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 Not As Easy As in the Video Dec 26, 2008
First off, It would be nice if the manufacturer/vendors would list quantities of components needed. Anybody who didn't see the online video
and had never worked with these systems before wouldn't have a clue how many braces you need (or what parts you need at all).
When perched high on a ladder and installing the braces alone, it's a bit of a wrestling match. I really don't know what could be done about that but I thought it worth mentioning. Plan on it taking you a lot longer than the guys in the video. The second time I set it up, I did it alone so it's not impossible (though unpleasant).
As in my review of the jacks, bad paint falling off and local prices lower.
 Homeowner Use Sep 21, 2008
Homeowner remodeling. Bought four of these pump jack systems - set three up and needed two more braces.
I read the reviews before deciding to purchase and saw most of the not-so-good marks related to the 30" span the brace will provide. I have no issue with this span.
Concerning the brace, it works as advertised. However, here are some of the issues I encountered:
- the metal plates that surround the double 2x4 don't fit exactly. They are about 1/8 not wide enough. Luckily the enclosed carriage bolt was long enough to allow me to attach them.
- had to use a wire brush wheel on the carriage bolt to get the paint off of them. Would like to see stainless steel provided by the manufacturer and not painted steel. I will replace mine with SS soon. Luckily, I have a bench grinder/wheel and removing the paint wasn't difficult.
- not fond of the 32" span. My old house (100+ years) was buitl with 24" centers (I didn't know they did that yars ago until I tore my house apart). This was easily resolved by attaching an old 1/4 (7/8 thick) to the 2x4's and then attaching the brace to this, putting a 2x4 block behind the brace for additional screw support.
- not fond of having a wing nut to hold the carriage bolt. Doesn't seem like it would be substantial enough, but it is. I'll replace it with a regular hex nut (with washer and star lock washer) when I change the carriage bolt to stainless.
- I understand why the supports that attach to the house are vertical, but that didn't do me much good since I wasn't attaching directly to studs. Easy to work around, however.
My double 2x4 columns are 24' long - I have the top brace 2" down from the top because I need to pump the system to the top. I should have went with 30' columns, but I didn't know this until the 1st column was put into place. If you run columns this long, plan for two braces unless you feel comfortable with swaying. I am able to park the system above the lower brace (which are positoned about 8' from the ground) and reach the scaffold via a deck that's next to my work area.
NO CORNER BRACES EXIST! I searched high and low and cannot find a corner brace - one that will allow me to walk around a corner via a scaffold resting on top of another scaffold. Simple to design, however, and I will have mine created by a fabrication shop this winter before I set up to put vinyl siding on my house.
Overall, the braces work as advertised and I'd buy them again.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
There's a reason why it not adjustable. May 07, 2008
If the reader needs 36 inches maybe he should use ladders jacks or a rent a bucket lift, and not give the bracket a cheap rating. I've used these brackets time and again and they work well, although I have changed the bolts to stainless carriage bolts with fender washers to hold up better (hence the four stars - Qual Craft supplies cheap bolts and wingnuts, no washers). I also use large headed pan head screws to hold the bracket to the soffit. Although an "adjustable brace" would suit the other readers here, there's a reason why its non-adjustable and it has to do with OSHA regs. The maximum distance the staging plank can be from the vertical working area is 14 inches; the span of two eight inch wide staging planks is 16 inches, so there is your 30 inches. One reader wanted to have the vertical pole 36 inches out. Hey, you can design your scaffolding project the way you want, but you really should keep within the OSHA guidelines. There is a reason why they exist: they're tried and trued safety guidelines. If you happen to fall I would bet your homeowner's insurance may very well be denied because you did not follow the government guidelines. Before you buy, check out the OSHA website and review the regs. You may be surprised to learn that there's also no regulation stating you have to use these braces, as there's other means to secure your pole to the roof.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Jack Brace Aug 10, 2007
The item showed up in excellent condition, if it would have arrived with some operator instructions it would have been rated a 5 star.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Pump Jack Brace Jan 05, 2004
Works as advertised, but there are a couple of shortcomings which are related and may not affect many people. First, the span between the attachment points is 32" based on the assumption that they will be used with 16" stud spacing. Since I was working high on the gable end of my house, I was attaching to the end roof truss which has 24" spacing between verticals. My solution was to make an adapter out of a 2x4 which would fit between the brace and the house. Second, the two mounting holes at each attachment point are 3" apart which means they can't both be used to attach to a horizontal 2x4 (ie: the adapter mentioned above). I had to drill an aditional hole between the two existing holes on the brace so I could mount each side with two screws. Since I pre-drilled the holes on the side of the house, I was able to mount them by myself with no problem. I was able to hold the brace with one hand and insert the screw with the other while standing on a ladder. They're not very heavy and since the attachment points swivel, the braces hang down while you're attaching them. The only part of the job I found intimidating was handling the heavy poles (22 feet long in my case) while standing way up there. It turned out that the 30" length was fine for my particular job, but they would certainly be more versatile if they were adjustable as mentioned by the other reviewers.
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based on 8 reviews
