Bucket Trucks: An Introduction

Look up in the air! It's a Bird! It's a plane! No, it's your local FPL worker fixing a damaged power line! But wow, how does he get up so high and not get scared. Well, thanks to bucket trucks, jobs that require elevated workers can be done easily and safely. Bucket trucksare used for a number of industries and can be seen along roadsides every day. These trucks are complete with a fully powered mobile truck as well as a bucket, or aerial working platform, which is a mechanical device used to provide temporary access for people or equipment to inaccessible areas, usually at height. These distinct types of mechanized access platforms may also be known as a "cherry picker" or a "scissor lift".

Bucket truck buckets are generally used for temporary, flexible access purposes such as maintenance and construction work or by firefighters for emergency access, which distinguishes them from permanent access equipment such as elevators. These trucks are sold in a number of sizes and shapes, each to help make different types of elevated work easier. While the bucket truck is used for many different purposes, the most common is the use by power linemen. By using this type of equipment, they can complete their work in a comfortable, safe, and efficient manner, primarily where steel or concrete poles are used.

Bucket trucks for sale are designed to lift limited weights, usually less than a ton, distinguishing them from most types of cranes and can be constructed of wood, fiberglass, metal, or reinforced plastic. Bucket trucks for sale are usually capable of being fully operated, including setup, by one person.

Regardless of the task they are used for, aerial work platforms may provide additional features beyond transport and access, including being equipped with electrical outlets or compressed air connectors for power tools. They may also be equipped with specialist equipment, such as carrying frames for window glass. Also, you will often drive down the road and see the local telephone or utilities company ride in a bucket to the top of a pole to fix something. This is exactly what a bucket truck is used for during post storm or disaster reconstruction and repair.

The design of the bucket truck includes a storage bin that is perfect for holding tools and material needed by the worker. In addition, some bucket trucks are designed with a single or double-arm boom or a hydraulic outrigger jack, which provides extra stability. You will also find some bucket truck for sale with designs that power the actual truck engine, while others are operated with an auxiliary engine that is mounted on the back section of the bucket truck.