grapple truck claw

Grapple Truck Maintenance Guide

When it comes to waste management or debris removal, a grapple truck is one of the most versatile tools you can have. With their agile remote-control arms, grapple trucks can lift bulky items like boulders, tree stumps, construction debris, and more that would be too heavy or unwieldy for work crews to handle. Even a single grapple truck in your fleet can expand your range of services and enable you to take on jobs you would have previously let go by. However, like every piece of machinery, grapple trucks require proper maintenance to operate safely and efficiently.

A strong maintenance program will stop minor issues from growing into major problems and help prevent costly future vehicle breakdowns.

Grapple Truck Maintenance Checklist

  1. The boom – As the part of the truck that literally does all the heavy lifting, the boom needs to be regularly inspected for wear and tear.
  2. Hydraulic components – A key part of grapple truck maintenance is ensuring that the hydraulics, such as rotation bearings, hoses, and valves are in good working order. If any of these components fail, all control of the boom can be lost as well.
  3. Crew cab – As with dump truck maintenance in general, the crew cab should be regularly checked for issues such as damaged windows, nonfunctioning gauges, and other issues that could impact operator safety.
  4. Electrical systems – This category includes all fuses, wires, vehicle lights, and more. Without these systems functioning properly, operating a grapple truck is unsafe or entirely impossible.
  5. Outriggers – A grapple truck’s outriggers (the mechanical limbs that brace against the ground to give the truck a more stable platform while operating) are subject to heavy stresses during operation, especially when the grapple arm is lifting heavy loads. Therefore, regularly checking and occasionally replacing components like slider pads and hydraulic pistons is a key step in a grapple truck’s maintenance.
  6. Safety systems – Another key step is the inspection and repair of safety systems such as brakes, seatbelts, and anti-roll components.

Ultimately, a grapple truck is an incredibly versatile and useful tool for any waste management company but, like all tools, needs to be properly maintained and taken care of for it to function properly and safely.

Used Grapple Trucks For Sale

If you plan on adding a grapple garbage truck to your fleet and need help with your long-term truck solutions, Route Ready is here to help. Our pre-owned garbage trucks have been intensively reconditioned and come only from top manufacturers like Peterbilt, Mack, and Freightliner, ensuring you can count on them for durability and long-term performance. Additionally, our Plus and Premium trucks come with a 30- or 60-day confidence guarantee, allowing you to operate your new truck with peace of mind.

You can browse our trash trucks for sale or request a garbage truck quote to explore pricing options. If you’d like to learn more, you can always contact us to get in touch with one of our a

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