Cherry-picker Rates

[knuckle-dragger]

The thread about backhoe rates prompts me to ask: ...

I live in and own a 4-story Brownstone which like most such buildings is about 10 feet from the property line which in turn immediately abuts the sidewalk which is of course about 10 feet wide. The cornice is the decorative frieze that resembles crown molding and runs across the width of the house (about 20 feet by 2 feet) between the roof and the facade. It's made of some malleable metal (not steel -- doesn't rust) which deteriorates over time and needs to have the bad parts scraped and repaired (epoxy) and the whole thing painted (primer and two finish coats).

The problem is that to get at the cornice you need a swinging scaffold and you need it (and a painter) for about an hour a day each day over four days if it doesn't rain. But of course you pay for the scaffold rental as though you were using it for 24 hours each day. It becomes very expensive. Even more if you add in the cost of assembly and dis-assembly. The result is that for four hours work I'm being quoted about $750 and you can tell the people really don't want such a small job.

It occurred to me that what I really want in some cherry picker-equipped truck like those owned by the utilities to swing by every morning, park at the curb, do the painting and the drive off to their normal job. Does anyone think this is feasible and if so how would I go about getting someone to do it?

[Ed Pawlowski]

wrote in

Depends on who you know. If you call a rental company they will give you the daily rate and delivery charges, etc. I know of another guy that does that sort of thing part time and he'd charge you about $100 minimum for an hour or two. Three if you buy the coffee. I know a guy with a crane that would charge you $400 minimum. I also know an electrician that would let me use his truck for the cost of gas.

Ask around and you may find a friend of a friend that has a rig and will work for cheap. Know anyone working for a sign company?

[aemeijers]

Small jobs cost more per hour than large jobs, because you pretty much ruin a good chunk of the day for the people involved. (Can't patch or paint till the dew burns off, etc. ) They can only do another small job that day, if they can book one close by. Any chance your neighbors need the same work, and you can all hire the same guy?

There are firms that specialize in fussy high work like that- usually call themselves specialty roofers or something similar. They do churches and old business storefronts, mainly. Drive around your town and look for churches and stores with similar high gingerbread, and stop in and ask who they use. It ain't gonna be cheap, but it'll be cheaper than inventing how to do it yourself.

Around here, $750 would not be at all out of line for high work like that, especially if they have to pull a special permit to work from the street with a bucket truck. Even retired bucket trucks from the power company, like the local apartment painters use, cost 20 grand or so for a reliable one. Not sure what high-reach manlifts cost to rent these days. That is what a commercial painter would use instead of hanging scaffold, at least in this part of the country.

[Tony]

Re: cherry picker (bucket truck), are there overhead lines in the way? If so can the truck park closer to the house, maybe on top of the sidewalk so it will miss the wires? Have cones set up around the truck, and if police tell them to move the truck, darn, it won't start. Then pay the parking tickets.

[Steve B]

My experience with hiring them to replace AC units is that $750 a day is in the ballpark. In the current market, it might be less. When I am looking for something like this, I put a WANTED ad on craigslist, or local newspapers. There is a local AM radio show every morning for an hour that is super at hitting the local market. You will find people you normally would never find, and you may get a deal.

Steve

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A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

[Jules Richardson]

Around here it's about $300/day for rental of one of the small cherry pickers (the ones that aren't built onto the back of a truck).

I've heard quite a few folk say that for a time-consuming job that'll take more than a day it's more economical to buy an end-of-life truck- based picker for a few thousand (craigslist, ebay etc.) and then sell it again when you're done. somewhere around $3000 seems to be about right for something that's beaten up (and no commercial business would touch) but still functional.

cheers

Jules

[George]

I can tell you from the experiences of folks I know who have tried buying an old bucket truck that you will spend way more than you think. Typically those trucks are very well worn. Unless you own all of the land say like a farm you will need to make it road worthy (inspection, insurance etc) and then do lots more work replacing hoses etc. in order to make it usable/safe.

The OPs $750 quote should generate a "when can you come" response from him because it really is a fair price for the described work.