An update...
Updating my last posts #19 and #21... here it is 3 weeks later and I have learned a whole lot more about using this "used & abused" ex-rental towable boom lift in the last 3 weeks than in the preceding 3 months. Not all the news is good, but we finally have a reasonably safe, workable machine that is finally earning its keep. I would still advise anyone considering such a used boom lift to buy the self-leveling version... but I can now say that the manual leveling version can be made to work with enough smarts, experience, patience... and, ideally, a second person to help out.
First off, the new, taller outrigger jacks I had made are wonderful compared to the old (original) ones. The brand new bearings in there make adjustments a dream and I have more height adjustability than I had before. The downside is some added weight and the need to turn the taller jacks parallel to the trailer axis for transport. Also, I must be careful when doing below level lower boom work as the lower boom can now hit the tops of the taller jacks.
Second, I added trailer frame level indicators to make it easier getting an initial read on levelness when positioning. Third, I added a second boat-type swing-away trailer jack to the tongue... a trick that I first saw at a local rental place (one with wheels for use on dead level ground, one flat bottom for use on non-level ground).
Another thing I did was to equip my tractor with a 3-point (up and down moving) tow hitch (rather than just using the tractor's stationary height tow hitch). That not only makes it faster to move the lift around... but it also makes it easier to initially set up the front and rear outriggers and jacks, especially on uneven ground.
But the best thing of all is having a second person to help. The loading & leveling accuracy increase and time savings is 10-fold. What was taking me up to an hour to get right by myself (i.e., positioning, outriggers down, jacks set, perfectly leveled, perfectly loaded) is now taking 5 to 10 minutes. Amazing how that works!
On the downside, it does seem that the turntable bearings are probably worn. No surprise, really... but probably a super-expensive repair (more than what I paid for this lift if I want it done by the local dealer). For now, it just means that we need to keep checking regularly for levelness & loading in all turntable positions and adjust the jacks accordingly, if necessary. Not nearly as big a deal as it sounds, but best handled by a 2-person team for maximum safety.
Excessive corrosion on one small-but-key structural steel fabricated piece is giving me fits. I am watching it daily but the piece is too expensive to replace and too complex for me to repair properly myself. I think it will last through this fall okay. I'll remove it and have it repaired this winter... or, ideally, I'll have a replacement piece fabricated by one of the local shops. It has got to cost much, much less than what Genie wants me to pay for a new one.
Lastly, we did find that the outrigger load/position switch guides, all 8 of them, probably should be replaced. These are semi-stiff/semi-flexible, non-metallic parts that are starting to bend out after all these years. Sloppy repainting of the machine appears to have contributed to the issue. When the guides bend out and don't engage the outrigger locking pins correctly, the attached load/position switches give false readings. This is a real nuisance if you miss one or two during initial set-up. Replacement cost for all 8 is just $186.64. I think I will probably go for it next spring.
Dougster
