Looking to get pump jacks this year never used them any advice on brands ….what to look for in them……Spacing…..etc……Thanks…… Chris…..
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Replies
Alumapole, best on the market!
If you budget can't bear Alumapoles and fancy picks, good old red Qualcraft jacks and brackets (available almost anywhere) are fine for most jobs. Poles are doubled up 2x4. I make torsion box planks (up to 16' long) with 2x4 rails and 2x4 cross members on 2' centers with 1/2" cdx glued and nailed on top. I try to keep pole spacing about 8' max but have been known to stretch this. 1x3 or 2x4 cross bracing between poles when going higher than 8' off the ground. Also, nail 2x stiffeners from the pole back into the building when things feel shaky. I've gone up 24 feet comfortabaly with this low budget staging. Lots of WD-40 to keep the things working smoothly if outside for long periods of time.
Redford
I order stress rated 2x4s (2500?) from the truss company to build the poles and the planks.
Regular #2 framing lumber is too weak.
I build the columns with 8' of overlap.
So my basic pole is a 16' with a 8' screwed to it. Combine 2 poles and you have 24' of pole.
Rich
And you are sure to only space them 8' apart, like OSHA requires, right?
The sheet that came with my pumps said seven feet.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
maybe your's are newer than mine!>G<
frammer
Right. Mr OSHA. That's me.
Rich
I had 50+ of them at one point in time. Still bet the willies thinking about some of the stuff I did with them.(40" in the air) to give you a hint.
Love the alumapoles, have never used the other aluminum ones, just read about the problems.
Frammer
For the last two years I have been thinking "it's time to get Aluma-Poles", and each time we thru the year with our wooden poles.
Sigh
Rich
Time to buy will be when this recession is over!
You will love the difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hmm, never thought of that. Whenever I need a new pole or plank I hand pick through the pile to get some nice straight, knot free material. When I build the planks, I crown them first, then set the finished plank across a couple of saw horses. Then pile as much weight in the middle as I can dig up (concrete blocks, cases of nails, whatever is handy), then I get up on top and jump up and down. It's worked so far. To be honest, I've seen some 2x material used in trusses that looked like culls from HD.
Redford
Truss companies keep stress rated lumber around for special projects that need more strengh.
It's usually Doug Fir.
The lumber on the racks is usually pretty soft stuff. The jacks are pretty hard on the wood, it's good to have dense wood for the abuse of the jacking.
I don't glue my plywood down. We take the plywood off each time and store it indoors. Plus the planks are alot lighter without plywood on them.
We also use threaded rod to keep the sides tight. Screws tend to work loose.
We usually recess the nut and washer but I am rethinking that concept because that creates a weak spot in the plank.
Maybe I'll use these new torx lag screws 4-5" long to screw them together.
Rich
I've never heard of stress rated 2x4s.
When I started out, we used pump jacks made of doubled 2x4s. And we always got new 2xs every time we set up pumps.
Well, one time we (my dad, my brother, and I) we doing a re-roof. We had made the new pump poles, but weren't aware that there was a knot hidden in one of the 2x4s.
The stress of working on them ended up cracking one pole, which threw me 2 stories to the ground. I ended up with a broken back, and was out of work for a year. Luckily, I healed very well, and only have a few lingering problems.
Less than a month after I fell, someone told my dad about the AlumaPoles, and he went right out and bought them.
The date of my fall was Feb. 29, 1983. The day the last episode of M*A*S*H was broadcast. I was annoyed that I missed it.
Hi Henry,
I've had my old red pump jacks for about twenty five years now. I'm retired now and pulled them out the other day to go up the side of our house. I know I'm getting old and all, but I'll be darned if I can remember how to let them down after pumping myself way up in the air. I remember going up 40' myself and installing a garden window that everyone thought was going to be impossible to reach. We showed em.
Do you have any instructions or can you tell me in simple english how do you safely lower the jacks back down?
Rich Buster
Gettin old in Grass Valley, CA
Pull up on the pump lever, step down on the sq. bar below the lever and hang on..you usually drop a few inches then crank the handle while you keep a foot on the sq bar.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
pull up?
I've always pushed down to unload the weight, then step on the square bar and release the pump arm slowly. A controlled drop if you will.
I'll have to try it your way next time
The liberty of discussion is the great safeguard of all other liberties. --Macaulay.
If it's down and you step on the release bar, the foot lever goes UP, and whacks ya in the cookies.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
call me confused then lol
I get what your saying I think but I always found it easier my way. I'll make a point of trying it your way next time.
So if I lift the pump arm all the way up, all I do is just stomp on the square bar?
and naturally the slight free fall
The liberty of discussion is the great safeguard of all other liberties. --Macaulay.
Yup.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
after reading what you said again, I hold the pump arm with my right hand and I don't let go until it reaches the stop.
no cracked cookies that way;)The liberty of discussion is the great safeguard of all other liberties. --Macaulay.
Oh, another trick if ya get stuck ( the crank spins on chewed up wet wood) drive in a few roofing nails for traction. I've done a lot od siding and had roofers in my bags..they come in handy for when yer stuck up there.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
nice tip
thanksThe liberty of discussion is the great safeguard of all other liberties. --Macaulay.
I step down on the pump and keep my foot there. Then reach over and step down on the outside square bar and crank her down. Never been smacked yet and no heart-stopping 6 inch free falls. Here's a link to Qual craft instructional pdf file
http://www.qualcraft.com/pdf/steel_pumpjacks.pdf
Thanks for getting back so fast. That does sound familiar now that I think about it. I also remember that you can get whacked in the chins if you're not careful doing the pumping part, but all in all the old red pumps are sufficient for most any two and three story jobs. remember to add those braces that attach to the wall at an opposite angle too.
read above how I do it and you can skip that thrilling drop down.Another mistake some guys make when first learning, is they pump it, then forget to leave their foot in the stirrup, and when they go to release, the thing kicks up and slaps them in the groan. They learn quick to pay attention to things that way.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I've done everywhich way from Sunday, and once the poles get wet, chewed up, or at a seam in the poles..I get hung up..and start bashing every thing with my hammer to get past the snotty part of the pole..that sudden drop is often what gets me enough momentum to keep going down..LOL
One disadvantage of 2 2x's vs a good 4' is the jack can cock or skew and start digging in..one job on someone elses jacks we roofed a few yrs ago,,had the poles packed like a header OSB sammich..that was WORSE.
My poles are PT 12' 2x4's with a 12' scarf and two 6' ends..I had 28' poles here at first and wound up cutting them down, no need for that high here. 14' ladder style walk board with 1/2osb skin replace as needed.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
gee paul... that's the opposite of how we do it... wether it's old style pumps or new alum a poles the pump lever should be all the way UP against it's stops
this transfers the hang from the lower rear lever to the long pump leverthen , with your left foot you depress the rear lever
while holding onto the pole with both hands above all of the entire mechanism
this transfers the hang to the crank leverthen you reach down, grab the crank and start cranking... with occasional appropriate comments about stupid rivets, and/ or 2x4 joints that jamb the descentif the main pump lever is down.... it wants to come up ... if it's already up it can't come up anymoremy roofer had two guys fall on wooden pumps onto rocksthey were about 20 ' in the air and one of the poles snapped and dumped them...needless to say , the poles were not 8' apart more like the traditional 14' that we all grew up with... osha fined him $8Kboth guys were hospitalized with broken bones... both recoveredMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 1/6/2009 8:03 am ET by MikeSmith
I gotta say I've been using the method detailed by Paul, which I think is QualCrafts recommended technique.
This thread reminds me of an incident last summer when we were residing a house. One particular jack had been giving us problems, mostly on the downstroke and we were going to retire it after the last wall. We had just a few more courses to finish and were actually jacking up (not down) when the jack hung up.
I had a seasoned guy and a college kid up there, alternating pumping, smacking it with hammers, squirting it with WD-40, swearing at it, etc. for about 15 minutes trying to figure out why it wouldn't go up any further.
I finally stepped back and saw that they had leaned the 3' Stabila against the house and it had gotten wedged between the top of the plank and the underside of a newly installed clap, about 8 courses down from eye level leaving a nice big dent in the lower edge of a new clap (this was CVG, preprimed and prepainted cedar).
On the upside, the summer kid had an opportunity to learn how to replace a damaged clapboard in the middle of a wall.
I did the same thing with a step ladder and a widow sill..yup, I had a step ladder on the walk board..LOLSpheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
the upside, the summer kid had an opportunity to learn how to replace a damaged clapboard in the middle of a wall
Always a good thing to know!!!!
I once called OSHA and had them look at my pump jack setup. I could have held a fest with kegs of bud and no body would have fallen off. They said one still needed to be tied in if the ends did not have guard rails. I never knew you need a shoe kick on the bottom . I believe the spacing was 8 feet apart , Funny i always Thought it went by the length of your plank. I used to set them 20 feet apart. On the top i cut a piece of plywood sq and a cutout for the 2by 4s and use that to screw into the roof of fascia. I only work on them by myself anymore, Too much liability to have anyone else on them. After setting them to OSHA regs they were so heavy i did not trust the 2by 4s anymore.
I had mine set 20' apart for a few weeks this summer.
house was 40' long, it took 3 poles to do the side of the house.
How do you use your plywood pieces on gable ends? I made some for the sides that I put on by slipping them under the shingles, but didn't see a good way for the gables so I had to do my fascia from ladders after I got pumps down.
I know that osha will come out and check things for people if they call. We are hearing of a program that we could join where osha comes through bi-weekly and lets us ask questions and points out our bads, no fines unless we didnt ask and its the 3rd violation. I dont know the details, trying to talk to a GC locally who's guys have told me this is how it works. They claim it saves him bunches on his Work Comp.
Do you know anyhting about this.October 17th, 2009
Jeremy and Lisa
Was there ever any doubt?
I put the plywood to the roof on top , that way i can finish all the way up, If not i put a brace on the siding i just did, finish up then you just have to remove the brace which you have to do anyway, Or i fasten to the bottom of the fascia if its a wall, With the brackets they give you your limited to the wall. I called OSHa , they came and passed, There was a rule like a railing where you could only have a small space to fall, It was crazy like 8 inches or something. I have Never seen another set up to code, After all was said and done they told me you better tie in too.
A couple years back, I had a workers comp inspector review my setup. I had posts from 7' to 10' apart, but well braced to the building and to each other. The only thing he had me add was a mid-rail. Before that, I'd only used top rails at about 36"
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
all I can say about method is that I have NEVER had a pump slide and drop me those few inches.But of all the guys who hate pump jacks that I have worked with - their reason is that they get the bejesus scared out of them from too many of those slips.Then I watch how they do it and they always leave that pump up.When you have it down AND leave your weight on it, it cannot come up again and it stabilizes the rig from slipping.Never used Alumna so maybe they work a bit different.on broken bones - the most common injury I have seen in falls is broken wrist. I think I have seen five of those.Some were that instinctive reaction to reach and grab to stop your fall, and some were from thrusting the hand out in front of you to cushion the stop at the bottom.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"When you have it down AND leave your weight on it, it cannot come up again and it stabilizes the rig from slipping."
Do you release your weight(your foot) from the pump arm after you start cranking down?
Edited 1/6/2009 7:09 pm ET by misfit
No - that will get you kicked in the nuts. I leave the right foot in the stirrup and squat to let my left heel reach out to release the bottom square keeper. I am ho9lding the pole with my left hand for balance and crank down with my right.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Really? interesting
I guess I didn't misunderstand what you said afterall. I've done similar to you only I use my right hand instead of my foot. BUT I do release it slowly til it reaches the top, no kickback since I control the release. My thoughts for the release are like MikeSmith said in 114780.35
"the pump lever should be all the way UP against it's stopsthis transfers the hang from the lower rear lever to the long pump lever"The liberty of discussion is the great safeguard of all other liberties. --Macaulay.
OK, I'll bite.
How did you get down once you pumped the jacks up so high?
I'm assuming you didn't jump.
I'm presently lifting the handle and lower myself as I type.................. Just teasing. I messed with the pump arm and the square bar until I got close to my ladder and climbed down. The jacks are still up about 12' and I was waiting until the next rain to make sure all the leaks in the wall are sealed. This is a turn of the century 14,000 sq ft mansion that was neglected for years. I'm trying to breath life back into it by myself.
Rich
grass valley
"Do you have any instructions or can you tell me in simple english how do you safely lower the jacks back down?"The way I learned to do it prevents you from having that sudden drop of a few inches that most guys hate pump jacks for.I put my right foot in the pump lever and step it down to the plank. I leave my foot in it and the weight on it. That is what is holding the unit tight on the pole.Then I squat down to put my left heel on the bottom square lock bolt to hold it loose away from the 4x4 pole.While my two feet are doing this, and my left hand is holding the pole for balance, I use my right hand to crank down
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Piffin
We have talked about getting a socket adapter bit (for a cordless drill) welded to the crank of each pump jack. Then just hook up our cordless to the crank and power our way down.
We use the cordless and a 5/8" spade bit to run our car jack anytime we have to get that out for jacking. It works slick.
Rich
We have talked about getting a socket adapter bit (for a cordless drill) welded to the crank of each pump jack. Then just hook up our cordless to the crank and power our way down.
http://www.reechcraft.com/powerPole.asphttp://www.quittintime.com/ View Image
seeyou
Cool
Thanks for the link.
I skimmed it this AM and I will look deeper tonight.
Rich
Alumapole
http://www.quittintime.com/ View Image
how many years do you think you'll stay in business ?
what type of work do you do ?
how active is osha in your area ?
the answer to those questions made me decide for Alumapole
started out with two poles and a picMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I saw this on craigslist.
aluma pole pumpers - $3000
Reply to: [email protected] [?]
Date: 2009-01-04, 1:55PM PST
6-24' poles
4-6' poles
1-12'pole
5 conectors
8 braces
2-24' planks
1-16'plank .
I just have the red cheaper ones as that all they used to have, I never had trouble with them but mike Hussien jones has some good points, If i was starting out i would want the alum ones. There sweet.
Last Spring, in anticipation of this and another job, I put an ad on Craig's List:
"Wanted--Pump Jacks and planks"
I got several calls and promptly bought 3 older (better) qual craft jacks and 6 braces for 275$ and one 20' alumaplank for another 175$. I did the same thing for wall jacks.
My partner and I ignored the spacing rules, bought 3 pretty clear 20' DF 4x4's and used bracing both at the top and mid of the posts. With all that bracing it was rock solid.
The newer braces don't do the full 3 1/2" by the way...
We made a plank out of 2x4's and sheeting as described--it worked, but was heavy and cumbersome. We later used it as a work table up there which was GREAT.
Place a WANTED ad on your craig's list and see what shows up.
Definitely alumapole or the qualcraft aluminum set. Werner also makes an aluminum set. What kind of set up do you need/want. In my area you could get two 24' poles, the pump jacks with the pro bench bracket (so you can set up a table/plank behind you to work off of) and the two adjustable brackets for about $1400. That was a few years ago and the price might be up some. You can buy used, the sets last forever, but if you go new, shop around a bit prices vary.
You can get the ones that work off 2x4's but I just never trust those. I've used them in the past and although nothing ever went wrong I just don't think the risk/potential for serious injury or death is worth saving less than $1400. For the aluminum set up, I have used aluminum walk planks and 2" thick wood staging planks, either work well the aluminum lasts forever though.
Werner also makes an aluminum set.
I've actually got Werners. They are rebranded Alumapole with Werner pics.http://www.quittintime.com/ View Image