Ten applications for bucket trucks
Bucket trucks are a common sight on the streets and highways of America, but what exactly are these trucks used for? This article examines some of the common, unusual, and sometimes humorous uses of these trucks.
Ten applications for bucket trucks
Use number 1: Maintenance of electrical and telecommunication lines
The most obvious use for bucket trucks is to lift workers up to electrical and telecommunications lines for maintenance. Special insulated trucks are used for these jobs to protect workers from the dangerous high voltage wires that the job requires them to work with.
Use number 2: Window washing
Because these trucks have booms that can sometimes extend 60′ or more, they can be used to wash exterior windows of medium-sized office buildings up to 5 stories. These trucks allow window cleaners to safely reach windows at heights that are inaccessible with ladders.
Use number 3: Fruit picking
Cherry pickers were originally designed for picking fruit from orchards (although not only from cherry orchards). These trucks are still widely used by fruit pickers in orchards today.
Use number 4: animal rescue
Help Wildlife, a site dedicated to showing the devastating effects of fishing line on wildlife, documented a case where a seagull was rescued using a bucket truck. The gull’s wing became hooked and entangled in a 50-foot-tall tree. Animal rescuers were able to rescue the bird using a bucket truck.
Use number 5: Hanging decorations
From hanging Christmas decorations in the town square to banners at your favorite local team’s ballpark, these trucks are used to hang all kinds of decorations.
Use number 6: Pruning trees
Bucket trucks are often seen on city streets after major thunderstorms, when loose and broken tree limbs threaten power lines. Workers who trim trees near power lines use special insulated bucket trucks to protect them from the dangerous high voltage wires they are likely to be near during their work. Arborists also use bucket trucks to reach the tops of very tall trees that need routine maintenance.
Use Number 7: Stage Performance Tools
Michael Jackson has a long history of incorporating cherry pickers into his stage performances and music videos dating back to his Bad Tour in 1987. Most recently, he was seen rehearsing “Beat It” on a cherry picker in the documentary This is It” by Michael Jackson. This was the last known footage of Michael Jackson before his death in 2009.
Use Number 8: Security Detail
Some retail stores have security guards stationed in specially modified trucks that give guards a bird’s-eye view of the parking lot.
Use number 9: Exterior painting
Just like window washers, some painters use these trucks to reach high places on the exterior of the building they are painting. These trucks allow painters to safely reach heights of up to 5 stories to safely paint building exteriors.
Use Number 10: Fire Rescue
Some fire trucks are equipped with a boom and bucket, technically making them special purpose bucket trucks! These specially designed trucks allow firefighters to reach tall buildings to put out fires and sometimes rescue people from places that would otherwise be inaccessible.
These trucks are versatile machines that can be used for many things! But operators of these powerful trucks must be properly trained to operate them safely. Before renting or purchasing a truck for any of the uses described in this article, take the time to learn about aerial lift safety and invest in a trained and experienced operator for your bucket truck.
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