Pavey Tree has become the first tree-service company in Canada to have a piece of equipment known in the industry as a spiderlift, a transportable aerial lift.

The diesel-powered spiderlift, in its compact form, is only 38 inches wide and 78 inches in height. The 20-foot length does make it hard for precise maneuverability but it is still better than using larger trucks, says company owner Phil Pavey.

“Bucket trucks can only get to the travel portion of the cottage because the base is so big or (because of) overhanging trees. About 10 years ago, this machine was becoming more available in the United States. I have been considering (getting) one for about five years now. It is very expensive but we finally decided to buy one last fall when our Canadian dollar was very high. So we decided to take the step and bought it from a company in Boston.”

The machinery, which gets its name from the way its four supporting arms branch out from its compact design, can maneuver in tight areas better than large trucks with similar basket lifts.

The lift can unload itself from the truck or flatbed it is transported on in a matter of minutes and is self-propelled on non-marking rubber tracks designed to take on most any tough terrain.

“It can go through a man-sized door and get to spots most machines can never get to. It is a machine that just complements our work.” Pavey said adding that the machine can cut the time for most projects in half compared to the former manual efforts of tree removal.

The lift, which Pavey said complies with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, has been used in the past three months by the company to deal with aerial safety hazards, such as removing branches or dead trees about to fall on personal property.

The four supporting arms allow the user to place a man out to a maximum lateral length of nearly 11 metres. “About 70 per cent of our work is the removal of dead or dangerous trees. All trees have an element of risk to them. Maybe the owner has left a hanging tree too long and it has become something of a standing corpse. Now you are expected to deal with it safely,” Pavey said. Pavey adds having the spiderlift is not only beneficial to his clients, it is also an important tool in caring for the safety of his employees.

“Many of our high-risk tree removal projects require special attention and innovative techniques to mitigate the safety of our climbers and minimize property damage,” he said. “We are in an industry where we are going up and down trees all the time and we are one of the highest injury or fatalities industries out there today. This unit will allow our climbers to access the height of the tree without actually being on the tree.”

Pavey is considering uses for the spiderlift outside the normal perimeters of tree servicing.

He said he wants to hire out the lift equipment for other uses in the region, such as an alternative to scaffolding for unique projects, hanging lighting or signage for customers and taking aerial photographs. He added he has talked with the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Fire Department about use of the equipment in emergency situations because of its reach, maneuverability and easy setup.

For more information, contact Pavey Tree at 635-TREE (8733) or visit their website at www.paveytree.com.