Merle Nelson
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- SF Bay Area, CA
Incredible benifit for us to get the value of other users experience before we commit to a purchase. Thanks.
any own a EASY LIFT 87-48AJ???
- Thread starter Travis Glay
- Start date
Wow...had no idea about the tower lock out/main boom retract requirement..i'm looking at lifts...sounds like a complete waste of time...so you're trimming a tree and need to tower back so you can main boom up, but you need to main boom all the way in to move the tower...and now possibly not get to where you need to be because it would require 2 moves at once?
No. That’s not how it works.
It won’t cost you anything to try one. That will also elimate all the questions you may have. If someone with experience can show you how to get he most out of it, I think you’ll see how incredibly capable they are.
- Location
- Wilmington
The CMC does not have this problem. It is a much simpler machine to operate in this regard.
May I respectfully ask you what wasn't clear in Oceans response in that regards? Bringing back an "answered thread" on top of the list is quite unusual, isn't it?
Also, you mention that the CMC Arbor series lifts don't have computers? Forgive my ignorance but how is it possible to have a "safe down" button without a computer?
Baja Mike
New member
I looked at the easy lift 72. It was a nice machine. I liked the simplicity of it. I am moving in the k boom direction as of now but eventually plan to add a spider to the fleet. I looked at a bunch. I think the 72 is the best size as its light and compact. Bucket and tree mek for front and side yard stuff and spider for all the difficult access. I was amazed at how fast it sets up. Up equip seems to be a professional organization.
deevo
Been here a while
- Location
- Horseshoe Valley, Ontario, Canada
I’ve had mine for 5 years now and has been a good unit, with the addition of my Crane last year don’t use it as much but when we do it shines
Hello everyone
Here an Interview with an owner of Easy Lift 87-48AJ.
Here an Interview with an owner of Easy Lift 87-48AJ.
For those of you who have put some time on one of these units:
1) what kind of maintenance is required?
2) I notice on the proposal, it says the unit MUST stay clean. I feel like this has a lot to do with the telescoping action. As we all know, tree work is not clean. Boom is exposed to lots of sawdust, twigs, dead bark, etc. Has this been an issue? How often does it have to be washed?
3) what are the cons of going from a rear mount 60’ bucket truck?
4) can you operate this unit one handed like a pistol grip bucket truck? Looks like numerous controls on the 87-48 AJ
5) Anything else I missed?
This is a huge purchase decision for our small business. I’d like to know the pros and cons of this particular unit before making a decision.
Thank you all!
1) what kind of maintenance is required?
2) I notice on the proposal, it says the unit MUST stay clean. I feel like this has a lot to do with the telescoping action. As we all know, tree work is not clean. Boom is exposed to lots of sawdust, twigs, dead bark, etc. Has this been an issue? How often does it have to be washed?
3) what are the cons of going from a rear mount 60’ bucket truck?
4) can you operate this unit one handed like a pistol grip bucket truck? Looks like numerous controls on the 87-48 AJ
5) Anything else I missed?
This is a huge purchase decision for our small business. I’d like to know the pros and cons of this particular unit before making a decision.
Thank you all!
deevo
Been here a while
- Location
- Horseshoe Valley, Ontario, Canada
@oceans has that model, 1) grease points as required 2) I blow off my boom and area after each time I use it if necessary or there is sawdust around the bottom of the boom, I also switched from the white lithium grease which attracts the sawdust and crap to clear silicone, makes the boom go in and out nicer and nothing sticks to it. 3) you can’t get a bucket truck through a 36” gate. 4) most functions yes, there are times when you need 2 hands or if you have long fingers then your ok ! 5) these tracked lifts are slower then bucket trucks you just have to get used to it. I have the 70-36 and a 65’ bucket truck each have there own pros and cons. I’ve also got a waiting list of companies who I sub my lift out with an operator too, not so much of a list with my bucket truck.
1) Keep the machine greased, change motor oil/filter, hydraulic oil/filter. There isn’t much when you follow the proper intervals. Don’t let yourself get too busy and neglect anything, and nothing major will bite you in the butt. I’ve said before and will say it again, I agree with UP’s statement “Simple Inside”. The machine is simpler than it may appear.
2) Cleaning is a cinch. The boom assembly is a metal extrusion sliding on a polymer pad. Very simple to clean and re-grease.
3) The only real sacrifice going from a 60’ rear mount bucket to an 87-48 will be di-electric insulation. How often do you work around distribution lines? There are gains that outweigh insulation...Non-CDL, much smaller size, lighter weight, vastly improved residential access, etc...
4) Operating one-handed...easy. I do this more than two handed. Your learning curve with the 87-48 will be Turret placement. Once the Turret is in the proper place, and the tower raised, you can work most trees with the upper boom paddle controls alone. The paddles for Boom up/down, Telescope in/out, and Jib up/down, are all adjacent to each other, and with you can do an incredible amount with them alone.
5) My reasons for choosing this particular machine may vary from anyone else’s, but I haven’t seen another machine that compares with this that also comes with the industry’s best technical support. That’s worth more than I can say.
@oceans Di-electric isn’t a huge deal for us.
1) How long have you owned this unit?
2) How many hours have you put on it?
3) Is there anything you would like to see changed on these units?
4) I’m a very long distance from Canada, and not having a dealer close by to take care of any issues is definitely a concern of mine. Have you had repairs that had to be addressed?
This is just a huge purchase for us, and I really can’t afford to regret a purchase this big.
Thanks
1) Happy owner since November, ‘17.
2) When I shut down this afternoon, I’ll be just over 650 Hours.
3) So far, I’ve changed everything I wanted. I re-routed the diesel fuel feed line (5 minutes with a flathead screw driver & razor blade), and relocated the Basket Control box (2 hours with scrap aluminum angle stock, fiber cutting wheel, a drill and some stainless bolts). The new bracket sits outside the fiberglass basket, giving me more room and new attachment points to hang rigging and my lunch. Life was fine before these changes, I just wanted to fine tune a bit more for me.
4) Customer support is as much you could ever possibly ask for. Martin also sources the highest quality materials and components instead of cutting corners. His ethic is great, and the result is a simple and robust machine.
I have had to replace one hose fitting under the machine (my fault, caught a branch while tracking into the duff to allow a car to pass on a driveway). It may help you ahead of time to know that the fittings are British. No big deal. My understanding is they are considering offering full JIC builds of the market demands it. I would speak with Martin or Alain about that.
The hydraulic fitting resulted in my longest down time (1 day). Other than that, Alain or Remi has walked me through every trouble shoot and got me running again within an hour. I carry a small tool kit which is very seldom used: 5mm & 6mm Allen Wrenches, a 19mm Open/Box Wrench, a Test Light & Micrometer (used only once to help diagnosis, problem was a cold sensor and repair was hot exhaust from my MS201T haha!), and finally a grease gun with the supplied fitting for track tension.
I hope all that helps. I understand your perspective, as I felt similarly. My experience says to proceed with confidence! UP Equip rules, as does their product.
Hi Oceans,
I just bought an Easy Lift 101-48AJ last week. It is a 2000 model year with about 300 hours on it. Glad to see you have been happy with yours and thanks for all of the feedback. I have a question. How do you set up on a slope? Not talking about a steep slope, just about 15 degree. Sometimes tracks are level but outriggers have to be on slope. I have tried a few times and when machine lifts off ground, outriggers slide off the plastic pads that came with machine. I have dug out the area where pads are going to be and made level, which worked, but don't want to do that in someone's lawn. Also, you said you use silicone for slide lube instead of white lithium, is that the spray silicone? Thanks in advance for your response.
In my humble opinion, your safety and the stability of the lift are more important than some turf disturbance. That said, with some technique, you can lift a layer of sod and put it aside in order to make a level pad for the outrigger.
Another thing you might try is to rotate the outrigger pad perpendicular with the downhill legs and set them first. Leave the uphill side parallel with the legs and adjust them second to level the machine.
We have successfully padded on countless slopes. One in particular, we had to run one of the tracks to pull enough dirt out to allow the machine to be level with all proper pressure on the outriggers.
BooRad
Participating member
- Location
- Chatham, NJ
Try a more gripping type of outrigger pad....as in a hard rubber. We use both, know what you are experiencing with the hard plastic type..
My safety is certainly more important. Just looking for tricks I have not thought of yet from experienced lift owners. Have thought about some stepped cribbing to bring outrigger level. Lot different than using my bucket. Thanks for your input.
Why did you reroute the diesel line? Have you got photos of the control box modification?
Merle Nelson
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- SF Bay Area, CA
My wife is reading TreeBuzz now (just got notification my lift is close to shipping. ) She reminded me of this thread.
Not having much time on buckets or lifts, the thing that impressed me most at an Easy Lift demo was watching someone who used lifts alot take it through its paces. Oh...that's what I'll be able to do - after a bit of learning curve.
I think it’s cool that you and your wife are along side each other. I know of a few mom/pop tree co’s here on the Buzz and a few I’ve met in person.
With the types of experiences we tree workers face on a daily basis, I can’t imagine coming home and not being able to share my day without some degree of meaningful understanding.
Once you get to using your machine like second nature, take note of how the stories change. For me and my area, it was all about safety with the crumbling Oaks, and quality, beauty, and laughable ease of “tucking in” huge White Pines.
You’ll see…
