Bucket Trucks / MEWPs etc - safer than climbing?

[Gray git]

From the two articles kevin has posted and a bit of quick research a lot of platform/tree work accidents are in the states and on quite old booms the 1st being 25 years + old.
From some of the videos I've watched the booms they run seem to have quite different geometry to what we see over here and much smaller outriggers and rely more on base mass.
Quite interested to find out if they require 6 monthly lola checks and have to be fitted with all the check valves our regulations stipulate are required...

[AHPP]

Bear in mind that Americans are generally stupid.

 

 

[Gray git]

Bear in mind that Americans are generally stupid.
 
 

That's not true, they just have a far more advanced and developed disregard to safety than we do

[AHPP]

That's not true, they just have a far more advanced and developed disregard to safety than we do

Arguably the definition! Probably driving the gear industry to make stuff more and more unbreakable though.

[Philip Anderson]

18 hours ago, Gray git said:

From the two articles kevin has posted and a bit of quick research a lot of platform/tree work accidents are in the states and on quite old booms the 1st being 25 years + old.
From some of the videos I've watched the booms they run seem to have quite different geometry to what we see over here and much smaller outriggers and rely more on base mass.
Quite interested to find out if they require 6 monthly lola checks and have to be fitted with all the check valves our regulations stipulate are required...

You’re correct the geometry is totally different to a modern European truck mount,as you say they are using the mass of the truck often only on a single short under truck outrigger.This does not lift the whole truck clear of the ground and is effectively just a prop which on soft ground with side extension is trouble.

In the first Facebook photo the chap on the Landy truck mount needs to get the IPAF sticker off quick as he obviously didn’t learn a thing on the MEWP course.

Its usage like that that gives MEWPs a bad name just like poor climbers who smash things really.

[Khriss]

On Wednesday, December 27, 2017 at 20:36, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

http://www.wctv.tv/content/news/Asplundh-truck-overturns-off-Apalachee-Parkway-466828023.html

 

...?.you see.? this is the problem.......once you put 'tree expert' in yr title....it all goes badly wrong ! K

[Gray git]

Just look at the tiny legs that were trying to hold that up.
Is the theory that when the trucks empty your working close in starting the tree and as you work out a cross the tree and increases reach the truck is getting heavier with chip so more stable... [emoji848]
Possibly a reason why we don't see many of these setups in this country.
I think the Facebook picture posted have somewhat distracted from Kevin's original post and question.

[bigtreedon]

Just look at the tiny legs that were trying to hold that up.
Is the theory that when the trucks empty your working close in starting the tree and as you work out a cross the tree and increases reach the truck is getting heavier with chip so more stable... [emoji848]
Possibly a reason why we don't see many of these setups in this country.
I think the Facebook picture posted have somewhat distracted from Kevin's original post and question.

I used same set up in the states as this the reason it's gone over is not it's little legs those trucks are not light at all and they definitely don't need to be full of chip to use at full reach I can honestly say they feel allot more stable that the tracked platforms and small truck mounts u get hear ?

[Philip Anderson]

11 hours ago, bigtreedon said:

14 hours ago, Gray git said:

Just look at the tiny legs that were trying to hold that up.
Is the theory that when the trucks empty your working close in starting the tree and as you work out a cross the tree and increases reach the truck is getting heavier with chip so more stable...
Possibly a reason why we don't see many of these setups in this country.
I think the Facebook picture posted have somewhat distracted from Kevin's original post and question.

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I used same set up in the states as this the reason it's gone over is not it's little legs those trucks are not light at all and they definitely don't need to be full of chip to use at full reach I can honestly say they feel allot more stable that the tracked platforms and small truck mounts u get hear ?

What’s the reason it went over then you didn’t say?

ive seen several of these type of bucket boom trucks go over always on side loading usually on soft ground ,this type of jacking system is not sufficient and increases the loading on a single jack .i agree about some tracked and some small truck mounts but the better quality ones are very stable especially the German ones and have jacking systems and features found in 70m plus machines.

[wjotner]

I don't like MEWPS. I think they should be used as backup where climbing is too difficult or dangerous due to e.g a dead tree to dismantle or loads of awkward cutting over a building etc. I reckon over use of MEWPS will start to make climbers lazy and ineffective at climbing. 

 

Although they are nice and easy chogging down a pole.