Product Profile - Labour Saver
Makes Short Work of Tear-Off Projects

 
When Bryce McCandless of Watertight Roofing Services Ltd., was faced with a roof removal on a three-storey apartment complex in Kitchener, Ont., he used a particular product that would help him complete the job on-time and on budget. 

The 30,200 sq. foot, inverted roof consisted of gravel, four-inches of insulation, four-ply felt built-up roofing (pitch) on a concrete deck. Each building was approximately 110 tons of gravel on each building. 

“Gravel removal was key to ensuring this job came in on schedule,” McCandless said. “The Labour Saver (550 Roofer Special) saved us approximately two days of labour on each building – a total of four days. This is approximately an $8000 savings.” 

According to McCandless, Watertight Roofing Services “have used and will use this piece of equipment again as it lessens overall labour costs, reduces the chances of injuries or strain to employees, saves labour energy for more detailed tasks and is a simple piece of equipment to use and maintain.” 

The Labour Saver 550 Roofer Special is a self-propelled, hydraulic ride-on roof tear-off machine designed to make the industry saver, more productive, and more profitable.
 

“I find it perplexing that in this day and age of technology, our industry continues to be in the dark ages,” said Fred Nanasi, president of Labour Saver, distributor of the machine. “Working smarter, not harder makes more sense to me.” 

In order to attract young people into the trade, Nanasi said that owners need to make the job as easy as possible and encourage on-the-job training. 

“Foremen should be allowed to teach their young recruits about the installation process instead of just being a labourer for the first year or two that they are on the roof. Just being a labourer isn’t very appealing to anyone that I’ve talked to.” 

With a machine such as Labour Saver 550, the tear-off can easily be completed by morning break or lunch time, allowing the rest of the day for the installation of the new roof. 

The Labour Saver 550 Roofer Special has a variety of features and benefits. 

Since the operator is standing on the back of the machine, he/she can easily step off at any time, allowing for safe operation. The machine will automatically stop when the operator’s hands are removed from the controls. 

The Labour Saver is also user friendly and easy to operate. According to Nanasi, the operator will be proficient in machine operation in only a few hours. 

Weighing approximately 1450 pounds, the machine is equipped with dual wheels and a spade bucket. Additional attachments are available for the unit – material forks or a 48-inch-wide sweeper. With it’s light weight, the Labour Saver can be easily hoisted on the roof using a roofer’s hoist (minimum 2000 pound lifting capacity). 

The Labour Saver 550 can be used on all common roof decks including concrete, steel, wood, light weight concrete and pre-cast. It has a lifting capacity of approximately 550 pounds. 

Highly maneuverable, the Labour Saver 550’s small, compact size, allow it to get into most tight areas on any roof. With 65-inches of lifting height, the machine can easily load buggies or utilized to load conveyor belts. 

Roof tear-off is the hardest part of the job. Utilizing the Labour Saver 550 can improve roofing crew morale since it eases the process of tear-off as well as reduces worker back injuries because the machine will pick up all old roof material and debris, and deposit it into buggies for haulage to the roof edge. 

The number of personnel required to remove the old roof is also reduced by utilizing the Labour Saver 550. Instead of a full crew doing the tear-off, all that is required in one operator, and an additional one or two individuals to haul debris to the roof edge. This is said to free up the remainder of the crew to start the new roof installation.

 

Nanasi said that the machine provides consistent, day after day production. A typical tear-off on a 1500 to 2500 sq. foot roof with a metal deck, one-inch fibreboard insulation, four-ply built-up roof can removed in approximately one hour.

 

For more information, contact Labour Saver at 107 Filbert St., Kitchener, Ont. N2H 1Y3. Tel: (519) 749-9240, Fax: (519) 749-9075, E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the company’s web site at www.laboursaver.com.