[Glen]

I've been thinking of doing this for a while especially for gutters which could not be cleaned with a gutter vac. due to the volume of debris in them. The local authority is disposing of an Upright TL49 mobile work platform which may be suitable. It is nine years old has had very little use but needs a new 'balancing switch' which is faulty (the boom can get stuck when extended)

Does anyone think this is a good business idea?

Can anyone place an approximate value on it ( it's for sale by tender)

Thanks in advance.

[jjames]

I think it is an excellent idea as the pltform can be used for so many other things. Not sure on value as most of these bits of kit go for good money. I cleaned some high gutters last year which took about 1 hour and the machine with operator cost £350. If I could get my hands on one I would be a busy man

Justin

[Glen]

Thanks for your reply. I was thinking about offering on a hire basis also ie hoist and operator and charge by the hour.

What sort of insurance would I need for this?

[wightsurf]

Why not try google for some second hand ones and see what sort of price they come up with.At least you then get a idea 

[trevor povey]

I've been thinking of doing this for a while especially for gutters which could not be cleaned with a gutter vac. due to the volume of debris in them. The local authority is disposing of an Upright TL49 mobile work platform which may be suitable. It is nine years old has had very little use but needs a new 'balancing switch' which is faulty (the boom can get stuck when extended)

Does anyone think this is a good business idea?

Can anyone place an approximate value on it ( it's for sale by tender)

Thanks in advance.


Providing you have the work for it ,its an ideal acquisition but I,d just check first see what response is out there as we all know in commerce things are bad at the moment and gutter cleaning will be a low priority.

[Brian B]

There's one on Ebay at the moment with a £9000 buy it now price item # 120364051042

[Glen]

Thanks, I've just been looking at that. This one needs repairing so what do you think?

[ftp]

These people would be a good source of machinery. Plenty of firms going under these days.

http://www.edwardsymmons.com/pages/machinery_sales.php

[Glen]

Went to see this today. It seems to be in good condition overall but needs some work. The repair quote is about £1200 and it's ten years old. It's not the standard model as it has on onboard generator.

What do you think it's worth?

I'd tow it with a Mercedes Vito or VW Transporter as they both have a towing capacity in excess of the 2160kg unladen weight.

I've got a secure driveway with 100mm thick concrete - would this be robust enough for it. It's not covered though which may be a problem.

[Glen]

The more I think about this the more I'm unsure about its suitability. I think I might get a gutter vacuum, do a powered access course and hire one if need be.

On the subject of courses, a local firm does their own course but it isn't independently certified. They siad that it is acceptable to all plant hire companies, sites etc. Would this suffice or should I be looking for a IPAF course?

[George P]

i would choose ipaf as i think all others are site specific. around £150.00 - £200.00
george