Guardian Fall Protection 2200 Pump Jack, for Use with 2 X 4-30 Ft Spliced Fabricated Wood Poles

I owe it to QualCraft to express my opinion after using their pump jacks all summer almost every day that wasn't raining too hard.I have to admit I had a problem at first on the crank down. It was absolutely because I didn't read the directions.The biggest problem most have is sitting on the plank and kicking the bottom hold to the down position without moving the foot pump to the up postion FIRST. """FIRST"" """""FIRST"""""To come down:1. Sit down on the plank where you can reach the crank. Gently move the foot pump to the up position with one hand. It moves up easily and the internal mechanism will move into the proper position inside. MAKE SURE THE PIECE THAT GOES OVER TOP OF YOUR BOOT ON THE FOOT PUMP IS AT THE 90 DEGREE POSITION SO IT DOES "NOT" GO TOO CLOSE TO THE MECHANISM WHEN IT IS IN THE UP POSITION.....and lock it up.2. Then simply turn the crank and it will surprise you how totally easy it is to crank the plank down. Do notcrank too far down on one side so it is toooo lopsided. (that sounds silly but some people do that withoutthinking sometimes. Just go a rational distance before moving to the other side to keep everythingbalanced and "SAFE." Of course if you have two people you can both crank at the same time if you are notoverweight on the system.YES, THIS IS AS GOOD A PUMP JACK AS YOU WILL FIND THAT USES WOOD SUPPORTS. If you want something more solid QualCraft has a system that uses aluminum posts and is made to use every day for years without replacing the supports. That system is absolutely excellent also if used properly.Good Luck and have a wonderful day.....Jimers

Homeowner review.I have three of these set up on 24' long double 2x4 columns and have been using them for a week now. Here's my first impression:- toss the included cotter pins into your parts bin and use removable clips. The whole system is designed to be put together onto the column - why they include cotter pins versus removable pins is anyone's guess.- MAKE SURE your joints along the 2" sides of the 2x4 are smooth and without offsets. I had a 2x4 that wasn't cut perfectly true (from the factory) and the system kept hanging up on this when lowering it. It was only jutting out 1/16" too - nothing of concern when I built it. Next time I build the columns or before I use these again I'm going to run a belt sander along the edge to true it.- The release mechanism to lower it is a pain in the butt to get to. No position you get into to be able to lower the unit is comfortable. But, it does work and I feel safe lowering it.- Plan to tap the lowering level with a hammer to release it from the locked position. It's not always easy to move it from locked to unlocked for lowering, and more than once (but less than 1/3 of the time) I had to use a hammer to tap it out into position.- The twist design needs updating. It's a VERY jerky ride down as the handle turns.- The pumping process works as designed. However, as with lowering, make sure the column edges (where you can see the double 2x4) is smooth.- The system needs guides to keep it centered. One of my columns (which were perfectly level when I set up) is gouged on the side because the pump jack "rivets" dug in when raising. It has about 5/8 of a gap on the sides of the jack, but nothing is there to maintain it in center. I am studying this now to see if there is something I can have fabricated to maintain center on my set.I am raising my system within 40" from the top of the 24' columns. I didn't feel very comfortable with this height (my land slopes downward, so I had the height and the slope to look at, which compounded the height aspect a lot). Right now, I feel very comfortable at this height on this system, because:- I added 2x4 "X" bracing to the bottoms of the columns. I don't lower the whole way down - I stop about 12' from the bottom and use a ladder to get me to a deck that's next to my work area.- I added steel conduit channel (12 gauge) horizontal bracing above the "X" bracing. Overkill to be sure, but I'm not fond of heights and this added even more support to the "X" bracing. (this may be a mental stability thing - the "X" bracing was adequate, but.....)- My scaffold is sturdy. I have two 2x10's, 12' long, with 5/8" plywood on the bottom side (to address the tension component of the bow weight will give to the 2x10's), and each 2x10 has 4" of 3M grip tape centered on them. They weigh a ton (each), but I feel very secure walking across the "bridge" and I built them to last me a lifetime.I have the workbench attachments on my system as well. I use an aluminum scaffold on this and have been using my 8 1/2" sliding compound miter saw on it without issue. The 2x4's the workbench attachment uses for the safety railings really give me a sense of security since I know where the back edge is when I'm working.Overall, I'm happy with this system. If I were to need it for my livlihood, I'd make some major design changes and would have a set custom built, but for homeowner or occasional contractor use, I'd buy them again.Oh - it takes two people to put up the columns if you want to do it safely. They have some weight to them, even tho they don't look like they would. Too much weight to manhandle on a ladder (safely).As I stated in the bracing review, there is no way I can find to have this system wrap around a corner. I have a need for this and will be building my own corner brace so I can put one of these jacks on the outside corner and laying "side B" scaffold on top of "side A" scaffold. I don't understand why a corner system wasn't produced by the manufacturer - it seems like a logical thing to have.

I did not trust this to use it, so I returned it for refund. Also, the mechanism seems awkward to pump and release.

Bought and returned... I hated these so much. Where to even start.Unboxing... There are cotter pins that are vital, yet they ship in a plastic bag that has vent holes. One was lost, a few were in the box outside the bag.The cotter pins come in and out a lot, but are cheap and flimsy, so are likely to last only a short time.The jack is powder coated, but clearly done after assembly. flip the thing open and boom, unpainted metal.Use? At your own risk...These things go up exactly as described. What a feeling, gonna get so much done. Oh wait, I need some tools. Yeah, going down, not so much. Unlocking the crank takes a huge effort, unless the stars align. Pushing the lever with our foot? talk about an awkward squat position. My legs still hurt.When you push that foot lever... Wow! its the six flags dropper ride. be prepared for a jolting 2-5 inch drop. Not scared, do it 15 feet up with a thing that is acting strange. So now I just turn the handle to lower yourself? Sometimes... Keep that foot on the lever in that painful squat. Wait, the crank just spins... That's right, you are stick 15 feet in the air with no plan to get down... If you are gonna give this a shot, please have a plan. You don't want your kids seeing you cry.Post mortem showed that I may have had better luck with harder 2x4s, as there were some deep gouges on the poles. I was able to spot where the jack was resting on a gouge, 15 feet up. It's not like you can just find harder 2x4s, so beware.I bought all the accessories as well and they were of similar quality. Bad powered coat jobs and not awesome.