Has your fiberglass bucket turned gray from the grease and dirt, or yellow from the gel-coat aging process?
Buckets can be professionally refurbished and look like new again. If there is only minor damage, maybe all your bucket needs is a fiberglass patch or two. Let’s discuss the pros and cons.
The refurbishing process begins with completely sanding off the old gel-coat layer, exposing the fiberglass. Cracks and gouges are cut out and replaced with new fiberglass. The patches are sanded down to match the thickness of the bucket, and the final step is to spray the entire bucket with gel-coat so that it almost looks like new.
The repair of minor cracks and gouges includes the steps above, except we don’t sand off the old gel-coat or re-apply a new layer of gel-coat. You get the bucket back structurally sound with patches. The price for a patched-only bucket is about half the cost of a completely refurbished bucket, depending on how many patches are applied.
You ask the question…do fiberglass booms still get repaired?
The liability factor of having a man in a bucket mainly on the strength of the boom has caused most companies to discontinue repairing fiberglass booms. The risk is that the boom’s insulating capabilities could be impaired in the process of trying to repair it, and a lineman could be electrocuted. For that reason, there are thousands of bucket trucks sitting in junk yards for no other reason than they have a crack in their upper or lower boom.
Are there any restrictions on refurbishing of buckets?
Utility Equipment Parts will approve the refurbish of just about any bucket, except when the cracks and gouges affect the mount wall and its studs or ribs. If the studs or ribs are compromised, there isn’t much we can do to assure that the bucket wouldn’t come loose from the boom at some point.
Can UEP repair the cracks in the corners of the lip?
The 4 corners of the lip are prone to cracking — repair involves a lot more than just patchwork. The cracked areas must be removed before repairing or you’ll have the cracks back in no time. The picture below shows one of the final steps of laying fiberglass sheets with the catalyzed resin to enhance strength and hardness.
Utility Equipment Parts offers buckets and liners for your bucket truck. In addition, we offer accessories for your bucket like tool trays, tool boards, aerial aprons, tool buckets, saw scabbards, bucket covers, etc. Oh, and yes, we can repair your fiberglass bucket too. We can determine a lot about the best repair option for your bucket if you send us a picture.
The “UEP” Guys 
We Know Parts!
