Malta Dynamics XSERIES Mobile Fall Protection

M Squared Safety is an authorized Malta Dynamics dealer and Malta Dynamics' West Coast rental hub for XSERIES mobile fall protection. We sell the XSERIES line, rent it, and help you decide which unit fits the work, from a flatbed deck 5 feet off the yard to an anchor point 45 feet up.

What XSERIES is

XSERIES is Malta Dynamics' line of mobile and portable fall protection anchors. Each one puts an anchor point over the worker's head where the structure gives you nothing to tie off to: the deck of a trailer, the top of a tank car, a flat roof with no engineered anchors, an open yard. The towable units hitch to a truck, set on their outriggers or jacks and raise the mast. The davits stand on a counterweight base, under a truck that parks on the base, or on a concrete pad, as the table below shows.

Malta rates each anchor point for 310 pounds, counting the worker, tools and attached fall protection equipment. The line runs from single-worker davits to the X1260, which anchors up to five.

Three XSERIES units at work

One fixed unit and two mobile units of different sizes, each in Malta Dynamics' own video. We do not post XSERIES prices, because the price depends on the configuration, so every unit below has a link to get pricing and the details for your job.

What it is used for

• Loading, unloading, tarping and strapping flatbed trailers and trucks
• Work on top of tanker trucks and rail tank cars
• Flat roofs, parapet walls and structural steel
• Temporary work zones, construction sites and plant maintenance areas
• Industrial facilities and construction laydown yards
• Confined space entry and rescue, with Malta's R1000 rescue and retrieval kit

The XSERIES lineup

The X250 is an anchor for flat roofs and for confined space rescue and retrieval. Add-ons include wireless controls, solar charging, LED lights, hydraulic jacks and the confined space rescue kit. Every model and add-on is in the XSERIES collection. Figures in the table are as published by Malta Dynamics for each model.

Renting XSERIES on the West Coast

We are Malta Dynamics' West Coast rental hub. Under our agreement with Malta, we store and service XSERIES rental units for Malta, and when the model you need is not here, we rent it to you through Malta. Rates are on the rental rate sheet, and the X1250 has its own rental listing.

Rentals are booked by phone or email rather than through the cart, and a certificate of insurance is required before equipment is released.

Buying XSERIES

We are an authorized Malta Dynamics dealer and sell every XSERIES model and add-on. Pricing is by quote, because the right configuration depends on the job: mast height, how many workers tie off, how the unit is powered and set, and which add-ons it needs. Browse the line in the XSERIES collection.

Watch: what do you tie off to on top of a 53 foot flatbed?

A flatbed deck sits about 5 feet above the yard on a trailer 48 or 53 feet long, and there is nothing overhead to tie off to. This video shows the X1250 Mobile Grabber putting an anchor over the deck.

Which standards it helps you meet

Cal/OSHA construction: 8 CCR 1670

Section 1670(a) requires personal fall arrest, restraint or positioning systems where employees are exposed to falls of more than 7 1/2 feet from the perimeter of a structure, unprotected sides and edges, leading edges, shaftways and openings, roofs steeper than 7:12 and other surfaces steeper than 40 degrees that are not otherwise adequately protected under the provisions of the Construction Safety Orders.

The anchorage is where those systems most often come up short on a real site. Section 1670(b)(10) requires anchorages capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds per employee attached, or anchorages designed, installed and used as part of a complete personal fall arrest system that maintains a safety factor of at least two, under the supervision of a qualified person. An XSERIES unit is an engineered overhead anchorage you can bring to the work. It still has to be set up and used to Malta's instructions, as part of a complete system, by people trained to do it.

Free fall and clearance: 1670(b)(11)(B)

A personal fall arrest system has to be rigged so the worker can neither free fall more than 6 feet nor contact any lower level, and where practicable the anchor end of the lanyard has to be secured at a level not lower than the worker's waist. A 5 foot trailer deck sits below the 7 1/2 foot trigger in 1670(a), and loading a trailer is usually not construction work, but the rigging test is the same one any fall arrest system has to pass. An anchor at foot level on a 5 foot deck cannot pass it. An anchor overhead shortens the fall; match the connector's fall clearance rating to the deck height.

Framing: 8 CCR 1716.2(e)(1), (f) and (g)

Personal fall protection systems are one of the methods 1716.2 accepts at 6 feet or more above the level below: for work on top plates, joists, rafters and trusses under (e)(1), for laying out and building stud walls on raised floors under (f), and for starter board, roof sheathing and fascia under (g). Where an XSERIES unit can be positioned beside the building, it gives that crew an overhead anchor the frame cannot yet provide. Inside a framed footprint there is usually no room to bring a machine in, and a bracket scaffold hung on the wall, such as the Wall Walker, protects the crew working along the walls.

Trailers and other vehicles

No federal OSHA standard names the trailer deck. The construction rules write vehicles and trailers out of the definition of a walking/working surface at 29 CFR 1926.500(b). In a 2002 letter OSHA wrote that falls from rolling stock would not be cited under its general industry walking-working surfaces rules, Subpart D, and that the General Duty Clause could apply. In 2004 it added that no such duty exists where there is no feasible means of providing fall protection. In California, every employer's Injury and Illness Prevention Program has to include methods for correcting unsafe conditions “in a timely manner based on the severity of the hazard” under 8 CCR 3203(a)(6). Where a feasible way to protect the worker exists, those duties reach it, and a towable overhead anchor can be that way.

Confined space: 8 CCR 5157(k)(3)(B) and 1960(c)(2)

For permit space entry, a mechanical device has to be available to retrieve personnel from vertical permit spaces more than 5 feet deep. That is 8 CCR 5157(k)(3)(B) in general industry, and 8 CCR 1960(c)(2) carries the same requirement for construction confined spaces. The X250 takes Malta's R1000 rescue and retrieval kit for that work, and Malta describes the X500 davits as suited to confined space entry.

Request an XSERIES rental or quote

Tell us what the work is and we will match it to a model, then come back with rental availability or a purchase quote.

Frequently asked questions

Who rents Malta Dynamics XSERIES units on the West Coast?

M Squared Safety. We are Malta Dynamics' West Coast rental hub and an authorized Malta Dynamics dealer, based in San Clemente, California. Call 949-954-6581 for rental availability.

Can I buy an XSERIES unit from M Squared Safety?

Yes. We are an authorized Malta Dynamics dealer and sell every XSERIES model and add-on. Pricing is by quote, because the configuration depends on mast height, worker count and the add-ons the job needs.

How many workers can tie off to one XSERIES unit?

It depends on the model. The X500, X500A, X525 and X550 davits take one worker. The X1000, X1000E, X1240, X1270 and X360 take two. The X1250 takes up to three and the X1260 up to five, with one worker on the highest anchor point when the mast is fully extended. Malta rates each anchor point for 310 pounds, counting the worker, tools and attached fall protection equipment.

How high can an XSERIES anchor point go?

From 17 to 22 feet on the X1000 and X1000E, up to 30 feet on the X1240, up to 34 feet for one worker on the X1250 and X1260, 34 feet 6 inches on the X360, and from 2 feet up to 45 feet on the X1270. The davits reach 22 to 25 feet.

Why use an overhead anchor on a trailer deck only 5 feet up?

A fall arrest system works only if it stops the worker before the ground. Cal/OSHA's construction rule for fall arrest, 8 CCR 1670(b)(11)(B), states the rigging test: no free fall of more than 6 feet and no contact with any lower level. A trailer deck is usually not construction work, but the test shows the problem. An anchor at foot level on a 5 foot deck cannot pass it. An anchor overhead shortens the fall; match the connector's fall clearance rating to the deck height before you rely on it.

Does XSERIES work for framing under Cal/OSHA 1716.2?

Personal fall protection systems are one of the methods 8 CCR 1716.2 accepts at 6 feet for work on top plates, joists and trusses under (e)(1), for building walls on raised floors under (f), and for sheathing and fascia under (g). An XSERIES unit positioned beside the building gives that crew an overhead anchor. Inside a framed footprint there is usually no room to bring a machine in, and a bracket scaffold hung on the wall, such as the Wall Walker, protects the crew working along the walls.

Related

• Malta Dynamics XSERIES collection
• X1250 Mobile Grabber rental and the rental rate sheet
• All Malta Dynamics equipment
• Wall Walker framing scaffolding, for interior framing where a machine will not fit
• Fall protection training and safety consulting

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Written by Matthew Horovitz, Competent Person, former OSHA 500 authorized construction outreach trainer, 20 years in risk management. M Squared Safety Solutions, Inc., San Clemente, California. Published 19 October 2026. Regulation text checked against the California Code of Regulations on dir.ca.gov the same day; model figures as published by Malta Dynamics.