Pole with forked end.

Or attach a sash pull-ring under the bottom rung and use the same end of the pole for both ladder and hatch?

I have such a device, it was originally used to lift hangers from the rails of a wardrobe.

Clothes (coat) hook screwed to near end of the pole?

is this the bit where we find out what a "cleft stick" is ?

Good idea, but I think a fixed ring wouldn't allow the rotation I need. You pull the ladder back horizontally so it's above the opening, then hold the weight while you lower it, rotating your tool as necessary.

Fixed width font. Hinge at top of ladder and at bottom of board. Not even slightly to scale.

__/\ Ladder __/ \ Board __/ \ Board _/ \__ _________.__ ====== ================Ceiling======= /============== / Stowed / Deployed Ladder / / / ##########################Floor############################

Good idea, and I have one to try. Unfortunately it isn't big enough to go around the rung, but I might be able to find a bigger one.

Put a small piece of wood between the pole and hook to widen the gap so that it will fit round the rung.

My loft ladder has what looks like a bolt staple riveted to the bottom rung, operated by a pole with just a right-angle hook. The pole is variously pulled, pushed and dragged sideways in the course of moving the ladder up and down. The ladder moves between horizontal and nearly vertical and slides along a pivoting bracket at the edge of the opening.

Would a 3D printed "end" for the pole do the trick?

Thinking back to my school days we had a pole with a horizontal “S” shaped hook on the end for opening/closing high windows in the classrooms. The downward hook to open and the upward hook to close. Dunno if such things exist today but googling window pole might come up with something.

Richard

As if by magic something like this

These are the ones supplied for velux roof windows, but I doubt the aperture is big enough for ladder rungs.

Thanks all, looks like Screwfix 7903J should do it. I'll need something more substantial than a broom handle, probably a wooden curtain pole.

In message snipped-for-privacy@uninhabited.net, Roger Hayter snipped-for-privacy@hayter.org writes

What about something like :

Adrian

The Subject line sounds like a 'The Two Ronnies' sketch title.