Bucket Truck Work

Craig Mattson

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WMSTR's bucket truck has been spending the winter in my shop for some needed TLC. I started working on the unit around Christmas and there have been several work evenings of Justin and I working on the truck also. Yesterday some Rollag friends came out for a work day to work on some reassembly and more maintenance items.
The main reason the truck came home was to get a new clutch and transmission work and to diagnose some hydraulic gremlins. The clutch and transmission are back in the truck and drive line rehung with sturdier brackets. The truck also got a full fluid change, new brake pads, rotor and a caliper. Backup camera installed as well as strobes and back up alarm.
This truck is also getting some electronic engine controls including 2 speed idle for faster pump operation and remote start stop from the bucket. The truck is also equipped with a 12v emergency pump that will operate the boom in case of engine failure. This has been hooked up and fuctions now.

Thanks Justin Malland , Jerry Christiansen , Merle Myers , Duane Hovelsrud , Jake Hovelsrud Tom Hall, Mark Kerkvuet for coming out and working on the truck and Andrew Nelson for lining up many of the parts and help with the welding work to come patching up the boxes.
 

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Hi Craig and all others,

Thank you for the invitation! You pulled a pretty good crew together. Of course, bribing us with chili helped.
It was a good day working with good friends.

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
A great time was had by all! And the lunch was great! I have not been as dirty as I was that day since last fall working harvest! Been pretty lazy this winter.

Craig and Justin have done a hell of a lot of work to the old girl. HUGE improvements I should have been focusing on years ago! I knew about the 12V backup pump when we moved the platform to it's current running gear, but never took the time to hook it up!

Also... Craig found a manual for the Reach All lift! I spent an hour looking it over when he sent it to me. I've been hanging around that truck for 25 years and learned a lot about it's operation! We even figured out why it had a tendency to get stuck up in the air and likely have that issue corrected thanks to the hydraulic schematic in the manual!

Anyway, it is coming back a safer, easier to use, first class piece of equipment!

Now about tree trimming...:mad:...

Thanks for the real estate in your shop Craig! and to you and Justin for all of the late nights leading up to Saturday!
 
Now about tree trimming...:mad:...
2 whole night were spent just taking dents out of the boxes! Tree trimming the last couple years has been done by a local tree service that treats us pretty good for several reasons so going forward this truck will not be used for trimming the way it was before. This truck is under pretty tight control as it needs to remain safe and operational as it's one of our mission critical machines when problems arise. There are very few keys out for this truck not because we don't want it used but because we need it to remain safe and usable. I'm normally not far if it is needed for something and there are a few others with keys also.
 
This past Saturday the shows bucket truck got some more work done at my shop. Just under 600 ft, 31 hydraulic hose assemblies were replaced. 13 more short ones will be made this week. Much of the hose on this truck was still original and showing off age. All 4 outriggers were pulled and inspected also as we replaced hoses and one cylinder is going in for repair. To avoid getting hoses crosses one hose was pulled out pulling muke tape on and then new hose pulled in with the mule tape. Thanks Alex Manz, Andrew Meyer, Andrew Nelson, Justin Malland, and Cris Anderson for the help!


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Every Good crew needs a good chief. Norman kept an eye on us as we worked!

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One of the new hoses getting pulled into the boom

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Justin feeds one of the new hoses through the elbow on the boom

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As I pulled one of the new pump hoses under the truck I had lots of encouragement from the side

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Norman did find the homemade tractor in my shop and had to try it out. About the right size!

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About half the hoses that were pulled

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This is one of the outrigger cylinders. These were all pulled, inspected, bolts torqued and hoses replaced. The valve on the top of the cylinder is a safety valve so if a hose breaks in the truck the cylinder wont drain and drop the truck. There are similar valves on all the boom cylinders as well for safety

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A view of the turret with the new hoses installed and connected. No more cords showing!

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Alex and Andy feed the mule tape in the boom as the old hose is pulled out. The new hose is then pulled in with the mule tape.


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Alex is taping the new hose onto the mule tape to be pulled in.
 
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Here Justin is pulling one of the outrigger cylinders out for inspection and repair

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One of the hoses getting pulled out


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Justin getting a hold of a hose to pull out

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Hose making station
 
Craig,

Thanks for filling your shop for the winter with the bucket truck and taking on all the work that has been done! Thanks to the crews that have come together to work on this important tool on the show grounds.

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
Wonder how you got up into all of those corners to take those pictures! Pretty good camera too! :)...

That truck has got to be wondering what happened to it! Someone still loves it!
 
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