How much reach can I get?
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That seems to be the question buzzing around in everyone’s ears. And while reach is an important factor to consider when it comes to tree care work, it’s important to recognize that stats don’t equal success.
Other things need to be considered, such as how stable the equipment is at max load, and how many booms are available to access tall or hard to reach trees.
Here, we’ll explore the many factors that go into effective tree service work when comparing a crane to a SENNEBOGEN.
Both knuckleboom and straight boom (hydraulic) cranes have been used by arborists for tree care work for decades. Cranes can increase production, and many cranes can be customized to meet the buyers’ needs.
Many tree service businesses have well-trained, experienced operators and arborists who have an efficient system in place that includes transportation, machine stabilization, tree removal and take down, cutting, stacking, mulching, and hauling.
And while this system has worked rather well for many companies, it also has its drawbacks, including equipment limitations and safety issues.
Let’s explore the process of using cranes in tree care.
Cranes are used to lift pieces of the tree up and away while cuts are being made in order to safely fell branches and trees to the ground.
They can move trees or tree parts safely to the ground in a 200-ft zone radius.
Crane operation takes a great amount of skill and concentration, and it’s highly recommended to receive a crane operating certification before using this equipment on the job site.
Cranes are typically transported to a jobsite via truck chassis. A crane must be well-stabilized before work can safely begin. All tires must be in contact with the ground. It is important that the crane be completely level for max productivity and safety.
The on-site setup process for a crane is often very time-consuming, limiting productivity.
While cranes are available with a reach of up to 120’, it’s important to understand that at such great heights, a crane has very little lifting capacity.
Some cranes can reach up to 120’ in height. This limits the lifting capacity and versatility of a crane and may require your crew to deploy additional equipment to effectively and safely get the job done.
When determining crane size, consider what job sites you typically service. Spend a lot of time with right of ways and highway maintenance? Storm cleanup and recovery? Removing trees from residential areas and landscaping jobs?
Job type, as well as geographical location and environment, help you determine the tree height you most commonly encounter. This can help you decide what crane height and size would work best for you.
Something to keep in mind is that what you lift must come down. So, while you may be tempted to go as big and high as possible to keep your options open, understand that height will impact your ability to lower trees and tree parts to the ground in some instances. For cases like this, shorter heights may be preferable.
An important difference between knuckleboom cranes and straight-boom trucks is operator control.
Knuckleboom cranes have the feature of remote control, allowing the operator to stand at a safe distance during operation. This also allows the operator to find the best location for visibility.
Straight-boom trucks and cranes do not have a remote-control feature; rather, they are controlled from the cab.
While a crane can be an effective, albeit time-consuming way to remove tree parts or cut down a tree, it doesn’t help with any of the work that has to be done after the removal process.
If your crew plans to cut, stack, mulch or mow after the land is cleared, you’ll need additional equipment to do so.
Some tree service attachments are available for some cranes, which offers more versatility without having to purchase an additional machine.
Crane versatility increases with the ability to change out attachment heads. What attachments are available for a knuckleboom crane?
When we designed our tree handlers, we asked the experts in the tree care industry what they needed.
What were their biggest challenges?
How might we improve productivity?
How can we keep your workers safe and prevent burnout and fatigue?
We researched, designed, tested, and repeated the process again and again until our machines met every requirement and expectation of our tree service industry workers.
SENNEBOGEN tree handlers were designed to offer you everything you need to complete a job from start to finish with a single machine.
Both the rubber tire models and tracked models offer stability built into the undercarriage, with high ground clearance and low ground pressure.
Equipped with outriggers, with the option to add additional stabilization through a stabilizer blade or tracks.
We often get asked about reach, and there is no short, quick answer to this question. While reach is one factor to consider, reach doesn’t determine productivity.
Describing a SENNEBOGEN’s versatility might paint a better picture for you:
With its cutting and handling capability, the 718 eliminates tree climbing from the job as well as any need to rig ropes to the trees or to haul cut limbs to a sorting area. There’s no concern about branches or equipment falling on crew members below. With a 3,700 lbs. (1,700 kg) lifting capacity at maximum horizontal reach, 43 ft. (13 m) and 12,000 lbs. at maximum vertical reach, 48 ft. (14.6 m), the 718 can cut and move the wood in larger sizes as well, allowing faster removal. The grapple saw can even, if wanted, cut branches and feed them into a chipper in a single motion.
Read more about the 718 R-HD E Crawler model production and versatility here.
The 718 E model is our most popular tree handler. It’s small and versatile and takes care of 90% of tree service workers’ jobs.
As mentioned earlier, cranes have up to 120’ in reach but are vastly limited in their lifting capacity at such great heights.
We’ve designed our tree handlers to offer a maximum lifting capacity at reach, making our machines the most versatile for tree care service work.
Reach: 43’ Max load: 3,700 lbs.
Reach: 65’ Max Load: 3,700 lbs.
Reach: 75’ Max load: 3,700 lbs.
Our elevating, tilting MaxCab features joystick steering and a safe, unobstructed view for the operator to conduct his business. This makes operations extremely safe and minimizes the number of crew on the jobsite, further increasing safety and preventing operator and arborist fatigue and burnout.
The operator can easily maneuver the boom and stick with the ultra-responsive joystick. The maximum visibility and additional cameras optimize productivity while minimizing risk to crew members.
Operator View: Large bulletproof glass front window and skylight. Standard equipped with a 2-camera system for complete site visibility.
There’s absolutely no need for additional crew on the ground or in the tree.
Read more about the MaxCab features here.
One of the advantages of SENNEBOGEN is that we purpose-build our machines for every stage of the job. This includes the post-cut down and tree removal stage.
Once the tree has been felled or the branches have been removed, cleanup begins. Having the ability to cut tree parts down into more manageable sizes, stack them in piles for loading and haul away, or mulch and mow on-site offers a huge advantage in saving time, improving safety and being more productive. That’s the SENNEBOGEN advantage.
“No other machine does what we do AFTER the tree is down. Cut to length, stack, load, chip.
Most accidents happen on the ground after the tree is down (lower-level guys on the ground).
90% of those incidents are eliminated with SENNEBOGEN.”
-Greg Roberts, SENNEBOGEN NA Tree Care Manager
The SENNEBOGEN tree handler interchangeable attachments provide a complete toolkit for every specialization needed.
With ONE dedicated SENNEBOGEN machine, you can do the work of 2-3 different machines.
Attachment heads currently available for the SENNEBOGEN 718 tree handler include:
NEXT UP: Read more about the different attachment heads available here.
There are a multitude of equipment outfitting options for tree care industry work. Throughout the years, savvy arborist and tree service owner-operators have customized their machines to do what they need and have worked to make those jobs as safe and efficient as possible.
This demands a steep learning curve and expertly trained operators and arborists. Even then, the risk of accidents is greatly increased, plus job productivity is limited by the scope of the machine.
We’ve built our SENNEBOGEN tree handlers with YOUR needs in mind, and we like to think we’ve covered all the bases.
Jobsite transportation, efficiency, and safety are all vastly increased when you add a SENNEBOGEN to your fleet, and this is all done through the unmatchable versatility of our machines. All of this increases your productivity speed.
SPEED = REVENUE
If you’d like to see real-life models of our tree handlers at work, register to watch our live-action online demo.
LEARN MORE:
Tree Care Workers’ Complete Guide to Machines & Equipment for Tree Removal, Urban Forestry, Storm Cleanup & More
While there’s something to be said about the passion and innovation behind identifying a problem and using your creative skills and expertise to develop a one-of-a-kind solution, there also comes a time when it just makes sense to invest in a better product that helps you produce a better result.
In years past, arborists and tree care specialists had to exercise a lot of ingenuity and collaboration to do the challenging tasks asked of them.
Today, SENNEBOGEN offers purpose-built machinery to streamline those processes and make each and every step faster, safer, and more efficient.
Demanding times in the tree care industry have traditionally served to increase the number of skilled arborists and the profits of tree cutting businesses. At the same time, manufacturers attempt to beef up new equipment models or add new features to the same tree cutting equipment.
The use of heavy equipment borrowed from other industries and adapted for tree care work has played a large part in creating a working environment with “no feet on the forest floor,” which has greatly helped logging, forestry and tree service work become much safer professions than they used to be just a few decades ago.
In addition to rural work, cities are looking to bring such use of heavy equipment into the urban environment due to its potential for high productivity and safety.
The tree care industry is growing rapidly, and there aren’t enough service providers and qualified workers to fill the demand for work.
Businesses want to be able to take on a higher volume of work contracts at greater scale.
Businesses want to have adequate, trained crew for the number of jobs they can take on.
This can happen in one of two ways: scale down your workload to match the number of available crew members, or use new methods and equipment that do not require as many skilled workers on the job site. Scaling down your crew does nothing for growth; in fact, you will lose contracts. The only real solution remaining is to evolve your business so that it requires a lower demand for skilled workers. That can be done with new equipment and cutting-edge technology.
Tree cutting can be a dangerous and labor-intensive job. With a limited crew of workers, a business is limited in the number of contracts they can effectively take on at one time. Additionally, bidding on large projects without adequate manpower and equipment takes its toll in time, effort, and lost profits.
To keep scaling in today’s competitive industry, businesses need to be able to take on more contracts in terms of volume and variety, while also maintaining an adequate workforce and keeping risk and liability to a minimum.
RELATED: Win more work with this Tree Tech >>
By investing in equipment and machinery that promotes much greater productivity and safety while minimizing the need for more skilled workers, companies can achieve this growth.
This is the goal of SENNEBOGEN tree handlers – to provide you with the opportunity to do just that.
READ: Top Challenges Faced by Tree Care Workers in >>
The art of tree care is an invaluable skill. While bucket trucks made the work more easily accessible, it required training, knowledge, and mentorship to become a great arborist.
For more information, please visit tree care landscaping lifts.
Arborists that use a bucket truck to approach and cut trees must first consider the distribution of the tree's crown branches, inspect for any signs of decay or disease, judge the lean of the trunk, and consider present soil conditions - before operations even begin!
However, when a site has sufficient equipment access and the bucket truck has sufficient reach, there are tree cutting projects where these mobile elevated platforms are best for service:
In the same way the original cherry pickers transformed the tree cutting operations during the early s, the SENNEBOGEN 718 tree handling machine is taking the arbor industry to another level with a mechanized way of cutting trees that is safer and more productive.
Speed + Versatility = Production
The 718 reduces your tree-cutting crew to one trained operator and one automated, tree handling machine that can cut, transfer, and stack brush, branches, and tree sections using multiple attachments.
There is virtually no set-up time required as the 718 is self-leveling, and able to reach into tight areas or sloped terrains.
The SENNEBOGEN is most beneficial for large scale tree removal operations or those projects that are located in urban areas which require precision control and nimble maneuvering to overcome ground-level obstructions.
With the SENNEBOGEN 718, tree workers are removed from dangerous power lines, which is a major concern especially after hurricanes and tornadoes when live wires are not only dangling from above, but also may be present on wet ground.
Instead, all manual workers can be kept at a safe perimeter as the SENNEBOGEN 718 can drive directly up to a tree, reposition itself quickly, and grab branches at different heights and cut trunk sections at different angles to completely remove damaged and dangerous trees.
This tree handling technology eliminates the most challenging manual work tasks which in turn eliminates fall accidents, fatigue, and muscle or bone injuries.
The powerful grapple jaws take away the danger of handling heavy material and lowers all tree sections safely to a landing site or wood chipper. This is the automation power of the SENNEBOGEN 718 - where a trained operator can sit in a comfortable, climate-controlled MaxCab, with full visibility and the ability to elevate and tilt the cab to taller heights as needed.
Read more about the high-visibility, comfort-controlled MaxCab >>
While cranes are available with a reach of up to 120’, it’s important to understand that at such great heights, a crane has very little lifting capacity.
Some cranes can reach up to 120’ in height. This limits the lifting capacity and versatility of a crane and may require your crew to deploy additional equipment to effectively and safely get the job done.
When determining crane size, consider what job sites you typically service. Spend a lot of time with right of ways and highway maintenance? Storm cleanup and recovery? Removing trees from residential areas and landscaping jobs?
Job type, as well as geographical location and environment, help you determine the tree height you most commonly encounter. This can help you decide what crane height and size would work best for you.
Something to keep in mind is that what you lift must come down. So, while you may be tempted to go as big and high as possible to keep your options open, understand that height will impact your ability to lower trees and tree parts to the ground in some instances. For cases like this, shorter heights may be preferable.
READ: The Versatility and Safe Use of Knuckleboom Cranes in Tree Care >>
How much reach do I get with a SENNEBOGEN?
We often get asked about reach, and there is no short, quick answer to this question. While reach is one factor to consider, reach doesn’t determine productivity.
Describing a SENNEBOGEN’s versatility might paint a better picture for you:
Need more reach for your urban forestry work, and the 43’ 718 just won’t cut it? Consider the 728 model, which provides 65’ of reach along with a 3,700 lbs. horizontal and 12,000 lbs. vertical lifting capacities.
While a crane can be an effective, albeit time-consuming way to remove tree parts or cut down a tree, it doesn’t help with any of the work that has to be done after the removal process.
Once the tree has been felled or the branches have been removed, cleanup begins.
Having the ability to cut tree parts down into more manageable sizes, stack them in piles for loading and haul away, or mulch and mow on-site offers a huge advantage in saving time, improving safety and being more productive.
If your crew plans to cut, stack, mulch or mow after the land is cleared, you’ll need additional equipment to do so. Some tree service attachments are available for some cranes, which offers more versatility without having to purchase an additional machine.
That’s the SENNEBOGEN advantage.
When it comes to the specific task of felling trees, you can’t more specialized than a feller buncher. This harvester attachment can rapidly gather and cut a tree before felling it.
What is a feller? And what is a buncher?
Feller is a traditional name for someone who cuts down trees.
Bunching is the skidding and assembly of two or more trees
A feller buncher performs both of these harvesting functions and consists of a standard heavy equipment base with a tree-grabbing device furnished with a chain-saw, circular saw or a shear—a pinching device designed to cut small trees off at the base. The machine then places the cut tree on a stack suitable for a skidder, forwarder, or yarder for transport to further processing such as delimbing, bucking, loading, or chipping.
Source: Wikipedia
The two major feller buncher styles include the rubber-tire machine that drives up to a tree to then cut it, while the second type is a tracked machine that features a cutting head attached to a swing boom.
In many ways, a feller buncher and a SENNEBOGEN 718 have similar characteristics.
Both the feller-buncher and the SENNEBOGEN 718 offer dramatically improved efficiency, speed, and safety in tree removal.
READ: Feller Buncher vs SENNEBOGEN 718 Tree Handler >>
However, as far as function goes, there are few major distinctions - these include terrain, reach, and dexterity.
Once again born out of ingenuity, excavators, which were originally built and designed for digging operations, have been outfitted for forestry work.
READ: 6 Different Excavator Types and Their Uses >>
In modern day tree work, excavators are often used to clear large swaths of land. They are also used for stump removal after land has been cleared with a bulldozer.
It’s becoming quite common for tree workers to use mini excavators in forestry work. These more compact versions offer improved accessibility over their standard size counterparts.
While versatility with attachment heads makes a mini excavator a good equipment piece to add to a forestry worker’s fleet, it does have its limitations.
The 718's telescopic boom will reach further than an excavator's attachment - up to 45 feet - and has a vertical lifting capacity of 12,000 pounds. Combined with its grapple saw attachment, the operator enjoys precision-controlled movement similar to a human hand, with a 280-degree rotation and a tilting angle of 180 degrees.
This amount of control allows the operator to dismantle trees over structures, near power lines and along roadsides with increased safety.
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages the 718 has over the excavator is its dedicated hydraulic pump.
The dedicated hydraulic pump supplies power to the end of stick attachment. This allows the operator to drive the machine and adjust the boom/stick while having full functionality of the attachment.
Read: 718 Tree Handler vs. an Excavator with Attachments >>
A Harvester is one type of forestry equipment, typically used in logging operations, that has been considered for urban applications to help cities and towns take down hazardous trees quickly and safely.
“A harvester is a type of heavy forestry vehicle employed in cut-to-length logging operations for felling, delimbing and bucking trees. A forest harvester is typically employed together with a forwarder that hauls the logs to a roadside landing.”
Source: Wikipedia
A harvester is a heavy equipment tool that excels in larger volume, clear cutting operations; typically, the larger the volume, the better the return on the owner's equipment investments.
However, electrical hazards, countless obstacles and space constraints often prevent the use of typical harvesters or limit the volume productivity and profit because they are not purpose built for the urban environment.
The application of harvesters built to excel in the woods is not feasible for most urban projects and often less than ideal for many rural and residential removal projects, especially when operating in tight spaces or busy areas.
Different jobs require different tools, and where people and trees live together in what is known as “the urban forest,” tools other than a harvester are a better fit.
While a tree harvester is best suited for operations in the woods, where they can certainly offer a great degree of productivity and safety, the 718 is best suited in urban applications such as municipal, utility, and commercial projects.
A nimble and highly versatile machine, the SENNEBOGEN 718 E can serve as a powerful tool to tree service companies offering utility line clearing, right-of-way (ROW) clearing, roadside maintenance, lot clearing and more.
As always, there is a right tool for each job.
For forest work that involves clearing large areas of land, a harvester is an excellent machine that will offer you productivity and safety.
When it comes to urban forestry, the 718 is superior because of its versatility and mobility.
Read: The 718e Tree Handler vs a Harvester for Urban Forestry Applications
Serving primarily construction companies and municipalities, Shawn says, “Our jobs typically are clearing jobs, but we’ve done roadside work as well. When I tell someone about the new machine, I push its safety and efficiency as well as cost-savings. It’s safer for us and safer for you and your property. It’s definitely faster; you can do more work in a day’s time.”
“There’s a lot of storm work, too, pulling trees off of houses. Summer and winter. This machine is incredible at doing that.
We used to climb up there on the roof with a chain saw, pick it, and cut it four or five times to pull it off the house.
With the 718, you can get right up in the cab and see over the house.
You see what’s going on, make your cuts from the cab and you can have the tree off the house in an hour.”
Read Shawn's full story here >>
We understand that there are efficient and reliable machines that have been used for decades in the tree care industry.
Some outfits have a well-executed and maintained system in place and are happy with their current level of work. Their equipment serves them well and their crew is trained and ready to operate and perform aerial and arborist work with expertise.
But for companies who aren’t satisfied with where they are – perhaps you are looking to take on a higher volume of work, or more large-scale projects – then a SENNEBOGEN could be the next great business decision you make.
For most tree service companies, the SENNEBOGEN 718 E series is the perfect place to start. If you don’t yet own a SENNEBOGEN, beginning your fleet with this staple piece will offer you the most bang for your buck.
Learn more about the 718 RH D with crawler tracks
If you already own a SENNEBOGEN 718 and are looking to expand your fleet, your choice between the 728 and 738 will depend on the size of trees you typically service as well as the scale of your operations.
With the new SENNEBOGEN 728 E-series, we are expanding our product portfolio for demanding tree maintenance and problem tree felling with another highlight. As an important addition to the 718 E and 738 E tree care handlers, which have been established for many years and are used by customers worldwide in large numbers, the 728 E is now available on the market as another machine with a reach of up to 21 m for the challenges of wood management.
Learn more about the 728 E series >>
When large-scale operations are the name of your game, you can rely on the 738 series to get the job done. Widely used in cleanup of large natural disasters, such as forest fires, the 738 offers the big power you’re looking for.
Rich Kingsborough of Atlas Tree Surgery relates his first project using the 738 tree handler:
“We had a row of about 100 eucalyptus trees; about 120 to 150 ft. high. Branches were stretching over two lanes of a major roadway, so we couldn‘t just cut & drop.
Typically, we would have had two climbers up in the tree, and a 100-ton or larger crane to bring the tree down. With the 738, we completed the job in less time, using fewer people, without a crane, and we didn’t have to put one climber in the tree.
Anytime you can take a climber out of the tree you have made the job safer. Up to now, we would have planned for about ten crew on the jobsite. The most we ever had there was up to five.
We scheduled two months for the job, and we got it done in about 6 weeks.”
Read Rich’s full story here>>
Contact us to discuss your requirements of aluminum lift. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
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