I need to get "higher" than I can at the moment with my 3 part ladder. I say higher - what I mean is more stable! I want to cut the hedge to about 12-15 ft - and get up to do some guttering repairs etc.
Would a platform be best - or one of those ladder support things that runs from high to ground to give you an effective free-standing unit?
Either way - it needs to be got and soon :)
Anyone got any words of advice?
Cheers Dan.
Buy an MOT failure land rover, and some scaffold towers, and a welding torch..
We are in the throws of our annual trim of a 15'-18'high hedge.
Some years back we got a ladder stabiliser and find it excellent. When cutting the hedge we spread the legs pretty wide. This stops the ladder from tipping sideways, always a problem on uneven ground.
Before buying it we tried the usual solutions suggested by people who most likely were just re-gurgitating some other sage's words of wisdom.
Tying a plank across the top of the ladder at right angles didn't work. The top of the ladder sank too far into the (Leylandii) hedge and anyway the whole caboodle became un-wieldy.
A regular here suggested tying the hedge trimmer to a length of scaffolding pole. But he uses electric and a remote switch. I wouldnt fancy controlling a petrol engined trimmer in this fashion.
I've toyed with the idea of a platform on wheels but in our situation, where a lot of the hedge is behind beds and the ground is very uneven couldn't envisage it working. Pity, as up and down the ladder, like the proverbial lady of the night's underwear, gets pretty bloody tiring.
Step one is trimming up to about 6ft with standard petrol trimmers.
Step 2 uses extended pole type petrol trimmer to a height of about 10'-
12'Step 3 is back to the standard trimmers working off the ladder to finish the side and cut the top.
Step 4 is Radox and a hot bath to relieve shoulder and back pains
The ladder stabiliser is excellent for most uses of the ladder around the place. It gives great confidence.
If it is a one-off, or at least fairly infrequent, I would probably hire a cherry picker on a trailer.
Colin Bignell
ROFL - that's a very good suggestion.
Cheers Dan.
Well you could hire one or just ask an employee of the local street lighting maintenance firm who would probably let you use the Versalift tower for a lot less than a hire firm.
Jon.
I have an old grain barn that I let out for storage, one of it occupants is an ex-fire brigade turntable ladder. I think every Leylandii owner should also be forced to own one of these.
Agreed. However this is much less troublesome privet that needs the haircut :)
Cheers Dan.
Wouldn't you risk setting the hedge on fire?
That would assume that you were trying to weld the landy to the hedge wouldn't it? I assumed weld the scaffold tower to the landy personally - ymmv tho ;-)
Cheers Dan.
NT
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