What Precisely Is a Boom Truck?
A boom truck uses a winch to recover heavy things or transport materials to places which are normally inaccessible. Like for instance, they are normally used to reach the top of a building, maneuvering supplies over a ditch or to a hillside.
Larger trucks are equipped with a boom winch that is mounted in the truck's bed. It is capable of transporting construction things and other equipment from the side of the street to a certain location. There is a different boom truck configuration which is equipped with a cherry picker. This version enables arborists to access treetops easily.
The Vehicle
Terex's Stinger BT 3063 model has a reach of 113-feet and is outfitted with both outriggers and stabilizers. A boom truck can vary from an aerial work platform which is moved by a hydraulic lifting mechanism which is mounted on the bed, up to a Class 8 tractor-trailer rig with a bucket. It is also possible to have a modified boom lift manufactured for a specific buyer's needs.
Cherry Picker
Bucket trucks are cherry pickers that can raise employees to great heights. Usually, buckets or cherry pickers transport workers from the ground up to high areas such as the sides of buildings, treetops, for fire department and firefighting or up utility poles.
Location
The platform on the boom is operated from the truck's cab by remote. Either the boom is mounted on the bed of a large truck or on a separate trailer. Larger booms require outriggers which extend horizontally from the truck in order to stabilize and level out the crane in its operation.
Controls
A cab-over-engine model boom truck has a control cluster responsible for moving the boom situated in the cab. It is normally a panel in the boom itself on the side of the bed.