Will this loft ladder eventually kill me?

[pappyon]

Could anybody please give me any ideas how I could make my 1992 predecessor of an ABRU ARROW 3 section aluminium loft ladder easier and safer to bring down and put back up into the loft.

This ladder overhangs the loft hatch and is brought down by a pole after dropping the hinged hatch cover, and for me at any rate it is a right scary business. I'm not sure what is more terrifying, bringing the ladder down or putting it back up!

I have approached ABRU about buyng a "V Rod Assembly" as supplied with the ARROW ladder or even better the "Pivot Assembly" as supplied with their Blue Seal better quality ladder, but ABRU have assured me that due to the design of my ladder, neither of these devices would fit my ladder!

Would somebody please go to the ABRU site http://www.abru.co.uk/ladders/loftladders
and have a look at the pdf instructions for these ladders and it will give you a better idea of what I mean!

The idea of the devices I have described above I believe is that they support the ladder when it is being raised and lowered making it less of a heart-stopping task, especially for an old geezer like myself! My wife is terrified this ladder is going to hit me and knock me down the stairs

 

[^neo^]

if it has nut and bolt fixings on the pivot, then tighten the bolts up a bit to give it some friction

 

[pappyon]

Thanks for your prompt reply.

I can appreciate what you are saying and will definitely try this the next time I go back to the house which I will be moving into eventually, but there is more to it than that.

I don't know if the pole I am using is the wrong one as it looks very much home-made, and seems to be too short. It doesn't even have a good grip of the ladder for a start, and when I try to raise the ladder to retract it into the loft the ladder is fighting against me and swinging back on its fulcrum (where you told me to check the guide bolts). Without exaggerating it is a very scary business! Maybe it I was 6' tall and built like the proverbial outhouse I could handle it better, but I am the original 7 stone weakling

I was hoping somebody could come up with and idea whereby the ladder would be supported in the loft by a spring or cantilever as the ones on sale now are!

 

[mattylad]

some pulleys in the loft, some rope/sash cord, a weight & some creativity.

Perhaps a big spring & some more ingenuity.

Long pole with hook that will grab more of it than the poxy small one they supply.

 

[xerxes]

I use a broom handle fitted with a rubber ferrule on one end (as used on walking sticks: why they're called 'ferrules' when they're made of rubber, I can't say).

I find the friction of the rubber against the ladder is sufficient to keep it under control whether when pulling it down or pushing it up.

 

[freeflyer]

blimey.. dont risk it, get a new one.. you've seen those comedy films where the loft ladder slider falls on them and knocks them out ?

You can get loft ladders well cheap now, even wooden ones. I got one from these guys...

http://www.laddersalesdirect.co.uk/loft-ladders-c-105.html

£42 delivered? not worth messing about.