Is a 'Man with a Cherry picker a.k.a bucket truck' a good business to start?

[ajbarton97]

@genarro46 Same!

 

[donna3336]

@yearning4yeshua Flagpoles (threading the line), windowboxes (flowers), window cleaning, chimney cleaning

 

[atapia94]

@yearning4yeshua Bucket trailer is the cheap to rent or option. You are competing with that.

You’d want a specialty like servicing store signs.

 

[yearning4yeshua]

@atapia94 - Thanks, good thought.

 

[livingoracles]

@yearning4yeshua Equipment distributors do what you are offering, just usually on a larger or more diversified scale.

Here's one of the related, and largest worldwide associations:

https://aednet.org/

 

[ihave10descendants]

@yearning4yeshua In the US, they are also called cherry-pickers.

I think it might be a good idea. If you are in my city, I would hire you. I have fruit tree that needs to be pruned.

 

[elliminator11]

@yearning4yeshua Honestly you have no plan. Do you have experience doing roof repairs or pruning trees? Seems like you saw a “good deal” on a cherry picker and pulled ideas out of your arse.

 

[hayyat]

@yearning4yeshua It's a cherry good idea if you ask me!

 

[lostranger]

@yearning4yeshua I would like to rent your truck to fish over the river by parking on the bank

 

[gospelgirl75]

@yearning4yeshua No, not in the UK anyway anymore in my experience

When you factor in maintenance etc and the prices offered by the competition, the money isn't in it

Unless you were into something very niche where you had a licensed skill to offer alongside it

 

[qork]

@yearning4yeshua Have you checked on the cost of the truck, insurance on it, and liability insurance? Licensing?

 

[yearning4yeshua]

@qork Yes, the costs stack up.

I've had success in a previous business being a reliable subcontractor for larger companies with overflow. Because these companies have multiple layers of management and head or regional offices their overheads are high, and so their quotes have to be. That means there's plenty of room to subcontract to me and then mark me up.

Following that line of thinking, I'll speak to the power companies, for instance. Although I won't be licensed or skilled to actually do the work, I can supply the machine and support an engineer from the ground.

 

[neo_ocelot]

@yearning4yeshua I think without a license you’d have a tough time getting large companies to hire you. Residential, I’m sure you’d be fine there.

 

[lisas]

@yearning4yeshua Kind of stupid but I rented one to work on my roof because I hate transitioning from the ladder to the roof. I’ve also used one to paint.

 

[risalene]

@yearning4yeshua I operate an arborist company with my partner. In our area, it is very uncommon for tree services to rent out bucket trucks. Most companies purchase their own, or just don't take that kind of work. Do some good research and look at what rental companies are offering and at what prices- why would someone rent from you instead?

As for starting an arborist company without any experience.... no. Please don't, our trees need qualified, trained professionals working on them. We have the highest insurance rating for a reason, it's dangerous, people DIE every year.

If I were to buy a truck, I would do a mini crane truck. Something for small loads, for projects by homeowners, small projects etc. I think this is where there is a gap in services in my area.

 

[yearning4yeshua]

@risalene - mini crane truck. Thanks. I'll look into that.

 

[nljenkins]

@yearning4yeshua There's tons of work up high: christmas light, gutters and soffits, hornets nests. The guy who mentioned signage is right; you can clean sign faces and pylons, if you're not up to doing the work you can get paid to just open the sign and take pics of the lights and components.

 

[tangiardinelli]

@yearning4yeshua When I got my air-conditioning installed on the second storey, they hired a scissor lift. This was a dedicated air conditioning company, so apparently they didn't bother having one, just rented it when needed.

 

[seekinggod411]

@yearning4yeshua Solar panel cleaning!!!

 

[yearning4yeshua]

@seekinggod411 Yes, nice.