDL bucket truck or non-CDL. Huge difference.
Figure all the costs of licensing, inspections, insurance for your state.

Do you have any geographic hurdles, like a low bridges/ weight limits with restricted travel?

I didn't realize I was going to be illegal, but went into a neighborhood with a 14k gross weight limit. Ooops. Who cares? No big deal. It was because of steep hills, I think. If it were a bridge weight issue, 5-0 might be a 'revenuing'. Local law enforcement is a factor.

brendonv said:

To me its like asking a carpenter if he has a sawzall. I found only the goofs ask things like "do you have a bucket truck". Usually their next thing will be " i was gonna do it but ....."

Ill treat you like a goof then.

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I found the same, and I will tell them that I have XYZ machinery because I have access to the equipment - whether I own the equipment or not is irrelevant.

If you can afford to buy a bucket truck...

BUY A BUCKET TRUCK!

Preferably, a dedicated rear mount!!!

Well yes I have a bucket, idk, maybe 2 of them.

I usually just tell them that bucket trucks are for chickens. Real men climb trees.
I say it with a grin, but it still put an end to that discussion most of the times.

If they persist, I say that a bucket truck are basically a crutch for people who can't climb, and we are climbing specialists.
If they've found us via our homepage, they'll already have seen the Sequoia/Redwood climbing fotos and are a little awed by them.

Works way better than saying that we can't afford a bucket truck

( Actually we could, no problem, but I don't see much use for it here. We rent one maybe every second year)

lumberjack said:

I prefer not to lie, I say that we have access to all equipment to take out any tree in any situation. Also, I can say my climber has a bucket... which is true. It hasn't moved since I've known him though.

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THAT is a LIE!!! I used it ONE TIME, FOUR YEARS ago next month! (We met 5 years and one month ago....)

I tire of hearing that question, "Do you have a bucket truck?" I have said. "Sure, do you have some peas that need picking? I have quite a few buckets." Mine hasn't been cranked since I parked it where it is. I found 55' of reach is a joke in most settings, especially with a center-mount forestry setup.

....seems the small operator / owners here often sub other work ...lighting , signs , painting... Gotta make the payments

I think a lot resides on your geographical area and where you want to take your business. You can be successful and make money with a low overhead setup with no bucket truck. You can also be successful and make even more money with a high overhead setup. Evaluate where you are in your business and where you want to be, and figure out which path will work best for you.

I couldn't use a bucket on 65% of my jobs. Too big too heavy and the people I work for just don't want them on their property. Those occasions I choose a lift, it is a TZ50. Not fast, but keeps me safe from climbing a stone dead tree.
Get a Wraptor.