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Time for new service truck body/crane

8922659

Active Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
27
Location
midwest
Time to update trucks i have looked at sti ,maintainer and feterl looks like there the heavy built ones i have been around. Any others that built like them there was company in BC I thought that made some heavy service truck bodys who would that be ? Have a 2013 sti box and crane now need to move up in truck size .
 

8922659

Active Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
27
Location
midwest
Thanks i will look them up I was thinking with the exchange rate where its at now it . It might help to buy out of CAD. I know it saved me a quite a few bucks on my track press
 

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,424
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
I've been in a number of different bodies over the years, in a Maintainer now and their build is impressive. That's not to say others can't compare, only means a Maintainer is a good choice.
 

StanRUS

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2016
Messages
767
Location
Cal
Time to update trucks i have looked at sti ,maintainer and feterl looks like there the heavy built ones i have been around. Any others that built like them there was company in BC I thought that made some heavy service truck bodys who would that be ? Have a 2013 sti box and crane now need to move up in truck size .

Moving up to 26k GVW? 33k GVW?
Brutes does Aluminum-Steel bodies...Good cookie cutter bodies IMT, Stellar, Maintainer, Caseco, Palfinger
 

theironoracle

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image.jpgimage.jpg
These are pictures of what I have been running for the last 2 years. 14 foot maintainer with 10k 25ft crane and 40-ish cfm recip compressor. Crane: I think the crane is perfect for the truck I would surely want more reach over more capacity. I think it's very well balanced this length stores very nice on the box if it were any longer it could hit the cab and exhaust if you weren't paying attention. Comp could go bigger but it works about as hard as I want to, if two guys were using comp at the same time it would be to slow. Body: grade A-, fit and finish is great, construction and functionality is great, this is my second maintainer and I would buy another. I owned a smaller new summit grade B, good body, on the 33gvw trucks the bottom of the cabinets is farther from the ground, this means in the same height cabinets you have a higher center of gravity or the top of tool boxes are higher. My only other recommendation if you can order ahead and wait a while is a custom "Carco" service body out of Portland Oregon. This would be my first choice but I could not buy 8 months in advance...TIO
 

8922659

Active Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
27
Location
midwest
Thanks TIO what we do is very similar to you. And or biggest crane is 8600 pounds . Looking really hard at a 30 foot reach crane over are 21 foot reach now . Biggest component I ever remove is power pack out of rear of 627-637 that's 6500 -7000 pounds . Sometimes think would be nice to remove counter balance off excavator but most of them over 11000 pounds . This truck I have time so unless bargain shows up It will be custom box .
 

CM1995

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Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,466
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
I'll chime in and vote Maintainer as well. I've looked at many service bodies over the years at trade shows, comparing them to other brands across the isle and I think they make the best one.
 

Mike L

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
1,963
Location
Texas
Occupation
Self employed field mechanic
I vote for maintainer as well. I'm running the same setup as TIO, mine is just older. Hard to beat a Kenworth with a maintainer. It's my second maintainer and The quality is second to none.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,424
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
My rig is very similar to what TIO uses except I have the 14,000 lb crane, still 25' reach like his. It's really nice to be able to set up in one spot and remove and re-install all the hydraulic cylinders from a 400 class excavator. At first I wasn't so sure about the tall pedestal crane, seems you sacrifice a box space compared to a top box mounted crane, but now that I've used it for some years I really like the crane setup. And I haven't found anything on the Maintainer body or crane to complain about.




Pete 335 1-4-13 004.jpg




CD110 bed 11-13 001.jpg
 

theironoracle

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8922659,

I purchased mine from Palmer trucks in Indiana,Iowa? Anyways they had it in stock and they usually keep one in stock. They were very good to deal with....TIO
 

willie59

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Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,424
Location
Knoxville TN
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Service Manager
Willie,

Nice truck. Colors not half bad either!!! Tio

Back at ya bro, nice set up you have as well. I have added a few things to the rig since that first pic (when I first got it). Most notable, at least to me, a vertical 30 gal air tank that's filled with water and pressurized by the compressor. It's really nice having a water hose for various job tasks as well as cleaning the mud off of your boots before you climb in the cab. :)
 

inthedirt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
75
Location
Missouri
My $0.02 and a question. I'm in a 11' IMT bed with a 30' 7500# crane. The doors on the IMT is my biggest complaint. They are pretty flimsy. I love my 30' reach, I wouldn't trade it, just wish I had the longer bed so it would stow flatter. All of the newer trucks our company has bought are Maintainer beds. Everyone seems to like them, but I have heard complaints that the crane controller is awkward. They say its too slow on the rotate when on high, and then too jerky on the other functions. Would you guys agree or disagree with that?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 

theironoracle

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Inthedirt,

The proportional control on all functions is perfect. I preferred my pistol grip Hetronics controller but now am totally used to the flat long controller. I went through a lot of batteries in the maintainer remote until I figured our I had to turn off the control button not just push the dead man button when storing it, it still uses more batteries than my Hetronics controller ever did. I would say there is something wrong with the rotate control circuit in this truck. All my functions start like silk and I have amazing speed control with the buttons. Mine is almost always in medium/50% mode I will sometimes kick up the idle if I want things to move faster. I will put it on super slow when I'm setting heavy objects in a tight spot just in case I bump the button or something. TIO
 

8922659

Active Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
27
Location
midwest
One of are trucks is maintainer yes the control seams little jerky but guy that runs truck is use to it and it's smooth to him . The tiger crane on STI is smooth but I don't like button lay out as well. On heated compartment I have done it two ways both small skid loader cab heater or boat cabin heater coolant or electric . In Midwest where it's colder put 3/8 foam on inside compartment to insulate where it's not so cold or if you use coolant heater you don't need to insulate . Have any body ran liftmoore cranes last few years I really thinking about one on my next truck cause there 10000 pound crane has 30feet reach but it's rated at 10000 at 7.2 feet instead of 4-6 feet like some cranes . Had a 6000 liftmoore 10-12 years ago and it was plenty good
 
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