Time for mechanic & helper to swap 65 2x4 troffers?

[htroberts]

What do you think is a reasonable time estimate for a mechanic and helper to swap a new lay-in LED 2x4 troffer for an existing fluorescent one?

Job is at a vacant office with 9' ceilings and good access (no furniture, etc., to climb over). Existing lights are not screwed to the ceiling T-grid, but they do have RELOC type wiring, so the whips will need to be unplugged, unwired from the existing light and wired to the new one, and the new light installed in the grid.

It's all one-for-one. There are ~65 2x4' troffers, and about six each 1x4' and 2x2's.

 

[iwire]

You will have to support them so your time is going to be long

 

[E16]

You will have to support them so your time is going to be long

Can't he use a Lay-in and Troffer Support Clip? They do not add to much time.
410.36 (B)

 

[mgookin]

You may want 2 helpers. Using Baker's scaffolding on wheels you could have another tier (or 2) below the mechanic (and/ or another scaffolding nearby). One helper does nothing other than feed the mechanic and move the scaffolding. The other helper keeps the lower tier stocked with fixtures & parts while hauling out waste. Only issue I see from this though is that it pushes the mechanic hard.

Maybe 2 mechanics, 2 sets of scaffold & 3 helpers? If they did one each in 15 minutes you could do the job in a long day barring any problems. If 15 minutes is not the correct number insert correct number & do the math.

 

[GerryB]

What do you think is a reasonable time estimate for a mechanic and helper to swap a new lay-in LED 2x4 troffer for an existing fluorescent one?

Job is at a vacant office with 9' ceilings and good access (no furniture, etc., to climb over). Existing lights are not screwed to the ceiling T-grid, but they do have RELOC type wiring, so the whips will need to be unplugged, unwired from the existing light and wired to the new one, and the new light installed in the grid.

It's all one-for-one. There are ~65 2x4' troffers, and about six each 1x4' and 2x2's.

I say 3 days.

 

[luckylerado]

You may want 2 helpers. Using Baker's scaffolding on wheels you could have another tier (or 2) below the mechanic (and/ or another scaffolding nearby). One helper does nothing other than feed the mechanic and move the scaffolding. The other helper keeps the lower tier stocked with fixtures & parts while hauling out waste. Only issue I see from this though is that it pushes the mechanic hard.

Maybe 2 mechanics, 2 sets of scaffold & 3 helpers? If they did one each in 15 minutes you could do the job in a long day barring any problems. If 15 minutes is not the correct number insert correct number & do the math.

Leave the baker scaffold at home and buy a decent pair of stilts.

I would send a man on stilts down the area to remove the old fixture and hand it off to helper A. Helper B hands up the new fixture. Wash rinse repeat. When they are all swapped out everyone gets to work on the rewire. Stilts pay for themselves in a few hours.

 

[GoldDigger]

Leave the baker scaffold at home and buy a decent pair of stilts.

It may not be applicable, but I understand that OSHA does not like stilts.

 

[luckylerado]

It may not be applicable, but I understand that OSHA does not like stilts.

They like surfing baker scaffolding even less.

 

[iwire]

Stilts? What is this 1980?

We would be tossed off the job.

 

[GoldDigger]

They like surfing baker scaffolding even less.

Looks like they do accept it as long as proper safety practices are followed. Individual company policies may be more strict.

As for stilts, it appears that the Feds are still open to their use but CalOSHA (or maybe KalOSHA) has banned them completely.

 

[luckylerado]

Stilts? What is this 1980?

We would be tossed off the job.

I have had some funny looks but say what you will; I can absolutely smoke any 2 guys working off of ladders when I strap those stilts on. Especially the lazy turds that we seem to be putting out these days.

 

[htroberts]

I say 3 days.

So you're calling it about twenty minutes per fixture with two guys...

 

[htroberts]

Can't he use a Lay-in and Troffer Support Clip? They do not add too much time.
410.36 (B)

Yeah, but I think iwire meant we'll also have to add wires to the structural ceiling at two corners.

 

[htroberts]

You may want 2 helpers. Using Baker's scaffolding on wheels you could have another tier (or 2) below the mechanic (and/ or another scaffolding nearby). One helper does nothing other than feed the mechanic and move the scaffolding. The other helper keeps the lower tier stocked with fixtures & parts while hauling out waste. Only issue I see from this though is that it pushes the mechanic hard.

Maybe 2 mechanics, 2 sets of scaffold & 3 helpers? If they did one each in 15 minutes you could do the job in a long day barring any problems. If 15 minutes is not the correct number insert correct number & do the math.

I like the rolling scaffold idea. Either go through and pull down all the old fixtures, then move the whips on the ground, and go back through to install the LED replacements; or if the RELOC connectors are difficult, rewire them in the air to avoid having to unplug & replug.

I'm trying to do it as cheaply as possible--calendar time isn't a factor. So two guys for five days is better than four guys for three days.

 

[gadfly56]

I like the rolling scaffold idea. Either go through and pull down all the old fixtures, then move the whips on the ground, and go back through to install the LED replacements; or if the RELOC connectors are difficult, rewire them in the air to avoid having to unplug & replug.

I'm trying to do it as cheaply as possible--calendar time isn't a factor. So two guys for five days is better than four guys for three days.

I have never seen a job bid for one man two weeks get done in one week with two men. :happysad:

 

[iwire]

I have had some funny looks but say what you will; I can absolutely smoke any 2 guys working off of ladders when I strap those stilts on. Especially the lazy turds that we seem to be putting out these days.

I can often 'beat' people who are working safely by my working unsafely.

 

[chris1971]

Leave the baker scaffold at home and buy a decent pair of stilts.

Supply the guys with aluminum ladders as well. :lol:

 

[luckylerado]

I can often 'beat' people who are working safely by my working unsafely.

They are not for everybody I suppose and not for all situations. Home runs, can lights, Dropins, voice/data in cable tray, ETC. They get a bad rap. Assuming you are not working in a trashcan, what is unsafe about it? Unorthodox I will agree but once you know how to use them and they are sized to fit your body they are very safe and comfortable. A pair of stilts have been among my super-tools for over a decade and I have spent hundreds of hours on them with no problems and no safety violations on some very safety conscious job sites. You need to wear a simple tool bag while using them IMO or it is a net loss on productivity but I feel that way regardless of stilts. It also helps to have something like this within reach while you are up top.

 

[luckylerado]

Supply the guys with aluminum ladders as well. :lol:

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[Smart $]

They like surfing baker scaffolding even less.

Looks like they do accept it as long as proper safety practices are followed. Individual company policies may be more strict. ...

While baker scaffold seems quite popular, wheels can be put on regular scaffold too.