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  1. #1
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    Default Mobile Scaffolds

    Hi Guys,
    I'm interested in getting amobile scaffold to do work around the house.
    I'm an amputee and the Mrs doesn't like me using a ladder, now I'm 'older'....lol

    I can't find any to view in my area, to decide what I want.
    Bunnig sell them but has no stock....Stratco sells them but has not stock.
    I don't want to order sight unseen......but I might have to.


    Just wondering if any of your guys own one and what you think about it.
    I need to work at 3m ( not 3 m platform height ) to reach jobs in the shed.( lights, etc )
    Gutters on the house. height compensation a plus, if possible.

    Will NOT be using any hatches. I will use a ladder to ascend and descend the platform.
    Stratco one is cheaper, but I have no idea if it will 'do'.

    Will probably get an extension kit later so I have hand rails at the higher levels.( to be safe )

    Steve


    gorilla.jpgStratco.jpg

  2. #2
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Default

    The tree lopper I cut wood for has two scaffold platforms like this one that I have used a few times to prune tall shrubs and trees with a hedge trimner and they are brilliant. Having rails all the way around the top of the platform is really worth it.
    You can climb up the sides but I use a 3m ladder and that works OK

    You just have to be super careful using them on even slightly sloping or uneven ground/floors.
    Screen Shot 2022-02-20 at 7.32.38 pm.png

    The tree lopper also just got himself a couple of very long Stihl battery powered pole hedge trimmers which are going to be a whole lot easier to bring home than the platform. It will also be possible for me to tackle the neighbours rampant vines down the side of the house that is too narrow for the platform.

  3. #3
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    Default

    Thanks Bob.
    Know where he got them from?

  4. #4
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    Default

    I have an older Bailey, purchased about 10 years ago. Platform can go to 1.8, newer version only goes to 1.5 and then you’re buying extensions if you want to go higher.

    Its very handy for a lot of stuff that you would normally have to move the ladder a hundred times for. They are not meant to be used without applying the brakes, having said that when I was painting cornice inside I did skateboard it around while I was on it. Outside I won’t use it without applying the brakes. It folds up reasonably compact, easily handled by one person, and is expandable. I use a small four step A frame ladder to get in and out of it.

    I looked at a Gorilla that Adelaide Tools had on display yesterday, the fit and finish is nothing like the Bailey.

  5. #5
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sterob View Post
    Thanks Bob.
    Know where he got them from?
    Sorry dont know - will ask about it.

  6. #6
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by racingtadpole View Post
    I have an older Bailey, purchased about 10 years ago. Platform can go to 1.8, newer version only goes to 1.5 and then you’re buying extensions if you want to go higher.

    Its very handy for a lot of stuff that you would normally have to move the ladder a hundred times for. They are not meant to be used without applying the brakes, having said that when I was painting cornice inside I did skateboard it around while I was on it. Outside I won’t use it without applying the brakes. It folds up reasonably compact, easily handled by one person, and is expandable. I use a small four step A frame ladder to get in and out of it.

    I looked at a Gorilla that Adelaide Tools had on display yesterday, the fit and finish is nothing like the Bailey.

    Thanks Adam, I will have a look at Bailey's offering.

  7. #7
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    Default

    Found a local tool shop that can supply a Baileys.

    $1235. Not cheap but if its good quality, it may be worth it.
    Guard Rail kit is another $680.

    Steve

    bailey.jpg

  8. #8
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    It should not be too exy to buy a length of Al tube and a few Ubolts and make yourself a guard rail?

  9. #9
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    Default

    The Gorilla is AS compliant so it’s not unsafe.
    I’m a detail personality type and I notice little things like the Gorilla is MIG welded, my Bailey is TIG welded. Where my Bailey has bolted joints at the pivots, there are nylon washers to act as wear surfaces, The Gorilla just had a bolted joint.
    Having said that, my unit is just over ten years old so it’s possibly not comparing Granny Smith and Fuji’s.

    Im going to Total Tools tomorrow, they are a Bailey reseller, I’ll have a look

  10. #10
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    I keep a Gorilla variable height work platform in the back of my van mainly to help me gain some height off the ground so I can reach to tie down things on the van's roof rack.
    It's not very sturdy or steady so I keep it on the lowest height setting.

    The most common thing I used it for is as a table to clamp the bandsaw setter to while setting band saw blades for teh sawmill.
    Setter.jpg

  11. #11
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    I have had a unit similar to the yellow unit in the first post, with a couple of variations, the platform floor is one piece (i.e no lift up hatch section) and it has round tube sections at the top of the four uprights, presumably intended as foundations to erect another pair of ends to go higher, but I wouldn't dare to do so. I added a pair of 90x45 timbers attached to the bolt holes in these extensions to provide a viable handrail along the long sides.

    My platform is about 2400 x 1000 and the uprights are about 2400 high including braked castors. The unit is basically stable and fit for use on a solid flat surface but marginal on unprepared ground. I used some timber to prepare a couple of 'feet' about 150 x 100 and 1400 long to place under each end frame. These have a recess that accepts about 40% of the diameter of the castor to tie the end frame to the foot, and tie down points to allow ratchet straps to tie the end frame to feet. I also have a collection of timber chocks that I can pack under the feet to sort out any unevenness in ground levels under the feet. With this arrangement I have worked securely with the platform at about 2000 high trimming a hedge about 5.5m high from a gravel path along the frontage on a very busy road.

    Erecting the unit can be difficult single handed but is relatively easy with a couple of reasonably able people. It is possible to erect mine with the platform fairly low to the ground, then step it up a couple of holes at one end at time, and repeat until you reach the required height.

    Hope this helps.
    I used to be an engineer, I'm not an engineer any more, but on the really good days I can remember when I was.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    I keep a Gorilla variable height work platform in the back of my van mainly to help me gain some height off the ground so I can reach to tie down things on the van's roof rack.
    It's not very sturdy or steady so I keep it on the lowest height setting.

    The most common thing I used it for is as a table to clamp the bandsaw setter to while setting band saw blades for teh sawmill.
    LOL...Yeah, I have one of those. Not high enough for what I want.

    I need something that will fold up to make using less of a chore.
    I gues the cheaper ones won't do that....will see.
    I can't view anything anyway.

  13. #13
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sterob View Post
    I need something that will fold up to make using less of a chore.
    I gues the cheaper ones won't do that....will see.
    I can't view anything anyway.
    My unit similar to the yellow one came as five parts, 2 x welded end frames with removable castors, 2 x welded side frames that clip and pin to the end frames, and a welded deck frame with plywood floor that rests in recesses in the side frames once they are connected to the end frames. Fairly easy to work with, assemble, or adjust height. Mine spent a lot of time with the platform at about shoulder height, and a load of stuff stored on the platform, and still more stored underneath. Easy to roll around on a smooth floor, even with a fair load on board, but packs away to be compact when dismantled and not in use.

    If you want something that has some height, folds and provides a platform that's taller than the one in Bobs last pic, I also have a pair of the 3.7m folding multipurpose ladders with three hinged joints that can be configured in a number of ways. One way gives the two end sections slightly splayed out from vertical and the two centre sections providing the frame for a work platform about 1500L x 400W and about 1100 above floor level. I purchased the first maybe 20 years ago and it came with two extruded ali infill panels that clip to the rungs to form the platform. It cost about $90 at the time at Bunnings. I purchased the second about 5 years ago as a Mitre 10 special for $140. It is identical except that the platform is 2 pressed steel panels that are powder coated. Units are stable on a flat surface but have little tolerance for an uneven surface and start to become rocky with about a 8mm variation in the surface. This could be overcome by adding a wider foot board, like I did with the scaffold frame as mentioned previously. The main shortcomings are that there is nothing to use as a handrail / pullup if you mount or dismount the platform at the ends, and no viable options for safety rails. This is a similar current link.
    I used to be an engineer, I'm not an engineer any more, but on the really good days I can remember when I was.

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