The Award Winning Teletower from Zarges UK
rectangle of the tower. From there the user can select the working height needed, as each extra telescopic rung is marked with a clear indication of what the working height will be should it be extended.
The ribbed alloy working deck can then be lifted and slotted into place. For extra support and stability at bigger heights, the deck has four stabilizer bars that simply click into place. These triangulate the corners of the tower, making them more rigid and ensure that the deck cannot lift off. You then access the deck via a natty little
trapdoor. This is the safe way of doing it and will ensure that users do not feel tempted to access the deck via the outside rungs – it is simply easier to do it the safe way.
Independent Review by Peter Brett
Having carefully established maximum working height against my neighbour’s dreadfully overgrown Leylandii hedge and established that it’s days, at least on my side, were numbered, it was time to see if I could lower the Teletower with as much ease as I had put it up.
I have noticed that new legislation, in this case the Working at Height Directive, can often lead to innovation, as individuals and companies have to get to grips with being legal. Very often, the legislation is Health and Safety directed. Though there is some complaint in certain quarters about this, I wouldn’t like to be one of the siteworkers who I saw working on some poorly regulated building sites in South Africa. For some of them, a standard issue of plastic goggles was considered safety enough. We all deserve safe working conditions, and the Teletower from Zarges is an award winning way of increasing safety in the workplace.
It is difficult to find a place to start when discussing the Teletower, so I will start by opening the box. The Teletower is so carefully packed that you should have instructions on how to unpack it. I destroyed the box doing my unpacking, but at the same time I discovered an awful lot about the product –the main one being just how much effort, time and quality design has gone into the concept and the product.
Once I had the main components – just two in fact - the tower plus stabilisers and the deck, laid out on my lawn, I was able to start exploring how it worked, with the aid of the instructions. Although the experts claim to be able to get the tower up and running in less than three minutes, I would recommend that first time users should read and digest the instructions and then also follow them step by step with the Teletower itself the first time they put it up.
First impressions of the quality and construction
of the Teletower were very positive, and in fact the more I used it, the more I appreciated the quick release catches, the quality of all of the components and how they were definitely able to withstand the rigours of a trade working environment. I started by opening out the two sides of the
Teletower and clicking them apart with the self- locking mechanism on the folding brace. From here you can clearly see what the footprint of the tower will be. By putting your foot firmly on the bottom rung you simply pull out the top rungs, one side at a time. From there you release the catches of the four front and back guardrails and slot them onto their corresponding catches. This establishes the limits of the working area as well providing the rigidity of the
22 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE
Again, I would caution the first time user to consult the comprehensive instruction manual. The clues are written in bold red writing on the side rungs – “Caution Trap Hazard”. Once the deck and its stabilizing bars are removed, the telescopic rungs are released one by one by pushing in the catches on each rung. You do have to be careful, because new users will perhaps not realize which catch releases which rung. They do snap down quite quickly and could trap an unwary finger, but the warnings are there and the instructions are clear. But, once you have done it a few times, the whole thing is quite simple and logical. From there, it is a simple matter to release the brace catch, fold the sides in and stow the wheels into transport mode. The deck is folded in half and stowed across the brace so it is effectively on the “inside”. Strong nylon straps with quick-release catches hold the legs of the Teletower together so that it stays rigid when being wheeled. When folded up, the Teletower will easily fit through a standard door aperture and even into a small lift. I was able to fit it into the back of my medium sized hatchback with the back seat folded down, with room to spare. Weighing in at about 50Kgs, the Teletower takes two to lift it in, but there was ample space on each side of the tailgate. Once I had got to know and use the Teletower for a while I can see that for maintenance workers, decorators and builders, the Teletower would be a first class solution to many working at height issues. I felt safe and stable when I used it, and it is high enough to reach the fascia level of most modern houses. This makes it a very desirable piece of equipment for maintenance work. Add to the fact that it fits in a small van and can be wheeled onto the job by one person and its merits are very clear. It is a great piece of kit!
Four ingenious safety stabilisers cum wheels sit on each corner. These can be click-stopped into position for maximum stability and a quick push down on them with your foot establishes the rubber-footed stabiliser’s level.
The toeboards come packed in a separate nylon case. The first time they need to be attached to the deck by the user with screws and brackets. Once the brackets are in place, the toeboards can be lifted out or slotted in quite easily.
I
always feel safer with toeboards, and these were no hardship to attach, and although they added a little weight, were strong and substantial. They would also prevent things like tools, that fall accidentally onto the deck, from rolling off.
www.toolbusiness.co.uk Reply No. 214
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