The basics
What it is
A service truck comes to your yard or the job site and fixes what broke. Hydraulic leaks and hose failures. Cylinders that drift, pumps that whine, valves that stick. Brakes, air lines, lights and wiring. PTO and driveline trouble. The boom, the outriggers, the winch and the auger on a derrick.
Most of the common breakdowns can be fixed on the ground, in the lot. Heavy engine and transmission work is shop work, and a mobile crew will tell you so rather than start something they cannot finish at the curb.
The point
Why it matters
A truck on a trailer to a shop is a truck that is not earning, plus the haul. A weeping fitting that gets fixed in the lot on Tuesday does not become a blown hose on a pole on Thursday.
On a bucket truck or derrick there is a second reason. Hoses, leveling rods and other parts that cross the insulating section are part of what gives the boom its rating. Changing them can change the test result, so the repair and the dielectric test belong together.
Find the leak with a piece of cardboard. Never with your hand.
Who it is for
Who needs it
If the truck has to come to the shop, somebody lost a day.
- Fleets with no shop of their own
- Fleets with a shop that is full
- Crews working far from town
- Storm response and emergency calls
- Owners of used or older units
- Rental yards turning units around
- Anyone who has paid for a lowboy to haul a hose problem
Tell us the make, model and what it is doing. A good description saves a trip.
The work
What is included
Not on the list? Ask. We will say straight if a mobile crew can do it.
Hydraulics
- Hose replacement, matched to the working pressure and fittings, crimped to the hose maker's spec
- Cylinders: rod seals, scored or dented rods, drift, holding and counterbalance valves
- Pumps and motors: noise, heat, loss of speed, shaft seals
- Valves: sticking spools, leaks, relief settings checked by the maker's procedure
- Filters and oil level, and oil that looks milky or burnt
- Hydraulic tool circuits: check valves, quick couplers
Truck systems
- Air brake parts: chambers, slack adjusters, valves, lines, leaks you can hear
- Lights, wiring, connectors and charging problems
- PTO, driveshaft and u-joint trouble
- Starting and shutdown problems; check engine and warning lights on a scan tool
- Wipers, mirrors, doors, steps, the small stuff that fails an annual
Boom and equipment
- Outrigger and stabilizer cylinders, pads, and leveling
- Upper control faults and emergency power
- Winch and load line on derricks and cranes, auger drive and gearbox
- Platform leveling and rotation drive
- After the repair: every boom movement run through, and the leak check done with the system warm
Parts are matched to the original in specification and function, or better. On an aerial device, changes that touch stability or the hydraulic or electrical systems need the maker's approval. We do not "make it work" with a part that is close.
When to call
How often
Repairs do not run on an interval. These are the signs.
Park it and call
- Boom drifts down or creeps with the controls in neutral
- A hose with a bulge, a cut to the reinforcement, or a weep at the crimp
- Soft brake pedal, low air warning, or an air leak you can hear
- Any fluid dripping onto the brakes or tires
- Burning smell, smoke, hot oil
- An outrigger that will not hold
Schedule it this week
- A fitting that sweats but does not drip
- A pump that is louder than it used to be
- Jerky boom movement on the first extension of the day
- A light out, a wiper streaking, a mirror cracked
- Oil level dropping a little each week
- Anything the driver wrote on the vehicle inspection report
The rulebook
Standards the work follows
The repair is only as good as the spec it was done to.
- Manufacturer's service manualTorque, pressures, fluids and procedures for your unit. It decides the repair.
- ANSI/SAIA A92.2Maintenance and frequency are set by the owner following the maker's recommendations. Parts replaced should be identical or better in specification and function. Modifications that affect stability or the mechanical, hydraulic or electrical systems need the maker's written approval.This language is in editions we have read. Check the current one.
- OSHA 1910.67 and 1926.453A field-modified aerial lift has to be certified in writing by the maker or an equivalent entity.
- OSHA 1910.269(i)(4)Hydraulic tools used near live parts: safe operating pressures not exceeded, protection against loss of insulating value from a partial vacuum (lines without check valves and more than 35 feet between reservoir and the upper end are called out), pressure released before connections are broken, hoses not kinked, and no part of the body used to find or stop a leak.
- OSHA 1926.1412(b)After a repair or adjustment that relates to safe operation of a crane, a qualified person inspects it, with a function test, before it goes back to work.
- 49 CFR 396.3, 396.7 and Appendix AParts in safe operating condition, no operation likely to cause an accident or breakdown, and the Appendix A minimums for brakes, steering, tires and the rest.
The route
How a job goes with Convoy
One call covers it. We stay on the job until it is signed off.
Describe the problem
Unit, symptoms, location, and when it happened. Photos of the leak or the plate help.
We schedule the work
We send a qualified mobile technician to the truck. You get a price and an arrival window before we roll.
Fix it in place
Diagnose, repair, test. If the truck has to go in, we say so and help get it into a shop.
Paperwork and follow-up
A work order with parts and findings. If a dielectric test or inspection is now due, we schedule it. Your list is updated.
The paperwork
What you get back
If it is not written down, the next crew starts blind.
- Unit number, date, location and the hours or miles
- What was reported and what was found
- What was replaced, with part numbers and source
- Fluids used, and how much
- Torque values and pressure readings where they matter
- The test after: boom movements, leak check, brake or function checks
- Anything else found, ranked: fix now, schedule, watch
- A flag if the repair means a dielectric test or inspection is due
- Old parts, or photos of them, if you ask
Keep the work orders with the unit. Under 49 CFR 396.3 the carrier keeps a record of inspection, repairs and maintenance for each vehicle, where it is housed or maintained, for a year and for six months after it leaves your control.
Straight answers
Questions we get
Here is what people ask first.
Will the repair change my boom's insulating rating?
It can. Replacing a hose, a leveling rod or an insulating part crosses the insulating section, and the periodic electrical test is required after repairs to those. See dielectric testing.
Can you do it at the side of the road?
Often, yes. A hose or a fitting usually can. We will ask about the location, the traffic and the part needed before we send anyone. Safety on the shoulder comes first.
Do you do engine or transmission rebuilds?
No, those are shop jobs. A mobile crew can diagnose and say what the truck needs, and we can help get it into a shop.
Why does the hose spec matter?
A hose rated below the working pressure, or crimped wrong, is the next failure. It also has to suit the system around insulating sections. Use the maker's part or an exact match.
What does it cost?
It depends on the truck, the part and the location. We quote before we roll. Send the details through the form.
Need mobile repair and hydraulics? Get a quote.
Tell us what you run and where it sits. We come back with a price and a plan. A rough list is fine.