"With labor shortages continuing to affect tree care companies, deploying machinery is rapidly becoming a way for business owners to keep current employees busy and positively affect the bottom line."
Investing in Efficiency, Safety and Growth with Knuckle-boom Trucks By Emily W. Duane
Like it or not, the future of operations lies in technology. Human error ac- counts for most job-site incidents and accidents, and tech can help reduce them. It’s not perfect—machines are un- able to think critically the way humans can—but when used correctly, machines are safer and incredibly efficient. With labor shortages continuing to affect tree care companies, deploying machinery is rapidly becoming a way for business owners to keep current employees busy and positively af- fect the bottom line. There are many machines on the market capable of boosting efficiency, but one of the rising stars is the knuckle-boom truck with a grapple-saw head. A knuckle-boom offers a lot of versa- tility for tree care businesses. When a company regularly books tree remov- als—think: multiple trees per week—it’s time to consider adding one of these powerful machines to the fleet. This guide leverages industry experts to in- troduce the considerations and benefits of owning a knuckle-boom truck.
PRIORITIZING SAFETY Knuckle-boom trucks are a significant investment that offers much more than enhanced productivity and positive im- pact on the bottom line. These machines feature sophisticated technology designed to mimic intelli- gence. For example, the Albach Fällbach is designed with, “Monitored safety functions, safety load-holding valves and li- and load-moment limitation, which automatically reduces the work- ing speed in the limit range or prevents load moment-increasing movements,” says Daniel Frühholz, a development and construction engineer for Albach, a producer of self-propelled chippers, fell- ing cranes and felling grapples for ex- cavator attachments based in Germany. “Additionally, the Fällbach is equipped with a camera system in the felling unit to support safe gripping of trunks and branches.” Technology is not a replace- ment for good training and common sense, but it is designed to prevent a small mistake from becoming a big one. When these safety-monitoring systems
A knuckle-boom offers a lot of versatility for tree care businesses. When a company regularly books tree removals—think: multiple trees per week— it’s time to consider add- ing one of these powerful machines to the fleet. Photo courtesy of Altec.
“There are many machines on the market capable of boosting efficiency, but one of the rising stars is the knuckle-boom truck with a grapple-saw head."
ArborTIMES Spring 2023 | 7
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