Folded tray in an awkward place!

[Phill Fenton]

Nice one Andy.

And I bet you fitted that yourself without any help 😀

Me – I’d’ve used a ladder to get onto the canopy – with a set of step ladders on the canopy to fit the sign

[Peter Normington]

£130 a day last time I had an all terrain like that andy, but it was hired from a company on the same estate that the sign was fitted in. They normally have a delivery charge, which is why I think you had to cough up 3 ton?

I use smartplatformrentals, for self drive access, about the same price (£130per day)but as its self drive, no delivery charges.

Peter

[Kevin Flowers]

Andy
looked at hiring one to put a banner up for the local Radio station £300 to hire and all but the same to have it delivered & picked up. which came out more than the cost of the banner. Job never got done

Kev

[Harry Cleary]

Nice job Andy……300 sterling!! 150 yo yos here and less if you take it for longer than a day.

[John Childs]

I know a man who owns one of those cherry pickers, so it costs me nothing like what you paid Andy. 😀

I’ve got one to erect soon that worries me a bit. Similar height to yours, but the ground is soft and falls away steeply. I reckon scaffolding is the only way to do it safely

[Andy Gorman]

My original intention was to scissor lift the sign onto the canopy and then stand on the canopy to fix. I did a quick checky on the canopy and decided I’d rather not die this week. The landlord’s words were "don’t p1ss about when it comes to safety" whereupon he agreed to pay for a cherry picker.

I admit, for once I got a lad to help me. It was a bit blustery.

[Peter Normington]

Here’s a little tip to pay for the hire,
once the sign is fitted, move the platform away, extend it to the full height, and take a picture of the premises. Then about a week later, ask the client if they would like a big printed copy installed in the reception area….

Peter

[Peter Normington]

quote John Childs:

I know a man who owns one of those cherry pickers, so it costs me nothing like what you paid Andy. 😀

I’ve got one to erect soon that worries me a bit. Similar height to yours, but the ground is soft and falls away steeply. I reckon scaffolding is the only way to do it safely

Thats what the all terain pickers are meant for John, scaffolding is a pain.

sod climbing up and down ladders,

Peter

[Andy Gorman]

That’s a bloody good idea Peter. In fact, there is a bloke locally who does that for a living. He sells framed pictures of premises and also does aerial photography for commercial estate agents.

Too late to tell me your idea now though. 🙄

[Andy Gorman]

Scaffolding is cheaper though, even if you get it built by the supplier. The good thing about these cherries is the reach. The one I had was only a baby one but it had a reach of 25 feet at a height of 40. They do have levelling abilities but I wouldn’t like to test it on too steep a gradient.

[Harry Cleary]

quote Peter Normington:

Here’s a little tip to pay for the hire,
once the sign is fitted, move the platform away, extend it to the full height, and take a picture of the premises. Then about a week later, ask the client if they would like a big printed copy installed in the reception area….

Peter

Nice one Peter!!

[John Childs]

quote Peter Normington:

Thats what the all terain pickers are meant for John, scaffolding is a pain.

I hear you Peter, but this sign is thirty feet up, plus another thirty feet to the bottom of the slope. Also, the ground down there is so soft I think even an all terrain cherry picker would struggle.

An ex fire brigade turntable ladder would be big enough, except that you couldn’t get it into the field. Anything with the height and reach would be too heavy, unless maybe it was tracked.

[Peter Normington]

quote Andy Gorman:

Scaffolding is cheaper though, even if you get it built by the supplier. The good thing about these cherries is the reach. The one I had was only a baby one but it had a reach of 25 feet at a height of 40. They do have levelling abilities but I wouldn’t like to test it on too steep a gradient.

Andy,/ John I must disagree, scaffold is only cheaper for long term and complete multiple user access, for sign installation, a cherry picker/access platform is far cheaper and quicker, any new retail park in build, will have hardly any scaffold, but a number of various types of access platforms, scaffold is actually used less and less nowadays

Peter

[Peter Normington]

quote John Childs:

quote Peter Normington:

Thats what the all terain pickers are meant for John, scaffolding is a pain.

I hear you Peter, but this sign is thirty feet up, plus another thirty feet to the bottom of the slope. Also, the ground down there is so soft I think even an all terrain cherry picker would struggle.

An ex fire brigade turntable ladder would be big enough, except that you couldn’t get it into the field. Anything with the height and reach would be too heavy, unless maybe it was tracked.

So how do you think you could erect scafold on the soft ground. without it sinking John?

Peter

[Peter Normington]

John, all terrain access platforms have a very low ground pressure, similar to tracked vehicles, are very stable and idiot proof, trust me I am one

Peter

[Andy Gorman]

Well it depends dunnit? I can hire 5 metres of 8′ x 4′ ali tower for about 45 quids. Ok it will take an hour to erect but that’s a big old saving. Lifters and platforms are certainly easier to use but they can’t go everywhere and they are bleedin expensive.

Anyway John, if the ground is that soft use a ladder. At least it won’t hurt when you hit the ground!

[John Childs]

quote Peter Normington:

any new retail park in build, will have hardly any scaffold, but a number of various types of access platforms,

I agree Peter, but a retail park with have fairly level, fairly firm ground to work from. Not something we have in our case.

[Peter Normington]

quote Andy Gorman:

Well it depends dunnit? I can hire 5 metres of 8′ x 4′ ali tower for about 45 quids. Ok it will take an hour to erect but that’s a big old saving. Lifters and platforms are certainly easier to use but they can’t go everywhere and they are bleedin expensive.

Anyway John, if the ground is that soft use a ladder. At least it won’t hurt when you hit the ground!

OK hour to erect(although my erections are quicker) hour to take down, say an hour to collect and deliver, we are now on equal grounds with £130 for a cherry picker, plus with a cherry picker no need to keep going up and down ladders and moving the tower, if the sign is more than 6 foot wide

[John Childs]

quote Peter Normington:

So how do you think you could erect scafold on the soft ground. without it sinking John?

That’s easy. Lots of horizontal members at ground level to spread the load.

The cherry picker we borrow has four tons of concrete in the bottom plus it’s own weight, another ton, and runs on four wheels. That’s a ton and a quarter at each corner.

[Andy Gorman]

£130 is alright for you lot down there with access platform companies coming out of your ears, I paid 300 plus vat! Bear in mind, me and John are in Northamptonshire where the only equipment readily available is bamboo scaffolding and some string.

[Martin Pearson]

Not sure about cherry picker prices round this way but scaffold hire would be about £45 for the day, for an extra £60 – £70 I can have them deliver and erect it and take it down when I have finished.

[Peter Normington]

quote John Childs:

quote Peter Normington:

So how do you think you could erect scafold on the soft ground. without it sinking John?

That’s easy. Lots of horizontal members at ground level to spread the load.

The cherry picker we borrow has four tons of concrete in the bottom plus it’s own weight, another ton, and runs on four wheels. That’s a ton and a quarter at each corner.

John, it will work out far cheaper to hire an all terrain cherry picker, and you do know it, ground pressure is the key, hire an access platform, go in and do it, end of story.

one man required to drive and fit the sign one to watch out for health and safety inspectors, far quicker than scaffolders,

Peter

[Peter Normington]

quote martin:

Not sure about cherry picker prices round this way but scaffold hire would be about £45 for the day, for an extra £60 – £70 I can have them deliver and erect it and take it down when I have finished.

But you cannot erect scaffolding unless you have the certificate? so again, I think cherry picker best and overall cheapest option?

peter

[John Childs]

quote Peter Normington:

John, it will work out far cheaper to hire an all terrain cherry picker, and you do know it, ground pressure is the key, hire an access platform, go in and do it, end of story.

I agree, although cost is not an issue (the customer is paying for it) I know a cherry picker would be easier and if I thought it was viable, I would do it like a shot. I just don’t consider it to be a safe option in this particular location.

Also, all this talk of towers is immaterial to me. There is nowhere to stand it. It’s got to be proper scaffolding.

We are going to get scaffolders in to erect it where we want it the day before, bowl up and do the job in about an hour, then bog off home.

Fast, fun and fumble free. 😀

[Martin Pearson]

Peter, I have a certificate to erect scaffolding but I don’t need it, if I get the company to deliver and erect it they do it properly, I turn up to fit the sign and it is already in place and suitably tagged.

[Peter Normington]

whatever is best for you John, but if you can do the same job, and quicker with a picker , (sorry for the rhyme) then your margins will be higher,

Peter

[Hugh Potter]

you get all the fun job Andy ! nice work !

Hugh

[Gavin MacMillan]

Aluminium tower scaffold is the key. Lives in the van and can be flung up in 20mins max (an hour? not once you use it regularly!) You DON’T need a cert to use unless on a site that stipulates that you do. If the sign is longer then yes you have to move it. Personally I can cope with climbing down taking of the brakes and pushing, it’s not actually that difficult or time consuming.

Reach is the key and the only time a cherry picker is essential, if it’s not essential why pay more?

G

(not trying to be controversial… honest!)

[Robert Lambie]

hi andy
£130 – £150 is normal for that size of rough torrain cherry picker mate.
always go for rough torrain if you can help it as sensors drive you crazy on the small CP’s.
Delivery and pick-up is about £50 each way, so the total is about £250+vat it "is" expensive when you have to bump it onto the top of a signs cost but as H&S stipulate so much these days its getting easier to convince the customer this is an unavoidable cost.
the thing is, "you might find" that what you have paid for is a "2 day or 3 day hire, some times even a week" as more and more companies try to compete with pricing, instead of dropping the price, they have a minimum charge but offer it for longer. they dont always tell you this unless you grunt at the quoted price, then out comes the, "but do you know this if for 3 days?" it annoys me as i know fine i try and cram any fittings i do down south into one day for each depot.

scaffold is an option yes, but i think its a pain in rear to work on and far more dangerous than the CP. i have used towers for years all over the UK and ill complain about being asked to use one. slow to erect and dismantle is only two time losing issues… working on them for a full day is also tiring, slow and can be dangerous.