High ranger bucket truck lifting

[catskillpond]

 My freind bought a used Trex high ranger bucket his old truck had a clevis on the bottom boom to load the yard trees he cut down. We want to put the same on this truck on the bottom boom any one have a guess on how much it will lift or where to put the lifting point.
                                       Thanks for any help

[Jemclimber]

If you're only using it to lift small chunks (500-600lbs) that's one thing. If you're going to lift logs and still use the bucket  for working out of it's a bad idea.  Metal fatigue-cracks and then all of the sudden breaks. Like the hydraulic ram someone posted earlier.  Trucks are supposed to be inspected/x-ray annually even though few tree guys do.  I wouldn't work out of a bucket that was used like that.  Some have a jib that are rated for setting poles and such but have working loads posted. 

[bill m]

I would not do it. That type of boom is not designed for that kind of lifting. Someone could get hurt of killed doing that.

[zopi]

If it did not come with a whip crane on the boom...do not do it...seriously...you might get away with it...you might get somebody killed...have seen some real bone head moves with a bucket truck...catching brances by the upper boom is by far the worst....

[T Welsh]

as stated above dont do it!!!!!!!!!!! I would fire any one using the bucket to lift more than the rated capacity. we have an Altec LRlll and it does have a lift ring on lower boom and we do not use it to lift any thing over the rated capacity. this is a man lift and you have a lot of liability issues to deal with. I,ll say it again( do not do it) Tim

[Autocar]

The hook on the bottom boom was used to hang transformer nothing probably over a 25 KVA maybe 400/500 lbs there not made to load material.

[Al_Smith]

Let me tell you a little story .Hi -Ranger had a service bulliton concerning lower booms . Right near the saddle of the lower booms after a period of time could fail from metal fatigue because of the pulsations from traveling down the road .Unfortunaley it didn't get to everyone who owned one .The boom would crack right under the reinforcement metal where it sit down in the cradle you couldn't see it .

These trucks might start out for a utilty company  then to an electrical contractor then either a painter or a tree service so they get lost in documentation .

Well one of those booms failed which I had on two different forums  about 6-7 years and luckily the guy only broke an arm .A silver maple he crashed through saved his life .Part of that boom is in my woods and part of it's at my shop .I was the guy that got what was left of it out of the tree .

So long winded conversation aside those trucks are not made to pick up loads ,only people .

[Ax- man]

This is why I chose an Elliott boom verses a knuckle boom for doing exactly the task mentioned in this thread, picking up logs and loading them onto a truck  or moving them around or out of the immediate work area.

[inthewoods]

Keep it under rated capacity! Think that one is 500#
I owned a 60' HighRanger on a 1971 Fleetstar 2010A.  Every time I was up in it(city x-mas light contracts & treeservice) I was worried half to death that something could break.  Even with proper maintenance intervals can you really gauge the strength of equipment that's been old or overloaded?
What I probably shouldn't tell you is that lower boom will lift over 3000 lbs from out towards the end.  But what happens if the turret breaks while your down there next to it using the controls.
I ended up with a couple log trucks & a forwarder.
Have a good 1
Andy

[inthewoods]

Found myself thinking more than once it would be pretty cool to rig one of these boom & clams up with a radio controller... Mabey next to the mill