Buying An Aluminium Scaffold Tower

[roadrunner45]

Hello,

I am planning to buy a aluminium scaffold tower for replacing gutters and painting the outside of my house and other DIY projects and thought it would be a good investment to buy a tower.

Has anyone got any advice for me with buying a aluminium scaffold tower which is a decent make but not over expensive, I would like some adjustability in the feet to cope with any uneven ground?

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Ollie78]

Depends on how big you need to go.
I bought one years ago and it has been very useful indeed, more often than I had expected.
Mine is a Loyal brand tower, its a "domestic" version 5m ( meaning the platform is at 3m giving 5m reach) . It is great because it is slim enough to fit in awkward places but tall enough to be useful. Strictly one man only.
It has a proper deck with a hatch.
I have the wheel kit and the outrigger extensions which I would recommend.
The wheel kit means you can adjust for uneven surfaces and the outriggers give it more stability.
I would say it is good quality and easy to assemble, still fine after at least 8 years.

Ollie

 

[Tris]

If you are not in a rush, and aluminium isn't essential then look out for a second hand Henchman platform.
The higher version puts the 7½ ft long platform at 10ft, and with outriggers it's stable enough for me to use a long reach hedge cutter at full stretch without feeling unsafe. As an added bonus it has two wheelbarrow sized wheels, a decent handle and adjustable legs.

If you want ally and new I'd be tempted to take a look at Machine Mart, theirs look budget friendly and you can add extender packs if needed. You also get a physical shop to go back to if there are any issues

 

[Jacob]

I got mine from Scaffold Towers UK | British Scaffold Tower Manufacturer
They were appallingly bad at delivery and took weeks instead of next day.
It was some years ago, they may have improved since!
The quality was fine though there are others which are a bit better - mainly the quality of the catches on the ends of the braces and the hatches on the decks.
Previously had steel; the ali ones are vastly superior and easier to rig, well worth the extra money.
Adjustable feet via the wheel kit which winds up and down quite a long way. The wheels lock solidly. Very useful if you have a smooth surface or a few scaffold boards and can move the whole thing around without dismantling.
A lot of different makes components are standard size and interchangeable.
PS I'm selling mine shortly if anybody is interested.

 

[paulrbarnard]

This is something I’ve always hankered after. How level does the ground have to be in practice?

 

[Ollie78]

This is something I’ve always hankered after. How level does the ground have to be in practice?

The wheels on mine will wind out at least 400mm, the wheels probably weigh more than the rest of the tower.

Ollie

 

[Jacob]

This is something I’ve always hankered after. How level does the ground have to be in practice?

Highly adaptable. Have it set up here over a wall with different levels. Wheels one end, old mattress the other, on top of lean to roof.

 

[paulrbarnard]

The wheels on mine will wind out at least 400mm, the wheels probably weigh more than the rest of the tower.

Ollie

That would work for my place. Perhaps I will scratch the itch.

 

[Ollie78]

That would work for my place. Perhaps I will scratch the itch.

You can also offset the two sides for a really sloping situation.

Ollie

 

[Jacob]

You can also offset the two sides for a really sloping situation.

Ollie

Just have to make sure the wheels are locked and standing on a block or something, otherwise you could have a difficult balancing act as it careers off down the slope!

 

[Ollie78]

Just have to make sure the wheels are locked and standing on a block or something, otherwise you could have a difficult balancing act as it careered off down the slope!

Er... yes ..... no health and safety advice given or implied.
I was more thinking a staircase type situation or uneven garden path rather than an actual ski slope. Though the brakes are actually excellent.

Ollie

 

[Jacob]

Also if you want to move the tower around it might help to have some scaffold boards to push it along, over soft ground etc.

 

[Jameshow]

Who needs a tower - Fred dimnah didn't!!
Mad as a hatter!!

 

[Dave Moore]

Hello,

I am planning to buy a aluminium scaffold tower for replacing gutters and painting the outside of my house and other DIY projects and thought it would be a good investment to buy a tower.

Has anyone got any advice for me with buying a aluminium scaffold tower which is a decent make but not over expensive, I would like some adjustability in the feet to cope with any uneven ground?

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks.

Within industry you need outriggers above 2 mtrs(so after the first 2mtr section), of course for home use it wouldn’t be necessary under regulations but obviously it’s for a reason. Easy fix towers at any reasonable height will have some flex in them so I suggest you ensure you have outriggers, only climb up the centre and where possible tie the scaffold at the top when in use. Just a tip when erecting, when putting first pieces up take a horizoctal cross piece and fit it temporarily sideways then fit the other end piece to join the two. This holds itself so you can fit them other tubes and diagonals. When you have enough tubes to hold it all together then move the original cross piece to the correct position looking down.
regards,
Dave

 

[ian33a]

I'll be looking for one later this year as I have gutters and facia boards to look at as well as lime pointing and some painting.

I have my eye on something like this

https://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/Trade-Master-Professional-Scaffold-Towers.html
It's pretty pricey but I figure that I'll need it for quite some time so it should pay for itself.

I've bought stuff from this company before and it's been fine

 

[DiyAddict]

I bought a Youngman Minimax tower, which I'm very pleased with. You will definitely need at least two outriggers, and the adjustable wheels pack. A bit more expensive than the generic scaffolds, but has the advantage that it's sought-after, and you'll be able to sell it for almost as much as you paid for it.

 

[jim1950]

Hello,

I am planning to buy a aluminium scaffold tower for replacing gutters and painting the outside of my house and other DIY projects and thought it would be a good investment to buy a tower.

Has anyone got any advice for me with buying a aluminium scaffold tower which is a decent make but not over expensive, I would like some adjustability in the feet to cope with any uneven ground?

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi I'm going to be selling my Ali tower very soon, its used but a lot of it.
I'm in Kent at Folkestone if thats any good I'm sure we could have a deal.
Jim

 

[MikeJhn]

Picture shows a Yongman aluminium tower really the RR of towers, but have to say the internal ladder is difficult to climb, hence the external ladder.

 

[White_vinyl]

I purchased an indoor domestic stair scaffold from Landsford.

Lansford Access Ltd

I was very happy with their service, and the price for what I wanted was easily the best. Can't comment on the larger external scaffold, but they were always helpful when I called them

 

[roadrunner45]

I got mine from Scaffold Towers UK | British Scaffold Tower Manufacturer
They were appallingly bad at delivery and took weeks instead of next day.
It was some years ago, they may have improved since!
The quality was fine though there are others which are a bit better - mainly the quality of the catches on the ends of the braces and the hatches on the decks.
Previously had steel; the ali ones are vastly superior and easier to rig, well worth the extra money.
Adjustable feet via the wheel kit which winds up and down quite a long way. The wheels lock solidly. Very useful if you have a smooth surface or a few scaffold boards and can move the whole thing around without dismantling.
A lot of different makes components are standard size and interchangeable.
PS I'm selling mine shortly if anybody is interested.

Thanks for the details , I have looked at the website and the quality looks good to me and reasonable price , my only concern is the delivery you mentioned even though that was a while ago.
Has anyone used the company ‘Lewis Scaffold Towers’ recently to give me an update on the delivery and quality?
Thanks.