The most time-consuming action involved in construction jobs is definitely the movement of materials along the scaffolding. If you’re running a small construction business or managing a bigger construction project, the use of the right a winch will make a huge difference.
But what other factors do you need to consider when looking for a scaffold winch for sale ?
Understanding What You Actually Need
You can get anything from a simple manual hoist to a sophisticated electric hoist that comes with a remote control on the market. The key is to match it to your requirements and not merely go for the most expensive model that is available.
One way to do this is to think about the loads that your team normally has to work with on a day-to-day basis. A house extension domestic construction project will be vastly different from one that has to lift materials to the twentieth floor, for example. Typically, suppliers will rate their winches in terms of SWL, from 150kg to 500kg.
Manual or Electric: The Real-World Trade-Off
Such winches would be ideal as they’re easy to use and don’t require any power source. They would be ideal especially where electricity is not readily available. In situations where manual winching is done on a daily basis, carrying the loads might be tiring to the workers. Additionally, such winching is done at slower speeds.
Safety Features That Actually Matter
Each scaffold winch should conform to the latest health and safety standards in the UK and European markets. However, certain characteristics distinguish improved products from properly robust systems. These include products whose automatic brakes activate when the user relaxes the control. Other protective features might include a shutdown function for preventing the lifting of excessive loads instead of straining the equipment.
The cost breakdown doesn’t end with the price tag on the winch. The electric winch also requires periodic maintenance, and if it is being used on a daily basis and exposed to dust and the elements, it is even more important that you consider the cost for maintenance contracts or, when the time comes, repair work.
The wire ropes tend to need replacement each year when subjected to extensive use, although this depends on the circumstances in some cases. Spares play an important role in preventing mechanical failure in case a replacement is needed. The cost of running for manually operated winches tends to be lower in most cases, but replacement parts in the braking system or gears contribute significantly to this aspect.
The Decision-Making Process
However, the final decision regarding the kind of scaffold winch equipment you will opt for depends on your own needs and budget. For instance, a simple manual winch would work great for a small group, but for a bigger organisation handling huge loads, the investment in electric winches will be warranted simply for the time-saving alone.
Discuss the situation with other contractors regarding their use of other models and suppliers. The construction business can be quite candid regarding models that work and models that don’t. There’s more benefit in talking to someone who has first-hand experience than any brochures made available prior to a decision.