Signage that’s professionally installed can increase brand recognition, visibility and sales; while one that’s poorly installed could make the company appear amateurish and disorganized.
Before the boom truck was invented, lighting and sign companies relied on ladders to access higher places for installation or service work. Now these trucks make this task faster and safer.
Bucket Trucks
Bucket trucks are vehicles designed to lift people and materials off of the ground, commonly employed for maintenance and repairs in industries like telecom, utilities, signage, construction and forestry. Bucket trucks can perform traditional aerial tasks without using ladders and scaffolding thereby decreasing accidents and injuries.
Sign Installation
One of the primary uses for a bucket truck is installing signage. Proper installation increases brand recognition and attracts customers while poor installation may damage it and turn away potential clients.
Employing a bucket truck to install signs can save time and money for your business. A professional crew will be able to complete installation faster than setting up ladders or scaffolding, with its extended arm enabling them to reach higher areas than they could with traditional ladders alone.
Bucket trucks can also be used to maintain or repair parking lot lighting, which is an essential service in any retail shopping centre or apartment complex. Flickering or broken lights pose serious threats to tenants and guests, so using a bucket truck for this service ensures quick repairs.
Bucket trucks are also an excellent choice for power linemen who work on overhead power lines in both public and private locations, a job which can be risky when performed without safety precautions such as ladder climbing. Bucket trucks may also be utilized by municipalities, departments of transportation and parks departments to maintain highway lighting, traffic signals and signage maintenance needs.
Bucket trucks can also be utilized for holiday decorating purposes on city buildings and residential homes, making these vehicles especially helpful in cities and towns with festive light displays as they can easily reach all areas to hang lights. Bucket trucks also play an invaluable role for tree care services as they allow access to high branches for trimming or removal purposes – saving both time and resources when trimming dead or damaged trees.
Crane Trucks
No matter whether you are expanding your fleet of sign installation vehicles or just getting started in this business, there are various choices on the market today to help make your search for one easier. While there may not be one best model out there, knowing what criteria to look out for in crane truck chassis will ensure you make a sound decision.
Crane trucks feature built-in cranes to make loading and unloading large goods simple without the need for additional machinery. Their ability to raise materials to significant heights makes them perfect for transporting building materials or working at construction sites. Available with two or four wheel drive capabilities, crane trucks may even boast up to 350 horsepower in lifting capacities!
Considerationss when purchasing a crane truck include its weight capacity, lifting height and power source(s). Furthermore, choose a model equipped with an ergonomically friendly cab and trained personnel as you use the vehicle – this will prevent injuries or property damage caused by misuse. It is imperative that crane trucks be operated only by qualified personnel due to risks of injuries or property damage should improper handling occur.
Some crane trucks feature digger derricks, making it possible to set your channel letters without needing a second truck or waiting on a contractor. Furthermore, these models of crane trucks also include a main winch to raise and lower signs easily – depending on your requirements you may also wish to add an additional winch on the front so as to move heavier materials such as roof trusses.
Boom trucks are an adaptable type of crane designed for various tasks. Equipped with hydraulic cranes attached to fifth-wheel tractors, these vehicles can carry heavy loads. Specialty equipment companies often lease these vehicles out to clients with different lifting capacities available for rental; sizes range from small knuckle booms that bend at reinforced joints to long telescopic booms that extend out at various lengths; for the best recommendations when selecting the ideal model, consult an industry expert in advance.
Aerial Lifts
Truck-mounted aerial lifts can be an indispensable tool in business environments, yet their misuse can be deadly. Every year workers are injured or killed due to tip overs, collapses and electrocutions on these vehicles – something which could be avoided with proper training of personnel using this equipment and understanding its inner workings.
Companies using aerial lifts, such as sign installation contractors, should train their employees on how to safely use this equipment and inspect it daily to ensure its proper function. Furthermore, “field modified” lifts should never be used, as this could create unsafe working conditions for its operator.
Aerial lifts are an integral component of any sign company’s fleet, as they provide a secure working platform to perform elevated tasks safely and securely. Aerial lifts come in different configurations such as extendable boom platforms, articulating (jointed) boom platforms and vertical towers, to name just a few.
Sign, light and traffic signal maintenance jobs require technicians to be able to maneuver equipment around obstacles like trees and utility poles with ease. Therefore, insulated aerial work platforms have become popular choices among sign, light and traffic signal maintenance organizations as a convenient means of moving equipment and materials while simultaneously creating a comfortable working space for technicians.
John Lewis, President of Lewis Sign Builders in Buda, Texas believes his business depends heavily on a fleet of eight truck-mounted aerial lifts for optimal operations. According to him, these aerials “are as indispensable to sign companies as scalpels are for surgeons.”
These trucks can be equipped with various material handling attachments that make transporting equipment and supplies easier, such as a crane basket, jib winch or forklift attachment. Furthermore, they are fuelled by diesel, propane or natural gas and come in different sizes and capacities.
Large truck-mounted aerials are widely associated with the electrical utility industry, where they’re frequently seen constructing and maintaining power transmission lines across the nation as well as regional networks of distribution lines. Linemen rely on them during weather emergencies to clear downed lines and restore consistent electric service to homes and businesses alike.
Material Handling Attachments
Behind each sign gracing the skies lies a dedicated crew of installers as well as equipment designed to get their job done. In the past, workers relied on ladders, pulley systems, lifts and other pieces of equipment in order to complete aerial jobs; but modern boom trucks can take professional sign companies’ work even higher!
Sign companies can take advantage of many boom truck manufacturers’ attachment options to save both time and money when operating their signs. Some models come equipped with digger derricks to assist in setting pylons more quickly while other models feature both main winches and jib winches for installation or service work.
Some products provide additional amenities, like radio remotes. These devices allow operators to avoid distractions when working at heights by communicating without shouting over machinery noise and other ambient sounds. Furthermore, these remotes enable operators to stay nearer the picking arm while moving the crane, rather than depending on traditional controls at the base of its boom.
Not only can some product features help workers be closer to the pick point, but some also make sign installations safer. Troe notes that using hand-held power tools while climbing an AWP is risky; should something fall, workers might not be able to catch it before it falls and harm either themselves or damage a sign or building below them. Modern telescoping equipment like bucket trucks and cranes have safety as a top priority.
As much as people associate bucket trucks with servicing existing signage, they can also be useful tools for installing signs at a site. Many contractors hire subcontractors to install channel letters and other exterior signs; however, these individuals might lack the appropriate equipment. By purchasing a bucket or crane that already comes equipped for sign installation purposes, unforeseen delays in projects can be prevented and ensure timely completion of projects.
