Roof ladder

[robinbanks]

i would feel more comfortable if the two sections were attached to each other and you just slide it along

It doesn't make sense; even if ladders were as you describe they would still only make contact with each other at the same points as the design you're unhappy with. The rest of the sliding mechanism would do nothing to support the structure of the ladder, it would just be excess weight and purposeless engineering

Designed as they are, extension ladders are light and easy to extend even while you're standing on them, and they're easy to dismantle to two sections, which also has its own set of uses

and those two hooks at the bottom of the top section that sit on the bottom section look to be holding all the weight of the climber, they could break and you would be in trouble.

Or the rung you're standing on could snap, or the side rail could snap, or the thing you leaned it on could break, or the top clamps could fall off, or the feet could slip, or the top could slip, or your shoelace could get caught in the transition part as you climb down and you fall, or you could lean too far off it and fall..

Using ladders involves an element of risk. You mitigate it or you get someone else to use them

 

[TNDU]

Sometimes I regret selling my triple ladder. Was like stairs to climb and no bounce but I just couldn't store it.
I've spent the last 2 years selling kit and only now can I walk up the centre of my garage.
I still own a light double ladder and a telescopic 3.6m ladder.

a lot of the adverts for sale on gumtree states tripple ladder but never the full extended length. is there a reason for this? is it a known quantity that a tripple ladder is of a certain length?

can you assume that a tripple ladder is going to reach my roof, which is 5.2m to the gutter?

 

[robinbanks]

a lot of the adverts for sale on gumtree states tripple ladder but never the full extended length. is there a reason for this? is it a known quantity that a tripple ladder is of a certain length?

Triple ladders come in variable lengths, I think mine does just shy of 10m. Make no mistake, they bend some and it's something to get used to as you use them

Perhaps you should invest in a new set of ladders than buy second hand, possibly abused, ones off gumtree. The few hundred quid you save won't pay for anything that will allow you to leave your hospital bed early

Buying new will get you a set of specs you can check meet your needs and a guarantee that they haven't lived outside for 20 years having cement dropped on them and being thrown off scaffold..

 

[TNDU]

It doesn't make sense; even if ladders were as you describe they would still only make contact with each other at the same points as the design you're unhappy with. The rest of the sliding mechanism would do nothing to support the structure of the ladder, it would just be excess weight and purposeless engineering

Designed as they are, extension ladders are light and easy to extend even while you're standing on them, and they're easy to dismantle to two sections, which also has its own set of uses


Or the rung you're standing on could snap, or the side rail could snap, or the thing you leaned it on could break, or the top clamps could fall off, or the feet could slip, or the top could slip, or your shoelace could get caught in the transition part as you climb down and you fall, or you could lean too far off it and fall..

Using ladders involves an element of risk. You mitigate it or you get someone else to use them

"mitigate risk by getting someone else to use them" i have a 5ft step ladder that doesn't look very secure but at that level, i am fine to fall off and just get back up but when you are talking about a 6m ladder, i am a bit more concerned about falling off.

i have a 3.72m ladder that is folded into 4, which is really good and feels very sturdy. there is no way i would fall off that ladder as it is made like a tank and weighs like one. and i used to have a double ladder that is also very solid and slides along but is in one piece so you could not remove the sections, like this one pictured, where you see how substantial the lip is that holds the two sections together, and there is no way that lip is going to give.

it's like i wouldn't use a wooden ladder, simply because it doesn't feel safe to climb a wooden ladder as the rungs are more likely to give than a metal ladder.

 

[TNDU]

Triple ladders come in variable lengths, I think mine does just shy of 10m. Make no mistake, they bend some and it's something to get used to as you use them

Perhaps you should invest in a new set of ladders than buy second hand, possibly abused, ones off gumtree. The few hundred quid you save won't pay for anything that will allow you to leave your hospital bed early

Buying new will get you a set of specs you can check meet your needs and a guarantee that they haven't lived outside for 20 years having cement dropped on them and being thrown off scaffold..

yeah, i am starting to think that way as there are lots of second hand ladders on sale on gumtree and i would always want to go and see them before i buy them, but they need to be collected and as i don't have a van, i would have to pay for a courier, so with the courier cost, it isn't that much cheaper than buying a new one, where delivery cost is included.

 

[Wayners]

My old triple had no bounce. Would get me up and past a gable end on a 2 story house.
My light double ladder will do gutter on a 2 story house just. Each length 3m. Needs a ladder stay. 3.5m double is perfect

 

[robinbanks]

i don't have a van, i would have to pay for a courier

if you're getting more serious about your diy a car roof rack(assuming you have a car) could be useful, and easier to store than a trailer

 

[TNDU]

if you're getting more serious about your diy a car roof rack(assuming you have a car) could be useful, and easier to store than a trailer

yeah, a car roof rack is useful for transporting ladders but they are quite expensive and unfortunately, i don't have a car anymore. i can get access to one by borrowing one, but obviously I can't be putting roof racks on other people's cars

unless of course there is a universal one that you can buy, which you can install and uninstall quickly like a bike rack?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

a lot of the adverts for sale on gumtree states tripple ladder but never the full extended length. is there a reason for this? is it a known quantity that a tripple ladder is of a certain length?

can you assume that a tripple ladder is going to reach my roof, which is 5.2m to the gutter?

The more sections there are, the more of the overall length of the sections is lost in the essential overlap, between sections. A good guide, is the number of rungs in each section, then going online to read specs for the maximum reach of ladders which have the same number of rungs. A triple of reach x, will obviously be heavier, than a double of reach x, but a triple might be more adaptable, in that it might be usable for lower working heights than an equivalent double.

The characteristics of ladders also vary - My original ladder, was an heavy, industrial grade ladder, which was why I sought to swap it for something lighter. In use, once in place, it was absolutely solid. The lighter replacement is longer yet lighter, though heavier than a DIY grade. It is not as solid feeling, in that it wobbles side to side, as you climb it, but it doesn't budge in the important, vertical direction.

 

[Old Salt]

Places like B&Q and Wickes generally have a selection of ladders on display and will also have home delivery which you can order online.

 

[TNDU]

Places like B&Q and Wickes generally have a selection of ladders on display and will also have home delivery which you can order online.

they don't tend to have ladders that are high enough to get to the roof do they? it isn't the standard stuff that your average DIY person would be looking for as it takes a brave man / woman to climb that high

so i think because these ladders are so specialist, you have to buy them online really.

 

[Old Salt]

G

they don't tend to have ladders that are high enough to get to the roof do they? it isn't the standard stuff that your average DIY person would be looking for as it takes a brave man / woman to climb that high

so i think because these ladders are so specialist, you have to buy them online really.

Go and have a look!

 

[TNDU]

G

Go and have a look!

now that you have mentioned it, i will do

can anyone recommend a ladder that i can buy from the likes of wickes etc? I only need it for occasional use at my house.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

they don't tend to have ladders that are high enough to get to the roof do they? it isn't the standard stuff that your average DIY person would be looking for as it takes a brave man / woman to climb that high

Ladders terrify me, the first time using, after not using them a while, but I soon regain my confidence in them after a bit of use.

 

[TNDU]

Ladders terrify me, the first time using, after not using them a while, but I soon regain my confidence in them after a bit of use.

when i was a kid, i used to climb up to our terraced roof to play with my brothers and his friends. it was only a single storey building but i was climbing up there when i was 7 or 8 years old, lol. so i have no fear of height. we didn't use a ladder, we just climbed using an iron bar that protruded on the side of the house.

a couple of years ago, i got a roofer round and he said I should climb up the ladder and see what he is talking about but I said it was too high as the idea of climbing up two storey is a bit more worrying. however, i have now got over that bit and i will be fine to climb to 5m as there isn't a huge difference between 3m and 5m in terms of falling off, lol, so if you can climb to 3m, you can climb to 5m.

i am tempted to get a climbing wall installed to the outside of my house so i can climb up there any time and also have a new sport to play with