# Can one man install a 10 foot scaffolding?



## Jungle (Jul 20, 2014)

Seems to weigh about 600+ lbs. 

Also if i attach a ladder to the top and it goes off and up a roof @ 45*°* for 18 feet and the person is 170lbs could the scaffolding tip over?


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## beachguy005 (Jul 20, 2014)

It's amazing how much you can actually do on your own when you need to and you figure it out.  But I've also fallen 12 feet off planks because I wasn't paying attention.  You could tie the scaffold to the house but at 28 feet would you really want to risk it.
I would ask what you're going to be doing and will you be moving the scaffolding.
 I've used a pair of pump jacks with a plank on 24 foot poles, moved them by myself, to shingle the walls of a 2 story house.  You can go up higher.
Here's some info if you're not familiar with them. 

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/01/012d6c7e-30c0-4690-b60e-170259e30fdf.pdf


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## Jungle (Jul 20, 2014)

Working on the roof,it's about 11 feet off the ground but the roof is about 18'. I guess i can attach some hangers to the roof beams through the sofits and tie to the scaffolding. I was gonna rent one is about 5x7 x 10 height. Then attach the ladder to the scaffolding.


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## beachguy005 (Jul 20, 2014)

I may have missed what you're trying to do but I'm now guessing you want to lay the ladder on the roof not up to the roof.
If that's the case, why not use a roof hook on the end of your ladder.  It just hooks over the peak.    [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEzHI0GpKOs[/ame]


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## Jungle (Jul 20, 2014)

That look's dangerous beachguy. Why would i do that when i could set up scaffolding that is way safer?


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## oldognewtrick (Jul 20, 2014)

Beach guy just gave you the safest option, up to you to decide what is safer. Me? I'm doing what was suggested.


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## Jungle (Jul 20, 2014)

You mean hanging from the roof with those little metal clips is safer than this?


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## beachguy005 (Jul 20, 2014)

You would do it that way because it's generally the way that's done if you're working on a roof, rather than the way you're looking to do it.  There are other brands out there and other videos if you search ladder ridge hooks.

I don't know how you figure setting a ladder on 10 foot staging pitched up to your roof would be safer.  Working on a roof is inherently dangerous but I would rather use products that are designed for it rather than jury rigging something.

Here's another.

http://www.acrobuildingsystems.com/...orced-ladder-hook-with-fixed-wheel-swivel-bar                                                                                                                 That picture is nowhere near what you were planning on doing.


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## beachguy005 (Jul 20, 2014)

That doesn't look like the 10 foot high staging you were going to rent and erect yourself.


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## Jungle (Jul 20, 2014)

This one is only 420 lbs. The way i see it you can't fall off the roof because the scaffolding will catch you, as long as i only work in the 6' range. Where as the roof hooks plenty can go wrong, what if the first ladder falls down? then i'm stuck on the roof. I think the key is attaching the scaffolding to the house. Sure it will take a lot longer but i have to do a lot up there anyways.  Where would you put the materials, the tools?


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## beachguy005 (Jul 20, 2014)

Jungle said:


> The way i see it you can't fall off the roof because the scaffolding will catch you, as long as i only work in the 6' range.



   If the scaffolding catches you, you did fall off the roof.  As long as you have no need to move beyond that 6 feet and it makes you feel more secure...have at it.  The reality is that roofers have been using those hooks for as long as they've been working on roofs. Your method...not so much.


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## Jungle (Jul 20, 2014)

Sockets in the walls around the paleolithic cave paintings at Lascaux, suggest that a scaffold system was used for painting the ceiling, over 17,000 years ago.

The roof hooks are not allowed here in Canadastan, not sold anywhere banned like switch blades, fire crackers and num-chucks. If you don't believe me you can check homdepot.ca yourself. Same with roof ladders.

Seems scaffolding might be code in Europe for roofers.





The other option is work with this roofer guy on the weekend, but the more i think about it, i don't want to do it with him. What if he drops something on me and kills me? 

Do you mind explain what you have against scaffolding? The rental stuff will be old maybe 900 lbs. not so easy to tip over. That's why i'm asking maybe i should get them to set up the scaffolding and just rent 30 feet of the whole side of the roof, then they can come back and move it to the front. Probably not cost that much.


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## Wuzzat? (Jul 20, 2014)

Jungle said:


> Seems to weigh about 600+ lbs.
> 
> Also if i attach a ladder to the top and it goes off and up a roof @ 45*°* for 18 feet and the person is 170lbs could the scaffolding tip over?


I'd say the ladder/scaffold has to be tied on to the roof/building wall.  

With no friction there'd be SIN(45) x 170 = 120 lbs in line with the ladder axis trying to push the scaffold over.  With friction there'd be less.  

To see if the scaffold weight cancels out the tipping force you need the scaffold base, width and height.  
If it's 5' out from the wall, then the torque holding the scaffold upright is 5/2 ft x 600 lb = 1500 lb-ft.  The force pressing each foot down is 600/4 lbs.
A horizontal force F at 10' high to bring this to verge of tipping is F = 600/10 = 60 lbs.

It's a problem in statics, unless the scaffold tips and then it becomes a problem in dynamics: with what speed will the top of the scaffold hit the ground?  
This is a good physics problem that I'm glad I never had to solve on a test.


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## beachguy005 (Jul 20, 2014)

I have absolutely nothing against scaffolding.  It can be very useful when used properly.  I just don't believe that using it as a base for a ladder is it's best use.  
If you have a ladder braced on it to the roof, at a 45degree pitch, and then climb on the ladder onto the roof, most all of the weight on the ladder will transfer to outward force on the scaffolding trying, to push it away from the building.  That's not what the scaffolding is designed for. 
Even though it's 900 lbs you could still potentially tip it over.
As far as them not being used up there, I find it hard to believe that everyone who works on a roof has to set scaffolding to do it. Especially a single story like yours.  Your pictures show roofs of tile and slate. You want scaffolding there to support the load of the roofing material which is quite heavy.


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## Wuzzat? (Jul 20, 2014)

Jungle said:


> . . .what you have against scaffolding?


This can be a logical fallacy but I can't find it right now in the list of fallacies.
The fallacy is that there are other possibilities besides an "anti-scaffold bias".

And post #7 seems like a Straw Man argument.  #12? 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_tradition

BTW, falling off a roof onto a scaffold will impart some horizontal force to the scaffold, tending to tip it.  Your momentum has to be dissipated somehow.

From your posts, more and more I get the feeling there is more going on here than a physics problem.
My candidate for what else is going on here is
 "Why Don't You... / Yes, But..."
a game identified by Eric Berne.


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## bud16415 (Jul 21, 2014)

Is there a roof ladder or ladder hook attachment that has standoffs to hold the ladder away from the roof an inch or so? Reason being is so you slip shingles under it as you go on a steep roof.


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## Chris (Jul 21, 2014)

Just rent one of these and get a longer fall harness and you can go to every spot of your roof.


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## bud16415 (Jul 21, 2014)

It won&#8217;t be long you can keep both feet on the ground.

http://www.google.com/patents/US5381597


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## Chris (Jul 21, 2014)

They took our jobs!


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## bud16415 (Jul 21, 2014)

I see putting shingles on as something pretty tough to get a robot to do and why would you want to? I think in the year 2014 should be able to come up with something better than shingles by now. 

Over the weekend I went to a farm that had robotic cow milking and they work 24-7 , 365 without no human interaction except servicing and repair. First time cows take a day or two with humans showing them how it works and then that&#8217;s it. That is just about as hard as to automate as doing shingles IMO.


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## Chris (Jul 21, 2014)

We better hope modern medicine takes a turn for the worse or what are we gonna do with so many humans around?


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## oldognewtrick (Jul 21, 2014)

bud16415 said:


> I think in the year 2014 should be able to come up with something better than shingles by now.



Metal, tile, slate, even some of the composites have a lot better lifespan than asphalt shingles.


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## slownsteady (Jul 21, 2014)

> We better hope modern medicine takes a turn for the worse or what are we gonna do with so many humans around?



Wow, this opens an intense philosophical dialogue with tangents into teleology as well as the current economic system.


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## slownsteady (Jul 21, 2014)

> Metal, tile, slate, even some of the composites have a lot better lifespan than asphalt shingles.



I vote for a plastic uni-roof that gets delivered whole and is lowered onto your house with a crane.


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## bud16415 (Jul 22, 2014)

Around here the best houses built in the 1800's had slate roofs and many are still in perfect shape. The ones that fail are caused by the nails wearing our that held them or cracks due to hail that were never repaired. When I was Italy I asked my host how long do the tile roofs last and he said get in the car. We drove around with him pointing out buildings saying 12th century 10th century etc. then we came to a ruins that still was partly there and he said 5th century. I don't know if he was making it up as we went but those roofs looked old and still working. He laughed and asked how long do your roofs last. 


Sent from my iPhone using Home Repair


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## Jungle (Jul 22, 2014)

I was talking to an old time roofer and he said on of the best roofs you can have is cedar.
I like the metal roof because the snow just slides off it. I am going to redue the porch too so the roof is same pitch as the house roof. With the amount of snow around here you want that stuff off and away from the house asap.

I still don't know how hard is it for one man to set up scaffolding or how long? I thought of another problem is the ladder might scratch the paint, i suppose i should rent a wood ladder or put tape around the edges. I am thinking paint it light green color. 
http://darkling.poppameth.com/painting-a-metal-roof/
according to the article acrylic paint is the best option.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




I've also got some damaged metal panels from the old 'ice blades.' about 3"x3" dents areas, should i glue a new piece of panel over it? If i can find the same. Fill it with polyfila?


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## beachguy005 (Jul 22, 2014)

Jungle said:


> I still don't know how hard is it for one man to set up scaffolding or how long?



 I love banging my head against the wall because it feels so good when I stop.................                                                                                                                                                                                                   Have you even thought about asking the folks at the store you're planning on renting the scaffolding?


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## nealtw (Jul 22, 2014)

Film at eleven?


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## oldognewtrick (Jul 22, 2014)

bud16415 said:


> He laughed and asked how long do your roofs last.




Well, it's like gas companies buying patents of engines that get 100 miles per gallon, or drug companies that make more profit treating illness then curing it. Why would asphalt shingle companies make products that don't need replacing every 20 years? It's a billion dollar industry.


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