Working Platforms

[Rick Arch]

I've done a search on this forum for 'working platforms' and was surprised not to find anything on them. Has this already been discussed somewhere? Am I right that it could quite easily be near enough the same price to buy a working platform than to hire scaffolding?

Does anyone have any experience and recommendations on practical, safe, preferably under £1000 working platforms? It needs to be easy for one person to assemble.

Rich

 

[foxhole]

Working platform - rather vague description , care to elaborate?

 

[Rick Arch]

Ah yes, perhaps it would help if I got the name right. A better name might be scafolding tower. One of these:- https://www.machinemart.co.uk/c/scaffolds-access-equipment-and-accessories/

Don't appear to be able to edit the thread title. Would it be best if I started another thread with correct title?

 

[Mottie]

Am I right that it could quite easily be near enough the same price to buy a working platform than to hire scaffolding?

You’re probably right and if it’s just for yourself to use, I'd say go for it. I was quoted £600 for British Gas to supply a tower for one of their blokes to be up it for 10 minutes to fit a flue trim. I did mention on here about hiring or buying one but if course I got shot down by all the jobsworths on here who asked whether I was 'qualified' to erect one. It’s a poxy little course anyway and as I said, if it’s just for you to use you’d be better off buying it, using it and flogging it afterwards unless you have more use for it.

 

[Rick Arch]

I did mention on here about hiring or buying one but if course I got shot down by all the jobsworths on here who asked whether I was 'qualified' to erect one. It’s a poxy little course anyway and as I said, if it’s just for you to use you’d be better off buying it, using it and flogging it afterwards unless you have more use for it.

The ones I am thinking of buying are the ones for DIYers and they are usually advertised as being easy to erect yourself, videos show it being done by one person. I'm sure such a thing would come in usefull in the future, especially as I have wooden windows, but I'm concerned about safety and what the ones under £1000 are like.

 

[Tigercubrider]

I use a proper tower at work and have a PASMA card etc
But I have a steel diy tower at home
It is very rickety by comparison and no way would I use it. Professionally

Same with ladders. I use zargees ladders at work but a mate gave me his dad's old diy alli ladder which is terrifying compared to a trade ladder

 

[Rick Arch]

Sorry so late replying. Thanks Tiger. It would be interesting to know which one your unstable DIY tower was.

I looked up Zarges products and their web site does not appear to give prices, or they are difficult to find. When prices are difficult to find I think that usually means 'If you need to ask you can't afford it'. It seems to me that possibly the main reason the expensive towers are more stable is because they have more stabalising cross members. I wonder could I add more stabalising brackets myself? How difficult would that be? It would make the guarantee void but I think I'd rather have a more stable working platform.

The lack of replies to this thread seems to imply that most DIYers don't buy scaffolding towers so I presume that means they either use ladders or hire scaffolding. I'd like to know the reason why folks don't buy these towers. Is it the storage requirement? Is it that they don't think they would get much use out of one? It seems cost effective to me, or am I missing something? I don't like ladders, they give me the willies.

Rich

 

[dannymassive]

I have a "First 5" tower, which despite it's name it is not 5 metres tall! It gives you reachable access to 5m, of course depending on how tall you are, with a platform height of just under 3m. It does have a slight wobble, but that is to be expected with such a light platform. As a DIY'er I am quite happy to use it, but I wouldn't want to be up it day in, day out. I can vouch for its workload capacity as I have recently installed a velux window with myself and one other standing on the platform and it was perfect for the job. Here's a link to the tower on the Machine Mart Website : https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/first-5-presto-diy-aluminium-tower/ I didn't buy it from there, but have linked to their website becuase that is where you have linked to in the thread above.

Also worth noting, is as per video's on youtube, it is really easy to put together and dismantle. Hope that helps

 

[Lower]

Second hand ali towers come up for sale on ebay and ex hire auction sites quite regularly. They are not difficult assemble but it is worth doing a PASMA course to learn how to use one safely.

Depending on how long you intend to leave it erected, it might be cheaper to buy than to hire. We pay around £120/week. I would imagine that DIYers usually don't bother because they need a reasonable amount of space to store.

 

[^woody^]

I'd like to know the reason why folks don't buy these towers

Because they are crap and wobble all over the place

 

[23vc]

Because they are crap and wobble all over the place

+Because most of the work I do needs access to a wider area than a tower, and proper scaffold gives you a big safe area.
And as woody says once you get up to a decent height, the tower can get a bit scary.
Re. Buying my own I’ve considered getting one of those H section towers but not seen one come up cheap on eBay.

 

[bobsuerita]

good video here on erecting them

 

[Mottie]

At least one of them is wearing a safety helmet? That’ll help his head when he falls 400ft to the ground!

 

[Rick Arch]

Thanks Danny, that does help. One of the towers I've got my eye on is the First 5 Presto but with the extension. Even if I don't use the extra height I'd feel better with the stabalisers you get with the extension. I feel sure it would be easy enough to add extra bracing ourselves, after all, we are DIYers are we not?

They are not difficult assemble but it is worth doing a PASMA course to learn how to use one safely.

I've looked it up and found some local courses. I'll enquire.

Because they are crap and wobble all over the place

Don't mince words Woody, say what you mean

23vc - thanks for your input.

Bobsuerita - excellent, very usefull video, thank you. Yes Motman, glad to see they're wearing helmets. If ever I want my bum to do some serious twitching I know which video to watch.