[alan_t]

are there other alternatives out there?

[jacaranda]

use o pole

[Thecleanerservice]

Get better ladder clamps and keep them oiled.  I've never had problem.  Decent ones cost about 25 - 30 quid

Pj

[simbag]

Hi Alan,

This system from thule, is brilliant, I don't even bother locking it up for driving short distances between my jobs, coz there is no danger of it slipping off.

http://www.roofrackwarehouse.co.uk/load_accessories/information_548.html

Also you can lock it up overnight, its very secure, and doesn't cost much more than decent clamps, and less hassle.

Simon

[Thecleanerservice]

Mmm, they look good Simon.  Do they fit any roofbars?

Pj

[simbag]

Not sure, they are obviously made by thule, therefore fit their own, bars, and as they also do oval bars, I would assume that they fit them too.

The only thing I would say that you need to be careful with, is the width of the bar itself. I'm trying to find out what that width is on the website. Because obvioulsy if its too wide, then the stoppers won't fit on the bars

If I can't find it, I'll measure mine tomorrow and post it on here for you.

Simon

[twt]

how did you manage to cross thread them i got £16 clamps from cleantech had them ages no problems.

[simbag]

Sorry it took so long to get back, the width of my bars is 26mm, if yours are larger than this it is unlikely that the brackets will fit over your bars.

Hopes that helps you,

Simon

[rosskesava]

Use bungees ....................

Ladder clamps in the cold etc etc etc

You can't beat a good bungee..

[windows_chepstow]

Use bungees ....................

Ladder clamps in the cold etc etc etc

You can't beat a good bungee..

I use one ladder clamp at the front and a bungee at the rear.  Using just bungees doesn't seem safe to me.

What would happen if you crashed at speed?

If you keep them oiled and don't overtighten; you shouldn't have any problems with ladder clamps.

[Moderator David@stives]

bungees for me as well if in doubt tie an extra one on for faster journeys

[H h20]

Ive seen window cleaners with these massive climbing frames on their cars and vans,and noticed that they don`t need tieing on,but what happens if going over bumps or in an accident,surely they would be done for unsafe load,if they came flying off,and caused an accident,i dont know if they are legal,does anyone use such a thing?Gaz.

[AuRavelling79]

Wot u do is:-

Two roof bars with an upright bar bolted to each roof bar.
Put ladder on with upright bars between rungs.
Use bungee straps to secure.

Upright bars stop forward, backward and lateral movement and bungees stops the ladder lifting. (Unless you go totally upside down in which case the ladders will stop the road surface scratching your roof paintwork!)

[rosskesava]

I use one ladder clamp at the front and a bungee at the rear.  Using just bungees doesn't seem safe to me.

What would happen if you crashed at speed?

If you keep them oiled and don't overtighten; you shouldn't have any problems with ladder clamps.

The bungees we use are safe to 700 Newtons (what ever that means) but according to the company we buy them from they are as strong as the roofrack and need changing when their unstretched length goes over a certain length.

We did use pound shop bungees untill one day I braked hard to avoid a dog and the metal ends snapped on both bungees and the wiplash effect put the front one through the windscreen. The ladder also left some nice scratches down the bonnet.

I've never been easy with just bungees either but I lost count of the number of times my hand slipped off the clamp in winter and boy oh boy does it hurt or what.

Also, does anyone know the law about securing ladders?

Upright bars stop forward, backward and lateral movement and bungees stops the ladder lifting. (Unless you go totally upside down in which case the ladders will stop the road surface scratching your roof paintwork!) 

 

[Moderator David@stives]

Bungees do have limitations like i never go over 100mph with them .i have used them for 7 years and had no problems at all

[windows_chepstow]

Ian Giles has a story about when one end slipped out of his hand and thumped him in the face!  I can't remember the end of the story, but it might've ended up with him thumping 'eck out of his car.

Another lad here knew someone who lost an eye to a 'slipped' bungee (so this story is about third-hand old).

I still don't know why you lot think ladder clamps are a pain.  They take seconds to get on and off.

[Ian_Giles]

Bungee's for me with ladders, but good ones!

Tosh is almost right, but it wasn't the bungee that smacked me in the nose...it was my 6fr pointer ladder
Had a van at the time, as I tightened the bungee, it tugged on the lightweight ladder, the ladder flipped over suddenly and whacked me on the bridge of my nose
This led to an instant bit of rage and I punched the crap out of the side panel on the van, you could see the dents from my knuckles on it quite plainly....also skin and blood too
Whenever I get into a fight with the inanimate I always come off worse!!

Regards,

Ian

[thewindowcleaner1]

Whenever I get into a fight with the inanimate I always come off worse!!

Bazil Faulty used a tree branch and won
prehaps u could use you Squeegie???

[Sir Squeaky]

Using just bungees doesn't seem safe to me.

What would happen if you crashed at speed?

You'd smash your car to pieces, and the ladders coming off would be the least of your problems as you removed the steering wheel from your ribcage. 

I've just used nylon rope for 8 years.

Nice and tight, quick to tie.

Roger.

[rosskesava]

The thing about bungees and the expansion and then the rapid contraction of rubber.

I still have a scar on my arm from a kid when I thought a bungee was properly on my Dad's car roof rack - it wasn't and as I turned away it whiplashed. The hook end went an inch into my arm.

Actually the scar has travel down my arm as I've aged and it is now half way down my fore arm but stil bungees can be hell. I am always so carefull to make sure they are used properly.

Hi Squeaky Clean

Just how do you tie anything with rope securely for load bearing purposes (I'm being serious)?

What about those straps that haulage firms use? They are designed to be quick and secure? Does anyone use them?

Cheers