Scaffold tower?

[R D S]

Anyone any experience of the cheaper types of scaffold tower, like these?

I have a few jobs to do at home/work and hate ladders.

[newshound]

It doesn't look bad value although I suspect it has a fairly light construction compared to "professional" ones. I am a big fan of alloy towers having used a couple of steel ones in the past.

I've got a "professional" alloy tower which I picked up second hand on ebay for about £600. The working height is a good deal higher, it has four height-adjustable wheels so it can be used on unlevel ground and moved while fully built. The big difference is that the space "inside" is two platforms wide, and I have three platforms. You assemble them staggered so that it is quick to climb and descend, you don't have to use the somewhat fiddly trapdoors. That said, mine needs a full sized transit van to move it.

Provided that one goes high enough for you and is only for "domestic" use it would probably be OK, imho. I wouldn't want to use it with more than one person. The main thing "missing" is the ability to adjust each "foot" independently. You *really* don't want them able to "rock". There is quite a neat a commercial "plastic wedge" system for levelling ladders, I can't recall the name but someone else will probably come up with it. That *might* work with these.

[Murmansk]

I hired a decent one and it looked a fair bit more substantial than that one. I think the main issued you'd have is the stability because there does not seem to be any way or compensating for ground that isn't level.

Mine had very substantial arms to provide support to prevent toppling too and yours lacks those as well.

I'd not want to go up yours as I'd fear it would fall over and kill me for the reasons described above.

[dom]

I used to have one like that (sold when I got an SGB Boss tower).

Fine for indoor work, and ok for low-ish work outside with good footings and not too much wind.

[Capitol]

It looks a bit like the one Wickes used to sell. However it lacks the stabiliser arms and will wobble like mad when you are on it and moving about. It also has a nominal loading in the 2-300lb region I would guess, so you mustn't over load it. Also, no height adjustable feet. My Wickes one is still functional after 30yrs and I finally got around to buiding a storage unit for it 12 months ago. The only job I hated doing on it was installing the large externally double glazed panels in the bedrooms on a windy day, other than that, it is reasonably stable and as I am now banned from climbing ladders to inspect the roof it came in very handy to pigeon deter the TV aerial. Just about successful that exercise.

[Bill Wright]

You would need to make up a set of wooden pads (not wedges) so that you can get all the corners equally supported by the ground. Not a problem. Just cut up some ply, a few bits of 3x1, etc.

The lightness will be problem. The thing could move or go over if left erected in windy weather.

I suggest that you support it so it leans very very slightly towards the building, and always tie it firmly to the building. I wouldn't want to use it untethered.

Bill

[harryagain]

If you hate ladders, don't suppose for a minute you will feel any safer on cheap wobbly scaffolding. You still have to climb a ladder to get up there. And then of course is all the trouble of erection and storage. You can't use them everywhere either.

You would do better to acclimatise youreslf to ladders

[Andy Burns]

It looks more sturdy than the old steel type a neighbour and I used to replace guttering fascia boards

You can climb inside the rungs of the tower on the inside, it has a trapdoor (two on the taller version).

[chris French]

In message , harryagain writes

It's not much like climbing a ladder - you go up the inside and through a trapdoor. And anyway, climbing up and then being on a work platform, is not the same as climbing up and then standing on the ladder working

True enough. Depends on the situation though. I have the storage space and can probably use my tower around 75% of our house.Though I bought it for one job really. Erecting it is quite easy really, even single handed and doesn't take that long.

I don't much like working up ladders if I can avoid it. Not afraid of heights, they just never quite feel safe. It is also much easier working for any amount of time from the platform than perched on a ladder.

I think the one the OP links too is probably ok, though the lack of adjustable feet/wheels would make put me off as getting it stable would be a bit of a faff, unless you have lots of level surface you will work from.

I've got a Speedy 80 tower, I bought rather than rented as I knew that the job would probably take me ages to finish (renovating a big old window). No it's not as good a BOSS one or whatever, but it is absolutely fine. I forget the max working height, but it will be at least 7M. And I've found it useful indoors a few times as a work platform.

[Dave Liquorice]

As others have said unless you have a lot of work for it it'll take a lot of storage space (2.1 m x 0.65 m x 0.27 m in the description). No wheels so to move from one window to the next along will probably mean at least a partial dismantle. No outriggers to make it more stable. No adjustable feet.

Check the figures in the size table they use 2 m to get the "working height" from platform height, I thought the "standard" was 1.8 m (5'

10"). 2 m is 6" above my head height as I'm a tad under 6' tall. The platform height for the "5M" is 2.7 m so that's makes what I would consider a comfortable working height of 2.7 + 1.8 = 4.5 m (14' 9"). Gutters on a normal sort of 2 floor house are going to be (8' x 2) + 2 = 18' ish. The + 2 being the floor ceiling void and ground floor to outside ground level (DPC ect).

I agree that working of a ladder isn't very nice compared to a reasonable platform. Depends how much work you have in mind, cleaning, preparing, and painting a wall I'd look at getting proper scaffolding put up, it's fairly cheap for around 4 weeks hire. Scaffolding means you can get everywhere all the time. No faffing about moving the platform from one bit of patching to another. After that hire a better quality one with outriggers and adjustable wheels if the ground will allow it to be trundled. Our ask about if anyone has something filling up their garage that you could borrow but inspect it carefully before use.

[dom]

Long time since I had mine - on the plus side I remember it as being light enough that I could just get inside and pick the whole tower up (only 1.5 stages) and move it about a bit.

On the downside, if felt fairly flimsy with just my 12 stone on it.

[R D S]

I'll echo the above, I have a triple extension ladder but it (they?) is a bit naff and I don't feel happy on it at height, I have some windows to replace, fascia boards to paint etc and if I was working at that height i'd at least want some decent ladders which come in at around the same price as a cheap tower.

A tower must be better when working for periods of time with tools.

The reason I was looking at the tower in my original post is that it claims to be quick erect, do-able by one person, I should be able to transport it in the car, and I have somewhere to put it when not in use.

I'll have a look if adjustable feet are available, i'd be buying the outriggers in any case (the taller tower comes with them).

[alan]

I've found that if working off a ladder safety footwear with a metal plate insole (midsole penetration protection) helps a _lot_ with comfort and the "feeling" of safety. I find that wearing footwear with a more flexible sole soon leads to fatigue in my feet/ankles, especially if mainly standing still on a rung for an hour to paint.

My safety boots cost me around £15.

[Andy Burns]

+lots

A couple of days up and down a ladder while wearing plimsols buggered my feet up for a fortnight.

[PeterC]

I can't use those as they're never made a shape to fit me and my shoe-stretcher doesn't seem to have much effect. I've some heavyish walking shoes that aren't too bad and have good heels for location. Laces short and use a reef knot - then found out that the hook at the top is a light clip-fit over the 'bead' at the side of the ladder!

The old hill boots have steel shanks but nowadays are rather hard and my feet aren't the same shape as 40 years ago.