Period scaffold towers

[Feltwell]

I have need to get up high here at Feltwell Towers to do some repairs, which would be very difficult to do from a ladder. Hiring a tower is damn expensive - about £300 for a week - so I'm considering buying one.

Feltwell Towers is, as my nickname for it suggests, quite a tall house. Scaffolding will need to have a platform height of around 7m / 23', which is definitely at the taller end of scaffold towers. I'll keep an eye out for a secondhand one, but they seem to go for good money and most are shorter than I require. I know that Boss is one of the best regarded brands, but they look to be well outside my price range, even used ones.

I have storage, the gap between my garage and next door's house is only about 3' with high walls on both sides, so it's quite dry down there. Alternatively if I have a big clear out then I can put it in the storage underneath my garage, which is bone dry.

I've spotted this steel tower which is a good price for the height. Has anyone got any experience with towers and care to offer any tips on what / what not to buy?

http://www.monsterracking.co.uk/9_5m_scaffold_tower.html?category_id=81

 

[88v8]

Infrequent use, so think outside the box....?

Thus
http://www.bd.gov.hk/english/documents/code/GDCBS.pdf
from here
http://www.bs-bamboo.co.uk/bamboo-poles-wide.html

Ivor

 

[malcolm]

I bought one a week or so ago. I went for the 9.4m (reach) version of http://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/quick_erect_trade_scaffold_tower_9_4m.html I'm using it at up to 4m platform height at the moment. I might go 6m but don't fancy the full 7.4m platform height as I'm terrified of heights. Also they don't really supply enough bits for full height. Bits need to be moved up from lower levels if you go above 6m platform height.

I'm pleased with it. The thing you need on a scaffold tower (assuming you are as terrified of heights as me) is a really wide spread for the outriggers and have the outriggers supporting as high as possible to stop it from wobbling around when you are at the top. I built mine with the smaller outriggers and then extended to the full height ones as I went up. Although when I move it I need to get to the second floor to adjust the outriggers and that makes me nervous.

Not going up the ladder again!

Here it is:

 

[Flyfisher]

I would echo malcolm's comments about outriggers. Being a tad nervous about these things is a very good trait in my book as it tends to focus the mind, possibly to the point of over-engineering things, but that's not bad thing when safety is concerned. I have enough scaffold tower sections to reach well above gutter level but I wouldn't climb it without plenty of outriggers.

Fortunately, I've also accumulated a reasonable amount of scaffolding poles and fittings and on the two occasions I've built a high tower I've also used scaffold poles as outriggers and also as diagonal braces on two sides of the tower sections. The extra rigidity added by these poles is very noticeable - in fact it's the difference between me being willing to climb it or not.

 

[Feltwell]

I'm ok with heights but absolutely agree on the outriggers, the one I linked to is only supported at the bottom really which isn't ideal. Malcolm's tower looks great but it's not cheap.

A compromise might be to not have the high outriggers but to put some scaffolding fixings permanently on my house - like these, where you leave a section permanently in the wall and screw the eyes in as you need them. I could use them either side of the tower and put a ratchet strap round to hold the tower to the house, and make a stand-off bracket from a few bits of wood.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/m16-scaffolding-eye-kit/31670

 

[davidbrac]

I bought a Zarges Speedy 5003T 80 Tower from axminster a few months ago. With the stabilisers its good for one person or two, one each on different platforms. Its versatile enough to be used inside. The only drawback is that the wheels are fixed hight so if the ground is uneven you need to make some levellers.

As well as using the stabilisers at 7 meters l tied the tower off to four fixed places. However it was still cheek clenching when the wind picked up.

Best thing is l have this now and it will last a lifetime.

The photos are of the scaffolding being used as part of a rig that l used to get up to the velux from the half landing. Also used in this setup was two platers trellis and six scaffold boards

 

[eezageeza]

I bought a cheap (new) tower off an ebay trader a few years ago; frankly its a bit wobbly, but I get around this by screwing substantial metal eyes into the house walls, and lashing the tower to them. As long as you can remember your boy scout knots, and get them good and tight, it's pretty sturdy.

 

[c r]

Hi Feltwell

Thats a big height with a tower. Have you considered system scaffold? I've used it before and am looking to buy some for myself soon, rather than a tower (which I was originally considering). The two types are the cuplock (galvanised) variants, and kwikstage (yellow painted steel)

Its quite quick to put up and can be properly tied into the building with basic scaffold fixings, something you suggested doing anyway, sounds a wise idea. I'd really want the security of at least one tie if going up to 7m by whatever means...& can use long scaffold poles as outriggers, attach with standard scaffold swivel fitting

Even the more expensive cuplock type should work out cheaper than a quality 7m tower and is more versatile in terms of other possible configuration options in other situations, but most importantly, its just stiffer and safer in my view than a tower. Theres no heavy trapdoor platform to lug up there either, just standard 8ft scaffold boards. Once the base is levelled and secured, the rest goes up straightforwardly as high as you want.

Well, just a thought- good luck

 

[Keithj]

I looked into a cherry-picker (a little one), which would be very flexible and very handy.
Then I saw the price!

 

[88v8]

Whether bamboo or metal, I'd tie it to the wall with solid brass screw-eyes.
Outriggers are fine while it's being erected. Assuming you have room to deploy them.

Ivor

 

[Feltwell]

Hi Feltwell

Thats a big height with a tower. Have you considered system scaffold?

I think you might have a good point there cr. I've got some awkward places to get to, where system scaffold could be more versatile than a tower. Kwikstage seems a reasonable option - not pretty, it's always rusty secondhand, and I guess it's perceived complexity makes it less attractive to the average DIY'r than a tower.

I'll have a look and see what job lots I can see on Ebay - there's a farm not too far from here where it looks like he deals in used Kwikstage, if I can pick up a batch cheap off Ebay and then topup what extra bits I need from the dealer that could work out quite well. Thanks for the thought.

 

[Penners]

Acrophobia is, to me, a very sensible response to a highly dangerous situation. Last year I helped my son-in-law to install an attic room window a mere 7 metres above the ground. He hired a tower for this job which looked good and sturdy and had some decent bracers. However, the thing still had a nasty wobble to it as you moved around on top - principally due to the fact that the sections couldn't be tightly clamped together; they were just a push-fit.

Personally, I think I would much rather climb properly assembled scaffolding.

 

[kreyszig]

You could always hire the roofer I used to replace a couple of valleys back in December. he's yet to completely finish and I have had half the house scaffolded at a 6m platform height since!

Seriously though, that's a pretty amazing price (first post) for access that height. The DIY alu ones i've seen all head north of 1K once you get past 5m platform height. 250kg sounds pretty substantial too.

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Feltwell,

I'd shop around for better hire prices - my local place does towers for quite a lot less than that. The advantage of hiring is that you don't have to store the thing when it's not in use - and with a 7m tower there's a lot of components.

One of the best things I did was to go on a PASMA tower scaffold one day course. A really good intro to using towers, and a chance to watch pro's putting them up andhave a go yourself. I'm often been alarmed by some of the tower scaffold antics I've seen on sites. People thing 'anybody can put up a tower' but doing it safely and reliably is another thing. Take no chances when working at those sort of heights.

A