Non-Stop Scaffolding for Sale or Rent

REQUEST A QUOTE TO RENT OR PURCHASE NON-STOP

The advantage of using Non-Stop Heavy-Duty Scaffolding™ is that it saves you money by increasing your production. This system involves a single platform that moves up and down vertical towers. Instead of spending labor dollars setting up additional frames and planking the next level up, the scaffolding is simply raised (or lowered) using winches, allowing you to use 1/3 fewer planks. This type of scaffolding is also called crank-up scaffolding and elevated-platform scaffolding.

Benefits Of Non-Stop Scaffolding

Non-Stop Scaffolding for Sale

Material is always handy: No more moving material between platforms and with the drop down platform material is always sitting at waist level.

Safety: Many accidents and OSHA violations are due to mistakes in planking, toe boards and setting up guardrails. The more times this needs to be done, the more probable a mistake becomes. With this system, you set up one level. The guardrails and other safety equipment travel with the scaffolding as you go up. Make sure it is correct and you are good to go all the way up.

Ladders: Each frame is meets the OSHA specifications for scaffolding ladders, providing more access points for the scaffolding to be climbed. This increases safety by reducing traffic to and from a limited access point on the scaffolding and increases production by providing faster up and down times for your workers.

Ergonomics: With Non-Stop Heavy-Duty Scaffolding™, each mason lays brick at waist level since the scaffolding is continuously adjusted as courses get laid. This results in higher quality work since it is easier to lay brick at this height and more production since the mason experiences less fatigue from laying at his feet or at eye level. This factor alone has been proven to increase production by fore than 20%.

Faster Set Up and Tear Down Time: Due to the design of Non-Stop Heavy-Duty Scaffolding™ and the fact that it has fewer pieces than conventional scaffolding, the set up and tear down time is faster. Each tower (up to 45 feet tall) can be picked up and moved to a new location in about ten minutes per tower. It takes 20 minutes to lower the platform from 45 feet tall back down to the ground.

THE RENTAL PROCESS AT SOUTHWEST SCAFFOLDING

We specialize in renting our Non-Stop (Crank Up) Scaffolding. Please note that we normally do not rent frame scaffolding unless it is a large quantity or unless it is needed in conjunction with the Non-Stop.

The rental process begins with customers telling us how long and how high they need the scaffolding to go. We will then go over the project with them (if needed) and verify whether any inside or outside corners will need to be turned, whether there is enough room on the project for the scaffolding to be assembled, and come up with a plan of action if the scaffolding will need to be dismantled and reassembled on another wall during the course of the project.

We will then come up with an itemized quote of all scaffolding items and accessories needed for the project as well as shipping to the project and back to our yard. If necessary, we will also provide a quote for scaffolding training and arrange for one of our representatives to be on site at the project to provide knowledge and guidance.

After this, we will have our customers sign a scaffolding rental contract that spells out the agreed-upon terms between Southwest Scaffolding and our customers. Once the contract is signed, we will provide the scaffolding at the time and location requested by the customer.

If you have never rented Non-Stop before, we can provide you with a training course for you and your field crew at the beginning of the project. We will travel all over the country to do this. See how we provided training for a masonry company in Austin, TX.

THE ADVANTAGE OF RENTING

Non-Stop Scaffolding requires a substantial initial investment if you are purchasing scaffolding. By renting from Southwest Scaffolding, you are only paying a fraction of this initial investment (we usually require a month rent up front) to have a very powerful tool on your project. On a long term rental, many of our clients want the option to purchase at the end of the rental, so we have this option available.

Renting Non-Stop Scaffolding from Southwest Scaffolding will let you complete larger projects at less costs. The larger a project gets, the less efficient conventional frame scaffolding becomes due the large amount of labor required to set it up. A large project with conventional scaffolding usually requires a dedicated crew to continually erect and dismantle scaffolding throughout the project and lots of expensive planks are required to plank all levels. With Non-Stop, the platform only needs to be assembled once and only one level planked. Not only will the workers be more efficient with this scaffolding but the labor that would be used to assemble can now be used for construction. Both scaffolding units also have a distinct safety advantage over frame scaffolding. Fewer tie offs need to be made to the wall, less time spent on erection and dismantling of the safety platform means there is far less that can go wrong or break and there is less to check for safety compliance.

Southwest Scaffolding’s rental program can be just the ticket for you to take that big step into a larger and more profitable project or will allow you to take on additional work instead of passing on a lucrative opportunity.

RENTING NON-STOP SCAFFOLDING

Non-Stop Scaffolding on Radius Wall

At Southwest Scaffolding, we have over 1,000 lineal feet x 35 feet high of Non-Stop scaffolding available for rent nationwide. Non-Stop Scaffolding is also called crank-up scaffolding. One working platform is assembled and climbs via a series of winches on a series of towers. This scaffolding will absolutely save you labor money on a large project and will also increase your quality since the platform level can be adjusted to exactly the right position for the workers instead of 6’4″ or greater intervals. The advantage of Non-Stop over FRACO or other type of mast climber is its price and adaptability. It is much lest expensive than a mast climber but will still reach great heights while providing an efficiency advantage over frame scaffolding. It is also more easily adaptable to odd building shapes, inside and outside corners.

Local rentals are either picked up by the customer or delivered by our trucks for an extra fee. Long-distance rentals are trucked on 40’ trailers. A typical 40′ trailer will carry approximately 275 ft. x 36 ft of Non-Stop and 250 boards. Additionally, we offer free shipping for rentals of 200 feet or more for 5 months or more. Below is a typical long-distance rental load. We recommend taking a picture of the scaffolding on the truck when it arrives on your project so you can see how it racked and loaded and be able to duplicate that when the project is complete. In addition, if you are mixing our rental Non-Stop Scaffolding with your scaffolding, please note that our scaffolding is marked with a different color on the sides.

REQUEST A QUOTE TO RENT OR PURCHASE NON-STOP

SCAFFOLD BOARD RENTAL AND SALES 

Non-Stop requires specially cut 80.5″ 2×10 scaffolding boards. If needed, we will include these in our quote to you. These boards are available for rental or for purchase. Our 80.5″ boards are identical to our standard OSHA-tested Scaffold Boards. The only difference is length. These boards are OSHA tested, stamped and pinned on each end.

DELIVERING YOUR NON-STOP SCAFFOLDING

We can cost-effectively ship scaffolding for either rental or sales nationwide and even to Canada. Shipments are fast. If you are in the contiguous United States or Canada, we can usually have your Non-Stop delivered to you in a matter of days. View the video below to see how we do it.

Need More Information?

Please view the links below for more information about Non-Stop Heavy-Duty Scaffolding™.

More photos of Non-Stop in action

Taking Care of Your Investment – Article in Masonry Magazine January 2007

Adjustable Scaffolding. Saving the Day – Article in Masonry Magazine March 2004

Unknown Contractors and Owners – Pre-Project Due Diligence

It happens all the time; you have the low bid on a project with a contractor or owner with whom you have never done business. Maybe you haven’t even heard of them before. You call around and try to find out any information you can from other contractors with no luck. Do you take a leap of faith and sign the contract? After all, you need the work. Before you bind yourself to a business partner you don’t know, there are a few quick and simple ways to do some pre-construction project due diligence that could save you down the road.

Unknown Contractors and Owners – Court Records

Your due diligence should begin with public court records. One quick and easy way to check on the solvency and business practices with a construction company or owner is to check the court records. Many jurisdictions now provide access to their records online. The first stop should be the county/parish where the contractor has their principal place of business; after that, research in counties/parishes in which the project is being performed and counties in which the company has a satellite office or focuses their operations. Make sure you check both the district court records and county court records, if applicable, in your jurisdiction. If you have questions about locating cases in the online database or if your jurisdiction does not offer this service, call the the court clerk for assistance. The county court records for Dallas County can be found here.

Next, check the federal cases. This will show if there have been any federal lawsuits against your potential business partner or if they have declared bankruptcy. You can find this information at www.pacer.gov. You will need to register an account and there are nominal fees for research. The website also contains a tutorial about how to use the service.

Unknown Contractors and Owners – Property Records

Your due diligence should next take you to the property records for the county in which the construction project is located. For checking out an owner, check the property records for the property on which you are going to be performing work to see if there are any liens. Some counties/parishes have their property records online and some do not. You will need the legal description of the property you are to perform work on. This description will be used to identify any liens and deeds of trust filed on the property. The more bank liens you see, the more likely it is that the owner is not sitting on a load of cash. Also look for mechanic’s liens, which means the owner has not paid contractors in the past, and tax liens, which means the owner has not paid the government.

Unknown Contractors and Owners – Secretary of State

A quick check with the secretary of state should also be included in your due diligence because will often yield ownership information about the company/owner you are dealing with. It will also tell you where the company is headquartered, how long the company has been in existence, whether it has changed names, has any d/b/a names, or has subsidiaries or parent companies. It may also tell you whether the Owner and general contractor are related entities, which can be important when filing a mechanics lien. This information should be available online in virtually all jurisdictions. Information for Texas entities with the Texas Secretary of State can be found here: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/sosda/index.shtml. You will need to create an account and there are nominal charges for the searches.

Unknown Contractors and Owners – Tax Status of the Entity

In states that have franchise tax, you can often check with the appropriate state agency to see if the contractor/owner is current on their franchise tax payments. If they don’t pay the government on time, odds are they won’t pay you on time either. In Texas, this information can be found with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts at the following address:http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/coasintr.html.

The steps above are certainly not exhaustive of the due diligence you can perform before entering into a contract but they are a good start. The small amount of time and money you will spend performing this due diligence is well worth the extra assurance it provides. If you still have questions or concerns about an entity you will potentially do business with, consult an attorney. You have to make sure you won’t lose money due to a bad contractor or owner before you can focus on making money.

OSHA Scaffolding Requirements – Tie Off Locations

If you are using scaffolding more than one set high, it’s absolutely necessary that you are aware of the OSHA scaffolding requirements for tie offs. This is important not only for your safety and the safety of your crews, but also to keep you from receiving a citation from OSHA. Scaffolding becomes more unstable as you build it taller. According to OSHA, the scaffolding must be tied off at specific intervals as you go vertically up the wall. For the purposes of this post, “tie off” includes (guys, ties and braces).

There are two categories for vertical tie offs under OSHA, the initial tie off and additional tie offs. The initial tie off must be at at 4X the width of the base of the scaffolding. For instance, if the scaffolding is:

3’ wide, the initial tie off must be at 12’;
4’ wide, the initial tie off must be at 16’; and
5’ wide, the initial tie off must be at 20’.

Meeting OSHA Scaffolding Requirements

In some cases, it may no be feasible or practical to tie off the scaffolding such as when a movable tower is required. In these situations you can increase the initial tie off requirement by widening the base of the scaffolding. For instance, we sell 30” outriggers for this very purpose. A pair of 30” outriggers on each side of the scaffolding will increase the first vertical tie off interval by 20’ so 5’ wide scaffolding with 30” outriggers on each side can be built to 40’ high before tie off is required.

Once the initial tie off is made, all additional scaffolding tie offs are at regular intervals. These intervals are:

20’ or less for scaffolding 3’ wide or less; and
26’ or less for scaffolding greater than 3’ wide.

Here is a link to the pertinent OSHA provision: 1926.451(c)(1)(ii)

If you have any questions regarding your scaffolding, tie off or other OSHA requirements, feel free to contact us. We can also supply you with the equipment you need to be OSHA complaint.

See also: OSHA competent person and green card requirements.

OSHA Violations are Now More Expensive

For the first time since 1990, OSHA has increased it fines for serious and willful violations. The new law took effect on August 1, 2016. The maximum penalty for serious violations has been increased from $7,000 to $12,471 and the maximum penalty for willful or repeat violation has been increased from $70,000 to $124,709.

Fines of this size can be devastating to small contractors, who do not have the resources to fight or pay for the fines and who have less resources to purchase the equipment required to become OSHA compliant. OSHA has been very active this summer. Over the last several months, we have had a large number of contractors purchase new scaffolding and safety equipment from us in response to an OSHA inspection and fine. Don’t wait until it is too late. The best way to prevent a citation is to make sure your scaffolding is OSHA compliant. Some of the most common violations we see are insufficient planking, lack of safety posts and rails, and lack of ladders or stairs for access to the scaffolding.

More importantly, complying with OSHA standards keeps you and your workers safe. OSHA reports 937 construction-related deaths in 2015, this accounts for 1/5 of workplace fatalities every year across all industries. Injuries and fatalities are a common occurrence in the construction industry and the increased fines for OSHA violations are related to such high numbers. The fines are to provide extra motivation for contractors to spend the extra time to educate themselves to work safely and to spend the extra money to make your job site safe. There is no excuse for a serious injury because a contractor didn’t want to spend money on something like guardrails that cost $5/each.

We Can Help You Make Your Scaffolding OSHA Compliant

If you have any questions about making your scaffolding OSHA compliant, please contact us and we can help. We can assist you on contesting OSHA fines. Be advised that you have 15 days to contest. We also offer OSHA competent person scaffolding training.

Click here to see scaffolding fall protection accessories we have for sale.

Load Limits On Scaffold Boards In Medium Duty Applications

OHSA designates three different categories for load bearing calculations on scaffold boards. They are:

Light Duty – 25 pounds per square foot.
Medium Duty – 50 pounds per square foot.
Heavy Duty – 75 pounds per square foot.

These ratings are based on the intended load, which is calculated by dividing the total weight to be placed between two spans of scaffolding by the total area between the two spans. Most of our customers fall in the medium-duty category so this is what will be addressed in this post. In most masonry applications, 5′ wide frames are spaced 7′ apart and use nominal thickness 2X10 lumber for the planks (nominal thickness 2X10 lumber actually measures 1.5” X 9.25′). In this setup, there is approximately 35 sq. ft. of area between the frames.

If you apply an intended load of 50 pounds per square foot to the 35 square foot platform, a maximum of 1,750 pounds may be applied to the platform. Using full thickness (solid sawn) lumber, this weight is not a problem, however, full thickness lumber is hard to find so most companies use nominal thickness lumber.

OSHA Load Requirements

Scaffolding and scaffold board load requirements are governed by OSHA 1926 Subpart L. OSHA has provided a non-mandatory Appendix A to help contractors comply with the requirements of Subpart L. This appendix contains the following chart:

_______________________________________________
              |                |
  Maximum     |   Maximum      |    Maximum
 intended     | permissible    |  permissible
  nominal     |  span using    |  span using
   load       | full thickness |    nominal
 (lb/ft(2))   |   undressed    |   thickness
              |  lumber (ft)   |  lumber (ft)
______________|________________|_______________
              |                |
25............|           10   |       8
50............|            8   |       6
75............|            6   |
______________|________________|_______________

According to the Appendix, using the typical 7’ span between the frames with the 2X10 nominal thickness lumber will not achieve the 50 pounds/square foot rating in terms of board capacity. The maximum allowable span between the frames with this type of board is 6’. Here is another link to an OSHA workbook with this information: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/scaffolding/planking.html.

Does this create a problem medium-duty contractors using 7′ spans? Not necessarily. Appendix A is a guideline and not mandatory. The mandatory rule is found in OSHA 1926.451(f)(16) and says a scaffold board cannot deflect more than 1/60th of its length when loaded. This means a board on a 7′ span can deflect up to 1.4″ when fully loaded.

Some scaffolding companies, including Southwest Scaffolding, sell boards that are DI-65 #1 pine, which will deflect less that the 1/60th of the span as required by OSHA when under the stress of a medium-duty load. These boards are tested by an independent agency, and stamped. As long at the boards deflect 1.4″ or less when you are working on them, they are OSHA compliant.

OSHA’s deflection limitation makes a good case for using OSHA tested scaffolding board or manufactured boards/platforms instead of 2X10 nominal boards construction grade boards found at most lumberyards. In addition to scaffold grade lumber, Southwest Scaffolding sells both steel and aluminum 7′ and 10′ platforms that are rated for both 50 lbs/sq. ft. and 75 lbs/sq ft. Another solution to the deflection requirement is to double your planks across the spans that will be receiving materials or equipment such as cubes of brick or block. Also, consider that when you are using outriggers, the weight of your workers on the outrigger platforms will not be applied to the main platform.

See our post on load limits on scaffolding frames here.

Non-Stop Scaffolding Training, Austin, Texas

Southwest Scaffolding LLC and Non-Stop scaffolding being used on a 10-story building located in Austin, TX.  Southwest Scaffolding LLC offers Non-Stop scaffolding rentals and delivery. As a value ad Southwest Scaffolding LLC offers training classes on 3 different types of scaffolding. Classes are on a per-request basis, for a nominal fee, with equipment rentals. Contact Southwest Scaffolding LLC for information on scaffolding rentals and training classes.

For more information on Non-Stop, Click Here. 

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Non-Stop scaffolding training class on a 10-story building in Austin, TX.

Non-Stop scaffolding being used on a 10-story building in Austin, TX.

Non-Stop scaffolding being used a masonry project in Austin, TX.

Non-Stop scaffolding training on a 10-story building in Austin, TX.

Non-Stop scaffolding being used on a 10-story building in Austin, TX.

Scaffold Sheeting and Accessories now Available at Southwest Scaffolding

Scaffold sheeting, mesh and accessories are now for sale! Super T Plus scaffold sheeting systems by Monarflex are easy to install, exceptionally durable and reusable.

The advantage of scaffold sheeting is that it provides a weather barrier, allowing for work in wet and cold conditions while protecting the project until the outer envelope can be completed. It also increases safety and the cleanliness of the project by keeping debris from falling off the scaffolding or blowing into the surrounding area and will stop particles as fine as dust and sand for renovation or environmentally-sentitive projects.

Scaffold Sheeting And Mesh

We also carry scaffold mesh, which will also increase the safety on your project by providing a supplemental fall protection barrier for crews, materials and tools. The mesh is breathable so it can be used in summer conditions and will also provide protection from the sun much like a sunshade. The mesh can be used for advertising as well – we can have your company name, contact information and logo printed into the mesh for use on your next project.

Scaffold Sheeting Now For Sale

Contact us for a quote or any other questions.

Check our other Scaffolding Items and Accessories for Sale

972-331-1094 – office

214-843-8064 – spanish

214-843-5293 – after hours