We have some work to do on the guttering of our house and also next door's
but these are terraced houses and it's at the front, ie, on the street, and
means that the method of access to the gutters has to be movable along the
length of both houses. If we hire some sort of scaffolding or access tower
it means time and effort spent in erecting/taking down the thing and may
make the job span two days, plus we have to get a street permit from the
council (£23).

So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted cherry
picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting maintenance. We
should be able to park it in the place where I normally park my car and no
time spent erecting/stripping down means that we could get the job done in
the one day - much easier all round.

However, all the hire sites I've looked at so far seem to suggest that you
have to go on a training course before you can use one of these things. The
course (on successful completion) seems to give you a card that lasts for 5
years. In other words, it seems that they are training you for a career in
using elevating platforms and looking towards future employment, which is
obviously no good for someone who wants to hire it for a day while his mate
goes and does some work on the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there
really no way Joe Public can just hire one for a day?

TIA

On Dec 1, 3:19*pm, "Pete Zahut" wrote:
We have some work to do on the guttering of our house and also next door's
but these are terraced houses and it's at the front, ie, on the street, and
means that the method of access to the gutters has to be movable along the
length of both houses. If we hire some sort of scaffolding or access tower
it means time and effort spent in erecting/taking down the thing and may
make the job span two days, plus we have to get a street permit from the
council ( 23).

So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted cherry
picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting maintenance. We
should be able to park it in the place where I normally park my car and no
time spent erecting/stripping down means that we could get the job done in
the one day - much easier all round.

However, all the hire sites I've looked at so far seem to suggest that you
have to go on a training course before you can use one of these things. The
course (on successful completion) seems to give you a card that lasts for 5
years. In other words, it seems that they are training you for a career in
using elevating platforms and looking towards future employment, which is
obviously no good for someone who wants to hire it for a day while his mate
goes and does some work on the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there
really no way Joe Public can just hire one for a day?

TIA

You can hire aluminium scaffolding towers with castors. They are
quite light and easily moved about.

On Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:19:31 +0000, Pete Zahut wrote:
So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance. We should be able to park it in the place where I normally
park my car and no time spent erecting/stripping down means that we
could get the job done in the one day - much easier all round.

What are the hire prices like there? They're ridiculously expensive this
side of the Atlantic - it's more cost-effective to outright buy a used
one and sell it again when you're done, assuming you have the funds and
storage space.

(I suspect it might be more cost-effective to simply pay someone to do
the work for you too, unfortunately)

cheers

Jules

On Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:19:31 +0000, Pete Zahut wrote:
So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance. We should be able to park it in the place where I normally
park my car and no time spent erecting/stripping down means that we
could get the job done in the one day - much easier all round.

What are the hire prices like there? They're ridiculously expensive this
side of the Atlantic - it's more cost-effective to outright buy a used
one and sell it again when you're done, assuming you have the funds and
storage space.

(I suspect it might be more cost-effective to simply pay someone to do
the work for you too, unfortunately)

cheers

Jules

harry wrote:
On Dec 1, 3:19 pm, "Pete Zahut" wrote:
We have some work to do on the guttering of our house and also next
door's but these are terraced houses and it's at the front, ie, on
the street, and means that the method of access to the gutters has
to be movable along the length of both houses. If we hire some sort
of scaffolding or access tower it means time and effort spent in
erecting/taking down the thing and may make the job span two days,
plus we have to get a street permit from the council ( 23).

So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance. We should be able to park it in the place where I
normally park my car and no time spent erecting/stripping down means
that we could get the job done in the one day - much easier all
round.

However, all the hire sites I've looked at so far seem to suggest
that you have to go on a training course before you can use one of
these things. The course (on successful completion) seems to give
you a card that lasts for 5 years. In other words, it seems that
they are training you for a career in using elevating platforms and
looking towards future employment, which is obviously no good for
someone who wants to hire it for a day while his mate goes and does
some work on the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there really no
way Joe Public can just hire one for a day?

TIA

You can hire aluminium scaffolding towers with castors. They are
quite light and easily moved about.

Yeah but the problem with that is that my mate would need a hand to
erect/take down the scaffolding. I can't help him because of medical
problems so it means paying a second man, which in turn brings the financial
outlay within the realms of the cherry picker hire prices which he could
operate himself and it's a much easier thing all round.

Jules Richardson wrote:
On Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:19:31 +0000, Pete Zahut wrote:
So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance. We should be able to park it in the place where I
normally park my car and no time spent erecting/stripping down means
that we could get the job done in the one day - much easier all
round.

What are the hire prices like there? They're ridiculously expensive
this side of the Atlantic - it's more cost-effective to outright buy
a used one and sell it again when you're done, assuming you have the
funds and storage space.

(I suspect it might be more cost-effective to simply pay someone to do
the work for you too, unfortunately)

cheers

Jules

Well, it seems that something around £100 to £120 + VAT and collision damage
waiver of £25 would get us a suitable van mounted thing for a day (7.30am to
5.30pm. Weekend, pickup Friday drop off Monday is £198).

Pete

Pete Zahut wrote:

Jules Richardson wrote:
On Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:19:31 +0000, Pete Zahut wrote:
So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance.
What are the hire prices like there?......
(I suspect it might be more cost-effective to simply pay someone to do
the work for you too, unfortunately)

Well, it seems that something around £100 to £120 + VAT and collision damage
waiver of £25 would get us a suitable van mounted thing for a day (7.30am to
5.30pm. Weekend, pickup Friday drop off Monday is £198).


I'd fit the supply and fit the gutter to 2 typical terrace houses for
around £200. That'd include painting the fascia before fitting the new
gutter. Material cost is not much above £40, so a good earner at £200.
Much better to pay someone than hiring, buying materials, and DIYing.

Alan.
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

A.Lee wrote:
Pete Zahut wrote:

Jules Richardson wrote:
On Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:19:31 +0000, Pete Zahut wrote:
So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these
van-mounted cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for
street lighting maintenance.
What are the hire prices like there?......
(I suspect it might be more cost-effective to simply pay someone to
do the work for you too, unfortunately)

Well, it seems that something around £100 to £120 + VAT and
collision damage waiver of £25 would get us a suitable van mounted
thing for a day (7.30am to
5.30pm. Weekend, pickup Friday drop off Monday is £198).


I'd fit the supply and fit the gutter to 2 typical terrace houses for
around £200. That'd include painting the fascia before fitting the new
gutter. Material cost is not much above £40, so a good earner at £200.
Much better to pay someone than hiring, buying materials, and DIYing.

Alan.

No good for us though. These are lead-lined stone gutters on houses built in
1874 and it's a problem with the lead. I posted in here a while back and
someone suggested that we need a proper old-time plumber/leadburner to sort
it. We contacted the Lead Contractors Association and found that the nearest
one to us is about 50 miles away and he's not interested in such a small
job.

For the record, the roof was refelted, rebattened and reslated about 5 years
ago. The guys said that it would be prudent to reline the lead while the
scaffolding was up, so they did. It was OK for about 3 years and then damp
showed up in the bedroom. Got someone else in (a builder) who said that it
looked like the joint between our's and next door's lead. He did something
that seemed to work but again, we've got damp. So, a roofer and a builder
have failed to sort it, hence someone's suggestion to get a proper
leadburner in - but we can't. So my mate is now going to have a go :-)

Pete Zahut wrote:
We have some work to do on the guttering of our house and also next
door's but these are terraced houses and it's at the front, ie, on
the street, and means that the method of access to the gutters has to
be movable along the length of both houses. If we hire some sort of
scaffolding or access tower it means time and effort spent in
erecting/taking down the thing and may make the job span two days,
plus we have to get a street permit from the council (£23).

So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance. We should be able to park it in the place where I
normally park my car and no time spent erecting/stripping down means
that we could get the job done in the one day - much easier all round.

However, all the hire sites I've looked at so far seem to suggest
that you have to go on a training course before you can use one of
these things. The course (on successful completion) seems to give you
a card that lasts for 5 years. In other words, it seems that they are
training you for a career in using elevating platforms and looking
towards future employment, which is obviously no good for someone who
wants to hire it for a day while his mate goes and does some work on
the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there really no way Joe Public
can just hire one for a day?
TIA

1) why can't you use a ladder?

2) if you go down the road of hiring cherry-pickers etc and going on a
training course etc, it will cost more than getting someone to do the job
for you.

3) what job needs to be done on the gutters?

--
Phil L
RSRL Tipster Of The Year 2008

Phil L wrote:
Pete Zahut wrote:
We have some work to do on the guttering of our house and also next
door's but these are terraced houses and it's at the front, ie, on
the street, and means that the method of access to the gutters has to
be movable along the length of both houses. If we hire some sort of
scaffolding or access tower it means time and effort spent in
erecting/taking down the thing and may make the job span two days,
plus we have to get a street permit from the council (£23).

So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance. We should be able to park it in the place where I
normally park my car and no time spent erecting/stripping down means
that we could get the job done in the one day - much easier all
round. However, all the hire sites I've looked at so far seem to suggest
that you have to go on a training course before you can use one of
these things. The course (on successful completion) seems to give you
a card that lasts for 5 years. In other words, it seems that they are
training you for a career in using elevating platforms and looking
towards future employment, which is obviously no good for someone who
wants to hire it for a day while his mate goes and does some work on
the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there really no way Joe Public
can just hire one for a day?
TIA

1) why can't you use a ladder?

Bleedin' elf n safely innit!! Mind you, I wouldn't be the one up there
anyway.

2) if you go down the road of hiring cherry-pickers etc and going on a
training course etc, it will cost more than getting someone to do the
job for you.

Oh yes, I've already found that out.

3) what job needs to be done on the gutters?

See my reply to A.Lee at 17.12 :-)

On 01/12/2010 17:51, Pete Zahut wrote:
Phil L wrote:
....
1) why can't you use a ladder?

Bleedin' elf n safely innit!!...

http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/april.htm

Colin Bignell

On 01/12/2010 17:51, Pete Zahut wrote:
Phil L wrote:
Pete Zahut wrote:
We have some work to do on the guttering of our house and also next
door's but these are terraced houses and it's at the front, ie, on
the street, and means that the method of access to the gutters has to
be movable along the length of both houses. If we hire some sort of
scaffolding or access tower it means time and effort spent in
erecting/taking down the thing and may make the job span two days,
plus we have to get a street permit from the council (£23).

So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance. We should be able to park it in the place where I
normally park my car and no time spent erecting/stripping down means
that we could get the job done in the one day - much easier all
round. However, all the hire sites I've looked at so far seem to suggest
that you have to go on a training course before you can use one of
these things. The course (on successful completion) seems to give you
a card that lasts for 5 years. In other words, it seems that they are
training you for a career in using elevating platforms and looking
towards future employment, which is obviously no good for someone who
wants to hire it for a day while his mate goes and does some work on
the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there really no way Joe Public
can just hire one for a day?
TIA

1) why can't you use a ladder?

Bleedin' elf n safely innit!! Mind you, I wouldn't be the one up there
anyway.

Sling a climbing or caving rope over the roof and use that for safety
(with an appropriate harness...)? Ok, slinging ropes over a roof can
actually be quite tricky, but once done it's nice and secure (if
appropriately tied off).

On Dec 1, 3:19*pm, "Pete Zahut" wrote:
We have some work to do on the guttering of our house and also next door's
but these are terraced houses and it's at the front, ie, on the street, and
means that the method of access to the gutters has to be movable along the
length of both houses. If we hire some sort of scaffolding or access tower
it means time and effort spent in erecting/taking down the thing and may
make the job span two days, plus we have to get a street permit from the
council ( 23).

So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted cherry
picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting maintenance. We
should be able to park it in the place where I normally park my car and no
time spent erecting/stripping down means that we could get the job done in
the one day - much easier all round.

However, all the hire sites I've looked at so far seem to suggest that you
have to go on a training course before you can use one of these things. The
course (on successful completion) seems to give you a card that lasts for 5
years. In other words, it seems that they are training you for a career in
using elevating platforms and looking towards future employment, which is
obviously no good for someone who wants to hire it for a day while his mate
goes and does some work on the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there
really no way Joe Public can just hire one for a day?

TIA

We used a Genie AWP 30 on a job last year -http://www.genielift.com/ss-
series/ss-1-1.asp

Fairly cheap to hire, quick to setup and move around. Doesn't need a
training course. Ours came from http://www.centralplatformservicesltd.net/Hire.htm

You wouldn't want to use it outside if it's really windy, but it got
up to the gutters on a 4 storey building quite happily.

A

Pete Zahut wrote:
TIA

1) why can't you use a ladder?

Bleedin' elf n safely innit!! Mind you, I wouldn't be the one up there
anyway.

2) if you go down the road of hiring cherry-pickers etc and going on
a training course etc, it will cost more than getting someone to do
the job for you.

Oh yes, I've already found that out.

3) what job needs to be done on the gutters?

See my reply to A.Lee at 17.12 :-)

Ah, now I see.

If a builder and a roofer haven't managed to seal the lead, what makes you
think your neighbour can do it?

Lead is funny stuff, it has a tendency to shrink quite a lot during cold
weather, and if it has been fixed to something, IE nailed to the bottom row
of battens or something similar, it will simply rip itself from these
nails...your neighbour will probably find that it goes quite a way up behind
the first row of slates, but it's unlikely that this is where the problem
lies.
You say it's probably the joint betwen the two houses? - I'd have to agree
as this is a regular occurence and it's caused by using lead that is too
long to begin with - shorter pieces should be used to prevent it coming
apart when it contracts.

I've done a quick jpeg of how it should be done:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2nlv42o&s=7

The pieces covering the wooden 'ridge' should each be no more than 2ft
long - and it should not be done in one piece.

All the other pieces of lead in the gutter should be no more than 6ft long
and they should overlap at least a foot

--
Phil L
RSRL Tipster Of The Year 2008

On 01/12/10 17:12, Pete Zahut wrote:
A.Lee wrote:
Pete wrote:

Jules Richardson wrote:
On Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:19:31 +0000, Pete Zahut wrote:
So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these
van-mounted cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for
street lighting maintenance.
What are the hire prices like there?......
(I suspect it might be more cost-effective to simply pay someone to
do the work for you too, unfortunately)

Well, it seems that something around £100 to £120 + VAT and
collision damage waiver of £25 would get us a suitable van mounted
thing for a day (7.30am to
5.30pm. Weekend, pickup Friday drop off Monday is £198).


I'd fit the supply and fit the gutter to 2 typical terrace houses for
around £200. That'd include painting the fascia before fitting the new
gutter. Material cost is not much above £40, so a good earner at £200.
Much better to pay someone than hiring, buying materials, and DIYing.

Alan.

No good for us though. These are lead-lined stone gutters on houses built in
1874 and it's a problem with the lead. I posted in here a while back and
someone suggested that we need a proper old-time plumber/leadburner to sort
it. We contacted the Lead Contractors Association and found that the nearest
one to us is about 50 miles away and he's not interested in such a small
job.

For the record, the roof was refelted, rebattened and reslated about 5 years
ago. The guys said that it would be prudent to reline the lead while the
scaffolding was up, so they did. It was OK for about 3 years and then damp
showed up in the bedroom. Got someone else in (a builder) who said that it
looked like the joint between our's and next door's lead. He did something
that seemed to work but again, we've got damp. So, a roofer and a builder
have failed to sort it, hence someone's suggestion to get a proper
leadburner in - but we can't. So my mate is now going to have a go :-)


I think the idea of a rope over the ridge for safety and a ladder
(maybe with a standoff) is a good one.
You can hire long ladders.
You dont know where the water's getting in,
even hiring scafolding or a cherry picker might result in a look
and then no action whilst you figure out the next move
(having posted photos here)

Or maybe you will find leaves blocking a downpipe and solve it in 2 minutes.

[g]

Phil L wrote:
Pete Zahut wrote:
TIA

1) why can't you use a ladder?

Bleedin' elf n safely innit!! Mind you, I wouldn't be the one up
there anyway.

2) if you go down the road of hiring cherry-pickers etc and going on
a training course etc, it will cost more than getting someone to do
the job for you.

Oh yes, I've already found that out.

3) what job needs to be done on the gutters?

See my reply to A.Lee at 17.12 :-)

Ah, now I see.

If a builder and a roofer haven't managed to seal the lead, what
makes you think your neighbour can do it?

Nothing to be honest Phil, but we're getting desperate now. It's not my
neighbour who's going to go up there but a mate of mine who I used to work
with on BT. I was a cable jointer on 'locals' but he was a jointer on
'trunks and junctions' and the cables he dealt with were lead covered. He's
very proficient at wiping lead joints on cables but we're also acutely aware
that lead sheeting is a different beast altogether - especially where our
new lead meets our neighbour's old oxidised and fragile lead - but hey,
gotta be worth a go.

Lead is funny stuff, it has a tendency to shrink quite a lot during
cold weather, and if it has been fixed to something, IE nailed to the
bottom row of battens or something similar, it will simply rip itself
from these nails...your neighbour will probably find that it goes
quite a way up behind the first row of slates, but it's unlikely that
this is where the problem lies.
You say it's probably the joint betwen the two houses? - I'd have to
agree as this is a regular occurence and it's caused by using lead
that is too long to begin with - shorter pieces should be used to
prevent it coming apart when it contracts.

I've done a quick jpeg of how it should be done:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2nlv42o&s=7

The pieces covering the wooden 'ridge' should each be no more than 2ft
long - and it should not be done in one piece.

All the other pieces of lead in the gutter should be no more than 6ft
long and they should overlap at least a foot

Thanks very much for that sir, very useful info.

andrew wrote:
On Dec 1, 3:19 pm, "Pete Zahut" wrote:
We have some work to do on the guttering of our house and also next
door's but these are terraced houses and it's at the front, ie, on
the street, and means that the method of access to the gutters has
to be movable along the length of both houses. If we hire some sort
of scaffolding or access tower it means time and effort spent in
erecting/taking down the thing and may make the job span two days,
plus we have to get a street permit from the council ( 23).

So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance. We should be able to park it in the place where I
normally park my car and no time spent erecting/stripping down means
that we could get the job done in the one day - much easier all
round.

However, all the hire sites I've looked at so far seem to suggest
that you have to go on a training course before you can use one of
these things. The course (on successful completion) seems to give
you a card that lasts for 5 years. In other words, it seems that
they are training you for a career in using elevating platforms and
looking towards future employment, which is obviously no good for
someone who wants to hire it for a day while his mate goes and does
some work on the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there really no
way Joe Public can just hire one for a day?

TIA

We used a Genie AWP 30 on a job last year
-http://www.genielift.com/ss-
series/ss-1-1.asp

Fairly cheap to hire, quick to setup and move around. Doesn't need a
training course. Ours came from
http://www.centralplatformservicesltd.net/Hire.htm

You wouldn't want to use it outside if it's really windy, but it got
up to the gutters on a 4 storey building quite happily.

A

Excellent, thanks very much Andrew.

george [dicegeorge] wrote:
.... snipped

I think the idea of a rope over the ridge for safety ...
.... snipped

I've done this when (rather foolishly) hanging over the edge of the back
side and end of the roof to paint the soffits and barge boards. It was
tied to a very substantial tree; it didn't get tested but it gave a lot
of confidence.
If you slipped and were left "hanging around" it would be interesting to
see how long it takes for whoever finds you to stop laughing andstart to
help ;-)

In message , Pete Zahut
writes
A.Lee wrote:
Got someone else in (a builder) who said that it
looked like the joint between our's and next door's lead. He did something
that seemed to work but again, we've got damp. So, a roofer and a builder
have failed to sort it, hence someone's suggestion to get a proper
leadburner in - but we can't. So my mate is now going to have a go :-)


Where are you?


--
geoff

geoff wrote:
In message , Pete Zahut
writes
A.Lee wrote:
Got someone else in (a builder) who said that it
looked like the joint between our's and next door's lead. He did
something that seemed to work but again, we've got damp. So, a
roofer and a builder have failed to sort it, hence someone's
suggestion to get a proper leadburner in - but we can't. So my mate
is now going to have a go :-)
Where are you?

Preston, Lancashire.

On 1 Dec 2010 16:17:47 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2010-12-01, Jules Richardson wrote:
On Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:19:31 +0000, Pete Zahut wrote:
So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted
cherry picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting
maintenance. We should be able to park it in the place where I normally
park my car and no time spent erecting/stripping down means that we
could get the job done in the one day - much easier all round.

What are the hire prices like there? They're ridiculously expensive this
side of the Atlantic -

Probably because of the liability insurance...

A decorator fiend of mine hired one to paint the ceiling in the foyer
of a big office block.

He neglected to put the stays out.

It tipped over trapping him in the "bucket" on account of his ample
girth and all the acid ran out of the batteries and took the finish
off the marble floor.

Derek

On 01/12/2010 19:36, andrew wrote:
On Dec 1, 3:19 pm, "Pete wrote:
We have some work to do on the guttering of our house and also next door's
but these are terraced houses and it's at the front, ie, on the street, and
means that the method of access to the gutters has to be movable along the
length of both houses. If we hire some sort of scaffolding or access tower
it means time and effort spent in erecting/taking down the thing and may
make the job span two days, plus we have to get a street permit from the
council ( 23).

So, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of these van-mounted cherry
picker thingies that you see guys using for street lighting maintenance. We
should be able to park it in the place where I normally park my car and no
time spent erecting/stripping down means that we could get the job done in
the one day - much easier all round.

However, all the hire sites I've looked at so far seem to suggest that you
have to go on a training course before you can use one of these things. The
course (on successful completion) seems to give you a card that lasts for 5
years. In other words, it seems that they are training you for a career in
using elevating platforms and looking towards future employment, which is
obviously no good for someone who wants to hire it for a day while his mate
goes and does some work on the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there
really no way Joe Public can just hire one for a day?

TIA

We used a Genie AWP 30 on a job last year -http://www.genielift.com/ss-
series/ss-1-1.asp

Fairly cheap to hire, quick to setup and move around. Doesn't need a
training course. Ours came from http://www.centralplatformservicesltd.net/Hire.htm

You wouldn't want to use it outside if it's really windy, but it got
up to the gutters on a 4 storey building quite happily.

I think I'd rather use one of the scissor lifts they show. the Christmas
light in our High Street were put up with a scissor lift this year. It
looked very stable and, although it arrived on a trailer, it could move
around the work area under its own power.

Colin Bignell

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Pete Zahut"
saying something like:

In other words, it seems that they are training you for a career in
using elevating platforms and looking towards future employment, which is
obviously no good for someone who wants to hire it for a day while his mate
goes and does some work on the gutters. Have I got this right? Is there
really no way Joe Public can just hire one for a day?

And Joe Numpty causes a fatality? [1]
Do you really fancy being sued into the ground and losing your house for
the legal bills and compensation?
I'd suggest, do the course, or if it costs a lot, hire a bod with a
ticket for the day. With the collapse of the construction industry,
you'll find someone fairly easily to do a day for cash. The hire centre
will likely put you in touch with someone suitable.

[1] As an example: Years ago, I did a fork truck training course (as
part of my job, fixing the damn things) and it surprised me how much I
didn't know. It's dead easy to kill some poor sap with a fork truck,
imagine how easy it might be with a cherry picker.

In message , Derek Geldard
writes
..

A decorator fiend of mine hired one to paint the ceiling in the foyer
of a big office block.

He neglected to put the stays out.

All cherry pickers I have used would not operate if the stays were not
out correctly. There should be interlocks on them. I wonder if he
really did forget or if they were bypassed or faulty? What did HSE have
to say about it?

I can sympathise with the Marble floor, some years ago I drilled through
the side of a lead acid battery in a bus and deposited copious amounts
of acid on their nice new works shop concrete floor, it fizzed well!


It tipped over trapping him in the "bucket" on account of his ample
girth and all the acid ran out of the batteries and took the finish
off the marble floor.

Derek


--
Bill