Lift Or Not

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Alwayslearningelec

Senior Member
Location
NJ
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Estimator
If you had to remove only bulbs and fixtures were at 12' would you use a ladder or rent a lift? I would get paid for the lift but don't to include if it doesn't make sense. Thanks
 
What kind of obstacles in the way? Office furniture? Clear space? Warehouse with racks??

Lift or ladder, you're still going to have a lot of time going up and coming down and re-positioning to the next fixture. How are your knees?
 
Paid hourly or by the fixture? Hourly it wouldn't matter so long as your hour bid will cover the time for use of the "cheapest" means (likely ladder) if by the fixture and you get reimbursed for a lift, use whatever is fastest.
 
I did commercial service for a while. The owner was stingy as they come, but any time we were doing a lot of replacements (even bulbs), it was a lift every time. Ladders were used for one-offs, even then a lift was often brought in. As much for WC liability than anything, I'd guess. He billed T&M usually.

At $200 per day to rent a lift, versus setting up a 12ft ladder over and over... You lose maybe 10min getting the lift in and out of the space, but after that it's pure time savings. Also consider the added efficiency of having a mobile material cart like that, vs having to push around an additional cart with the ladder.

Personally, if it's a half day or more on that ladder, I'm renting a lift, if for nothing more than to be safer. I hate being on tall ladders.
 
NoahsArc said:
Personally, if it's a half day or more on that ladder, I'm renting a lift, if for nothing more than to be safer. I hate being on tall ladders.
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Plus there is a safety factor of having to carry items up/down the ladder having to use one, or both hands, to carry the material.
 
Little Bill said:
Plus there is a safety factor of having to carry items up/down the ladder having to use one, or both hands, to carry the material.
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And trying to do a fixture swap on top of a ladder with nothing but a small bit of real estate at the top to rest things on. It's such a pain, and you either have to play teeter totter with your materials or make lots of long trips up and down (with a hand full).

I'm just residential now, so I don't get to play with the joystick anymore, but in a commercial space it's the default option and ladders are for really minor service calls or really tight spaces in a back room.
 
I'm with electrofelon.... bakers scaffold unless the lift was already on site and easily moved to the fixture location
 
By the time the dude shows up and drops the lift off I could be done with a ladder. Even faster if I have an apprentice to help carry stuff or we have two ladders. I don’t think any boss I’ve ever had would rent a lift for that job even if they were getting paid. However, I would feel safer and be happier doing it from a lift if that counts for anything.
 
On a job with several specialties ... A journeyman plumbing contractor fell off a 6 foot ladder and became paralyzed for life.
 
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