Bucket trucks are engineering marvels – electrical and hydraulic specimens. There are working bucket trucks out there that are 45-50 years old, built back when Sgt. Pepper and Ziggy Stardust were popular. We opted not to include the Ziggy album cover – not quite as fun as Sgt. Pepper’s. But, back to old bucket trucks … naturally, some of the older units may need some rehab here and there. Upper control valves that have become worn out and unresponsive may need to be replaced. But, considering the age of some machines, is it wise to spend $3,500 for a new control? Maybe not. A … [Read more...]
History of Hi-Ranger Bucket Trucks
Hi-Ranger bucket trucks have a very good reputation in the industry – the Cadillac of bucket trucks. They have been innovators right from the start. Did you know the Hi-Ranger bucket truck joystick (or pistol grip) was invented a couple decades before kids even began moving Mario and Luigi from room to room with their Play Station joysticks? Lester Myers, working at the Mobile Aerial Towers plant in Ft. Wayne, IN in the mid 1950’s, invented and patented the upper control pistol grip assembly for the early Series 4 and 5 Hi-Ranger bucket trucks. It allowed the user to perform more … [Read more...]
The Making of a Hurricane
As the people in Texas and Louisiana are just now assessing the damages caused by Hurricane Harvey, Florida and the southeast states are getting ready for Hurricane Irma that is still a few days away. Hurricanes are freaks of nature! My goodness, even a Category 1 hurricane can cause damage to trees and utility lines. This is not the time for us to shamelessly plug our business by telling you that we supply parts and accessories for bucket trucks. No, we will not do that. But we can give you a brief primer on hurricanes and what the heck they are. As we said, they are monsters – … [Read more...]
Portable Pole Pullers
It’s relatively easy to install a utility pole. Hydraulic drilling equipment and augers have made a big difference. But sometimes an existing pole may need to be removed. How best to do that? Well, this is pretty easy too with today’s hydraulic tools. Hold that thought … let’s talk about utility poles first. They support overhead power lines, electrical cable, fiber optic cable, transformers, even necessities like street lights and traffic lights. Obviously, utility poles are very important to our daily lives. A standard pole is about 40 feet long and buried 6 feet in the ground. … [Read more...]
Fiberglass Buckets From Scratch
Fiberglass can be used along with resin (plastic) to create a strong and light composite structure. What most people call fiberglass is properly referred to as Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP). One of the earliest uses of FRP was by the United States military in WWII -- making helmet liners (see picture below). After the war, returning GIs began experimenting with the material in the form of car bodies and boat hulls. Because so little was known about the strength of FRP in those years most of those items were "overbuilt." Boat hulls and car bodies made in the 50s and 60s are still around … [Read more...]