Hire a mobile scaffold without a trailer

Why a trailer is not necessary

A mobile scaffold consists of separate frames, braces, decks, guardrails and stabilisers. Those parts are long, which is exactly why they do not fit in an ordinary car. We solve that by delivering the complete package to your address and collecting it afterwards. Delivery and collection together sit in one fixed amount per province. The parts arrive loose, so there is nothing to wrestle out of a trailer or strap down either.

That removes the biggest practical obstacle. You do not need to borrow a trailer, own a towbar or hire a van for half a day. Working out whether everything fits and is properly secured drops away as well. What you are left with is a package standing at your address on the day you want to start. Nor are you tied to the opening hours of a trailer hire firm, which makes the difference on a weekend job.

For those who want to know more: mobile scaffold dimensions and sizes shows how long the parts actually are, which explains why driving them yourself calls for more space than most people expect. In short: the length of the frames and decks is the problem, not the weight. Aluminium is light enough to carry, but the size will not go into a car boot however you angle it.

Key facts

What exactly gets delivered

You receive a complete package for the working height you ordered. That means not only the structure itself, but everything you need to build the scaffold according to the manual and to work safely on it. So there is nothing to buy along the way and nothing to improvise. That means frames, braces, decks, guardrails, toe boards and stabilisers for the build you chose, plus the manual.

The equipment is made by Altrex and built to EN 1004 in load class 3, which works out at 200 kg per square metre of deck. We check the parts between hires so you receive complete and undamaged equipment. Do count everything on arrival, which saves trouble halfway through the assembly. Check the number of braces and guardrails in particular, because those are the parts you only miss once you are halfway up.

The mobile scaffolds have a deck length of 245 cm. The RS51 is 75 cm wide and the RS52 is 135 cm. Which dimensions belong with which build is set out in mobile scaffold dimensions and sizes. The RS44 room scaffold fits through a standard internal door from around 70 cm, and the MiTower is meant for work up to 6 metres working height. Which model suits your job is easiest to settle from the set-up spot and the height you need.

• Frames for the build height you selected
• Diagonal braces and horizontal braces
• Decks with a hatch, plus the matching guardrails
• Toe boards all round for the working deck
• Stabilisers with their fixings
• Manual and access to the instruction video

How the delivery works

You book online, choose your delivery day and give us the address. On the agreed day the driver arrives and puts the parts down where you indicate. Nobody has to help carry, but it is useful if somebody is there to point out where everything should go. Mention when you book whether the parts belong at the front or the back of the house, so the driver does not have to look around.

We deliver throughout the Netherlands. Which places that covers and how the provinces are divided is shown on the locations page. If you live somewhere the van cannot get close to the door, mention that when you book so we can plan for it. For flats and inner courtyards it helps to say whether there is a lift or whether everything has to go up the stairs.

Make sure the route to the unloading spot is clear. A car parked in front, a locked gate or a skip on the drive costs time and sometimes a second attempt. A short note in the comments field of the order works better than a phone call afterwards. Ask a neighbour to move a car the day before if that is what it takes, which saves everybody time. A few clear metres at the unloading spot is enough.

Order before 15:00, delivered the next working day

Order before 15:00 and we deliver the next working day. That applies throughout the Netherlands, not only around Amsterdam. For most jobs it means you decide today and start tomorrow, without having to plan a week ahead. Orders after 15:00 simply move on a working day, so allow for that if you decide on a Friday afternoon. Plan a day earlier still if the job has to start first thing in the morning.

Ideally have it delivered a day before you actually want to start. The day the scaffold arrives usually goes partly into unpacking and building, and it is pleasant not to lose that time out of a working day. On taller builds that weighs more heavily. Certainly when two of you are working, it is better to assemble at a quiet moment than to squeeze it between other tasks.

If you are genuinely in a hurry, see hiring a scaffold urgently. If you do not yet know which height you need, the working height page helps: working height is platform height plus 2 metres, the reach of an adult. If you are between two sizes, take the taller one: standing too low leads to stretching, which is what you want to avoid at height. Half a metre of extra platform height costs you nothing in comfort.

What delivery costs and how it is built up

Delivery and collection together sit in one fixed amount per province. So it is not a rate per kilometre and it does not rise the longer you keep the scaffold. Whether you hire for three days or three weeks, the transport amount stays the same. You will find it per province on the delivery costs page. It also makes it straightforward to compare in advance what a longer hire period genuinely costs you.

That fixed amount keeps the sum clear in advance: you have the hire rate for the first day, 5 percent of that day rate for every following day, and the transport. There is more on that structure at the cost of having a scaffold delivered. So before you book you know which three items make up your total and where you can still influence it. Hiring for longer changes only the middle part of that sum.

What the hire itself costs for your height and model is calculated in the configurator. The structure of the rate is explained on the cost of hiring a mobile scaffold, so you know where you stand before you book. Enter the number of days there as well as the model and the working height, delivery and collection days included, and you see the complete picture at once.

Where to have the parts put down

Choose a spot close to where the scaffold will stand, level and staying dry. A driveway, a garage, a carport or a stretch of terrace all work well. That way you move the parts only once: from the stack to the scaffold you are building. A spot right beside the wall where the scaffold will stand is ideal, as long as you can still walk around it during assembly.

Lay the parts out sorted: frames together, braces together, decks flat. That saves searching during assembly and stops you stepping between things with an armful of tubes. It sounds like a small thing, but on a tall build it genuinely saves time. Lay the decks flat rather than on edge as well, so they stay true and you pick them up in the right order.

Think of the neighbours and of the access route. Parts left on the pavement or in a shared hallway are in the way and can get damaged. If nothing sheltered is within reach, cover the package against rain, because wet aluminium is slippery during assembly. A tarpaulin or a sheet of plastic over the stack is enough. On a job that only starts the next morning, that is five minutes you win back during the build.

• Level, dry spot as close as possible to the set-up position
• Stacked and sorted: frames, braces and decks apart
• Not on the pavement or in a shared passageway
• Out of sight and out of the weather if it stands overnight
• Room to walk around it during assembly

Collecting it yourself: what changes

Collection is free of charge, by appointment, at Zeeburgerpad 89 in Amsterdam. That saves the delivery amount, but you do need enough load space. The frames and decks are long, so count on a van or a trailer of sufficient length, and on help with the loading. If you come with a van, measure the load length first, because the longest parts decide whether it fits. A second person to hand things in saves a lot of fuss when loading.

The second difference is the deposit. Deposits are higher when you collect yourself than when we deliver. That is not an added cost but an amount you get back: after return, the deposit is back within 1 working day. So it is not an extra cost but an amount held temporarily until the equipment is back with us. Nothing is deducted as long as the equipment comes back complete.

The table below sets the two routes side by side on the points where they differ, so you can see at a glance what the choice means for you. The full explanation of the deposit is at deposit for scaffold hire. For the room scaffold the route makes no difference to the deposit, for the other models it does. So read the rows before you choose.

You assemble it yourself, with manual and video

We deliver the scaffold, but we do not assemble it for you and we do not deliver it ready built. On delivery you receive a manual and an instruction video so you can follow the fixed order: base level, castor brakes on, frames, braces, deck with hatch, and then guardrails and toe boards. That order is not optional: each part holds another in place and makes sure you never stand on an unfinished level.

The assembly is more manageable than people expect, certainly with two people. One below handing up and one above fitting is the quickest way. Alone works too on the lower builds, but you climb up and down more often. The full assembly step plan takes you through it. On a tall build we always advise working in pairs, if only to have somebody handing parts up.

Simply plan that time into your schedule. A low build stands within the hour, a tall one takes longer. That is also the reason to have the scaffold arrive a day before the day you want to start on the job itself. Dismantling takes less time than assembly, but plan it for the day before collection rather than the morning itself.

Collection at the end of the hire period

At the end of the hire period we come and collect the scaffold. That is included in the same fixed amount as the delivery, so nothing is added afterwards. All you have to do is make sure the scaffold is dismantled on the collection day and that the parts are stacked ready. So there is nothing to pay again for the collection and no distance charge is added.

Dismantle in the reverse order of the assembly: material off the deck first, then guardrails and toe boards, then level by level down. Stack the parts in the same place they were delivered. Exactly how that goes is set out in dismantling and returning a mobile scaffold. Watch that nothing stays indoors, such as a guardrail you brought inside during a shower.

Keep the route to the stack clear and make sure somebody is reachable on the collection day. A car parked in front or a part still indoors costs time. A complete, stacked package goes straight back on board. If you cannot be home on the collection day, agree where the package will be waiting and who can open up. That avoids a second trip.

The deposit and how you get it back

On delivery the deposit is 500 euro for the RS51, the RS52 and the MiTower, and 150 euro for the room scaffold. If you collect the equipment yourself, the deposit is 1000 euro for the RS51 and RS52, 750 euro for the MiTower and 150 euro for the room scaffold. Those amounts are fixed per model, so you know exactly what is involved at the moment you book.

After return the deposit is back within 1 working day. That happens once the equipment has been taken back complete, so a complete and stacked package helps. If something is missing or damaged, we discuss that with you before anything happens with the deposit. So have every part complete and stacked in the place it was delivered, and the hand back goes smoothly.

If you want to know exactly how that runs, the explanation is in getting the deposit back. In short: hand everything in complete and have it ready on the agreed day, and that is all there is to it. The same applies when you collect yourself: the deposit comes back once the equipment has been taken in complete. The amounts per model are listed on the deposit page.

Which model to have delivered

For outdoor work the RS51 and the RS52 are the usual choice. The narrow RS51 at 75 cm fits through a gate and a side passage, the wide RS52 at 135 cm gives you more working surface for two people and material. Both have a deck 245 cm long. For a facade you work on with two people while taking material up, the RS52 is the calmer choice.

If you work indoors, the RS44 room scaffold is often the more logical choice. It fits through a standard internal door from around 70 cm, so you move it from room to room without dismantling. Its deposit is lower as well, both on delivery and on collection. Indoors you also judge the floor: the castors put their weight on four points and a polished floor needs extra attention to the brakes.

If you work alone and no higher than 6 metres working height, the MiTower is a one person scaffold you assemble and move yourself. If you are unsure, get in contact or send a photo of the situation via WhatsApp. A photo of the set-up spot together with the height you need is usually enough for us to settle the right size with you.