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Guide to Scaffold Wind Ratings and Securing an Open Site A scaffold that carries everything you put on it can still go over in an afternoon. Wind acts on the whole face of the structure - frames, planks, guard rails, netting and signage - and on an open site or a parking structure that face area adds up fast. DFW gets storms that arrive with little warning, and the difference between a scaffold that survives one and a scaffold on its side is preparation that happened before the forecast. Wind I …

Guide to Scaffold Stair Towers for Upper Level Access Most crews access a scaffold the way they always have, which means climbing the frames or leaning a ladder against the outside. That works for a one-lift job and it stops working the moment the scaffold gets tall, the crew gets large, or anyone has to carry something up. A stair tower is the piece of the system that decides how a job actually flows, and it is usually an afterthought in the quote. What a Stair Tower Is A stair tower is a scaf …

Guide to Inspecting Scaffold Planks and Walkboards The frames are the visible part of a scaffold and the planks are the part the crew actually stands on. Wood planks absorb the beating of every load, every set of boots, and every weather cycle on a Texas site, and a plank that has been in service for two years on a job in the sun looks fine from ten feet away and is not. Inspecting planks is a five-minute job that belongs on the same schedule as the frame inspection. What to Look For Start with …

Guide to Scaffold Base Plates, Sills and Footings A scaffold does not fail at the top, it fails at the bottom. Every leg transfers its share of the load plus the weight of the crew and material into whatever the ground is underneath, and the hardware at that point is doing more work than anything higher up the frame. Base plates and sills are the cheapest part of the system and the part crews skip most often. Here is what they actually do and how to decide what a given site needs. What Base Pla …

Guide to Scaffolding Outriggers, Casters and Guard Rails A scaffold frame is the structure. Outriggers, casters and guard rails are what make it safe to work from and safe to move. These are the parts crews skip when they are trying to save money, and they are the parts that decide whether a tower stands up. Dallas Ladder stocks all three at our Rowlett warehouse. Outriggers Widen the Base Outriggers extend the footprint of the tower beyond the frame, which is what stops a tall narrow tower fro …