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October 14, 2024
Purchasing vs Hiring access towers – important factors to consider
Whether you’re a one-man band, a small team or part of a large team of contractors having any form of mobile access tower at your disposal makes light work of any project. Whether it’s painting, gutter clearing, or repairing rooflines, platform towers are a practical alternative to a full scaffold system and having a stable working platform that is freestanding allows you to take all your tools up at once and make work far easier and faster in comparison to a regular ladder.
In addition to this, double width access towers provide a wider working area allowing you to complete more of your project, making trips up and down the platform far less frequent. But how do you decide if you need to hire one or purchase one instead? See our table below for a quick and handy reference point to see what suits you or your company.
| Factor | Hire | Purchase |
|
Flexibility of product choice? |
? | X |
| Does the tower need have any storage requirements when not in use? | X | ? |
| Do you own the mobile platform? | X | ? |
| Will you be waiting around for delivery/collection, time that could otherwise be spent on the job at hand? | ? | X |
| Do you have to maintain the access tower? | ? | |
|
Will you have access to the latest up to date and efficient models? |
? | X |
| Does I require an upfront capital investment? | X | ? |
| Is there any downtime if the access tower breaks? | X | ? |
| I only need the access tower for a few weeks of the year – should I hire or purchase? | ? | X |
Pros and cons of hiring mobile access platform towers
Hiring access towers allows you to choose between an array of mobile platform units ranging from, cantilever tower systems to one man plus towers and even genie lifts. On top of the large selection available to you, you will also have the latest and up to date model that will be easy to assemble and dismantle that requires no maintenance. Where you may need to wait for delivery of the access tower, this can be avoided with some forward planning and is a perfect solution for a one-off job where access from the ground or ladder just isn’t viable.
Pros and cons of purchasing mobile access platform towers?
It can be an expensive venture to front the cash for an access tower but does mean you own the tower and can use it whenever you please. If you’re using it more than half the time it makes sense to purchase a mobile access platform tower, as over time it would outweigh the rental costs. It’s worth noting however that you will be responsible for the upkeep of your tower and when it’s not in use, it will need to be stored somewhere out of the eyes of thieves, which may incur more costs if you need to hire a storage unit.
Mobile access towers for hire across the South East and the UK
At Access Towers we have a wide range of mobile access platforms available for hire to suit any application. Get in touch with us on 0208 665 1181 or fill out a form to provide us with the details regarding your job and a member of our team will look forward to providing you a bespoke quote to suit your project.
News & Advice
Frequently Asked Questions
What is considered working at height?
Anything above ground level is considered Working at Height. Access Towers are a large provider of PASMA Training and sit within the top 5% in the UK, allowing us to train the full range of 1-Day PASMA Courses to suit any of your work at height Tower Training requirements.
What are the working at height regulations?
It is recommended by Health & Safety standards that those who are assembling Towers should be PASMA Trained. This will give operatives a 5-year qualification of competency for the use of mobile towers.
Do I need to have a licence/certificate to use the equipment?
Certifications will vary depending on what equipment you’re hiring. It’s always best to speak with our Hire Desk if you are unsure, where they can advise what will be best for you or in more advanced working conditions, we can install onsite.
What are the different training sessions you offer & who are they for?
Training courses are for anyone using the equipment, from commercially to domestically. These will range from PASMA Training for the use of Towers, IPAF Training for the use of MEWPS as well as various other courses such as Safety Harness Training and First Aid.
How do I know which equipment will be right for the job?
Our Hire Desk are trained across the full range of work at height stock available and will be able to advise and assist cost-free.
How quickly can you supply the tower(s)?
We aim for a next-day turnaround, this is dependent on the transport routes and how busy we are at the time. It works both ways and could be earlier than your requested date.