Bucket Truck Tips and Tricks

Most forestry units have a "ladder box" on the driver's side of the chip box. We keep ten sheets of 3/4" plywood in there for those times when we have to drive in on soft ground or to protect the lawn. They're cut into 2' X 8' lengths. We also have a pair of fiberglass oversize outrigger pads for softer ground. Also, keep a few short pieces of 2"x6" or 2"x12" to crib up the outriggers if you have to set up on uneven ground.
 
along the lines of the chainsaw scabbard, anyone have any preferences on the best way to carry a pole saw around with you. I have one of the extending jameson ones I like to use when pruning and was using one of the hydraulic tool holders strapped to the boom, but it has banged into one to many limbs and needs to be replaced, just curious what others are doing.
 
For sure on the extra cribbing lumber.. & 10 alterna mats..

Takes some development to get a good sense of the reach, and best positioning for any job. Often depends on how you plan to do the job and what you feel comfortable doing from the bucket. Develop and polish your cutting and falling skills on the ground, so you can trust your life to them when it counts..

I really like keeping a pole saw on the truck to set lowering lines and tie them off out past your reach, when you need near balance point rigging to swing big pieces, which you can often do in situations where you might not trust the tree's structure with your life (if you were climbing) etc...

Also you might find a power pruner helpful from time to time to extend your reach..

Good luck with it!
 
It's been a while since I've been levitated mechanically but I remembered it's the elbow the groundies have to watch. It gets into lots of powerline trouble.
 
I think Graham was asking the best way to carry polesaws or power pruners from the bucket. What's everyone's preference?

The hydraulic chainsaws ive seen are not cheap. Anybody besides utility crews use these?
 
We have one of the hydraulic saws, i personally hate it and unless you have a specific need for a dielectric tool I wouldn't want one. I think its heavy and awkward to use after a couple hours, and you have to keep switching the power from the boom to the tool ect. which seems to always slow me down. Not to mention the hydraulic hoses at the end of the boom that seem to get caught on stuff from time to time.
 
GrahamS said:
along the lines of the chainsaw scabbard, anyone have any preferences on the best way to carry a pole saw around with you. I have one of the extending jameson ones I like to use when pruning and was using one of the hydraulic tool holders strapped to the boom, but it has banged into one to many limbs and needs to be replaced, just curious what others are doing.
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I like to use a Silky Zubat Telescopic pole saw vs a conventional pole saw when pruning from the bucket. Pros: light-weight and easier to maneuver with when not extended. Can extend to create a longer reach. Cons: will "bend" easily if "pinched" between bucket and larger limb or trunk thus reducing it to a non-telescoping pole saw (it will not telescope properly, if at all, after being bent). Conventional pole saws are OK but are much heavier and limited in reach distance (unless extra poles are used) but they are stronger and will not "bend" or break as easily as the telescoping saws. Regardless of which saw you choose to use, make sure the blade is sharp and not too old , worn out, and dull. I find that if I have a sharp blade I can let the weight of the saw and gravity do most of the work, thus reducing fatigue and muscle strain.
 
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Treeman1 said:
I like to use a Silky Zubat Telescopic pole saw vs a conventional pole saw when pruning from the bucket. Pros: light-weight and easier to maneuver with when not extended. Can extend to create a longer reach. Cons: will "bend" easily if "pinched" between bucket and larger limb or trunk thus reducing it to a non-telescoping pole saw (it will not telescope properly, if at all, after being bent). Conventional pole saws are OK but are much heavier and limited in reach distance (unless extra poles are used) but they are stronger and will not "bend" or break as easily as the telescoping saws. Regardless of which saw you choose to use, make sure the blade is sharp and not too old , worn out, and dull. I find that if I have a sharp blade I can let the weight of the saw and gravity do most of the work, thus reducing fatigue and muscle strain.
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I also try to keep the saw in front of me so I can always see it before I can pinch and/or bend it. Sometimes I have to lift it out of the bucket and sort of lay it sideways so that I can maneuver through tight spots.
 
GrahamS said:
We have one of the hydraulic saws, i personally hate it and unless you have a specific need for a dielectric tool I wouldn't want one. I think its heavy and awkward to use after a couple hours, and you have to keep switching the power from the boom to the tool ect. which seems to always slow me down. Not to mention the hydraulic hoses at the end of the boom that seem to get caught on stuff from time to time.
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I have a hydraulic pole saw, but then again I came from a utility background and used them every day for 15 years so the weight isn't an issue and it's more or less an extension of my arm at this point. I love the extra reach and the ability to be safely out of the way when butt-tying tops-especially big ones! It's also a lot quieter in the early morning hours than my 200t (or201t or T540 or whatever) I keep my polesaw and extensions in the bin until needed and have my groundman get it for me when needed. Keep a 70' length of small diameter rope in a small bag in the bucket to raise/lower tools when needed. I have a scwrench in a hole next to my pistol grip to tighten/replace chains. Keep plenty of pads/cribbing for uneven ground and think about mounting a small vise somewhere on the truck for saw sharpening. I could go on forever.....
 
All good advice so far.

My 2 cents:
  • efficiency will skyrocket when you don't have to chip into the forestry truck. A dedicated high capacity chipper truck and big chipper pair well with a forestry truck. When the chip truck is full a few logs or chips can be put in the forestry truck.
  • 10 Alturnamats at a minimum. This allows you 2 to leap frog with.
  • Set up your downhill outrigger first. Never lift your front tires off the ground, only relieve some of the weight.
  • ditto on a few cribbing pieces.
  • chainsaw scabbard for sure. TreeSafe makes a nice one.
  • Fab some Outrigger pad holders so they are easily accessible.
  • When dumping, just lift the boom high enough to clear the dump bed. Make sure you teach the crew to not lift the dump into the boom.
 
Treeman1 said:
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I also try to keep the saw in front of me so I can always see it before I can pinch and/or bend it. Sometimes I have to lift it out of the bucket and sort of lay it sideways so that I can maneuver through tight spots.
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Where do you mount your vice? Can you post a photo? This has been on my to do list.
 
Sorry, no photos, but I've seen AL of CT trucks that had a vise mounted just under the chip box/flatbed on the passenger side. It was on a piece of square tubing with a pin thru it like a receiver hitch. Pull the pin, slide the vise out to the working position and put the pin back in the hole. Sometimes they also had an air quick connect there, plumbed into the air brake tank, for blowing out saws and such. Really handy options!
 
I keep an extendable retriever in the bucket for reaching the rigging line when its not close to where I'm cutting. Works great when your taking pieces over the house but the rigging point is over the yard and the groundies can't get the line back to you.
 
GrahamS said:
We have one of the hydraulic saws, i personally hate it and unless you have a specific need for a dielectric tool I wouldn't want one. I think its heavy and awkward to use after a couple hours, and you have to keep switching the power from the boom to the tool ect. which seems to always slow me down. Not to mention the hydraulic hoses at the end of the boom that seem to get caught on stuff from time to time.
Click to expand...

I've had the same experience with my 90in Stanley hydro pole saw. What size and brand are you using?
 
Hi Harp, welcome to posting more on TreeBuzz.

The post you quoted was put up in Jan 2014 if you look at the date in the upper left of original post. Last post in this thread was 2016. So it may be a different person who chimes in or has knowledge of those saws at this time.

Anyway, welcome again.
 
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