Masonry Magazine March 2007 Page. 49
"That's built into the price of a product," he said. "If you're out there finding a product that is extremely cheap or half the price of everybody else, it is usually because it is a lower-gauge steel, etc. Do a little background check on it. Talk to your friends and the people you deal with, and see what they think works well."
John Chen, chief information officer for Sunshine International Corp. of Memphis, Tenn., owner of STEPUP Scaffold, has some additional guidance. "Look at the welding," he said. "That will determine a lot of the stability and durability of the frames. And make sure the vendor performs some type of loading test on the frames. Not all the frames are made equal, even though they may look the same. A different grade of steel can make a lot of difference in the load capacity.
"If they [masons] stand on it, they need to be careful about what they use," said Chen, whose company manufactures scaffolding accessories that are compatible with the major scaffolding brands in the United States.
Once you've taken these steps and you have decided upon the companies you feel you can trust, but you are unsure exactly what new accessories you need, many manufacturers will happily guide you through this process. Some accessory providers can help you to design the proper scaffolding systems, such as Universal.
Not all the frames are made equal, though they may look the same. A different grade of steel can make a lot of difference in the load capacity.
"Through our distributors, the contractors will call us and ask us to help them design their scaffolding the most efficient way, and to give them a set-up drawing on how the scaffolding would work best on their job site," said Bredl. "So our drafting department and our engineering department work hand-in-hand with contractors and their distributors to make sure that they're setting up their scaffolding the most efficient way on the job site."
Other manufacturers provide onsite assistance with determining your accessory needs. For example, Strong Man representatives make job site visits with their distributors to help contractors get to know the various types of debris netting and their job-specific benefits. "For instance, weather conditions, type of application, building height and location all factor in to determining the proper debris netting," Kinder said. "We educate our distributors to ensure that they recommend the most effective and efficient netting for their customers' specific applications."
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