Extension Ladder ideas

[Pablo]

I have a 13ft aluminum extension ladder - and frankly it's not up to the job. I need at least a 16ft ladder.

I like the new "composite" ladders, but I'm not made of money.

Input?

 

[Chimay]

Well I am not made of money either however I own a Little Giant and think it is a once in a lifetime investment you can't beat it for versitility. I have a few other ladders that are now obsolete.

 

[moribundman]

Wear 3 foot stilts on your 13 foot ladder.

 

[andyd]

uhhmn, I found the Little Giant to be like a swiss army knife. works ok for many different things but doesnt do anything really well. Its a heavy SOB too. Pablo, look at a 24' extension ladder. With a 4' over lap that will get you high enough plus a little fudge factor for landing , angles , etc. If you go with AL, just be careful around power lines.

The whole thing about carrying long stuff like ladders is to use balance as much as possible. Its difficult to describe but, its a back saver, once you get the drift.

 

[1sttruck]

At least a type II ladder, long enough to do the job. If you can back up a pickup to serve as a support for a shorter ladder, and can secure it, so be it. I have a reticulating (?) ladder that works as a 12 ft extension or 6 ft step ladder, and although it's handy it's also heavy as it's a type 1A. I also have a 24 ft type II extension that has been steady enough even at max extension, but I wasn't hauling anything heavy up teh ladder. I borrowred a neighbor's 32 ft Type I once, but not again as it took 2 people to move it.

 

[Al]

Yea save in other areas and bite the bullet for something good. I wish I would have followed this advice throu my whole life. Always bought cheap stuff and wound up dis-sattisfied and eventually replacing it. I learned the lesson too late in life. Now that I'm almost 60 I buy all good stuff, but it will be practically new when I die

Other than that..I have no suggestions for the ladder.

 

[drm7]

I'm with Al, except I'm 38.

My brother and I say, cry once or cry every time you use it. We use this philosophy to "justify" buying quality even if it is a little more money. He skimped a little on his recent laptop purchase and he has cried a few times since. I cried up front on mine and haven't cried since.

 

[Al]

quote:

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Originally posted by drm7:
I'm with Al, except I'm 38.

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Good for you..you got it 20 years before me.

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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cry once or cry every time you use it.

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That's been my philosophy since the time I bought a crappy Motobecane bicyle when I was 11. I've suffered the occasional setback, for example when I bought a used Buick.

 

[Pablo]

A used Buick is no substitute for a poor ladder.

Of course I've see the little Giant (who hasn't). I didn't consider the weight - yeah that's a problem, how about the fiberglass versions? (then the price is nasty

)

 

[salesrep]

Get a type II aluminum. 20' would be a little more exp. than the 16', but you will glad you have the extra four feet.

Pound two long nails on your "stud" garage walls for easy storage. Then you can use the ladder for shelving of various oils.

 

[kenw]

A small stepstool + a decent 6' step ladder + the tallest extension ladder that would hang in the garage = all I need.

A neighbor has the Little Giant (metal). It is the Jack of all trades and master of none. The latches don't work quite as easily as they do on TV, especially after a few years (his must be 10 years old). Versatile yes, but at a ridiculous cost. As a step ladder, my $29 Walmart job is just as secure and infinitely lighter.

I have better luck with my 3 ladder-solution, and I can carry each all by myself. And together they all cost less. And sometimes it is nice to have a couple of ladders for 2 people. (like when you are attaching Rita-shutters...)

The Little Giant does have an advantage: it will fit in a small trunk. a small DEEP trunk.

 

[labman]

How much do you weigh? I was only about 160 pounds when I bought my type II 20'. It still carries my weight fine, and I can carry its weight too.

 

[sbc350gearhead]

Buy a 20 foot type 1A fiberglass. Aluminum is usually flimsy and worst of all....its conductive (being an electrician makes me hate aluminum more than most people). A 20 ft 1A fiberglass ext ladder can be carried by one person easily, it will do anything that you would want to do with an extension ladder, and will last a lifetime in residential use.

 

[Bret Chase]

all I can say is wow.

and buy a fiberglass one.. we've got all fiberglass stepladders at work, a vast improvement over the wood ones we used to have, and I much prefer our 28' fiberglass extension over the 32' AL one. the AL just flexes too much for me (all 1A ladders)

 

[kloppilt]

Maybe this will help.