Swing stages, or suspended scaffolding as they’re more commonly known, are indispensable tools for construction and building maintenance projects. They allow for easy access to the construction site and provide several important safety features for the workers. Compared to traditional ground-up scaffolding, they offer multiple time and money-saving benefits.
There are many factors that you’ll need to take into consideration when trying to price one out. Add-ons, building types, how it’s anchored, and safety equipment are just some of the many variables that can affect the final cost. One of the first questions you’ll need to answer is whether renting or outright buying the equipment is more advantageous.
Read on to learn more about factors that can affect swing stage cost.
Swing stages are some of the most common types of scaffolding used in the construction and maintenance trades. They’re incredibly versatile—you can easily install, dismantle, and relocate them from job site to job site. Workers can also quickly raise and lower themselves with the push of a button.
They’re ideal for jobs where it’s not permissible to use other types of scaffolding.
For example, painters and window washers often use swing stages on very tall buildings—as it’s incredibly cost-prohibitive to construct a 30-story scaffolding rig so that workers can spend 15 minutes washing windows.
The average swing stage rental cost can range anywhere from $1,600 to $2,000 or more per month, depending on the length of the platform, the height of the building, how it’s attached on top, and other job site factors. Generally speaking, renting a suspended access scaffold is more practical when the job only lasts for several months or less.
Building-wide paint jobs, basic maintenance, and repairing of cracks are all situations where renting might prove more cost-effective. When you rent, you also won’t have to deal with storage, maintenance, annual certifications, and equipment transportation to and from the job site.
Purchasing a complete swing stage set will typically run between $27,000 to $35,000. It’s often better to buy it outright when the job lasts one year or longer, or you need it every week to perform your regular work. However, remember that purchasing a swing stage requires the owner to be on top of their maintenance responsibilities and keep the unit properly certified.
Sometimes, you may need to hire a specialist like Scaffolding Solutions to perform regular maintenance. This is in addition to ensuring that the hoist is running and operating correctly, keeping up to date on potential recalls from the manufacturer, inspecting all components for defects, and checking the wire rope for damaged strands.
If you are considering purchasing the set, even though your current project may not require it, you might also want to factor in additional add-ons that will enable you to undertake work in the future that will require boosters, transformers, corner sections, extra top rigging equipment, or a swing that’s over 40’.
When it comes time to estimate the cost of a swing stage, several variables can affect how much you’ll pay:
Parapet height – The height of the parapet might require additional scaffolding to ensure the strength and stability of the rig. You also might need over-under beams on a per-job basis.
Extended outreach beyond 5’ – The standard outreach is 5 feet. If you need to get out further, you’ll need additional add-ons.
Special rooftop rigging requirements and items – Due to the unique nature of building design, some jobs might require additional rooftop items and safety considerations to ensure the rig’s stability.
Each construction job site is unique and might require extra add-ons, such as additional equipment to help overcome the parapet height. If you purchase the swing set outright, this will increase the overall cost.
Weight – If your job requires movement of additional weight above and beyond the standard load rating of the swing set, you’ll need other add-ons and perhaps a motor.
Travel length – The amount of distance you need to travel from the roof will also affect cost. For example, a five-story building will likely be less expensive than a 20-story building.
Ease of scaffold installation – Add-ons, such as a low-profile C-stirrup, or walkthrough as it’s more commonly known, can help provide greater flexibility with your rooftop rigging and configuration of the swing stage platform. This can help reduce the amount of time it takes to install a rig at a new job site.
Scaffolding Solutions completed a complex suspended scaffolding job for a university that required out-of-the-box thinking. Instead of utilizing an expensive and overly complicated solution—we opted for a creative, safer, and more economical approach to solving the challenge.
The number of electrical motors you need for any job has the biggest impact on the final price. And each one can range in cost depending on how much weight you need to lift.
The overall quality of the internal components of the motors is another important factor—as the last thing you or your workers want is to be stranded several hundred feet off the ground due to a failed part.
At Scaffolding Solutions, we are an authorized dealer of Bee Access equipment. All Bee Access products are made in the USA and undergo rigorous quality control testing to ensure the safety and efficiency of their equipment. If your job requires a custom solution, we will work directly with Bee Access to create the right product that fits your needs.
When it comes to estimating the overall cost of a swing stage set, you can see numerous factors that affect the price. We hope this blog post has provided you with enough information to make an informed decision as to whether to rent or buy.
Scaffolding Solutions strives to provide the very best in scaffolding equipment systems and parts to allow your company to perform your work safely. For scaffolding services including erection and dismantling or complete scaffolding management in Virginia, Maryland, D.C, and the Carolinas, you can contact us.
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