[Ian Gourlay]

Not sure if I have asked this before, but has anyone used a Stair climbing trolley for taking machines up and down stairs.

I do not find handles long enough on machines  with stair climbing wheels

Does all the banging up the stairs effect the mahine.

In most cases I can manage with hoses but in small guest houses , some warden complex they do not like traiing hoses

[Simon@arenaclean]

I had a trolley like that but would not want to put a machine on it, base plate too small and would consider it unstable to modify. I did once use a stair lift I can understand the issues with trailing hose but if organised correctly it need not be either dangerous or a hazard. A local pub had issues and in the end I stood the machine outside and ran hoses etc up through the window. I have noticed i've become more selective, if I can't access from the ground to the site with hoses, or there is not a lift I tend to pass on the job. I did a flat on the 1st floor and have to admit the Airflex with it's big wheels did go up ok but decided it would not become a habit.

[Paul Redden Countryfresh]

After a dodgy back and a spate of top floor flats was thinking of putting stair climbing
wheels on my machine....has anyone tried this

cheers paul

[Ian Gourlay]

Simon

I did wonder about baseplate , looks very small , also thought machine wheels would get in way.

But they use them for fridge freezers and the depth of them is about the same as a machine

Up to now been doing the same as you , but last hotel job had very large extension on back flat roof.

Thinking about it if it was not an emergency I could have found a ladder scrambled over roof top to put hoses in window.

Main stairway was close to reception and bars and resturant . Rotary Club meeting going on so did not want sound of my machine.

So we carried it up two flights . I always swore never again

[robert meldrum]

Tempted to suggest the obvious alternative especially for large areas and quietness of operation and only an easily managed cord to worry about.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Thought at your ages Robert and Ian a Stannah would be better for you

Shaun

[clinton]

Wouldnt bother ian with a trolley mate as you might end up doing more damage.
Get longer hoses maybe mate
Shaun

[Steve Chapman]

i cant believe people pass up jobs in flats just because they dont want to take the machine up there 

thats just bizzare, after spending money on marketing then turning down jobs, whats the point of being in buisiness.

with a little imagination any job can be tackled no matter where it is !

steve

[Simon@arenaclean]

i cant believe people pass up jobs in flats just because they dont want to take the machine up there 

thats just bizzare, after spending money on marketing then turning down jobs, whats the point of being in buisiness.

with a little imagination any job can be tackled no matter where it is !

steve

That's a fair point Steve and it would be rare for me to turn work away as normally I have enough hose to get to where I need to go. But some of the properties in our market towns which are converted to flats have narrow turning staircases and if there's a risk to my gear or myself why take the risk. It just takes one slip and that’s the machine gone along with your customer’s walls, banisters and whatever. True where there’s a will there's a way and I’ve used LM and VLM to solve problems where access is impossible. I do the best I can by my customers but I would not consider taking unnecessary risks as part of the service.

[Ian Gourlay]

Tempted to suggest the obvious alternative especially for large areas and quietness of operation and only an easily managed cord to worry about.

I did not consider that method would remove the excesses of the previous night
Regret ably my small machine died last January

Steve I have 100 foot of hose so of I can get access through window  do

I usually throw a rope down and pull hoses up which i have  protected the metal bits with bubble wrap

My Machine has stair climbing wheels but as said before the handle is not long enough and on the downward  journey put a great strain on your back , Upward is bearable but on carrying out a Health and Safety Risk Assessment I prefer not to do it,

I was talking to a client of mine who is a builder .

I asked him if there were still hod carriers?
Back to the 70s again
No he said, He had a health and safety inspection and even the trowels  have got to be taken to the working level by mechanical means

[Steve Chapman]

i bought a sabrina maxi especially for small flats and hard to reach rooms, ( it comes in two halves but

you can pick the whole thing up in your arms anyhow  ) and coupled with  the oreck

orbiter and some power burst you can get a pretty good clean out of it, most customers are grateful

and even happy to pay premium price esp if others have turned it down,

this last year the sabrina has probably had as much use as T/M and thats not an exageration, i wouldnt

be without it now,  i dont ever have to turn down a job because of its location, and where we are there

are more flats and apartments popping up all the time,  lots of the people who owns these use as

holiday homes or rental properties and we end up cleaning there much larger property, so have to look

at the bigger picture.


Steve

[clinton]

Was going to say steve there must be some lighter machines around for those that strugle