How far should you extend an Extention Ladder

[gary49]

Type 1A ladders are the way to go. Expensive and very much worth it. A 1A ladder will be rated at 300# and you can use it at the max it will extend assuming you and whatever you are working with weigh no more than 300#.

 

[ajmaxham]

Extending a 40' ladder to 35' means a 2.5' overlap. If you overlapped it 5' that would only extend the ladder to 30'. The ladder is two 20' sections so 2.5' overlap would equal 5' total and a 35' reach.
I have been working off ladders from 20' to 48'. Wood, aluminum and fiberglass. If they are commercial good quality ladders, extend them until the dogs hit the stoppers and head up the rungs.

A 40' ladder will extend to 35'. The bottom section is 20' long - The fly section will extend 15' giving a total of 35' with 5' overlap of the bottom section.

 

[ajmaxham]

That's a good question. I'll have to go look at the 40'er. The 22' is an older base model Werner. The 40' was bought from a home builder who retired. I have used the 40' on the barn and raised it into position using my tractor's front loader. Now I want to get up to the windmill tops for oiling and maintenance. I also have a JLG T350 towable boomlift that supposedly gos up to a working height of 40'. HOWEVER, as Eddie stated, when the boom is fully elevated and the jib is out, I get more nervous than a mouse in a gay bar, even though the rig was just re-certified by the local dealer.

I would use the JLG T350 towable boom lift.

 

[ajmaxham]

I'd rather be safe than called stupid or silly, but how far do you think you would extend an extension ladder to avoid it bendling or buckling ?

The general rule is 3' of overlap for ladders under 36' and 4' for ladders over 40'.

The Werner site indicates that a 40' ladder can be extended to 35'. That's a 5' overlap. That leaves 'only' 5' or so rung distance spaces doubled up.

I have and often use 22' alumnum ladder in good shape, but if I extend it with 4' of overlap, it becomes a carnival ride (mostly lateral movement). I also have a 40' aluminum ladder that I want to now get up to a 35' hand reach (not my feet location). But I'm wondering whether that will also be too shaky. Yes, I'm taking into consideration the 1:4 rule for distance out from the wall vs. distance up. I won't be carrying anything other than a tool belt.

Are fiberglass or wood ladders less springy? Even raising a 40' ladder by yourself is a project.

It sounds like your 22' ladder is a Type III ladder.

 

[jenkinsph]

For 40 feet I would use a proper lift, way cheaper than a funeral or hospital visit. In my business if it is over 25 feet I hire a crane or lift for safety and peace of mind. The tallest ladders I have are 1a fiberglass 28', that is about all I can handle by myself. I don't own anything but 1a fiberglass ladders because if I did surely an employee would use an aluminum ladder for an electric job getting me in trouble.

 

[Mace Canute]

Gack! Most of you guys are braver than me! I've use a Type 1 fiberglass ladder to get up on the roofs of bungalow houses and that's high enough for me! I'll take a nice pole that I can dig my spurs into any day over a long ladder. Better yet is a bucket truck of course.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Most industrial/commercial construction contractors I work around no longer use extension ladders, or other ladders, that weigh over 50# as the safety police enforce the max 50# for a person to lift w/o mechanical assistance and ladders cannot be used as a work platform above 6 feet, only access to a platform. Scissor lifts and boom lifts are the choice to expedite work time and keep insurance rates down. The latest change to OSHA 1926 has made safety more costly for contractors compliance measures. Pretty soon only robots will be allowed.

Reminder: Ladder use is one of the highest casualty producers in the construction industry. I threw away all my wood and aluminum ladders 20 years ago and went to all fiberglass.

Ron

 

[farm boy00]

Only fiberglass here. They are the best ladders for commercial use. Wood to heavy and can be really unstable. And aluminum is light but very unstable.

We push our ladder to the max reach

 

[smstonypoint]

The latest change to OSHA 1926 has made safety more costly for contractors compliance measures. Pretty soon only robots will be allowed.
Ron

Here's news of a robotic brick mason -- Hadrian the robot bricklayer can build a whole house in two days - News - Gadgets and Tech - The Independent.

Steve