What it is used for
A boom truck gets a person to the work quickly and at a controlled height, without climbing. That helps when the tree is dead and not safe to climb, when a branch overhangs a roof, or when a limb is over a place where ropes would be hard to set. It also brings a safe working position close to wires for work that suits it, within the rules for working near lines.
A boom truck is not a crane. The bucket holds a person and tools, and its reach is limited by the boom. A crane lifts the weight of cut sections away. The two are sometimes used together on the same tree. See crane vs climbing vs bucket truck.
Why it matters in Northern Nevada
Trees on the valley floors are often tall, with open lawns to park on. Foothill and Tahoe lots are steep and cramped. On a steep driveway or a narrow street the question is whether a truck can reach at all, and where its outriggers can go.
Winter changes the answer: ice, frozen ground and snow cover change what the truck can do on a site. The arborist decides on the day whether a lift is the safe choice.
How Battle Born uses it
Battle Born owns a 75-foot Altec GMC boom truck. The arborist assessing a job decides whether climbing, the boom truck, the crane, or a mix is the right method, and the crew works to the rules in ANSI Z133, which includes aerial lift operation. Ask at your free estimate which method is proposed and why. A good answer names the reason, whether that is access, the condition of the tree, wires nearby or the weight of the pieces, and not only the equipment.
Sources
- International Society of Arboriculture: publications and standards (ANSI Z133) (read October 17, 2026)