please advise me RE: laddervators/shingle hoists etc.

I am thinking about buying some type of laddervator type equipment this year and would appreciate any suggestions and helpfull hints regaurding their use.

i would like to say up front- I have never used this equipment- never actually seen it in use in person- hard to believe, huh?.

In my area we have really excellent roof top delivery available from the suppliers- but maybe 1/3 of the projects we do a laddervator would be handy. all out projects are old house work- no new construction- typically nicely maintained 1910's-1920's vintage homes- Very mature landscaping,large trees, powerlines etc.-prevent the suppliers truck mounted booms from good access-and frequently the delivery trucks can't even fit in some of the driveways.

In the past this hasn't been much of a problem-but I am semi retired now and will be operating with a "lean& mean" smaller crew-so a lift would be handy.

any suggestions as to brand---model---ease of operation?

is one man use feasible-or is 2 men required as a practical matter?

any models to avoid?-any hints with set-up/take down- how long does it take?- how difficult?

I know these must be commonly used elswhere- but in 20 plus years of operation here I haven't actually seen one in use--- but I did see some of the Texas/out of state/ stormchasers with them on their trucks a couple years ago.

thanks for any hints, stephen

Lanny, I am new to this board- but I recenhtly went through many of the old posts and saw one in which you mentioned the Bumpa conveyor.

i emailed them several days ago RE: pricing etc.- but they haven't responded yet. Perhaps they don't distribute in this area-which would be a shame 'cause i kind of liked the looks of that machine. thank you, stephen

Same as Seen it all for use and tips. Mine is similar, with clutch and brake handles. Motor weighs about 80#. Bought mine in 87-88. Still like new, original cable. All his tips are right on. Except, mine is the 250. I can set it up by myself, but like it better with another set of hands.

In use once, in the 70's, the bar fro the clutch broke on a 400# fully loaded with pg. I just held the brake up and let it hit the ground. Took an hour to replace the bar, and was good to go. In a case like that NEVER let the brake grab while it's descending! It will wreck the ladder! I saw that happen once to a rookie on a 10 minute old machine. :woohoo:

With practice, 400 # loads can be lowered when using the clutch to brake it. Have to hold the brake handle up and never engage until the load is stopped, or started back up.

thank you seenit all- that was really informative and I appreciate the effort it took to write all that out ( if you type as slow as me)

Stephen

That 400# hoist that Jed linked to is the same one that I bought back in 1987. Still have it today and use it occasionaly when I need it. It is very reliable and you can load it by yourself in a pinch but usually is a 2 man job.

Make sure you protect the gutter as the weight will dent or crush most gutters. Nail a couple of 2" x 4" onto the roof the width of the ladder and then install a cross piece to keep it off the gutter. Leave just enough wood sticking out past your cross piece so the carraige clears as this will keep the ladder from sliding to the side after you have it up.

I have always kept the cable neat on the drum when rewinding after use instead of just letting it wrap wherever it wants. This prevents the cable from fraying. I still have the original cable on mine after 23 years of use. I also oiled the cable as it seemed to always ride better through the pulleys.

Make sure your bundles are positioned square on the carraige prior to lifting. You will be able to tell when lifting if the carraige is binding on either side. I have to load mine slightly off to one side in order to get a smooth lift. It is best to have only one operator as they get to know how to run it properly.

Allow 10-15 minutes for complete setup. When dealing with long ladder lengths I would attach a long rope on the top and get one man on the roof to lift and guide the top into position. Don't twist the ladder on it's feet as this will damage the brackets on the bottom attaching the feet. Two men should lift and turn to position.

When new I would lift 5 bundles at a time about 400 lbs. I would be on the ground and 2 men on the roof. I would get them to stand either side of the hoist and unload all five in a pile and then they could place them on the roof while I sent up another 5 bundles. You can load a roof this way almost as quick as a rooftop. Another advantage is that on steeper slopes you can leave the material right on the carraige and use from there.

Hints: When finished, tie your carraige to a ladder rung with the bottom about a foot off the ground and then finish releasing the cable to undo. This will make it easier to undo the cable plus your carraige will be secure during transport. Nothing sounds more scarry than putting on the brakes at a stop sign and hear the carraige rolling down the ladder on top of the truck :woohoo:

Make sure the ladder feet are on a hard surface, on grass or dirt place down a piece of plywood. If you lift and one foot of your ladder sinks in it will twist your ladder and carraige and may dump your load.

Have one man signal at the roof edge to stop the lift. Handy when the sun is shining up there. Also tell them to keep there hands off the top of the ladder. FNG's have a habit of leaning over with there hands on the ladder top looking at the excitement. Good way to loose some finger tips.

The hoist operator should stand clear when they are unloading as wet plastic wrapped bundles are easy to drop. That is why I like the total unload at once method mentioned above as it clears the way for the operator to arrange material for the next lift.

Watch for power lines as aluminum is a good conductor.

When lifting, try to maintain one smooth motion on the lifting handle when first lifting. If not the carraige will jerk causing instability or engine stall. When braking the carraige on decent, don't let the carraige free fall and attempt to brake at the bottom only. Slightly brake on the decent to maintain control to stop at the bottom. Make sure you leave slight pressure on the lift cable when you start to load as this will keep your cable in line on the spool and prevent over ride and fraying of the cable.

If your brake cable gets wet it may rust to your drum pulley. Free it up by lifting the brake handle ond using a 3" nail to lift the large woven cord cable off the drum pulley. Don't grease or oil your brake cable.

For the best performance and longest life on the equipment make sure when you are lifting and lowering that your cable should be running off the spool in a smooth motion with the cable running side to side on the spool and not overlapping during a lift. If you are concious of this at the beginning, the cable will develop a memory and begin to spool neatly on it's own.

Make sure the angle of your ladder is not too steep at this will increase the risk of tippage during a lift. I usually place the hoist ladder on the same angle as a normal walking ladder.

Don't let anyone climb the hoist ladder as they will step on the edge of the carraige to get on and this will stress the rollers and affect the movement of the carraige in the future.

Make sure when you thread the pulleys during set up, that everything is in alignment and your cable is not crossing through any ladder rung as that will cause the cable to wear through the rung in short order.

Also keep an eye on any aluminum shavings on the ground as this is an indicator that your carraige is wearing on the ladder and will need adjustment.

When splicing your ladder lengths together, make sure your bolts are in the right way with the nuts to the inside of the rails (going by memory, better check the directions) because the carraige runners will clip the ends off the bolts if installed the other way.

http://www.intechequipment.com/RGCPlatform.htm This is the one we bought.

What do you have to transport it with? How long of lengths can you carry?

I used to have a Clearfield conveyor that I carried on a ladder rack. It weighed about 400 lb.s. My crew used to be amazed that even though it took two of them to unload, I had loaded it solo. I had it down to a science, it was done with balancing and keeping a body-in-motion in motion. Then on time as I was unloading it with my arms reaching up, discs crunched in my back and I was sore for months. I was afraid of it after that.

The "Jose" lift!

I got a 400lb hoist from INTECH a couple of months ago. Works great, throw it onto the truck and go. Gas operated, runs up to roughly 35ft, $1300ish I think.