Question ?? TearOff Machine Feedback

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about power tear off machines for commercial roofing. ie - panther or garlock?? must appreciated

Still ,remember one of the foreman being told to bring a couple roof rippers ,He asked who John,or Richard (my brother)-LOL

I remember those days too, but a few yrs back I came across a crew using a cutter and it just makes no sense doing it the hard way anymore.

Geez,we used to be the machines !,,A good fire axe,some long handled spades--high tech was getting roof carts to move the tearoff,and then the Rhino rippers with the wheels to replace (not totally)the tear off spades. :)

Junior, On the face of it the deal for the panther sounds like a good buy for a machine that only has a weeks work put through it. I am not familiar with the brand though. All our cutters, scarfers etc are Garlock. Put two guys and a cutter on the roof a couple of hours before the usual start time and have them cut 40/50sq- or whatever you figure you can get watertight that day- into manageable chunks so that when the boys do show up they ain't standing around waiting for the tear off to start. The machine to crew size ratio is tough to answer because logistics come into play, such as how far are the dumpsters, are you using carts or bodies carrying debris, are there A/C- steam lines running across the roof that inhibit progress etc. That said I usually go with one man operating the cutter and four to six guys shifting debris. Often, even when cut, fasteners (especially on a lightweight deck) will require tear off shovels to be used.

What brand machines have you found to be worth the money. how much labor savings should i expect. what is the machines to grew size ratio? I found a panther that was built in 2007 owner claims it was used on one job aprox 45 hours, but the tires are pretty worn out. he claims to have paid 8k and is selling for 1750. THOUGHTS?

We use them. What do you want to know?