With a water fed pole? The top windows are 60’ at the top, that is working off the roof below and there are some that must be done either from the ground, a lift or off scaffolding. Two questions:
can you pole off a scaffold or lift safely?
is there are pole that will reach 60’ easily and can a novice tackle it?
I feel that I can do this job with the WFP but I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew here.
Tucker makes 63’, 71’ and 83’ poles. These models are in 12’ sections. I have heard that above 3 stories using a waterfed pole is much more strenuous and time consuming, so you should charge accordingly. I have also heard you may need two men to maneuver the taller poles, one of them being on the roof with a rope tide to the top of the pole. I have not actually used one, but plan to get one for a job later in the year.
First let me say that working with a wfp at 60 ft does require some skill. I know you have recently started wfp use. I would not recommend using a wfp on a lift or scaffold unless it is a short pole. The best pole to use for this level (60ft) is a modular carbon fiber. Shawn has SL-2 by Gardiner and we will soon have a 60 and 80. The tucker is much too heavy for this level and not regid. Once you go over 3 flloors with wfp many things come into play. Every move from the bottom is manified at the top. The wind is a big factor. You need to move slow and keep the brush on the glass and walk it from window to window. Do not turn the corner without dropping several sections to a level that can be handled. Feel free to call and I will be glad to help you. It is a little scary at first but it can be done from the ground. I did a 6 story building in March. You can see the video on www.simpole.com
WFP’ing from a lift is actually pretty fun, as long as you dont go to high with the pole. It makes it super quick, and easy.
If you have the budget to get a lift, get one, it will save your back and your crews back. Evan a light pole at those heights is like wrestling a gorilla. 
You could wfp this project, but it will be tricky. We do buildings this size routinely. Howver, I would use a bosun’s chair and rappel from the roof. However, that requires trained, experienced men for that technique.
Do you tie the water line to the manlift when you wfp? Just thinking it would be a pain if you had to mess with the weight of the water hose along with the wfp.
not me. It isnt bad if you use only a couple sections.
I would never ever recomend doing a 30-50’ pole off of a lift.
Why? Are you in Chicago?
“Why? Are you in Chicago?”
Are you talking about wind? Well, I wouldn’t personally feel safe tryig to wrestle a pole that size from a lift. The lift movement would worry me. To all there own i guess. We do alot on Lake Michigan, and the wind just wips off of there sometimes.
BTW we are about an hour and fifteen minutes from Chicago…Does that count? lol
Just kinda wonderin bud. I’m new 2 the whole wfp deal. Still learnining. Thanks man and yes it counts.
I just did the spring cleaning of a job that I WFP
I did not use a lift this time but i did last. Using a lift saved about 2-3 hours (of a 24 man hour job) but it did save alot of aches and pains, and headaches.
My lift was $400.
I’ve used my 56 foot Facelift off of a 20 foot lift. I was doing a 4 story hospital…a TALL 4 story hospital…and one section was over a parking area. The access was from a driveway that was 25 or so feet out from the wall of windows. The angle and distance were such that I needed all 56 feet and a lift to get the top windows.
It was a 2 man lift. I was manning the pole, and the guy I was subbing for was driving the lift. I tied my feed hose (not the little black one…the one coming from the cart) in a double knot on one of the rails of the lift so I wouldn’t have to worry about wrestling the pole and the hose.
I think you can do it Steve. Remember to add in the cost of a lift. If you don’t need it, then that’s extra money. If you do, then it’s covered.
As for being a novice at this height, we all were once. If you want to do these sorts of buildings, then you have to have your first one sometime. Might as well be now. I say go for it.
It’s viable Steve - don’t be taking the water up with you in that lift though & make sure all your hose is fully untangled before you start raising & only then tie off. It’s a different method of cleaning at that height from the ground, you will find that it is more time consuming & water consuming & your technique changes into up/down movements but more obvious. If the lift gets involved then you could do those traditionally anyway & leave knowing full well there is no crud & spotting.
so, whats the point of a WFP???
I’m remarking on the 60 foot + stuff for the trad work. Of course you can adapt your pole to go over that, but since Steve is pretty new to the wfp world I didn’t want to throw that into the equation.
I think that you would be fine cleaning from a lift, however a longer pole would make it safer…
I hated to do it but I turned it down. They hired a company out of St. Louis to do it with rope access. I didn’t want to get in over my head.
There’s alot of wisdom in that choice Steve! 
As far as needing two men for the longer poles…we only need one man on our xtel 60’. It is tiring and we try to rotate every 20-30 minutes but it is very usable. You need a carbon fiber pole for this length to avoid needing the second man on the roof. We have gone carbon fiber on all but our shortest (9’) poles because of the weight savings and personnel savings. We have about 8 maj0r commercial properties that we NEED the 60’ pole on so then we have step down lengths for the other jobs. If you go with the Tucker they are much heavier and then you will definitely need the second person and a rope. Good luck!
