# Weight capacity of stilts



## jproffer (Feb 19, 2005)

Ok ladies and gents, I've been half-ass, no hurry shopping for a pair of drywall stilts. Almost every pair I see on amazon or ship-to-store big box has a weight limit of 225-228 lbs. They claim that's total for the pair except for one PDF I found online regarding a pair from Home Depot, that said 225# limit PER stilt, 450 for the pair:

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/d7/d7a3c042-a1ad-4a23-b8c5-a0fd112bbc3e.pdf

but then if you look up the model # on the website it says 225# total:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-SER...stable-Height-Drywall-Stilts-DS1830/100645164

not that they're in stock anyway, but still. So, legalities and companies covering their butt aside...can anyone give me a real world capacity on any pair on amazon, say pentagon or similar. These won't be used daily or even weekly, and the 24"-40" would be as high as I need to be.

For reference, I'm probably pushing 300-310, and tool weight is irrelavent. Will the pentagon aluminum or mag hold me? Like I said, CYA and legalities aside....


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

don't take offense, but 300 pounds on a pair of stilts is an accident waiting to happen.

also don't see many, if any, drywall guys using stilts anymore.

one contractor told me it's a liability thing.

now buckets....


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

griz said:


> don't take offense, but 300 pounds on a pair of stilts is an accident waiting to happen.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They banned em here for a while...then brought them back...but now you have to pay for and take a course on how to use stilts taught by a guy who has never used stilts...

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

A short thread, but maybe a clue...

http://www.drywalltalk.com/f9/stilts-big-boys-4905/


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## jproffer (Feb 19, 2005)

griz said:


> don't take offense, but 300 pounds on a pair of stilts is an accident waiting to happen.
> 
> also don't see many, if any, drywall guys using stilts anymore.
> 
> ...


I don't take offense at all. It is what it is, and I'm too old to worry about it now.  

Fair enough.

"Now buckets"....so do you mean using 5 gallon buckets with shoes attached, like you see videos about...or bucket trucks/lifts/etc?


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

all the drywall guys i see "walk" on 5 gallon buckets.

no shoes attached...

some use a single some a double bucket...


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

New build I'm on right now, both the insulation crew and the drywallers use stilts. None of them are 300 lbs, though.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

griz said:


> all the drywall guys i see "walk" on 5 gallon buckets.
> 
> no shoes attached...
> 
> ...




We've always called them kick buckets. 


Mike.
_______________


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## micahmye (Jul 23, 2015)

I like my Sur-pro stilts a bunch. Had them about 2 years. Looks like 225 is the weight limit though... 

Certain jobs I can’t imagine how I did them efficiently without stilts.


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## jproffer (Feb 19, 2005)

micahmye said:


> I like my Sur-pro stilts a bunch. Had them about 2 years. Looks like 225 is the weight limit though...
> 
> Certain jobs I can’t imagine how I did them efficiently without stilts.
> 
> ...


Yea 225 seems to be the norm. Pentagon loves the number 228 for whatever reason, but I figure they're all just covering themselves from a lawsuit, like "well we TOLD you...225# max, fatty" lol.

I'll probably look for another way or just skip it altogether. This was for a halloween costume (not this year), just in the very early planning stages, so not a huge deal to just let it go.

Thanks to all for the responses.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Mike.
_______________


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## builditguy (Nov 10, 2013)

I've seen one plasterer use 2 - 5 gallon buckets with 2 - 2x4 screwed to them. Made himself a walk plank about 6' long. He used that for at least 20 years.

I only see stilts now. I don't see anyone at your weight using them, so I can't help. I look at it like a ladder. What is your step ladder rated at? My son is 240, so he is already pushing the limit, by himself. Then add a tool belt, maybe lifting something, he's way over the limit.
We talk about it sometimes, but we still just keep working.

I've used stilts. They do speed things up and once you get used to them, they aren't hard to use. These days I use a 4' step ladder. If I did much taping I would screw 2 - 2x4 to a couple buckets and use that. Now that I've gotten older, I see why that plasterer did that.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

What do you do if the stilts aren't tall enough:blink:


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

A good drywaller likes to keep up with the times.


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