Boom Trucks

Boom truck are often applied by phone, cable television and utilities companies as they have long folded arms which are commonly folded over the roofs of company vans. On the end of the extension of extendable arms more often than not sits a bucket-like apparatus. When a container vehicle has an extendable boom installed on the roof this is sometimes known as an "aerial boom truck" or a "cherry picker". It is capable of transporting workers to the peak of a telephone or utility pole. Bucket boom vans have a lifting capacity of approximately 350 lbs to 1500 lbs or 158 kg to 680 kg and are capable of extending the bucket up to 34 feet or just over 10 meters into the air.

Building boom trucks or heavy duty boom trucks will often have a crane attachment on the rear. Often referred to as knuckle booms, these cranes can be shorter and more compact than the trolley boom, which has a boom capable of extending the length of the truck. Hoist boom trucks possess a hauling capability between 10 to 50 tons or approximately 9 to 45 metric tons.

An alternate variation of boom truck is the concrete boom, which possess a tube with a nozzle at the end of the truck to pump concrete and other resources. The locations where these resources have to be deposited is oftentimes inaccessible to the truck or is found at a great height, therefore, the boom of a bigger concrete boom truck may well be extended 230 feet or just about 71 meters. The vehicle then pumps the material through the boom precisely depositing it into the space where it is required.

Fire engines are often equipped with a boom container able to lift firefighters up to the upper floors of buildings. Also, this boom will permit firefighters to aim the flow of water or to engage or rescue trapped victims. Many of the older hook and ladder trucks have been displaced by contemporary boom trucks.

Self propelled booms are very similar to forklifts. These little boom trucks may lift employees to lofty cargo space or to the ceiling of large warehouses and storage facilities. They are more secure and therefore much safer than using extension ladders for the same application.

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