Scaffolding

[badlad.biz]

Which scaffold pipes are stronger, Aluminium or Steel?
I assumed they would be the same, with Steel being cheaper, but more expensive to erect being heavier to handle, but I'm told one needs more poles etc with Aluminium so its much dearer to hire.

[terence7556]

steel is stronger by far but it depends on the situation.when we started out on certain jobs , big ones, where weight mattered the handrails would be ally, not steel.you dont need strength in a handrail, after all its a barrier.
ally is not as strong as steel so yes you need more in a comparable area but the point that matters in this day and age is ally is DEFINATELY more likely to be stolen for scrap or by another scaffolder (possibly the one you pay to put the job up) so any one thats going to use ally is crazy
when you come to pay for the missing ally at the hire firm, with their prices you will wonder if gold bullion wouldhave worked out cheaper.
hire steel,
count every tube, board ,fitting and ladder delivered to your job and count them back on when its returned
if the boards /tubes have mortar muck on them from the previous hire record on the delivery note in the comments box ,or just write it on so you dont incur a cleaning charge

[badlad.biz]

Thanks terence7556,
Steel it is.
The tips are brilliant, I now see why I never see able to find Alloy tubes secondhand.
Kind Regards,
Badlad.

[alavahalf]

If you use ally...you would be best sleeping on it at night....as terence says....with the value of scrap metal at an all time high..it will dissapear..

I was recently talking to an old chap, who was the church verger....
He told me that a team of roofers were recently repairing the church roof...they left early on a Friday as they were rained off..
When he went back to the church early that evening ...there they were again, up on the roof....dedication ...he thought .You dont see much of that these days..
He made them a pot of tea and shouted up to them...''teas up''
They all clambered down ... and he thanked them for showing such dedication...
The following days it rained again and the roof leaked...
He phoned the roofers and told them it was much worse now...than when they had started.
So someone came out at the weekend to have a look..when he got up on the roof, he found that all the work they had done before the rain.... was missing...all the lead had been swiped by the second team of roofers...!

I can hear him now...''Do you boys want a biscuit with your teas''...?