Tyre Blowouts, Mystery Beeps and Angry Wasps
Day four on site at Trent College, and what should have been a straightforward day of gutter clearing and school maintenance turned into a mix of flat tyres, strange truck alarms, broken tracks and a rogue wasps’ nest. All in a day’s work for the Cherry Picker Man.
If you’ve been following the “finding a new machine” journey, you’ll know I’ve been testing the Platform Basket 2095 over a long weekend. In this episode, it’s time to take it back, get reunited with my trusty 1890 pro, and crack on with the job. If you want to see the chaos unfold in full (including the exploding tyre and those angry little wasps up close), make sure you watch the full video this blog is the story behind it.
Early Start: Returning the 2095 to Barnsley
The day started early. I was back at Trent College, but only briefly first job was to run the Platform Basket 2095 back up to Promax Access in Barnsley.
It was a simple choice:
- Take it back, or
- Pay for it
As much as I’ve enjoyed testing these machines and showing them off on camera, I’m not quite ready to pull the trigger on a new purchase yet. So, back to Barnsley it went.
The Hilux was hitched up to the trailer, Spider 2095 onboard, and off we went. Or at least, that was the plan…
Trailer Tyres vs The 2095: Round Two
If you’ve watched the recent episodes, you’ll know there’s a bit of a theme forming: trailer tyres do not like this machine.
The 2095 is about 500 kg heavier than my usual spider, but the trailer is well within its rated capacity. Still, that didn’t stop another tyre from giving up on the roadside. That made it two tyres in two days:
- Yesterday: a blowout on the M69
- Today: another one on the side of a busy road
Not ideal.
Thankfully, I’d already replaced a tyre the day before and had another spare ready to go. But changing wheels at the side of a fast road is not my idea of fun.
I said it in the video and I’ll say it again here massive respect to the lads and lasses who do roadside tyre work on motorways for a living. It’s a frightening place to stand and work with cars and lorries thundering past you.
The Hilux and the Random Beeping Mystery
Once the tyre drama was sorted, there was another ongoing annoyance to contend with: my Toyota Hilux randomly beeping at me.
Every now and then, completely at random, the dashboard will chime and beep for no apparent reason. I’ve tried to work out what it’s complaining about:
- Too close to another car?
- Crossing lane markings?
- Speeding warnings?
- Road sign recognition?
Nope. Nothing consistent. No clear pattern. Just random “you’ve done something wrong” beeps from a Hilux that seems to be in a mood.
In the video I basically plead with the internet: if anyone knows why a Toyota Hilux on a 20 plate just beeps at random, tell me. Because after a month of it, it’s enough to drive you mad.
If you’re a Hilux wizard and fancy diagnosing a truck from your sofa, you’ll definitely want to watch the full video and listen to that mystery beep for yourself.
Back to Trent: Gutters, Trailers and Track Trouble
With the 2095 returned and the tyre situation under control, I headed back to Trent College to finish off the gutter clearing.
The plan was simple:
- Load my machine back onto the trailer
- Shift it to another section of the school
- Finish off the gutters in that area
- Switch to ladders for the last bits
But the universe wasn’t done throwing machine-related problems at me yet.
I’ve been having some ongoing track issues with my own spider, and this time one of the metal reinforcement pieces in the track decided to fold itself over.
When you look closely at the tracks, you can see the metal sections that strengthen them. One of these had partially lifted due to previous issues and then, under use, had flicked right over. The result?
- The track was effectively destroyed
- Replacement cost: about £500
Not exactly the kind of surprise expense you look forward to, but that’s the reality of running access equipment when it goes wrong, it can go wrong in an expensive way.
There’s No Place Like Home: Back on the 1890
Borrowing and reviewing new machines is a bit like going on holiday, exciting, fun, and full of new experiences. But there’s something lovely about coming back to what you know.
Once I was back on the Platform Basket 1890, it felt a bit like:
“Ahh, that’s better, back in my own bed.”
I’ve got a feeling that by the time I’ve tested all these different spiders for the “finding a new machine” series, we might get to the end and say:
“You know what? The best machine… is still the 1890. Let’s just keep that one.”
That said, there’s still a CMC 23 waiting somewhere in the wings. That’s the one I’m particularly curious about. Watch this space.
Ladders, Nonsense and Wasps with an Attitude
With the spider work mostly done, it was time for the ladders to come out. Contrary to popular belief, I do know how to use a pair of ladders, though I may have overdone the dramatics as I “introduced” them on camera.
Then came the real villains of the day: wasps.
Up in one section of guttering, there were wasps everywhere, swarming around a corner section and making it very clear that this was their territory, not mine.
After taking a closer look, I decided that:
- I did not fancy coming face to face with a nest full of stingy little hooligans
- That particular length of guttering could wait until another time
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do on a roof is back off and leave the wasps alone.
Planning a Bigger Lift: JLG on the Way
Later on, I had a meeting with James on site to talk about a particularly awkward bit of high-level work. There’s a section of the building with what can only be described as a precarious access situation.
Even with the machine options we’ve tried, it’s a challenge to do safely and sensibly. So, we got on the phone to National Platforms and arranged for a JLG cherry picker to come in on Thursday.
The plan is to use that bigger machine to reach right into a high, tight corner and fix a problem that simply can’t be sensibly tackled from ladders or smaller spiders. I’m genuinely looking forward to that – it’ll be a proper bit of high-level problem solving with the right kit for the job.
Wrapping Up Day Four: Nearly There
By the end of the day, I’d:
- Returned the 2095 to Barnsley
- Survived another blown trailer tyre
- Moaned at the Hilux for its random beeping
- Broken a track and mentally kissed goodbye to £500
- Avoided a wasps’ nest
- Booked in a big JLG for Thursday
- Broken the back of the gutter work at Trent College
The plan from here is:
- Finish the gutters by the end of tomorrow
- Use Thursday for roof repairs and the big JLG job on the clock tower area
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for sticking with me through the chaos. To really get a feel for the day – the noise, the tyres, the machines, the wasps, make sure you watch the full video. It’s always different seeing it play out in real time.
And if you enjoy this kind of behind-the-scenes look at real-world cherry picker work – plus the mistakes, mishaps and odd bits of nonsense – then following along on my social channels really helps keep it all going.
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