# Do cranes and bucket trucks have to be parked with their booms raised? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 12, 2026, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318 "2026-08-12T22:12:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/1 "2026-08-12T22:12:58Z")
This is not one of those questions that will inspire deep conversation or introspection. I’ve just noticed that cranes and bucket trucks parked at dealerships/rental places, they always have their booms raised. I figured that was to call attention to the dealership and how awesome their cranes are. However, I’ve also noticed bucket trucks parked at hotels and even restaurants with their booms raised, too. These trucks are obviously not being used at the moment nor are they advertising their capabilities. So, do cranes and bucket trucks have to be parked with their booms raised? Why (or why not)? ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/2 "2026-08-12T22:31:06Z")
WAG. To keep people out. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/3 "2026-08-12T22:46:37Z")
I think it’s both. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/4 "2026-08-12T23:24:57Z")
During a recent trip, I saw a lot of signs on the highway asking, “is your bed down?” We hadn’t seen them before, but if trucks must park that way, it’s a possible explanation. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/5 "2026-08-12T23:44:02Z")
I have seen the same at utility truck yards and wondered the same. In that case, there is no advertising going on. I assumed it was to keep people out of the buckets. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2026, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/6 "2026-08-13T00:05:32Z")
FWIW, when I was a CATV linesman 30+ years ago the buckets were always lowered when we weren’t using them. I think the only controls for the boom were actually in the bucket, so we couldn’t have done that without some acrobatics. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/7 "2026-08-13T00:27:59Z")
Another WAG. My dad was a lineman and had a bucket truck one time when I was around 7 (late sixties). I got to ride in it and the controls looked almost indestructible. They probably have touch screens now that one rock could take out. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/8 "2026-08-13T22:08:38Z")
They take up a lot less room with the boom raised – it lets you park them closer together. On building sites, it’s common for the workers to keep their expensive tools in a container that is lifted up by the crane, to prevent theft. Otherwise there can be a lot of theft of equipment overnight, and most sites can’t afford to have a full-time security guard all night. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/9 "2026-08-14T12:09:42Z")
Some machines with raised booms can be operated by lowering the boom even though they are not running. The weight of the boom drives the motion if you move the control lever. This is dangerous because you can lower the boom onto something (think of kids messing around), and it can’t be raised unless you find an operator with the keys to start the engine. For this reason, machines (at least some types) should be parked with the boom lowered and other motions in their relaxed state. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/10 "2026-08-14T12:38:20Z")
Is a bucket truck an automobile or a piece of equipment? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/11 "2026-08-14T13:23:05Z")
It’s a truck with a “bucket” on a moveable boom, for utility workers and such. > **[Google Image Result for...](https://www.google.com/share.google?q=Z5LkygzjXEbbxTGcf)** ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/12 "2026-08-14T13:47:25Z")
> [@dougrb](#): > > My dad was a lineman For the county? 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/13 "2026-08-14T18:10:22Z")
I heard he would drive the main roads. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/14 "2026-08-14T18:25:02Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Some machines with raised booms can be operated by lowering the boom even though they are not running. The weight of the boom drives the motion if you move the control lever. This is dangerous because you can lower the boom onto something (think of kids messing around), and it can’t be raised unless you find an operator with the keys to start the engine. For this reason, machines (at least some types) should be parked with the boom lowered and other motions in their relaxed state. Surely the boom requires a key to enable the control panel, so it’s not going to move without that? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/15 "2026-08-14T19:36:33Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Surely the boom requires a key to enable the control panel, so it’s not going to move without that? We had a separate ignition key in the bucket to turn off the truck engine if we planned to be in the same position for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/16 "2026-08-14T19:43:25Z")
_Of course_ I would expect the truck needs an ignition key but I assumed that the boom mechanism required a separate key. Or are the controls just available for anyone to use? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/17 "2026-08-14T19:45:16Z")
There is a key in the bucket that turns the truck engine on and off. The boom won’t move unless the truck engine is on (at least that’s the way it worked 35 years ago). ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/18 "2026-08-14T23:51:42Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > The weight of the boom drives the motion if you move the control lever. This is the answer. ETA if you have manual hydraulic valves. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/19 "2026-08-15T12:11:23Z")
I need a small vacation. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318/20 "2026-09-01T17:21:45Z")
If it snows, that line down South won’t take the strain [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cranes-and-bucket-trucks-have-to-be-parked-with-their-booms-raised/1032318.md?page=2)