Top Notch Service
Published in: Arbor Age
Date: 10/1/2001
By: Heinz, Devin
Preventative Measures for Aerial Lifts
AS THE TREE CARE INDUSTRY GROWS, SO DOES THE NEED FOR AERIAL LIFTS. Offering ready access to upper branches, aerial lifts can save labor and time. However, if aerial lifts are not maintained properly, they can leave operators stranded in unpleasant situations.
That is why aerial lift maintenance needs to be a top priority. As with any equipment maintenance program, preventive maintenance is key. Those who focus on prevention can better control and schedule down time for their aerial lifts.
One thing that needs to be decided when setting up a preventive maintenance program is whether to perform in-house maintenance or outsource it. At The Care of Trees, the decision was fairly easy. Approximately 20 years ago, one of our aerial lifts had to go to an authorized repair facility a two-hour drive away. When the truck returned, there were numerous problems with the repair work — not the least of which was that the bucket controls were backwards. The solution was to start an in-house maintenance shop, which is now Aerial Equipment LLC.
But deciding whether to outsource aerial lift maintenance is not always so clear cut. Most companies must figure out whether outsourcing is even an option. Depending on proximity to dealer support and on the size of the company, it may not be possible to outsource. To weigh maintenance options, contact the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to learn about dealer networks and authorized support.
However, keep in mind that even those who decide to perform in-house maintenance will still run into repair situations in which they do not have the equipment or expertise to service a vehicle. That is when the manufacturer’s sales representative will be a valuable resource. The sales rep will likely be able to provide alternatives for completing the repair. Manufacturers count on repeat business and they will probably help with repair problems.
If aerial lift maintenance will be performed in-house, all aerial lift manufacturers have guidelines to help set up a preventive maintenance program. At The Care of Trees, we have tailored some of these guidelines to fit our fleet’s needs and duty cycles, basing our system on many years of repair and maintenance tracking.
The best place to start developing a customized preventive maintenance program is the OEM’S guidelines. Information can also be drawn from operator manuals. Because terminology can confuse even veteran inspectors, some manufacturers have begun providing maintenance videotapes. Companies that choose to service aerial lifts in-house should take advantage of opportunities to send one of their mechanics for special training provided by the OEM or the place of purchase. They should also follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and guidelines. For example, using manufacturer-recommended lubricants is key.
Track Service Times
Tracking is the number one task for good preventive maintenance. Even if all the right things are done to service an aerial lift, if they aren’t done at the right time it is not really a preventive maintenance program.
At The Care of Trees, our tracking system has evolved as our needs have grown. At first, we simply used a grease board to track service dates and mileage. We supplemented that method by adding labels on the truck dashboards, indicating service times. Now we track the maintenance needs of our fleet, which has grown to approximately 500 vehicles, by using a computerized spreadsheet system we developed. The key indicator is run time, which in the tree care industry is generally a much more reliable maintenance marker than mileage. We still like Our operators to refer to the dashboard stickers to know when to schedule service, but the spreadsheet is an important backup. Another useful tool is the hour meter, which we install in each vehicle to track the engine and power take-off run times.
To be most effective in tracking running time, it is important to treat the aerial lift as three separate systems — the engine, the tower and the truck chassis. Each has its own service interval. For example, an engine may be serviced at 300 hours run time, a tower may be at 100 hours run time, and a truck chassis may be at 3,000 miles. It is almost impossible to have these service intervals expire simultaneously. As a result, when an operator brings in a truck to service the engine, the chassis may not need service at that time. Tracking the repair needs of each system will avoid unnecessary downtime.
Plan Before Buying
The type of aerial lift purchased can affect maintenance issues. The three major bucket configurations are over center; nonover center and telescopic. Sometimes two configurations will be combined, such as an over center with a telescopic section. The over center configuration is probably the most common, because of its many work and set-up positions. But because of the strains placed on the boom by the various positions, and because it has more moving parts, the over center also requires the most maintenance. It is not necessarily more costly to maintain, but it does require more frequent servicing.
When selecting and buying an aerial lift, one should also consider the size of the vehicle required for certain bucket models. Many work sites are simply not accessible to large, long-wheel-based trucks.
Be aware of height considerations as well. Remember that one aerial lift may work well in some parts of the country but not in others. For example, trees are considerably bigger on the East Coast than in the Midwest. If the boom is too short, and the arborist needs to tie in and climb to get to a certain area of a tree, the truck is nothing more than an expensive ladder.
When comparing aerial lifts, don’t buy more features than needed. Simple, repairable designs work best.
Availability of parts is also a consideration when purchasing an aerial lift. Find out if parts can only be purchased from the manufacturer or if they can be bought off the shelf from a local supplier. Also check to see if the truck has metric parts. If parts are difficult to obtain, a repair may be more costly or take longer to complete. If the control systems and hydraulic systems are too technical, it might be difficult to find knowledgeable people to diagnose and repair problems.
Keep an eye on warranties as well. All aerial lift manufacturers provide new-equipment warranties with their products. Warranty length and scope vary among manufacturers. At our company, we only consider the warranty for major failures, because most repair work is the result of operator error rather than OEM workmanship. Be careful to weigh downtime and lost productivity when considering having a repair done under warranty. More production time might be lost than it is worth to get a unit repaired under warranty.
Buying and maintaining aerial lifts is complicated. But researching the equipment and relying on available resources will lead to a fleet that is in good condition for years to come.
Devin Heinz is fleet manager for The Care of Trees family of companies and Aerial Equipment LLC.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Adams Business Media