JLG Style Lift Vs Bucket Truck

[bonner1040]

Does a JLG 4wd lift compare in function to a bucket truck? Forget about hauling, just access and cutting?

Does it have to have a knuckle? or are the telescoping ones good?

For half the price of a good used bucket is it worth it to get a lift and a chip truck, haul the lift with a pickup and the chipper with the dump? assume i already have a pickup

My thought is that the advantage of being able to drive up to and around trees would be considerable. I realize no access through 36" gates etc but it is possible to build a ramp over 4' fences and drive right in to a back yard?

Thanks for your feedback and experience guys!

 

[Mr. Sir]

There's advantages and disadvantages to each setup. What type of work do you do most often? Front yards and street-side or back yards with limited access. Having to bring an extra vehicle to every job can sometimes be a pain.

 

[bonner1040]

I dont know if i could say one way or another what i do more of. Im a climber at heart so neither really appeals ultimately, but im thinking time and profitability. In terms of what i enjoy most that is easy, difficult takedowns, i like the technical stuff with difficult rigging. Or just bombing pieces from the sky i guess but who doesnt like making big would go boom into the ground!?

ultimatately i like the jobs that pay the most and take the least time. basically i prefer getting paid for skill as opposed to labor. like everyone i would imagine.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

An important feature is the motor driving the lift. I recently had a small engine on a rental lift. I was really good as sneaking up on trees, as it was sooo slow, but faster than climbing, but cut into the dropzone considerably compared to climbing.

Our Parks' bucket has a two-speed option which is great, as we need to set-up and re-set-up and re-set-up, as we move down roadways and campsites for clearance.

I like renting a lift for the occasional work with easy access, like pruning a mess of trees in a parking lot, but otherwise find access to be difficult in my market. This can increase the bottom line.

I imagine that you'd more likely get a tow-behind stuck in soft soil conditions.

The telescoping boom can be great for setting up in tight places, and having less of carving your way through the tree for boom room. Tree buckets (singles) are smaller then the tow-behinds that are designed more for construction. For takedowns, this is small less important, and sometimes the larger bucket, designed with capacity for two people can allow one to cut, one to chuck.

Bucket trucks are likely harder to tip over if you are extended all the way out and are cutting and throwing, and find a hollow/ soft spot under the outrigger/ pad. A small consideration.

Bucket trucks need to be insured as vehicles, whereas a tow-behind is only a trailer, so should be covered by the towing vehicle's insurance.

Tow-behinds can allow you to face your chipper toward the work, whereas if you have a bucket/ dump combo, you sometimes have to drag further.


Its important to know your market's access and needs.

I wouldn't try ramping over a fence. Seems like its not feasible or sensible.


You can also consider a crane with man-basket (only if they don't allow you to ride the hook) on some jobs, though its pricey. This might work out for a job where you have a highly dangerous tree, but no landing zone for crane picks. Very few and far between.

 

[lumberjack]

A 60' JLG weighs 22k+lbs and you're talking about building a bridge to get over a 4' fence for access to the back yard?

A JLG isn't what you need.

[/Thread]

 

[MasterBlaster]

What is a JLG Style Lift?

 

[SkwerI]

Ditto what Carl said. There's a reason why most successful tree companies do not use a JLG lift. When I was looking at bucket trucks my father thought a JLG lift would be wonderful, but that pretty much shows how little he knows about my work.

The JLG is just as heavy as a bucket truck, it's just as wide as a bucket truck, it must be transported to the job on an oversized trailer requiring yet another big truck to pull it (your pickup won't cut it) and the final disadvantage is that you don't have as much side reach as a bucket truck so you're constantly working over top of the base unit.

 

[SkwerI]

Butch, if you don't know then try Google. You know what it is but you just forgot momentarily.

 

[MasterBlaster]

No, I know how to use google. I was making a point and hoping I wouldn't have to explain myself... but I guess I'll have to.

I have no idea what type of lift he's going on about, but forgive me... I'm new to all this.

 

[lumberjack]

Here is a 120' JLG from a few years ago. It's trippy driving around 120' in the air.

I have also used an 80' articulating.

 

[emr]

We have used a Genie and JLG lifts many times over the past few years and we pretty much agree that they suck for tree work. Access is not as great as you would think. Reach is terrible with them too. Once in a while, they are perfect, but we found them to be more of a headache than they are worth. No more for us. I would think a bucket would be way better but then again, I have never used a bucket truck for tree work.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Oh, a 4wd lift. I missed that and was thinking of a tow-behind.

As they said, bucket trucks are better, but sometimes a rental bucket is better than ownership, market/ access dependent. Most places in my market are not accessible to either, or go to a low bidder with a truck. Lots of landscaping and slopes.

 

[NeTree]

Soft ground equals stuck lift... Or tipped over. Yup... There's more than a few reasons they're not common in tree work.

 

[NeTree]

I didn't know what a swinger was.

 

[bonner1040]

Well from what everyone thinks it looks obvious that a bucket is the way to go. I never realized that a lift and a bucket weighed similarly, i should have done more research, thanks for making that point carl. As far as the ramping, It was after 2 am here in India and the jet lag has still got me somewhat badly, but i guess thats no excuse for a dumb idea.

Anyways I appreciate everyones input a lot, maybe it was a stupid question but thats what this place is for, sharing and learning right!

Brian, Butch, dont fight it is just an internet forum...

 

[SouthSoundTree]

So are you in the market?

 

[bonner1040]

So are you in the market?

i dont understand? In the market to buy a lift/bucket truck? I have my aspirations i imagine.

I lean towards a bucket much more now.

 

[Mr. Sir]

I'm ready to upgrade to a Teupen Leo 23GT if'n you want to buy my 15GT.

 

[NeTree]

Why not the 50GT?

 

[bonner1040]

I'm ready to upgrade to a Teupen Leo 23GT if'n you want to buy my 15GT.

Maybe i mispoke about the JLG style lift, that looks far more functional doesnt it. How much does something like that go for, or what are you looking to get out of it. I cannot guarantee im a serious inquiry now, but if i could make something happen with the funds i would certainly be interested.

 

[sawinredneck]

What Brett said, a spider meets in the middle, gets in and out of gates and is light enough to be pulled with a pickup. Great for hazard and limited access work, just a little slow in articulation in the boom compared to a bucket truck. But it certainly opens up a new market for you.

 

[bonner1040]

Yeah from what i see available on machinery trader and similar sites unless i find a high hours model i may be out of my price range. One can never know though i guess, they look sweet that is for sure.

 

[brendonv]

Spiders are brutally slow, I ran a Tuepen 23GT for 2 years part time. It's an amazing piece of machinery as far as the places it will go though. It's a terrible piece of machinery as far as break downs go, the slowness of the boom, the slop in the booms, the cost of repairs, the weakness of the torque motors, and the overall fragilness. I can go on, and on really.

I can say we would go weeks and weeks without climbing, the day I didn't bring my saddle would be the day we needed it though. They have their place, and it's sure be nice to have on of each.

I kinda fell in love with rear mount bucket trucks the first time I helped on a job where there was one. Get a nice shorty wheelbase, 60' WH, and make trees into woodchips faster than you can imagine. I'm itching for mine to arrive.

 

[Mr. Sir]

Brendon, you must have had a lemon. My 15GT is a 2006 that I bought used in 2009 and I haven't had a single breakdown. The booms are slower, but not that much slower than a bucket truck. You can't beat it for accessing back yard. It will go practically anywhere you can fit a wheelbarrow.

If anyone is interested, I'd take $55k for it, with the custom tilt trailer included.

 

[brendonv]

I'm not sure Brett. Just sharing the experience a former employer had with his. But if I paid 120k + for it, you'd sure bet I'd be researching the lemon law.

It is much slow than any bucket for I've ran. Never ran a 15gt, but bucket truck can go up and down probably three times before the 23gt is at matching height.