What is the difference between a boom truck and a bucket truck?

Construction works involve many aerial works. Therefore, you will find the workers suspended at the side of a building using ropes, or they get lifted by trucks. The boom truck and bucket truck temporarily elevate construction workers and maintenance specialists to work on tall buildings instead of permanent, endless escalators. They are different from the crane because they have a weight limit of two people to be elevated.

Some truck businesses provide renting services for workers in the following industries telecommunications, Utility, construction, signage, and forestry to ensure that they can perform their assigned tasks carefully and safely. Although the trucks perform the same job, they are different in their functionality. If you would like to understand the difference fully, you can check out the bucket vs. boom lorry resource online. But here is an overview of their differences:

Bucket Truck

The bucket truck is also called the bucket lift. The type of truck usually comes mounted on a vehicle. The bucket truck can be mounted on a van or a truck. If it is mounted on a van, then it is called the van. The bucket truck lifts people, but some get customized to carry equipment required by workers to conduct their work. On the other hand, a few companies manufacture bucket trucks; therefore, it won’t be easy when your company wants to purchase the vehicle. However, you have an option of hiring, which is faster and cheaper to access.

When your company decides to purchase or hire a bucket truck, the added advantage is that it can carry heavy loads of around 400 to 2000lb, which is among the significant differences between the bucket truck and the boom lift. Therefore, if your company deals with heavy materials such as construction supplies, then the bucket truck is the one for you. The other feature that makes the bucket truck different from the boom lift is that no trailer is required.

Lastly, the controls of the bucket truck are operated from the cab, which means that it would be difficult for one worker to work alone. For this reason, two workers are required to handle the bucket truck, which is not similar to the boom lift. The advantage of this feature is that, with the help of another worker, the operator will control the truck more cautiously, making it safer. Meanwhile, you may contact this trusted and affordable Excavator rental Perth for any of your construction projects.

Boom Truck

The boom truck is also known as the boom lift or the cherry picker. This type of vehicle is usually smaller than the bucket truck, enabling it to perform various functions.

For this reason, the boom truck can only lift light materials as compared to the bucket truck, which is used for heavy commercial duty. When you want to hire this type of truck for your company, ensure that the materials you are planning to carry are lightweight.

On the other hand, when your company wants to change the job location or transport the boom truck, it would not be possible because it is not a licensed commercial vehicle. Therefore, you are required to hire another truck used to transport vehicles to carry the boom truck to your destination. This is different from the bucket truck in that the bucket truck can be driven on the roads to other locations.

Besides, the boom truck comes in two different types, which are:

Non-Propelled Boom Trucks

They are the lightest track and get used by companies such as a painting contractor or an engineer fixing an airplane because these boom trucks only require one person with light equipment to do their work. Some of these trucks get towed if they are heavy, while the others can get placed on a flatbed truck. The trucks are manually operated, they are cranked and moved by hand because most of them have manual lifts. Lastly, they are so small that they can fit through a regular door.

Vehicle Mounted Boom Trucks

These tracks are allowed on the roads because they have heavy-duty tires; therefore, it is easier for workers to move them to other destinations. It is also different from the bucket truck in that the body is compact and can fit through a regular door. The most significant feature of this bucket truck is that the aerial platform has controls so that the worker can change the directions on his own. Therefore, it does not require another person to operate the truck.

In conclusion, the different properties of the bucket truck and boom truck are not that major. Therefore, contractors can use either of the trucks depending on how they plan to move the truck to other destinations. Secondly, the contractors will need to consider if they require the trucks to fit in a building or not. Also, how high do they need the trucks to go, and what is the necessary weight to get lifted? Lastly, they will need to decide if they want the controls to be more accessible for the worker on the platform or if another person will be required to operate the truck is okay with the company.