How often do you use a mewp?

[richy_B]

Of course MEWPS are better on some jobs ,but ....do they save what they cost ?     eg  if you hire one in and it is say £200 for a day and a certified operator is required ( training required )  and it only saves a half day of climbing then it is not really cost effective is it .....owning one has considerable costs also  , and it is up to the individual to determine / analyse costs for each job . 

 

True, but the same will go for most kit. You need the right type of jobs and a reasonably steady flow of it to capitalise. If you can fit two jobs into a day where you previously did 1 then you are surely going to see a good return on investment. .

 

Savings are not purely financial either. Anything that reduces stress and strain on your body is a plus point in my book. A mewp may perhaps extend your climbing career, etc.

 

[richy_B]

 

 

 

[beechwood]

As the title goes, how often do you use a mewp? Do you only use it on really dangerous "un-climable" stuff or do you use it if it looks like it can speed a job along?

We brought a 21m Teupen at the end of December 2014.



I'm now going to show my OCD side.
It's gone out as a 'billed on' item 184 times since we brought it, so roughly 8.5-9 days per month. It also gets used on other jobs just because we have it, I haven't kept a record of these.
Basically, because I think this is what you are really trying to figure out, it should repay the capital investment in 3-3.5 years. That said the pound was a lot stronger against the euro when we purchased it and only time will tell what condition it will be in by the time it's paid for its self.



We use it on jobs where we consider the tree unsafe to climb, where we can achieve better results from a MEWP and where it makes the work less stressful.
Does it make the jobs quicker? Honestly most of the time, probably not.
By the time you factor in loading it up, the extra time taken getting to site, unloading it, tracking it into position, tracking it out, loading it up, extra time taken getting home, unloading it.
The time saved on the actual job is minimal.

But that said it definitely saves stress on the body, certain jobs can be done in half the time, certain jobs you can achieve far better results and for me it's definitely, in most situations, safer than climbing.

Overall for us it's a great tool and I wouldn't want to be without it but most of our aerial work is still done from rope and harness, for various reasons.

Just my opinion, hope it helps you make the decision.

Regards Neil

[Steve Bullman]

Hardly ever use one myself, but the company I sub to owns one and its out every week on something or other.  Personally i don't like them, but they have their place like everything else

[skyhuck]

8 hours ago, SWORDSTA said:

As a climber too I can say that a proficient man in the bucket will have a tree down in half the time any climber can. 

You clearly ain't seen any decent climbers, IMO.

[roseyweb]

If I could justify it I'd have a nifty 17.5 meter tow, as there they are light to tow and easy to Manuvere, I find the track ones can be heavy to tow and we regually do a 1.5 hour commute. 

 

Most at of our work is siding back and clearing cameras which is a lot of up and down which would suck for a climber. 

The prob with mewp ownership is you never have the right one hence why we hire 

 

[Marula]

 

 

Just my opinion, hope it helps you make the decision.

 

Regards Neil

 

Thanks Neil, it does. Your company looks like a really well equipped and slick operation, I hope you get someone decent for that job you advertised, looks like a really excellent opportunity.

 

You clearly ain't seen any decent climbers, IMO.

 

I would say I was a decent climber at my peak (never had any complaints) with quite a bit of experience doing large euc removals down under from 50+ metre platforms and climbing and there is no way a climber would manoeuvre around a 150ft+ tree faster than a bucket can reposition, especially when chains are involved for cranes.

Equally I spent a fair bit of time doing "spready"stuff here in the U.K. climbing and from a truck mounted mewp and the same applies, by the time a climber has repositioned the bucket has already been there and had it off.

 

 

 

If I could justify it I'd have a nifty 17.5 meter tow, as there they are light to tow and easy to Manuvere, I find the track ones can be heavy to tow and we regually do a 1.5 hour commute. 

 

Most at of our work is siding back and clearing cameras which is a lot of up and down which would suck for a climber. 

The prob with mewp ownership is you never have the right one hence why we hire 

 

 

 

My only issue with nifty lifts is that they don't have the specific reach which is sometimes required, I've used a 30metre spider lift to do a dead tree and that thing on full extension was a serious bum hole clencher.

 

Thanks for the reply gents, some good comments here and some serious food for thought.

 

 

[woody paul]

9 minutes ago, SWORDSTA said:

My only issue with nifty lifts is that they don't have the specific reach which is sometimes required, I've used a 30metre spider lift to do a dead tree and that thing on full extension was a serious bum hole clencher.

 

Thanks for the reply gents, some good comments here and some serious food for thought.

If you spec the nifty booms alongside others they have more outreach as they are narrower

[Stephen Blair]

Never.

That's the spirit!
Unclimbable!! Tee hee!!

[tree-fancier123]

2 hours ago, Stephen Blair said:

 

That's the spirit!
Unclimbable!! Tee hee!!

so even with the most rotten trees that have to be dismantled rather than dropped, some climbers will look at it and think ' well if it's got the strength to hold several ton of its own wood up there another 80 or 100kg aint going to crumble it''

I suppose its no more dangerous than hand to hand combat

Edited September 15, 2017 by tree-fancier123