This is a question for you boom truck guys. I used to work for a larger crane outfit, it had a couple boom trucks, but those were other operator's rigs, I ran his old Grove's . On the boom trucks with a front bumper outrigger, you had to fire up the crane, loosen the cable/ ball, unpin the front jack, fold it down, then scope out some boom or boom up (otherwise the hood hits the boom, or the block), just to lay open the hood to check oil and antifreeze. Do you guys that run these things -check it every day? I know the operators there- were supposed to- but it was such a pain- I don't think it happened as often as it should have I'm in the habit in all of my cranes of checking oil and antifreeze- and giving the engine a little once over before starting it. Why don't they put a hood on with side open hinges, like the autocar's used to have. Why don't the installers of the boom trucks demand a hood like this?
Or go with an old school Peterbilt 359 . My 1974 359 has the access doors built in the hood to allow checking oil & water without rocking the hood over . I'm the same way . Like to check all fluid levels before starting & mashing the peddle on a vehicle. Butterfly hoods are pretty handy for trucks equipped with a boom or other modifications .
On my front outrigger I pull a pin and it folds down, then I have a short stick that I use to prop the hood open so it doesn't have to lay down as far. If I'm doing service work I scope out and drop the ball so the hood will lay right down And like you it never leaves the shop without the fluids be checked.
My Mack has enough room, even with the boom sucked in as usual for transport, to check the fluids. I have to be a bit careful, but have a special stick that props the hood up just enough without scratching the front. I frankly don't check the fluids near as much as I should, I do look underneath it when parked in the shop, and when on a job, pretty often, and keep an eye on the gauges of course. While the Mack takes 56 qts. of oil per change, it doesn't seem to use ANY during my 400 hours between changes. Oil analysis is telling me I can bump that up to 500 hours BTW.
Is boom truck also named general chassis crane, it is a type of mobile crane ?
My old Manitex 101 S had a slightly different setup then my National, with it you were totally screwed if you needed to open the hood with the ball hooked up for transport. Once I had a problem, and was about to get a skinny wheel grinder to cut the winch line so I could get at the engine....when I thought of cranking the engine (PTO engaged) with the winch lever held DOWN. It worked, though the motor didn't start (the problem) the starter served to run the PTO enough to give me enough slack to open the darn hood, I was pretty proud of myself!
You could set up to check the oil when you park the rig,so you check oil without having to start in the morning.This also helps If machine doesn't start in the morning and you have to work on it
When I decided a oil check was due, I'd park it as usual in the shed and before shutting it down run some line out. Next morning I'd check it and button it up. No big deal really but I do like my current setup better, just open the hood halfway and you can easily check the vitals, you just need to alert anyone else working on the rig to NOT open the hood all the way WITHOUT extending some boom out!