Now, Altec offers products like the Knuckleboom Crane mounted Grap- ple Saws which feature 360-degree continuous-rotation grapple saws and a hook height ranging from 60 to 115 feet. These cranes not only improve safety but drastically reduce the time required to take down a tree. “A tree that used to take four or five hours to remove can now be done by one man in an hour,” Price said.
It all started with one creative customer.
“I still joke about this today…” Price laughed, “him sitting in a lawn chair taking down trees.” LANYARD INTERLOCK SYSTEM The inspiration for Price’s third project came from an article evaluating the safety of bucket trucks, particularly the injuries that result from them. Falls are the second most common cause of tree care worker fatalities, aer struck-by incidents. Aer reading the article, Price urged his engineering team to find a solution. As a result, Altec developed the Lan- yard Interlock system. This innova- tion encourages workers to take every safety precaution by requiring them to attach their full-body harness lanyard before operating the aerial li. The system ensures that equipment will not operate unless the lanyard is securely attached, reinforcing fall pro- tection protocols.
When the TDA58 hit the market in 2014, it was the first insulated, backyard tracked aerial device made in America.
just ten minutes, they knew it was something worth bringing to market. Although the productivity boost was significant, Price and his team were focused on safety, specifically allowing workers to remove a tree without ever leaving the ground. “If you never leave the ground, that is about as safe as you can possibly get,” Price said. Next, Price had to consider the manu- facturing logistics and costs. His team relied on Altec’s resources to deter- mine if the industry was ready for the innovation. The project received the green light, and in 2015, Altec launched the Crane with Grapple Saw.
CRANE WITH GRAPPLE SAW The idea for Price’s second project came from a customer who proposed an interesting concept for new equipment. The customer himself built a machine and had been using it for six months to take down trees without ropes or a bucket truck. Price, having been in the industry for al- most a decade, had never seen a tree tak- en down without ropes or a bucket truck. “Some way, you have to get to the top of that tree, start cutting limbs, and get them down. Those are the only two ways I have ever seen a tree taken down,” Price added. Eager to see the innovation, Price ar- ranged a meeting with the customer and brought an Altec engineer. Aer
Equipment will not operate unless the lanyard is se- curely attached, reinforcing fall protection protocols.
62 | ArborTIMES Fall 2024
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