A bucket truck, also commonly referred to as a cherry picker/boom lift/basket crane, consists of a hydraulic articulated arm with a bucket on the end that is mounted onto a commercial vehicle body. The cherry picker system has a container big enough for a worker to stand in and be manipulated to move up or down in the air. Although this equipment was originally designed and used in orchards, nowadays it has become a helpful tool in a wide variety of industries. Below is a list of this vehicle’s more common applications:

1. Orchard

Let’s start out with the original use for this functional vehicle! Imagine a laborer picking fruit from high trees using ladders. Yes, the job can be done and the job can be finished; but the risk for having an accident is high and the worker is required to climb down from the ladder to move to a different location. The usage of a bucket truck here is so very helpful. An employee can manipulate and/or be manipulated to move up and down, in and out, side to side in order to harvest the crop.

2. Telephone & other wire services

The use of this vehicle by electric, telephone and cable providers is the usage that most people see while driving on the road and think of when you mention bucket trucks. It allows the worker to be safely lifted up to the height of the line or pole on which work needs to be done. Being able to also bring along necessary tools, usually in a weather-resistant compartment, to complete the job makes the technician’s task so much easier than otherwise.

For electrical purposes, the rubber tires provide a safe barrier against accidental electrocution that occurs too often with ladder usage. The bucket truck’s mobility and convenience here is just unsurpassed.

3. Forestry Functions

Forestry workers and the forestry industry find the bucket truck to be beyond useful bordering on necessity in their line of work! Although not every location will be ideal for this vehicle, in most cases the ability to be safely lifted up to the height needed to trim trees is greatly enhanced by using these vehicles in the forestry industry. A worker can be lifted along with a chain-saw, if necessary, to heights necessary to complete needed work. Anything else would be much riskier and time-consuming.

4. Fire-fighting Efforts

Most ladder trucks used by fire departments around the world are equipped with what is basically an arm with a bucket on the end as ladders on their own are certainly much riskier. This apparatus allow for firefighters to be able to not only fight the fire with a hose; it gives the firefighter the ability to rescue stranded building occupants in a manner much safer for both the firefighter and the retrieved individual.

5. General All-Around Applications

This commercial vehicle has so many all-around applications for both commercial and residential consumers. Commercial functionality would include: painters and painting; window washing; changing street lights and signs; and hanging municipal decorations at Christmastime to name a few. Residential uses include: painting and window washing; repairing roof damage due to storms; and certainly the rescue of stranded kittens and kids!

Although bucket trucks certainly make the any job easier to accomplish, they certainly need to be operated with complete safety. It is certainly a powerful machine with the potential to be dangerous in untrained and/or unobservant hands. Adhering to OSHA standards as well as the manufacturer’s instructions is vital for overall safety.

Given proper care and proper usage, the bucket truck is a helpful and very convenient piece of equipment. Safety training is very important for operators and other crews involved in the operation. There are several safety measures that should be implemented to ensure that accidents are avoided.

Lastly, daily maintenance checks of the vehicle play a vital role in its safety. Make sure that controls are working properly by being tested daily before use to lift workers up in the air. Brakes and outriggers should be checked as well to ensure stability during lifting. In addition, the driver should not move the entire truck while there are people inside the bucket. This is just not a safe movement and could result in the employee becoming unstable and possible falls could occur.

When operated in safety, the bucket truck is undoubtedly one of the most practical all-around vehicles that has been engineered and manufactured for many functions. To think it started out picking cherries – sweet!