What makes a good ladder ?

[Lily left the valley]

Casey - that is actually very wise and responsible of that contractor, even though it also sounds pretty brutal !

As I am the type to consider a decrepit thing at the side of the road, a ladder would be an exciting find. Though it would be exciting in a bad way to discover the loose step, broken lock, missing rivets, etc. while in use.

Thanks everyone for telling me about ladders. I am leaning towards buying a used one in better condition, particularly if I can find a more heavy duty one.

If you do find a wood ladder at the side of the road, after inspecting it for obvious shimmey, loose joints, cracks, and splinters, then lay it on as level a surface as you can and carefully walk on it to test your weight on the various rungs and sides. Best to do this near a wall just in case for stability. If the wood is old, just your weight can help you find soft or rotting spots that might not be obvious. Better still is if you can add weight like holding a brick or two that you can easily drop if it gives.

A lot of the theatres I used to work at all had at least some wood ladders because of electrical work alone, and I can't tell you how many of them failed this test because they'd been with the theatre since "back in the day". I don't weigh much, so I used to use stage weights if the theatre in question had that sort of rigging, or I'd carry an old gallon paint bucket filled with water. (You don't want to be wasting good paint if you have the drop the bucket!) It's not fool proof, but I caught I think maybe three or four bad ones this way. At least one had rungs that cracked or outright snapped--and I top out at 120lbs when I'm at my most active and "muscular".

With aluminum, they can be a bit harder to truly test their stability because metal failure can depend more on gravity/ weight direction depending on the support structure, which is harder to test with the lay down method overall. I don't know an easy way as I have done with wood ladders.

Even fiberglass can weaken/warp if exposed to heat ("Like if someone stored it against the fence behind their cookout grill, for instance," she says from experience. )

[Willa]

Short documentary on the ladder shop for the San Francisco Fire Department. They use exclusively wood ladders, and repair and maintain ladders that have been in service for decades. The oldest one in use was built in 1918 ! A 50 ft extension ladder weighs about 350 lbs !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbu1HVFELog

While I love old stuff, and think that much of it is much superior in construction, no way am I going to try my luck with an antique wooden ladder unless it belongs to the SFPD.

[Lily left the valley]

Short documentary on the ladder shop for the San Francisco Fire Department. They use exclusively wood ladders, and repair and maintain ladders that have been in service for decades. The oldest one in use was built in 1918 ! A 50 ft extension ladder weighs about 350 lbs !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbu1HVFELog

While I love old stuff, and think that much of it is much superior in construction, no way am I going to try my luck with an antique wooden ladder unless it belongs to the SFPD.

*bookmarks the video for later watching*

[Mick_VT]

Short documentary on the ladder shop for the San Francisco Fire Department. They use exclusively wood ladders, and repair and maintain ladders that have been in service for decades. The oldest one in use was built in 1918 ! A 50 ft extension ladder weighs about 350 lbs !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbu1HVFELog

While I love old stuff, and think that much of it is much superior in construction, no way am I going to try my luck with an antique wooden ladder unless it belongs to the SFPD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUl6PooveJE

[JRC]

I prefer ladders with a D-shaped step to use as an angle guide (without which I tend to put the base of the ladder too close to the wall).

I apologize if someone else already mentioned this.

I got my first experience with using an extension ladder last summer. I was very worried about falling, so I googled how to use a ladder. Here's an easy way I read about getting the angle right: "Put your toes against the ladder's feet. Stand straight up and extend your arms. The palms of your hands should just reach the ladder's rung."
https://www.familyhandyman.com/tools/ti ... e/view-all

[Willa]

JRC: My next questions were about ladder safety and set up, so that link is perfect and answered most of my questions.

[Willa]

*bookmarks the video for later watching*

The documentary is about 4 minutes long !

[Lily left the valley]

*bookmarks the video for later watching*

The documentary is about 4 minutes long !

Hey, we've got a lot of stuff to move! Sooner we get out, sooner I don't have to be present during apartment showings and more chance we don't have to pay our last month's rent on our lease. I know my priorities even if I don't always abide by them.

[SkipW]

"Put your toes against the ladder's feet. Stand straight up and extend your arms. The palms of your hands should just reach the ladder's rung."

That is a very handy and easy to remember way to place a ladder. I have used it to teach many a newbie on ladder placement.

[Olson185]

One contractor I knew disposed of unsafe alum. ladders after running over them with a track loader (like a bulldozer) so no fool would think "oh boy, a free ladder!"

Not a bad idea^.
Being the re-user that I am, I'd see alum ladders a potential candidate for being cut into smaller sections and used for table/workbench legs or garage/basement storage uses.