As a homeowner I own several of these pump jacks, along with the guard rails, several braces (to be used every ten vertical feet, per OSHA), the spiked foot pole anchors, roof anchors, etc. I made the poles of douglas fir (not pine stud grade) and glue laminated them with polyurethane construction adhesive before power nailing them countersinking them every few inches.
I also bought planks of scaffolding grade (per OSHA - these are about $39 for a thirteen footer, bought locally, not through Amazon) and spaced the poles about eleven feet apart, giving me about a foot of overhang on each side (OSHA: 6 inches minimum per side). These planks are **not** supposed to be the nominal 2X12's, by the way. If you have the cash or have a longterm job to do, or have an understanding significant other who is safety conscious (use the guilt trip card), invest in an aluminum plank, as it's adjustable in its over length (width?).
I screwed the QualCraft braces and anchors into the poles after assuring the verticals and braces were all plumb and level. I personally feel that paying attention to these details when building the scaffold makes a difference in the overall dynamics of the assembly. But then again, I also feel you should not store those spiked foot pole anchors upside-down on the seat of your pick-up when not in use. All kidding aside, you really don't want this baby collapsing under you.
Perhaps a few reasons why other reviewers are having trouble cranking the pumps down: (1) clean staight douglas fir wood must be used (you gotta pick through the pile), and, (2) I found that when I leave a heavy plank on the outermost area of the work bench section of the guardrail (another QualCraft add on) while trying to lower the pump, it makes for added upper counter weight. This apparently doesn't allow the crank mechanism to bite into the wood, and thus lower the scaffold correctly. Removing the work plank before lowering the jack (careful, now) allows the pump to crank easier, IMHO. Incidently, the 2200Q differs from the home improvement store (HD) versions in that the Q has some stainless steel parts (the crank, etc.; check the photo).
Incidently, as a paralegal, I agree with another reviewer, Mr. Larsen, that Amazon's removing of the direct link to OSHA is somewhat reckless, as it may leave them open to litigation should one of their customers take a header after purchasing their equipment online from them. Has common sense also been outsourced to Bangladesh?
Do yourself and your dependents a favor, and do a web search for that OSHA gov site, then download and study their manual before buying and assembling and playing with your shiny new pump jack and scaffold. Be a nerd - like me - and follow OSHA's directions to the letter. They also have alot of photos of do's and don't's in a nifty downloadable powerpoint presentaion which makes it easier to understand their drift. For some odd unexplained reason, OSHA is a government agency that actually seems to know what they're talking about.
I'd also suggest tying yourself in, and Amazon sells the QualCraft roof and roof peak anchors along with a body harness for this very purpose. $pending a couple'a buck$ now may save you a few medical co-pays later, get it, Spider-Man??
I gave the 2200Q four stars intead of five because of the crappy slap happy paint job Qual-Craft puts on these devices, whereas they begin to rust within days of being up. I wind up buying several cans of red oxide flat rust primer spray paint to repaint them as they rust (mask off the stickers - they're all that is supplied for instructions). Also, the cheapo cotter pins that are supplied on the assembly pin thingies are garbage - go to HD and get some stainless hitch pins to replace them ASAP. They won't snap, probably are alot safer, and they're alot easier to remove upon disaasembly.