It’s been a while since I visited Tennett Tree Services Inc., a 26-year TCIA member company based in Windham, Connecticut. Even though I sort of forgot how to get there, there was no forgetting the hospitality and professionalism of Tony Wilber, CTSP, and his crew as I arrived on site. They took a giant chunk of their day to show me their daily use of the CMC 75i insulated compact lift from All Access Equipment as it maneuvered around the job site.

Wilber is general manager for Tennett Tree, and shared his thoughts about the machine in the following product review.

Compact and easy to use

“Today we’re working near power lines on some trees we want to trim away from the conductors. We’re using the CMC 75i today because of its small size and maneuverability,” says Wilber.
“When it’s folded up, it sits on the back of the flatbed and is very compact. To unload, you use the remote to deploy the outriggers and raise the machine just enough to drive the truck out from under it. Now the machine is free of the truck, 100%. So easy, very little hassle.

“There are only a few manufacturers really producing insulated lifts. In fact, I think we’re going to see many more of the insulated tracked units coming down the road. We need this in the utility industry for these little distribution lines. This machine is perfect for that.

“Also, our business in utilities is all about height. And you can get a surprising amount of height out of this 75i. The 75-foot extension is a pretty good height for our needs. You can get up and over the lines with very little bounce or movement. You do not want unnecessary movement when you’re working close to minimum approach distances (MADs) to conductors. There is very little movement in that machine, very little sideways sway, and I am very impressed with that.”

Insulated protection

“There are a lot of fiberglass components that help insulate this lift. While we don’t depend solely on the insulation to protect us, just knowing there is that added layer (of protection) gives us peace of mind when we need to get in close,” says Wilber.

“I also am impressed with the transport height. A lot of the traditional bucket trucks are 12 to 13 feet tall during transport. This limits where we can go, especially with some of these historic, low bridges in New England. The 75i sits just over 6 feet tall when folded into transport mode on the back of the flatbed (6 feet plus the 3-foot height of the truck bed = 9 feet), and can easily get you underneath these lower bridges.

“We looked at other compact lifts, and the CMC dealer out in Massachusetts, All Access Equipment, was very helpful and very nice to work with, so we decided to go with the CMC.” All Access Equipment is a 13-year TCIA corporate member company based in Woburn, Mass.

“This is a fairly new machine for us,” says Wilber. “We have a lot more we want to do with it, and so far it’s been pretty much everything we thought it would be. We’re happy with it.”

Check out the video

For more details and to see this compact lift in action, go to the product-review video for the All
Access Equipment’s CMC 75i at tcimag.org and, under the Resources tab, click Videos.

Tchukki Andersen, Board Certified Master Arborist (BCMA), Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP), is staff arborist for the Tree Care Industry Association.

This review reflects the thoughts and opinions of the reviewers as users and does not constitute or imply an endorsement of the product referenced, nor is it an endorsement of any specific company, product or service. Every entity or individual should review and test all products for applicability, safety and efficacy in their particular operation.

TCI Magazine product reviews are available to TCIA corporate members as a benefit of their membership. Certain limitations apply. Contact erodewald@tcia.org for more information.