Tube or system (1 Viewer)

derryscaff

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A fella asked me if you were starting from scratch would you buy tube & fitting or system and if system which? I know this has been covered in past but thinking of it if you didn't have any other scaffold what way would you go.
 
4 by 2 Timber System + Hammer & 6 inch coat hangars just watch out for the Splinters.
 
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Tube and fitting without a doubt ,
System is expensive and you need so many different bits ,
Tube can get you around anything
 
Quickest is system. Tube-fitting will take time to erect a piece of scaffold.

I used both and prefer system always. But not layher- cuplock is my favorite
 
I know most have big stock of tube and probably wouldn't be worth changing to system. Glad to hear if you were starting from scratch you would still opt for tube over system. Makes you wonder why so many are investing in system especially the big firms when they have stocks of tube. We hav system here but starting again I think would go for tube myself
 
Whilst I Would Say As I Have Been Saying For The Last Thirty Odd Years Tube Is Far More Versatile Than Any System, System Is One Hell Of A Lot Faster Than Tube, But To Me I Will Stick To System With a Wee Drop Of Tube
 
I think Gerscaff has it right, I have been at this for over 40 years and have been involved in some of the most complex scaffolds in the world in T&F and also Cuplok.

Have also been involved with some of the largest Temp roof structures using HAKI Roof a blinding piece of kit.

The last couple of years I have been involved in the uptake of HAKI Universal at QFS in London and to my great satisfaction we have completed some very complex and awkward structures, in the words of Johnny Nash "overcoming all obstacle in our way"

The future of the industry will be system, it may not be in my time but it will come. There will always be a place for T&F and there will always be scaffolds that seem easier in tube but if the roles were reversed and you started with system I believe you would think it harder to Tube a job than system.
 
I was always a " you can get round anything with tube and fitting and system will never replace it " man.
However have recently seen some amazing system scaffolds on some of the most congested and complex gas plant modules. The sort of modules that on first viewing you would say could only be done in t&f. We all know t&f will fit so having been able to achieve the same with a basic system is some achievement.
 
Depending on what job you are after, but its really few jobs that you need to build with tubes. Almost all industrial scaffold is built with system and small bit of pipes. So I would say system with a boost of pipes.

The Peri Up scaffold is really versatile, I think its the most allround system on the market in Sweden. But it cost all to much sadly, will take to much time to regain the investment. Its about twice the price of Layher allround.

+8 and pipes is what I would use. But I almost only build industrial scaffold.
 
yes system can do ALMOST everything but when you lap board over board over board round a 28inch pipe it becomes a joke.
I know they all have a component for everything (allegedly) BUT when your out on a Flare Bridge and trying to get the Scaffold built as some vendor is due on board the next day do you send off a request to the yard who then have to make a purchase order to Germany for the new component while I hang about offshore doing feck all.
SYSTEM HAS ITS PLACE AND YES IT CAN DO MOST JOBS WITH EASE BUT IF YOU WANT AN 18INCH TUBE AND YOU DONT HAVE ONE YOU GET A HACK SAW OR PIPECUTTERS;)
 
We have been using mainly system for years and I would say there is not much that can't be done with system. However, system does need a number of components to finish jobs and looking at some system scaffold jobs I can't help but think a lot of them would have been easier with tube when you consider various bay sizes ,brackets and obstacles etc etc. as stated system is future but I think that's more to do with less skills and a more controlled environment
 
Great post Derry. I think you've nailed down the crux of the matter here, the skill set of the scaffolder has been slowly eroded over the years with the influx of system in its various guises leaving us in the situation whereby MANY 'scaffolders' don't know any other way. Quite sad really when a man can't conceptualise how a job will look without a drawing.:mad:
 
Many moons ago I was involved in converting one scaffold companies T&F into Tube Lok, this was half way between tube & system. This worked very well.

The biggest mistake any scaffold company ever made was to issue cutters!

Tube used to be long, 16's 10's & 5's with a small holding of reclaimed damaged tube converted to usable sizes.

I am ashamed as a scaffolding man to say I have seen every conceivable length of tube from 2" up to 27ft yet still we issue cutters and still scaffs cut tube.

With the new get my card in 5 mins culture came an inability to order gear and as Stonedrose has mentioned above the inability to visualise what a scaffold will look like before you start.
These skill sets only come with time in, you cannot get them with a plastic card.
 
I would suggest system scaffold purely based the speed of erect & dismantle; however depending on what your market target is choose wisely. for me integration of tube & fitting to system scaffold would be key. this would give you both options when required. something like At-Pac would be my preference
 
system - expensive to buy but will soon pay off due to massive labour time savings
 
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