Masonry Magazine June 2008 Page. 25
Time, labor savers
RECENT IMPROVEMENTS to scaffold systems allow masonry contractors to save time, labor and money. Non-Stop's Rack Brackets let contractors take down their stop towers, and then clamp them together in a compact, four-foot-wide bundle.
"It eliminates a lot of headaches that they have had in transferring scaffolding quickly and efficiently, and not losing parts along the way," Breithaupt says. "It turns a three-day job into a one-day job."
The brackets reduce disassembly time. "Once clamped together, 10 towers can be easily stored on a jobsite, because you don't need a bunk rake," Breithaupt says. "It saves you time and labor, which is money. Labor is always money to a contractor."
EZ Scaffold has a new weather-protection system that has fewer parts and easily attaches to the scaffolding, Bridges says. A bracket holds the weather protection in place. As the crank-up scaffolding moves up and down, the weather protection goes with it.
"We've got lightweight weather protection that's easy for two guys to put up," Bridges explains. "It's a lot less labor intensive than other weather protection."
Bridges says crank-up scaffolding allows masons to be more productive. "Crank-up gives you a big increase in production, which gets you off the job faster and saves you labor," he says.
Planning scaffolding layout on paper
Shreveport, La.-based Non-Stop Scaffolding Inc. is taking an innovative approach to setting up scaffolding. The company has scaffolding layout templates, drawn at a 1/8-inch to one-foot scale, that masonry contractors can print out and place on a project drawing to see exactly how many pieces of scaffolding will be needed and where they'll be placed.
"This is a huge time saver," says Justin Breithaupt Jr., Non-Stop VP and co-owner. "This ensures you have everything you need."
He points out that it's much easier to move scaffolding on paper to find out exactly where it's needed than to physically move it on the jobsite, because it's in the wrong spot. Contractors can send in their plans, and the Non-Stop staff will tell them what's needed and where.
"We teach them how to lay it out on paper, so they don't spend two hours setting it up wrong." Breithaupt says. "You can cut labor by 20 percent when you make sure it's done right the first time." IMAS
Brett Martin
"You'll get 20 percent more production verses frame scaffold." Once the scaffolding is assembled on the jobsite, masonry contractors no longer have to hassle with moving planks.
"With crank-up scaffolding, you'll see an increase in production," Bridges says. "You never have to stop to move boards, and masons are working at waist level, at a comfortable level, which is more efficient and ergonomic. The benefit of the crank-up is definitely the production increase and moving it around the job fully assembled." IMAS
Brett Martin is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer with 15 years of construction and writing experience.
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