Masonry Magazine March 2005 Page. 30
Scaffolding Accessories
Hoists and Platforms
TO ACCENT YOUR SCAFFOLDING, there are also hoists, platforms and staircases to keep things moving in the right direction.
"The most popular Beta Max hoist systems used by mason contractors are our lighter, scaffold-mounted Portable Hoist Systems," says Tami Hamilton, Vice President, Marketing for Beta Max Hoists of Melbourne, Fla. "For the smaller contractor, the addition of the Scorpio Plus Hoist with the Vertical Post Mount option allows up to 400 lbs. of material to be safely brought up onto the scaffold.
"The larger contractor may opt for the Gemini Plus Hoist with the Scaff-Trac Mount or the Leo Hoist with the I-Beam Mount for lifting up to 1,200 lbs. onto the scaffold. When projects require larger loads, the rack and pinion material hoists offer large payload areas and increased capacities."
Hamilton says there are a number of great things that hoists can add to a masonry job site. They can increase safety by reducing the chances of a worker becoming injured. Productivity can increase because the hoist will keep working strong all day long, while a laborer moving materials will start to fatigue. The tendency of overloading a scaffold with materials at the beginning of the day can be exchanged with a smaller, constant delivery of materials throughout the work day. And while many mason contractors may have a telehandler or forklift on site, a hoist is able to reach higher areas that these machines can't even touch - plus, transportation is a little easier for a hoist over one of these heavy lifters.
"In all cases, the contractor removes the burden of heavy material lifting from the laborer to the equipment and realizes increased productivity and reduced labor costs, such as wages and insurance, immediately," states Hamilton.
A similar provider, Champion Elevators of Houston, Texas, manufactures material hoists that can lift 650 to 4,400 lbs., transport platforms capable of 1,100 to 3,300 lbs., and large construction elevators.
"I've been involved in some buildings that were only three stories high that needed this equipment simply because they didn't have room for a forklift to provide materials - there was no access space," says Eric Schmidt, Regional Manager for Champion Elevators. "So where that space is limited, you can slip a small unit into an area to feed a scaffold or mast climbing platform."
Schmidt feels that hoists and platforms are often overlooked by mason contractors as good alternatives for moving materials. On many projects, the contractor may be able to reduce crew size by one or two people simply by changing the means of vertical lifting.