eandg Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Has anyone ever used their scaffold towers? I had a DIY version delivered which our joiners refused to open suggesting the cheap versions are rubbish but considering purchasing one of their industrial versions: https://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/3T-Industrial-Scaffold-Towers.html or https://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/8-Rung-Industrial-Towers.html. Costs for scaffold tower hire by the time we're finished will likely be comparable with buying one outright but given previous experience I'm a bit dubious as to whether it'll do the job - initially need to support window fitters but thereafter to be used alongside a panel lifter for fixing insulation and plasterboard, then to work off for tape and filling, painting etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 There are very skinny ones, dependant on bolt connections, that are OK for occasionl DIY. ie better than a ladder, once up on them. But I wouldn't want to be high or use regularly. There appear to be intermediate qualities that snap together, but may be a bit wobbly. Can't comment further. Then there are proper ones. Use these for a substantial project and make sure to have the stabilisers. Wheels worth the extra too. You should be able to get half your money back by selling on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eandg Posted January 4, 2023 Author Share Posted January 4, 2023 2 minutes ago, saveasteading said: There are very skinny ones, dependant on bolt connections, that are OK for occasionl DIY. ie better than a ladder, once up on them. But I wouldn't want to be high or use regularly. There appear to be intermediate qualities that snap together, but may be a bit wobbly. Can't comment further. Then there are proper ones. Use these for a substantial project and make sure to have the stabilisers. Wheels worth the extra too. You should be able to get half your money back by selling on. That seems to be the case - just wondering if anyone has experience of these 'industrial' versions as the branded equivalents are about two or three times the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 4 minutes ago, saveasteading said: Then there are proper ones. Use these for a substantial project and make sure to have the stabilisers. Wheels worth the extra too. You should be able to get half your money back by selling on. can you link to or give an indication as to what 'proper ones' actually means? i'll need a tower for working on our vaulted ceilings as well as maintenance down the line like cleaning gutters etc but, like @eandg i'm struggling to know what a proper and decent tower actually is and who makes them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eandg Posted January 4, 2023 Author Share Posted January 4, 2023 Just now, Thorfun said: can you link to or give an indication as to what 'proper ones' actually means? i'll need a tower for working on our vaulted ceilings as well as maintenance down the line like cleaning gutters etc but, like @eandg i'm struggling to know what a proper and decent tower actually is and who makes them. Boss Youngman version here costing 125% more for the equivalent 7.2m towers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 3 minutes ago, eandg said: Boss Youngman version here costing 125% more for the equivalent 7.2m towers. "You can rely on the Boss Scaffold Tower to provide a safe and sturdy platform. With a maximum load of 275kg, it can manage impressive loads without compromise. It’s certified to BSEN1004:2004 standards, which tells you that it can be relied upon in a wide range of work environments. " so when looking for a tower it's the max load and BS standards that we're looking for and that makes it proper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 34 minutes ago, eandg said: https://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/8-Rung-Industrial-Towers.html. this one seems to have the same specifications as the Boss Youngman one you linked to! so could one say that they're equivalent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twice round the block Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 9 minutes ago, Thorfun said: this one seems to have the same specifications as the Boss Youngman one you linked to! so could one say that they're equivalent? The one shown in the photo is a 4 x 8 version, judging by the drop down menu at the bottom of the page. The prices quoted are nearly the same as a Boss one and a secondhand Boss one will always hold its price and be easy to resell. I've got a steel 5x5 one ok outdoors to 3m when we'll supported, very good indoors on solid flat surface with wheels on to drag it around upto 5m. All depends on how comfortable and secure you feel at working at height on them. It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the bottom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 For the price of those towers, you could get a load of second hand KwikStage and use that. That's what I used. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eandg Posted January 4, 2023 Author Share Posted January 4, 2023 I'm not sure if I'm looking in the wrong places but not finding anything second hand on eBay or gumtree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 14 minutes ago, eandg said: I'm not sure if I'm looking in the wrong places but not finding anything second hand on eBay or gumtree. Not looking very hard? This would make a good tower, you might want some more boards if you want an intermediate platform, and a set of wheels if you want it to be mobile. A lot more sturdy than some of those DIY towers discussed and for less money. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113283387488?hash=item1a60375060:g:C04AAOSwxCxT91~0&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoI0EPLXtRA09x%2BqzQLCYg9guHwi4YYGZijbYpv84s5aRZBj2UHM95anc4GScfGRf24nXBr%2FnolHF2H3MX6afHzE9U6CRfETyM4UbFYOJynTF66ivk1m0lf%2FdBqCxLjCnw2dasDGmsv2wNIX6ZLqmbi9RUOTnHOTyxw3d4QVfexSRZ%2B2TowdW6Z1AVDpz5fJPtH4g6zgm9Olj9CHcEvYHXNk%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR4Cl2s2vYQ I bought a load more than that, and as I could not find any local to me I hired a 7.5t flat bed and went and collected it from England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eandg Posted January 4, 2023 Author Share Posted January 4, 2023 Lewis looks a more robust alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eandg Posted January 4, 2023 Author Share Posted January 4, 2023 Just now, ProDave said: Not looking very hard? This would make a good tower, you might want some more boards if you want an intermediate platform, and a set of wheels if you want it to be mobile. A lot more sturdy than some of those DIY towers discussed and for less money. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113283387488?hash=item1a60375060:g:C04AAOSwxCxT91~0&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoI0EPLXtRA09x%2BqzQLCYg9guHwi4YYGZijbYpv84s5aRZBj2UHM95anc4GScfGRf24nXBr%2FnolHF2H3MX6afHzE9U6CRfETyM4UbFYOJynTF66ivk1m0lf%2FdBqCxLjCnw2dasDGmsv2wNIX6ZLqmbi9RUOTnHOTyxw3d4QVfexSRZ%2B2TowdW6Z1AVDpz5fJPtH4g6zgm9Olj9CHcEvYHXNk%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR4Cl2s2vYQ I bought a load more than that, and as I could not find any local to me I hired a 7.5t flat bed and went and collected it from England. I've searched locally too - and should have said I don't have access to a van or a day to travel to England for it. By the time you price your time, van hire and fuel then it certainly adds up on. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 I have this one. Really got no complaints about it at all. Just make sure only one person in it at a time. Not a strength issue, just that if there is a wobble, two people trying to correct it makes it worse. https://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/Home-Master-DIY-Scaffold-Towers.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 We got ours from BPS. The "trade" version i think. To me they are just like thr bigger brands. They have been assembled many times and are holding up well and no problem getting people to use them. On ProDave's advice i looked for second hand but there was none around in the area. Be aware of the description of height. "Working height" is where you can use your hands...well above the actual height. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 i presume the 'tall' towers come in sections so you can have height's UP TO the max platform height? it does look that way from the pictures but thought i'd ask. and, if so, anyone know what height each section is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 I'd have to check. The sections are about 1m high and snap into each other, as few as you like. The platform then snaps into any spars at thd nearest height for your purposes. We subsequently needed extra height, and it was better value to buy an extra tower than the fewer parts. We also bought a platform, with steps. Very handy for moving around to work at about ceiling height. For extensive work area, timber frame and roofing, we hired a big kwikstage from a scaffold company. From memory, scaffold towers are hired at 50% discount, and about 20 weeks = buying price, and they charge a lot for damage or loss. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 45 minutes ago, saveasteading said: I'd have to check. The sections are about 1m high and snap into each other, as few as you like. The platform then snaps into any spars at thd nearest height for your purposes. We subsequently needed extra height, and it was better value to buy an extra tower than the fewer parts. We also bought a platform, with steps. Very handy for moving around to work at about ceiling height. For extensive work area, timber frame and roofing, we hired a big kwikstage from a scaffold company. From memory, scaffold towers are hired at 50% discount, and about 20 weeks = buying price, and they charge a lot for damage or loss. just a quick Google and using Jewson as i have an account there and get a reasonable discount on hire. this tower https://www.jewson.co.uk/p/double-width-alloy-tower-2-5m-x-1-35m-x-6-05m-JTH1709L would cost me approx £140/week inc VAT. similar sized and labelled 'Industrial' at BPS would cost approx £1920 inc VAT. so if we presume you could sell it for half what you paid for it, let's say £950 then we're looking at breaking even if hiring for approx 7 weeks. the only thing to also take into account is the hassle of having to phone up and have it delivered every time you needed it whereas if bought it could be left on-site in a shed/garage and used as and when you want. realistically you probably wouldn't need it for a total of 49 days but it seems that Jewson only hire these for minimum 1 week period so you'd have to hire for the week even if you wanted it for a day. so that's only 7 uses over it's lifetime. i think i'll probably end up buying one nearer the time i need it but will re-asses nearer that time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 1 hour ago, Thorfun said: i'll probably end up buying one nearer the time i need it If you have it there, you will probably use it more, and be less on ladders. Plus if you hire it you tend to lose the first and last days. My biggest issue with hiring towers (which does NOT apply to all hirers) was extras. A certain well-known hirer of scaffolds were always charging us for damage and missing parts. The site workers signed anything put to them so I couldn't do anything , but be suspicious. Then one day I was on site and 'helped' load the lorry and checked all parts were there. We still got charged for some missing parts. So I made a big fuss and got these and some previous 'debatables' reimbursed. And never used them again. I am pretty sure that the drivers diverted components until they had a tower, then sold it. Not suspicious but the same principle is with heras type barriers. There is always damage, and always missing feet, and it is charged for perfectly fairly. So add that risk and cost to any decision to hire or buy. Paint on equipment is also charged for, even when they don't clean it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Twelve years I bought a 5.1m scaffold tower for our build. Looking at Toolstation it has doubled in price since then. It was very useful for the build and I've still got it. https://www.toolstation.com/tb-davies-speedy-scaffold-tower/p71482 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 12 minutes ago, Gone West said: Twelve years I bought a 5.1m scaffold tower for our build. Looking at Toolstation it has doubled in price since then. It was very useful for the build and I've still got it. https://www.toolstation.com/tb-davies-speedy-scaffold-tower/p71482 at that price those BPS towers look an absolute bargain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 29 minutes ago, Gone West said: Toolstation it has doubled in price since Don't assume they or SF are the best price for anything. Convenience (and sometimes stocks) yes. If you do get a tower, you will recognise that it is a good balance of sturdiness and weight, There is a lot of aluminium therein. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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