All You Need to Know About Buying Tower Scaffolding

Thinking of purchasing tower scaffolding for your construction project? Perhaps you are thinking of hiring over purchase, or are simply considering the idea as a long term solution, but either way, we’re here to help. In this thorough guide, we provide you with all you need to know about buying tower scaffolding, from the different types of scaffolding to the various applications, we take a closer look at all you need to know about buying tower scaffolding.

What’s Tower Scaffolding?

Tower scaffolding is an essential piece of equipment. Unlike a standard ladder, a scaffolding tower will make use of four legs, thus providing a much surer and firmer footing than a traditional ladder alternative. With added height, stability and strength, tower scaffolding is a safe, effective practice for construction work performed at height, allowing users to work with both hands without running the risk of losing balance. It’s important to remember that when it comes to heavy-duty, on-site applications, a standard ladder will not provide the solution you require, as they are neither tall nor stable enough to provide the stability, strength and accessibility required for many applications above ground level.

Types Of Scaffolding Tower

There are several different types of tower scaffolding one can choose from, depending on the construction work required, and the accessibility and design of the location in which you require it. Here, we take a closer look at just some of the key types of scaffolding towers you can purchase or hire:

Mobile Scaffolding Tower

Unlike a permanent scaffolding structure, a mobile scaffold tower is a temporary structure commonly used across several industries for many different construction works. Strong, stable and secure, a mobile scaffolding tower provides almost all of the advantages of a permanent structure but is considerably easier to erect, with a significantly lighter aluminium composition. This aluminium framework provides a strong and incredibly durable alternative to galvanised steel, with the ability to withstand any and all conditions for an extended lifespan.

Staircase Tower

Fair self-explanatory, a staircase scaffold tower is designed for just that; staircases, be it indoor or outdoor. A staircase scaffolding tower is similarly easy to assemble, with a simple framed structure that can be assembled with little to no hassle or experience. Perfectly suited for accessing hard-to-reach areas around your stairs, these simple scaffold structures are strong, secure and extremely practical.

Cantilever Scaffold Tower

Primarily used in specific instances in which there is an obstacle or obstruction that prevents a full scaffolding tower from being implemented, a cantilever scaffold tower includes an additional platform. This additional platform is typically installed over the current obstacle to provide much safer and easier accessibility for you to complete the construction work required.

One Man Tower

As the name would suggest, a one-man tower is specifically designed for singular works at one time. Very quickly and easily assembled, (also by one person), a one-man tower is lightweight, mobile and can be quickly turned into a trolley for fast transportation and/or storage.

Why Use Tower Scaffolding?

There are certain construction jobs that require a more stable form of access for working at height than compared to a traditional ladder, without requiring the installation of a permanent scaffolding either. Scaffold towers can be erected at much greater heights than a standard ladder, making them a perfect solution for performing several different kinds of construction work from a dangerous height. Unlike permanent scaffolding found on building sites, a scaffold tower provides the best of both worlds, offering safety and stability in spades, but without the increased time and space consumption of a permanent structure. Below, we outline some of the key advantages of using scaffold towers in construction:

Versatile

As suggested, many construction works often require a more stable and spacious form of accessibility than a traditional ladder would provide, but don’t require a permanent scaffolding fixture. Mobile tower scaffolding provides the perfect middle-ground solution in this instance, with a fast and easy set-up, followed by a strong, secure and entirely stable tower upon completion. A versatile solution in many ways, most tower scaffolding solutions are even perfectly suited to uneven ground conditions, providing a stable, secure surface for many industries or circumstances without any compromise.

Safety & Stability

Falls from height are very common and extremely serious, with a high percentage of workplace fatalities in the UK occurring from these kinds of incidents. To reduce this threat, scaffolding towers provide additional strength and security than ladders, with an emphasis on stability and security in design and use. In truth, this means the most important benefit of using a scaffolding tower over a traditional ladder solution is arguably the increased levels of stability, which in turn, provides an additional layer of safety to proceedings. Strong and secure, a mobile scaffolding tower is free-standing, not having to rely on other structures to balance or prop up whilst in use, whilst additional support legs are typically fitted around the base to provide natural security and balance.

Easy To Assemble

One of the most important advantages of using scaffolding towers is their ease of assembly. Generally considered a one-man construction, scaffolding towers can be used by literally anyone, from sole traders to commercial construction companies, with quick and easy assembly practically guaranteed. With no specialist training required, scaffolding towers can be erected in a matter of hours, simply follow the set of instructions and you’re good to go!

Lightweight & Mobile

Typically constructed from aluminium, instead of galvanised steel poles, scaffold towers are well-documented to be extremely lightweight, and as an extension to this; surprisingly mobile. Scaffold towers can be easily transported by even the more modest-sized commercial vehicles, allowing for much greater flexibility on what construction works you can perform safely and with security. Their lightweight and mobile structure mean they can be erected quickly, unlike a permanent fixture, providing the same speed and efficiency as a ladder, but with a much-increased level of safety.

Strength & Durability

As previously mentioned, the majority of mobile scaffolding towers are constructed using aluminium components, which provides a decent amount of strength, (though perhaps not as much as steel), but without the fear of corrosion over time. Aluminium is a non-ferrous metal, and as a result of this, is therefore extremely durable, able to withstand the elements and wear and tear of operations for a much greater lifespan than a galvanised steel alternative, typically found on a permanent scaffold tower.

Why Buy Tower Scaffolding?

I know what you’re thinking… isn’t scaffolding expensive? Well; in short, yes, but purchasing scaffolding instead of hiring can have a long list of long-term benefits, particularly if you require scaffolding for extended or repeated use in construction. Purchasing scaffolding means you will have continual, unfiltered access to your own scaffold ladder, poles and set-up. This will offer you the freedom to take on building work whenever you desire, without having to acquire your parts from an external supplier. If you find you are using scaffolding tower set-ups in the vast majority of your construction work, either in a professional or personal sense, the time may have come to purchase your very own scaffolding tower.

However, you should only consider purchasing scaffolding outright should you have the financial means to do so, hiring parts can be a great way of building your client base early doors without extensive upfront costs, but as your business grows, so too should your desire to purchase a scaffolding tower.

MTS Trade Suppliers Ltd – Aluminium Tower Scaffold Sets & Accessories

Have you considered using an aluminium tower scaffold at work? Not only are they practical but also the safest alternative to using a ladder when working above ground level. Whether you work as a painter and decorator or perhaps as a window cleaner or in landscape gardening, these handy tower scaffolds are incredibly versatile. They can also be used for high-level industrial or construction work when access is an issue.

Here at MTS Trade Supplies, we supply a range of aluminium tower scaffolds and accessories all over the UK, contact us for more information or to place your order today.