About to Get a Bucket Truck? Heed These First

Bucket trucks are considered one of the most essential heavy equipment available, especially where there is need to access high places – buildings, lamp posts, electrical towers, among others.

Purchasing a bucket truck entails several considerations pertinent to the nature of the business. For electrical companies, the bucket trucks’ booms should be insulated, and should have either a two-man single bucket, or two separate one-man buckets. For forestry or landscaping business, the requirement is a one-man bucket, and also an insulated boom. Advertising and signage companies can go with either insulated or non-insulated booms, but are required to purchase units with two-man buckets.

However, bucket trucks, like all other heavy equipment, are not cheap. To save money, some companies opt to buy a used bucket truck. New trucks come with a guarantee of full functionality and minimal maintenance for the first year at least, but they naturally come with heftier price tags. Slightly-used trucks (less than 5 years old) provide some guarantees as well, while significantly slashing the bucks.

It’s important to know how often a truck will be used before buying it. An average usage of less than 30 days per year makes renting a better choice. On the other hand, if the company requires heavy usage, it’s best to own one and have it on standby 24/7.