Stepladder

[Chris J Dixon]

I need to do occasional stepladder work - trimming trees and my neighbour's laurel, plus cleaning the caravan roof and seasonally draping Christmas lights. My existing stepladder is not really high enough, and stability can also be marginal.

I am wondering if it is time, as a precautionary investment to reduce the risk of injury, to get something better.

The Rolls Royce solution might be something like the 10 ft version of this:

Are they as good as claimed?

Is there a better value alternative?

I would have to store it outdoors - any suggestions for chaining it up securely?

Chris

[Jeff Layman]

Get an ordinary ladder and fit a stabiliser:

Use a good-quality bicycle chain through several rungs to a secure wall fixture.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Anything like that used in a garden is only going to be as stable as the ground it's on.

[Nick Maclaren]

A tripod ladder is a bad idea, as they are a lot less stable than a corresponding quadrupod one. We bought an industrial-grade one from Mackays at 150 quid (versus 50 quid for the 'domestic') and have not regretted it.

Regards, Nick Maclaren.

[Tim Watts]

Can you explain why tree surgeons almost always have a tripod ladder?

They have a very wide area of footing and 3 legs is inherently stable on unplanar ground.

[Another John]

ITYM "bicycle lock"? (might be a U-lock, might be a loop. might be a chain...)

J.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Chris J Dixon formulated on Tuesday :

I have several alloy ladders to store, I fitted home made welded heavy angle brackets bolted through from my workshop wall. The middle of the three brackets is hinged allowing a padlock to lock them all up in one.

The back of my workshop is not over looked, so the ladders are well out of sight of prying eyes. Smaller step ladders fit neatly out of the way, in the roof of my hut.

I cannot comment on the actual tripod ladder, I have never used one.

[Jeff Layman]

Quite right. I meant to put cable or chain lock. :-(

[Nick Maclaren]

Tripod ladders are easier to get closer to trees.

You're missing the point. For a given leg separation, the distance from the centre (at ground level) to the closest point outside the triangle is much less than it is for the quadrilateral. Therefore, the ladder will fall over for a much lower imbalance in the weight or sideways force.

Regards, Nick Maclaren.

[Ermin Trude]

Bit like the old milking stools really - far more stable with three legs than with 4 as they cope with uneven ground far better.

[PJK]

You may also like to look at:

I have no connection other than having been a very satisfied customer for a chainsaw and a couple of other bits of stuff over a number of years.

Pete.

[Chris J Dixon]

Isn't the whole point that the design under consideration doesn't have the same leg separation as a conventional ladder. For instance, the 3 m ladder is 1.45 m wide at the base.

Chris

[Tim Watts]

However, the tripod ladder leg spacings are MUCH larger than 4 legged ladders - and a 4 legged ladder would be very unstable on non planar ground.

So tripods of a suitable size seem like a win to me for that particular purpose.

[Vir Campestris]

You're missing the point. Unlike a floor in a house a garden isn't a flat plane. Which means that one leg of a 4 legged ladder is always off the ground.

And that means it is _less_ stable than a properly designed three legged one, as it rocks between the two stable configurations...

I have a step ladder with bars across the base of each step. It's great indoors. Outdoors I have to fiddle around for ages so it doesn't rock, sometime putting bricks under it :(

Andy

[Nick Maclaren]

Ah. That would be enough, PROVIDED that the single leg is at a shallow enough angle. Most step ladders have the non-step legs more vertical than the other ones, which means the CoG is closer to them - and, if there is a single one, that leads to instability. From the picture, that looks the case.

Regards, Nick Maclaren.

[fred]

Have had these for years. Excellent to use as each lag is independently adjustable so can compensate for uneven ground. But you do need to have your ownladder

[Nick Maclaren]

I am sorry. I was assuming that most people knew how to use a step ladder safely. One of the critical things to do is to put small sheets of wood, concrete etc. under the feet to stabilise the ladder. That is as important for a tripod as a tetrapod, because it is critical that the ladder does not lean significantly towards one of the sides of the enclosing polygon. Yes, that is slightly easier for a tripod, but not doing it for either kind is a serious error.

Regards, Nick Maclaren.

[Another John]

I've only ever seen (on't'telly) tripod ladders in use with trees/hedges. One was Monty Don doing his Product Placement thing [he's good at that] when cutting his 15' tall beech hedge[1], with the odd leg shoved through into the bottom of the hedge -- you couldn't do that with a 4-legger. "Damn good!" I thought, as a regular hedge trimmer myself.

Another was when a programme visited an orchard, and they were using the tripod to pick apples -- perfect.

In both cases, the tree/hedge is giving extra stability to the lad/lass at the top of the ladder.

John

[1] You never, ever, see a sign of the small army of "assistant gardeners" who must inhabit Monty's VAST garden at lovely old Long Meadow. He wouldn't remotely have time, let alone the energy, to do everything that gets done there. Bloody annoying.

[Andrew]

On recent edition of 24 hours in A&E, a tree surgeon arrived in hospital after falling off a tripod ladder..It was shown in the program. You can fall off any ladder if you overreach, or cut something that sprngs back and pushes or pulls you, and/or the ground is too soft or unstable.

[Vir Campestris]

If you have a tripod ladder with well spread legs it will be stable on any piece of firm, near level ground.

This is not the case for one with 4 or more legs.

I have direct experience of using both types. Do you?

Andy