Suspended Platform

[Dave Olson]

Does anyone have experience using suspended platforms (swing stage). Have 2 large 5-6 story buildings to clean. Can't get a lift in some areas.

Thanks for your time and interest.

Dave Olson

 

[Mike Hughes]

You might want to pick the brain of some window cleaners on this one, Dave.

 

[Zippo]

What's the question or concern?

zippo

 

[Dave Olson]

Hello Zippo,

The question is, does anyone have experience using swing stage (Suspended Platforms)?

Pros, cons, time to set up and move. Is pneumatic better than using 220? Is there a preferred length/width for this type of platform? Best vendor to rent from in the Midwest.

The swing stage that I am considering costs a minimum of $4,000 for a month plus the additional labor of moving and the cost of a crane to set equipment on the roof ($185/hour 4 hour minimum) and then move it from one building to another and of course take it off the building when done! Plus we would need to depend on getting access to the roofs (thru building after hours).

As an alternative we are considering a 150-foot boom lift. Must rent for one-month minimum and including freight it will cost $21,500 plus fuel. Our labor will be less and the job will go faster.

I am attaching a picture of a small area of one of the buildings. Some of the electrical is 64 Kva (power company would have to reroute the power so we could work in this area). Also notice the ground slopes where we would set a boom lift.

Thanks for any comments if you have experience with suspended platforms. The area that we will be doing is the white (not the red) brick.

Dave Olson

 

[Ike]

Hey Dave don't know why a lift would be $21,000 a

month!

We rented an 80 foot lift to clean the windows on a Fed Ex

distribution center from Nations Rent for $1500 a week.

Don't know if you have them up there. I just know it will go a

whole lot faster with a lift than setting up platforms!

Let us know what you used!

Thanks!

Ike

 

[Dave Olson]

Hello Ike,

We can rent a 85 footer for $1,700 per week.

The unit I mentioned is a 150 footer. We need to be able to reach up and over. I will try to post a dimensional data sheet with this post. It is a very large piece of equipment. When the axles are entended it is 18' wide. It weights 58,000 pounds. The freight alone will be around $3,500 to bring it to the job site!

Dave Olson

 

[Ike]

Boy that's a monster!

I bet it's even harder to move and guide around the building!

Especially with those electric wires!

I would go with the suspended platforms for convenience and no

down time from trying to position just right.

Except for building and tear down.

My 9 month daughter just agreed with me!

Let us know what you use Dave!

 

[ARC]

Good luck on that job! If you don't have any luck with window washers, you might want to cinatct painters in your area.
I have never seen anyone wash a 5-story building down here in Florida, but I have seen them painted.

 

[timhays]

around here i have seen some guys repel down with window washing gear seat/basket type thing.
sound like to me that building is going to cost around 65K to wash,what i want to know is why would they pay that?

 

[Mike Hughes]

Thats a monster lift. Several times a year I get to play with 4 x 4 Genie 45 footers, articulating boom.

I especially like the side motion on that 150 footer........quite a distance. But, with those powerlines there, is that unit really feasible? Perhaps use a smaller unit like a 60' for the sides, then something else for the section that has to be done above the red part.

 

[Mike Hughes]

If the roof up there is flat, maybe you can get someone to put a scissor lift up there for you.

 

[Zippo]

Without seeing the entire building or the roof of either building, I can't say which is best. Depending upon what you are cleaning from the building (stripping, dirt, mildew, pollution) you can try a bosun's chair and do it from either counter weights or support from the davits, assuming there are some. If the building next door will support weight, scaffold that one side only, for a lot less than the 21k.

Just some thoughts. We did a complete chemical strip of an historical property (9 stories) and used a combination of methods, (swing stage, bosun chair, scaffold and bucket truck) depending on the elevation. This job took 6 people just under 4 months.

zippo

 

[JFife]

Dave,

I do log/cedar home work, and I know there are people out there that repel down walls. Many of these types of homes are built on the sides of cliffs, etc., and there is no access for a lift, ladder, etc. May be radical, but you could contact some alpinists and see if they'd be interested in tackling something like that. They'd have their own equipment, and you could afford to pay them well. Like I said, i know there are guys that do this, it would just be a matter of your insurance company letting you I suppose

jon

 

[Clean County PW]

Dave,
Good luck with that Bldg. Restoration job. I can't offer much advise because this is out of my league at this time. It would be great to see the before and after result when you finish this monstorous job so guys like myself can learn from it.

As always I appreciate your posts.

 

[Dave Olson]

Thanks John for the kind words.

Here is a different part of the same complex of buildings.

Dave Olson

 

[Dave Olson]

Here is the picture that I was trying to get into the last post

 

[Dave Olson]

I have continued to revisit the site and equipment that may be able to get us to the areas we need to access.

Here is a picture of a crane that we used a few years ago. They were lifting our genset out through the roof of our Red truck so we could start the rebuilding process.

I am considering using it on the building cleaning project instead of the 150 or suspended platform.

Dave Olson

 

[Dave Olson]

Here is another picture of the same crane. I think it is rated for 100 tons. Fully extended it can reach 167 feet!