Purchasing a Bucket Truck

What’s the best bucket truck for the money? That depends on what you’re planning to do with it. If you work with high voltage, you should buy an insulated (dielectric) lift. If you’re trimming trees, you’ll want a knuckle boom so you can descend to your work. Why? A heavy limb could land on a squirt-boom and tip the truck over (or fling the operator out of the bucket like a rocket launcher).

A construction company probably values lifting capacity more than a painting contractor does, so the question of the best bucket truck is industry specific. And even within an industry, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions because applications can vary greatly.

At Van Ladder we don’t make trucks for linemen or tree trimmers. We make bucket trucks for sign and lighting companies. Over the last twenty years the sign and lighting industries have not only morphed together, but from a bucket truck perspective, their needs have changed radically.

Joel Haluck, owner of Signstat in Jeannette, PA, summarized the changes in a recent interview: “It’s actually getting easier, I think. Back in the day when we were drilling 1-1/2” or 2” holes through block buildings—two of those holes per letter for neon—and all the work that we had to do back then, it’s a lot easier now with the LEDs. Everything is so much lighter. Before, you’d take a raceway up, and it was nothing to have a 300- or 400-pound raceway with neon transformers and neon letters. You had to have a crane to lift it. Now, they’re 150 lbs.”

Not all of Joel’s signs are small, though, as evidenced by several larger trucks in his fleet. “There are times, as we all know, when you need a truck like that,” Joel said. Then, pointing at his smaller Van Ladder, he added, “But more often than not, you need a truck like this.”

Lino Carrillo, another long-time sign company owner, has a fleet of four large installation trucks, ranging in reach from 60’ to 140’. He also has a small service van that can reach 27’. After spending a day together in the field, we sat down with Lino and his installers to hear their observations about the Van Ladder. Here’s what Lino told us: “As the sign industry has changed over time, signs weight a lot less and are easier to install. And you don’t seem to need the same ability to crane things up at the same weight that you did before. So, this truck (Van Ladder) has a lot of facility for us in the new sign industry.”

We asked Lino how a Van Ladder might fit into his fleet. “I think it could actually replace one of the Elliots and our service van, both, which is what makes it unique.” The uniqueness Lino refers to is Van Ladder’s hybrid ability to handle both service and installations. Because the Van Ladder’s box has 500 cubic feet of organized storage capacity, it’s easily capable of warehousing all the tools and inventory needed for one-and-done service calls. But the Van Ladder also has the Chariot Bucket with a rotating material handling system and a host of sign installation accessories, allowing one person to tackle smaller installations without a second person in the bucket. This combination creates the ability to flex the Van Ladder to where it’s needed, service one day, installations the next.

Lino’s head installer, Patrick, also shared his thoughts on having a smaller truck around: “The Van Ladder has a smaller footprint, being able to get in and still have 30’ of side reach to get over vehicles in a shopping center; if you go somewhere where it’s packed and nobody is moving their cars, you need to be able to park, boom over them, and still get the job done.”

Based on yesteryear’s heavy signs, it’s still a common practice to send a crew of two in a truck with a two-man basket for every installation. Typically, when it’s time to erect the sign, both techs go up in the lift, one running the controls and operating the tools, the other holding the sign. However, as signs have become lighter, more companies are addressing the overkill in both equipment and manpower.

A few years ago, Todd Thomas, from Creative Sign Company recognized an opportunity to diversify his fleet by adding a Van Ladder. Here’s how he described it: “We have a number individuals that we could send out in vehicles, but they don’t have CDL (commercial drivers license). So having a vehicle like this (Van Ladder) with the flexibility and economy that it has would be very beneficial. I have a number of cranes, and the problem with the cranes is the initial expense and the maintenance is very high. So, to use them to install something that this unit (the Van Ladder) could install isn’t practical.”

Mike Richardson, owner of FASTSIGNS of Bloomington, Indiana, purchased an existing sign company that had two aging Elliots. The trucks were well maintained and in good working condition. However, when Mike explored the cost of replacing them with new models, he realized his best tactic was to conserve the Elliots by using them more sparingly. He accomplished this by purchasing a Van Ladder (at half the cost of a larger truck) to tackle their smaller installations.

Here’s how Mike explained it: “I started looking at running our Elliots, and they’ve got some years on them, but Jeff (the previous owner) has done a great job of maintaining them. I started looking at factors like fuel, maintenance costs, and some flexibility, as well. So that’s what led to the Van Ladder is the ability to pull into a spot at a strip center and just rock and roll. With the Elliots, we were really trying to extend their life by rotating them in and out instead of having them on the road each day.”

Jeff Arbuckle is the acquired company’s previous owner and now manages the new division. Jeff was completely onboard with Mike’s decision to diversify the fleet. “I’ve been in the sign industry for almost twenty-five years, and basically, everything I could want in a truck as far as accessories to make life easier installing banners and patterns and all that stuff, you guys have looked at and done it. And the Chariot Bucket’s rotation is really a key, too. That’s huge because sometimes it’s the difference between getting a 15’ raceway on the wall, or not.”

Here are some things to consider before deciding on your next truck:

What is the average weight of the signs you install, and at what height?
If you have other trucks, what capabilities do they have (height, side reach, weight)?
What types of installations do you struggle to do profitably?
Is there a truck that might open the door to more work or take your company to another level?
Is limiting your scope of work an option? (i.e. Can you outsource jobs you don’t do efficiently?)
What is your ratio of service to installation?
Do you have personnel who could do installations if you had a non-CDL truck (under 26,000 lbs. GVW)?

There are many justifiable reasons to purchase to a wide variety of bucket trucks, but in the ever-changing sign and lighting industry, “We’ve always done it that way” might be a recipe for extinction.