Whether cleaning out your gutters or undertaking a large DIY project a scaffold tower is a cost effective and safe alternative to traditional scaffolding. For any construction or repair project that involves working at height, the scaffold tower will come into its own, particularly as they are within the budget of the average householder. Safety should be of utmost importance and the scaffold tower should be erected and checked by someone experienced in the use of such structures.
The difference between a scaffold tower and traditional scaffolding is that scaffold towers are mobile, and usually on castors, allowing it to be moved from place to place which can come in very useful if doing a job which covers a large area. Traditional scaffolding is notoriously difficult to place level and balanced and is awkward to erect – certainly it would be very difficult to do so on your own. Scaffolding towers are however due to their mobility extremely easy to place and balance, particularly those constructed of aluminium.
There are many different types of scaffold tower available on the market and if you are inexperienced, choosing the right one can be quite a task, as can the decision whether to rent or buy. Buying a cheaper type of tower may seem to save money in the short term but if you feel that you are going to be using it a lot then you may be better off going for a slightly more well made, expensive one. It is rather like the choice between a Ford or an Audi!
The most common type of scaffold tower used for smaller jobs is the aluminium one. This is probably because it is lighter and hence easier for one person to erect and dismantle by themselves. Steel scaffolding towers are extremely cumbersome and heavy and often take several people to erect. They are also obviously slightly stronger than their aluminium cousins and are used for heavier and industrial work. A disadvantage though is they are not easily movable and have to be dismantled and erected every time they need to change position. If you are a householder looking to do some work on your own house then the aluminium scaffold tower is probably your best bet.
Are you planning to work inside or outside? The reason why this has a bearing on your decision is that those working outdoors will need a scaffold tower of sturdier construction than those working inside where there’s no wind and the floor is likely to be more level. The next dilemma is – folding or standard scaffold towers? The obvious advantage of the folding scaffold tower is that it can be stored away neatly and unobtrusively in your garage or outbuildings., whilst standard scaffolding, although not folding, can be stacked tidily if you have a lot of scaffolding. Once you have made your decision you can finally get your job done.
