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Every lineman has certain accessories that they use to help ease the workload throughout the day. However, some accessories are necessary. In this list we will cover 12 Bucket truck accessories for every lineman, both nice to have and must own accessories. This will skew towards fiber optic lineman.
Harness & Lanyard
No matter the type of job you do, if you’re in the bucket you need a harness & lanyard. With this accessory you hope you never have to fully utilize it, as that would mean falling out of the bucket. Harnesses keep lineman secured to the bucket by a lanyard that snaps both onto the lineman harness and onto the bucket arm.
To me one of the more important aspects of a harness is how comfortable it is. It needs to fit correctly and comfortably because it will get used day after day for many hours a day. You don’t want a harness that doesn’t fit properly because you will constantly be irritated with the fit and the desire to adjust it. Also I have used harnesses that have rubbed on my neck. Something like that can really put a damper on your work day, especially when it’s 100 degrees out. So find one that fits true to your body type.
The lanyard has one job- attach and unattach from the bucket truck. Everytime you hop into that bucket you need to clamp the lanyard onto the ring of your bucket arm. This ensures if you fall from the bucket you will be securely attached to the arm. I prefer to use quality snap hooks with my lanyard as they are easy to snap and unsnap. Since you’ll be doing it so many times in a day, every pole, it’s a feature you don’t want to overlook.
Best Overall: BuckOhm TruFit Harness with Pigtail
This harness is easy to put on, comfortable to wear, and looks great. It has a quick connect chest buckle and very comfortable shoulder pads and is made with Dielectric materials making it safe from static electric charges.
The Buckohm TruFit harness comes with a pigtail so you can easily unattach your lanyard and store it in the bucket instead of needing to clip it to your harness and drag it around with you everywhere. This feature shouldn’t go overlooked and I can attest for how irritating it can be to get snagged up on things or to even shut your lanyard in the door. Lanyards can truly be a pain to drag around with you.
Best Budget: Sala Delta Harness
The Sala brand is very well known and quality at that. They often put out the most premium products and their harnesses are top notch. However they also developed this harness that is quite affordable and doesn’t lack the qualities a lineman needs to get the job done.
Sometimes throughout the day you will need to take your harness off to climb poles are do tasks that aren’t lineman related. It’s nice to be able to easily take your harness off and put it back on without trouble. The Sala Delta Harness allows you to do this and without your harness getting tangled up.
However, this harness does not come with the pigtail so you will need to get used to attaching your lanyard to your harness.
Here is my favorite lanyard: Buckingham Double Snap Lanyard
Bucket Organizer/ Tool Board
Having your tools neatly organized and right where you need them helps lineman be efficient and without clutter. Bucket organizers and tool boards are critical accessories for lineman bucket trucks. To read a deep dive on our favorite lineman bucket organizers check out this article- Lineman Bucket Organizers that Work as Hard as You Do
Best Overall: Jameson Tool Tray
This tool tray is a great way to keep all your tools and materials organized. The removable dividers allow you to adjust your tool tray just the way you like it. It stores a lot of tools and gear and it’s also not so deep that you need to search for the tool you need, like bucket bags tend to make you do. The Jameson Tool Tray makes organizing easy and offers so much customizing that any lineman can find it useful.
Best Budget: Klein Small Aerial Apron
One of my favorite accessories for my bucket truck is this apron right here. It allows so much flexibility and stores so many of your hardware or materials neatly and nearby. I use this daily both for strand and fiber.
It allows you to store additional bolts, a pouch that is surprisingly large and a clip to give you even more customization options. Get this awesome Klein Small Aerial Apron and you’ll be amazed at how much bang for your buck you get.
Battery Charger & Inverter
Being able to charge dead batteries on the go at work is a lifesaver sometimes. Have you ever forgot to charge your drill battery, just to find yourself at work the next day with the dreaded dead battery situation? Grab an inverter and battery charger you can plug into your cigarette lighter the bucket truck. Off course it’s nice to have a spare battery so you always have one ready to swap out- fully charged of course.
Best Overall: Bestek 300W Car Inverter
Durable and made from aluminum alloy, this guy can handle getting tossed around a bit. It surprisingly doesn’t take up much space, a similar to an iPhone. Of course the inverter is much more thick than an iPhone, however it was a nice surprise to me. The Bestek 300W is a superb accessory, able to charge multiple items at once with 2 AC outlets along with 2 USB ports. If you’re looking for a great inverter this is a solid option.
Best Budget: EverStart 100W Car Inverter
I’ve used this inverter many times and it’s simple to use- no buttons to push and has a display light that turns green when in use. It does get quite loud when the inverter’s fan kicks on. It’s also quite small and lightweight and makes a great backup plan. I’ve used this EverStart car inverter off and on for the past 2 years and it hasn’t disappointed thus far.
Here’s something similar, but with 2 day shipping from amazon:
Of course the battery charger you use is dependent on the drill you use, but here is what I use and it hasn’t failed me yet- DeWalt 20v battery charger.
Also there is a pretty cool option available that allows you to do away with the inverter. This 20 volt vehicle battery charger plugs right into the cigarette outlet without the need for an inverter, but it’s a bit pricey compared to the others, especially if you already have a battery charger.
Bucket Cover
There’s no fun in getting to work to find your bucket full of water, snow, ice, tree branches and whatever else. Get the bucket cover and DON’T FORGET to put it on at the end of the day. If you’ve been dealing with this issue you’ll be thankful afterwards. No more having to awkwardly reach around the bucket to the control system to raise and adjust the bucket so you can tilt the bucket to dump out water and such. Here’s one that fits the bucket truck I use- bucket cover.
Chain
Driving big trucks around in fields and dirt roads means having to get into the dirt and mud sometimes. Getting the truck stuck is something I’ve seen happen time and time again. I’ve learned a few tricks on how to get the bucket truck unstuck without a chain, but having a chain to pull the bucket truck out is a must. Check out your truck and see what size chain will work best for how your truck is setup.
Best Overall: 20 ft 3/8 Vulcan Chain
Best Budget: Strand and Preform…
If you don’t have a chain available, for whatever reason, there is another option available for us lineman. Luckily we use materials that are meant to sustain heavy amounts of force. You can use strand and preforms/ guy grips to pull out your truck. Simply get a length of strand that is long enough to reach from one truck to another and on each end attach a preform, much like the hooks on each end of a chain. This should be sufficient enough to pull your truck out. I have done this plenty of times when the chain was misplaced or on another truck.
Shovel for Downguys
There’s no getting around this. In the fiber lineman industry you have to pull down guys and set anchors. These anchors have often been there for decades and the anchor head is buried underground. You’ll need a good quality shovel to dig down far enough on the anchor to attach an auxillary eye. For this a shovel is the right accessory for the job.
Best Overall: Fiskars 44 inch Shovel
This Fiskars come with a lifetime warranty, that’s hard to beat. Especially since these shovels get tossed around and do some real dirty work. They make a few different lengths so if you don’t prefer the 44 inch version you can opt for 60 inch version when you checkout. The ergonomics of this shovel are great and it’s been quite durable so far.
Best Budget: True Temper 42 inch Shovel
A shovel that will get the job done. I’m not sure about a warranty on this one, but for the most part a shovel is a shovel right?
Strong Bar
I hate setting anchors by hand, but it’s something we have to do. Almost weekly I’m out there spinning in circles getting these anchors in the ground. Through the anchor head you insert a strong steel bar that, you and an unlucky co worker, can get on each side of the bar and start applying pressure down while going in circles.
This is how we set our anchors. This is the most basic and cost effective way of doing it. I’ve used all kinds of bars to do these anchors, it doesn’t really matter. It just needs to be long enough for 2 people and tough enough to get the job done.
Best Overall: Bon Tool Digging Bar
This is a great bar to use for both setting anchors and digging into rocky soil. Sometimes anchors don’t always go in easily and when they don’t it’s usually because the soil is filled with large rocks. This bar is great for prying those stubborn rocks out and allowing your anchor to gran dirt instead of spinning on large rocks. It’s also great for chipping away at hard packed clay soil that a shovel can’t remove.
The bar is sturdy enough and at 60 inches in length it provides enough space for 2 people to set the anchor. Also, the bright blue color helps ensure the bar doesn’t get forgotten lieing in the weeds at the job site.
Best Budget: Husky 60 in Pinch Point Bar
This accessory has a lifetime warranty and is a bit cheaper than the Bon Tool above. However, it’s black, not bright blue and it weights 18 pounds, 4 more pounds than the Bon Tool. However, this will get the job done and the piece of mind of having a lifetime warranty tool is great.
Riser Guard Rope & Snap Hook
Lineman have to install riser guards often and I see lineman stick the entire 10 foot riser in their bucket. Not only is this a pain to walk around, because space is limited in the bucket, but it’s also dangerous. It only takes a second of not paying attention and a lineman could find themselves in a bad situation.
For this reason, I prefer to have a snap hook and small rope connected to the bucket arm. Or you can connect it to the outside part of your bucket hook. With this setup you can easily snap your riser guard through one of lag screw holes and let it dangle from outside of the bucket. Any style of snap hook will work just fine as long as it is small enough to fit through the lag screw hole.
Best Overall: Klein Swivel Hook with Plunger Latch
Best Budget: Klein Bronze Swivel Snap Hook
Jumper Cables
Everyone is aware that you need jumper cables in your vehicles and the bucket truck is no exception. Having a dead battery, or 2, could put a real damper on the production that day. I’m honestly not real educated on jumper cables, but here is an option that seems to be heavily praised by others that use big trucks.
Best Overall: Voilamart 20 ft 3000 Amp Jumper Cable
The 20 feet jumper cable gives you good range, which is especially important when you get your trucks into areas that are tough to get another vehicle nearby. You’ll be thankful you’re not using some 5 foot cables.
Wheel Chock
We use wheel chocks all the time. Mostly when we are dropping a trailer full of strand or fiber and don’t want it to move around on a long back pull. Wheel chock the tires and take off. However, we also use wheel chocks when we are loading and unloading reels of strand by hand. You can wheel chock the trailer tires and either pull the tongue down by hand (takes a few people usually) or you can hook a chain up to the tongue, attach the other end to the truck and pull it down that way. They are important accessories to have on the bucket truck.
Best Overall: Buckingham Solid Wheel Chock
Best Budget: MaxxHaul 2 Pack Wheel Chock
We use these exact wheel chocks all the time. Mostly when we need to drop a trailer and back pull some fiver or strand. Place the wheel chocks on the correct side of the tires and rest assured you’re not going to pull the stand down a hill, into a ditch, or sideways. The wheel chocks keep the trailer in place surprisingly well.
Trash Can
A lineman and crew have to keep the back of the bucket truck clean. It’s easier to work in a clean environment and much more safe. Especially in slippery weather conditions. If you can find a good sized tub that works great. A lot of times I will just use an old snowshoe box and throw it away when it gets full. Just find something and keep the back of the truck relatively clean.
Bucket Hooks
These are essential to a bucket truck and particularly lineman. Get a solid set and make sure they fit the bucket you use. The size can change depending on if your bucket is insulated or not. If it is insulated I would choose the larger size, 3 inch.
Best Overall: 2 pack 3″ Aerial Bucket Hook
Best Budget: 3″ Bucket Hook
Pocket Knife
Every lineman needs a knife, plain and simple. A couple situations when a pocket knife comes in handy throughout a lineman’s work day include: cutting black tape off of strand down guys and removing the plastic shrink wrap off of riser guards. Whenever I forget my knife and we are doing strand work I always kick myself, because without it those situations can really frustrate me, especially if its cold outside.
Most Unique: Case Lineman Knife
If you really want to represent the lineman lifestyle this is the perfect pocket knife. The lineman display picture looks great and is definitely something that will get other lineman attention.
Best Budget: CJRB Folding Tactical Handle
I love the small size of this pocket knife. It comfortably fits in your pocket and it feels great in your hand, plus it won’t break the bank. If you prefer a pocket knife with a clip it also has that feature, which actually allows you to switch which side the clip is on, perfect for both left and right handers.
Conclusion
There are many accessories that should be kept in a fiber lineman bucket truck, but these are some of my favorite and most useful. Find what accessories best suit your needs at work and optimize it so you can work efficiently and with comfort.
Find our best bucket organizer’s deep dive in this article here- Lineman Bucket Organizers that Work as Hard as You