!44: What Is a Bucket Truck Material Handler and Why Would You Want One?

!±8± What Is a Bucket Truck Material Handler and Why Would You Want One?

So, you were renting or buying a bucket truck (a.k.a. Cherry Picker) and offered a material handler? Of course it cost extra and you wondered if you would need one? The quick answer is, a material handler (abbreviated by M/H) is the part of the truck that was designed to lift relatively heavy objects to dangerous heights that aren't safe for ladders. Some types of jobs for bucket trucks that require the use of M/H's are; electric line-men, cable line-men, sign and light installation and repair, painters, arborists, and a ton more.

Why would you want to use a material handler? Lets look at some of the uses for them. Lots of line-men will need to take heavy transformers or breakers to the jobsite. For line-men, material handlers on bucket trucks make it much easier to lift the heavy equipment (inluding tools) to poles and wires. Sign and light repairmen have to lift heavy signs or breakable bulbs to heights safely, therefore, the need for a material handler is very high. Arborists usually implement a material handler to hoist equipment like chainsaws to a work site. For aroborists, jobs sites change frequently, they may need to use a material handler for holding or moving limbs, leaves, or as a crutch for limbs they are cutting.

When you consider all of the different uses for these handlers, you recognize that not all of the jobs require the same weight capacity. As a result of the variation in weights, cherry picker manufacturers produce different handlers with varying weight ratings. On average, M/H's have a 1,500 pound weight rating. Usually this is more than enough of a weight limit for the jobs mentioned earlier. Obviously, the more weight capacity the higher the cost of the equipment, so keep that in mind when renting or buying bucket trucks.

If you have any questions about carrying weight on a handler, or on cherry pickers, post to my comments and I'll reply as soon as possible.