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iLearn
join:2013-01-16
canada

iLearn

Member

Re: Extension Ladder Question - How big?

For those of your heroes who have no problems carrying a 100 ft ladder on their shoulders and have been doing this since age 5 - its not so much about 'carrying' and 'setting up', its actually keeping them stable.

So what do you do when you are half way up (50 ft in the air) and wind starts to blow? Do you try to reach the top asap, tie a bungee cord to the spikes in the gutter and hope wind stop blowing before you do anything? OR try to get down before you fall and break your back? OR carry a parachute on you all the time so you can bail out any minute?

Keeping it stable, being able to use it safely without any help is the issue for me.

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

If it's at an angle that isn't stable, the ladder isn't long enough, or the ground is uneven...

Easy way to check the angle of a ladder is to set it up, with your feet flat on the ground at the butt (base of the ladder); arms straight out at shoulder height, fingertips should just touch the rails.

If it's a steeper angle then that, it's too short...

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
·Charter

1 recommendation

nunya to iLearn

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No. You use something called "common sense". It seems to be in short supply these days.
Simple things that should go without saying:
If it's too windy, don't work aloft.
Set your ladder up so it's stable (according to directions).
Don't use a ladder which is not sized for the job.

If your gut says "hey this doesn't fell right", then it probably isn't.

SparkChaser
Premium Member
join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA

SparkChaser to iLearn

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said by iLearn:

So what do you do when you are half way up (50 ft in the air) and wind starts to blow?

You secure the ladder before you go up (tie it to something). That's the way we were taught but even that doesn't always work. I had it happen twice and both times I just road the ladder down. Again, my ladder career was only until I got out of college. I'm sure the pros here have had similar experiences.

The thing is, if you don't like heights, you don't like heights. Nothing wrong with that.
54067323 (banned)
join:2012-09-25
Tuscaloosa, AL

54067323 (banned) to iLearn

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said by iLearn:

So what do you do when you are half way up (50 ft in the air) and wind starts to blow?

If halfway is 50 feet you need a lift not a ladder in which case the weight of the base and or outriggers will keep it stable in moderate winds.

Keeping it stable, being able to use it safely without any help is the issue for me.

With or without help, you get a hand-line (rope) over the roof, (toss a string whatever), then with the ladder on the ground with the base facing the building and the fly section up, take the end of the hand-line and thread it between the fly section and the main section and tie it off to the third or fourth rung from the top of the fly section, flip the ladder over and raise it into place with at least three or four rungs above the edge of the roof and the with hand-line just above the edge of the roof.

Go around the other side of the home and secure the other end of the hand-line to something that will not move, a post, a tree anything that will hold that line taught.

Now this method will not prevent some ladder movement, if you lean second shoulder past the rail or get nailed with a good gust of wind the ladder may move, but as the hand-line tightens up it will stop it.

The difference being, with a tied off hand-line you will be given the option of climbing down and locating clean underwear versus pushing up tulips.
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

nonymous (banned) to nunya

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said by nunya:

If it's too windy, don't work aloft.

If say telco so long as the ladder is tied to the pole you should be fine.
I do remember a pole on the edge of a cliff. Very windy and besides the pole height looking down the cliff also. Sort of fun.