Vent: Tried two ways to set up a temporary car top for a long drop and one was way faster

We had to replace the hoist ropes on a 12 story traction job last week. The old way I learned was to set up a rolling scaffold platform on the car top, which always felt shaky and took forever to get level and secure. This time, my partner brought in a set of those aluminum car top safety rail kits that bolt right into the existing pick points. We had the whole temporary work platform set in about 30 minutes, and it was rock solid. The scaffold method would have taken us at least two hours with all the bracing and tying off. The rail kit just clicked together, and we could move it along the car as we worked. It felt a lot safer too, not having to step around loose planks. Has anyone else made a switch like this for overhead work, and did it save you as much time?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewmartin21d ago

So is the real time saved just not having to untangle all those scaffold clamps from each other? I'm with @the_william on the two hours of swearing, but my version involves kicking a wobbly leg and then feeling bad about it. That rail kit sounds like the difference between building furniture with an allen key or just finding it already put together.

the_william22d ago

Sounds like a fancy way to avoid two hours of swearing at a scaffold.

sarah_patel2522d ago

What kind of scaffold setup are we talking about? A wobbly DIY job on uneven ground, or a proper system with all the locking pins? Some of those older tube and clamp setups can turn a simple task into a full day of frustration.