Guide to Sizing a Pump Jack System for a Two-Story House

Guide to Sizing a Pump Jack System for a Two-Story House

A pump jack system is the standard way to work the exterior of a two-story house. Two poles go up, jack assemblies ride them, and a work bench between the jacks gives you a platform you raise as the job moves up the wall. Getting the pole length and the bracing right is what separates a system that works from one that fights you all day. Dallas Ladder stocks Titan and Werner pump jack systems at our Rowlett warehouse.

Pole Length and Working Height

Poles come in 6, 12, 18, and 24 foot lengths, and they can be joined. The working height you get is not the pole length, because the jacks need room above the bench and the poles need to be braced to something at the top.

For a typical two-story house you are working roughly 18 to 22 feet at the eave, which means 24 foot poles or joined shorter ones. Buying poles that stop at your eave height leaves you building an extension in the driveway.

Our Werner pump jack poles and connectors and Titan pump jack poles and connectors cover both systems.

Bracing Is Not Optional

Pump jack poles are only stable if they are braced, both to each other and back to the structure. Without bracing the poles flex outward as the load comes on, and the whole system gets loose exactly when someone is standing on it.

The brace layout runs from the pole feet at the base, where the feet need to be anchored so the pole cannot kick out, up through the support braces at working height. Our Werner pump jack pole foot and pole anchors in a four pack are what keep the base from moving.

Benches, Braces and End Rails

The work bench is the platform between the two jacks, and its width decides how much room you have to work. End rail kits cap the open ends of the bench so the platform is enclosed rather than open on both sides, which is what makes a pump jack platform safe to work from.

A rigid support brace locks the bench to the poles so it cannot walk or lift, and a safety net under the platform catches tools and material before they reach the ground.

Our Werner aluminum work bench and narrow end rail kit are the core of the setup, with the wide end rail kit for a broader platform.

Titan or Werner

Both systems work and they do not interchange, so the choice usually comes down to what your crew already owns or what your supplier stocks. Titan and Werner have different pole diameters and different jack assemblies, and mixing them is not an option.

Our Titan pump jack range and the rest of the pump jack category show both, and we will tell you which parts cross over and which do not.

Everything ships from 5030 Dexham Rd. Ste. 103 in Rowlett, TX, and local crews can pick up the same day. Call 972-331-1090 and we will tell you what is on the floor right now.