[lee_dewing]

hi, just upgraded to a proper ladder bs en 131, thanks for advice.

was wondering what you lot have on top of your ladders?
have tryed ladder mitts but thing is you have to have your ladder permanately up one run as this new ladder is alot heavier feels unbalanced walking around like this plus mitts keep coming off, did put cable ties around but I like the idea of being able to separate boths lenghts of ladder  so can put over gates up one down the other.

seen other guys with wheels on top of ladder,can't separate boths lenghts of ladder though.
 
basically don't want to damage window ledges and frames.

any ideas out there, like tape, don't want to start drilling holes in £130 ladder in case i mess up, what do you do? Help.

[Paul Coleman]

hi, just upgraded to a proper ladder bs en 131, thanks for advice.

was wondering what you lot have on top of your ladders?
have tryed ladder mitts but thing is you have to have your ladder permanately up one run as this new ladder is alot heavier feels unbalanced walking around like this plus mitts keep coming off, did put cable ties around but I like the idea of being able to separate boths lenghts of ladder  so can put over gates up one down the other.

seen other guys with wheels on top of ladder,can't separate boths lenghts of ladder though.
 
basically don't want to damage window ledges and frames.

any ideas out there, like tape, don't want to start drilling holes in £130 ladder in case i mess up, what do you do? Help.

I do actually leave my ladder permamently open by one rung (or more if necessary).  It felt odd at first but I got used to it.
Those mitts can come off if they get caught up on a tree or similar.  I just put up with it and try to avoid it happening.  I know one guy who superglued them on and swore by it.  Never tried it myself though.
I left the mitts on when I was driving.  I had to do an emergency stop and they came flying off.  Oops !!. It gave the other drivers a laugh anyway as I retrieved them from the road.
I do avoid jobs where it would be necessary to go gate climbing so can't comment on that bit.  I turn a lot of work away where the access is poor.

[brett walker]

Hi Lee
         The ladder mitts are good they stop you from slipping side to side and marking brick work, but i feel exactly the same as you do try using some duck tape round the top of your ladders each time it wears down just replace it.
Hope this helps

                              Regards

                                 Brett.

[AuRavelling79]

I use ladder mitts on a small triple section ladder and I swap them from the double section to the single as necessary. They don't slip off easily though. I've had the same set for over three years and they're a life saver.

Now I've got a wfp the ladders only see about 20% of the use they used to.

[baldeagle]

I don't use mitts, the thought of anything with an area as tiny as a ladder stile resting against a corner like a cill with an even smaller surface area, gives me the w i l l i e s!

I have a "stand-off", almost permanently fitted, on the [usually] third rung down so that its rubber feet provide plenty of friction on the wall below the cill, and it also allows me to keep the glass at arms length - much easier!

Weight is not a problem - I use an aluminium stand-off and a [very frequently examined] "domestic" ladder.

Having had a quadruple by-pass, my biggest problem with ladders is not falling off the s o d d i n g things, it's collollopsing under the weight of 'em when carting them about!!

Baldeagle

[windows_chepstow]

Weight is not a problem - I use an aluminium stand-off and a [very frequently examined] "domestic" ladder.

I've fallen from a set of 'domestic' ladders.  So has Gaza I think.  I bet there's plenty more on this forum who've done the same.

I'd say go for the BS EN 131's (that's from memory) ladders.  They're a little heavier, but within a couple of weeks you won't notice the weight difference.  What you WILL notice though is that they're a lot more sturdy and you'll feel much safer.

Oh, I've tried ladder mitts and didn't like them, so the only thing at the top of my ladder is ME.

[lee_dewing]

thanks for your replies guys,
will solider on with mitts, shame can't get em abit smaller, so don't need ladder one run up, have tried red and blue ones, blue ones from nfmw&gc are crap wear out too quickly, get holes in em.

cheers lee_dewing

[AuRavelling79]

A point about one of Baldeagle's comments.

My orange ladder mitts (real thing) increase the contact area with the cill, wall, transom bar or whatever.

Whereas the ladder stile gives the tiniest and slipperiest of contact areas, ladder mitts increase this by several times as they are twice as wide as my stiles and also they compress against the resting point. (A bit like the principle of a car/bicycle tyre compared with just the metal rim contacting the road.)

I've also got articulated rubber feet on the bottom of the ladder too!

Regarding the weight thing - I go to stax and get a set of light duty domestics and replace them every year (two years now I use them much less) - I prefer less to carry.

Despite these safety devices I don't take risks especially now as I wfp 80% of my work.

[Paul Coleman]

thanks for your replies guys,
will solider on with mitts, shame can't get em abit smaller, so don't need ladder one run up, have tried red and blue ones, blue ones from nfmw&gc are crap wear out too quickly, get holes in em.

cheers lee_dewing

Yes I'm starting to notice that the blue ones are wearing now.  I did have some orange ones that were thicker at the point of contact but someone nicked them off my ladder (forgot to remove them overnight).  When I replace the blue ones, I'll go for the orange ones again.

[brett walker]

Hi Shiner,
where did you get the orange ones from?

                   thanks Brett

[gaza]

chepo windas : thats correct forgot to mention also fell off three flight high scaffold? dont ask me how to long a story,back up working after 10 mins though.

 head butted a yorkshire stone brick wall from 16 ft drove home past the hospital and at work the next day ,couldnt wear my cap though{couldnt get it over the egg on my bonce

 gaza

[Paul Coleman]

chepo windas : thats correct forgot to mention also fell off three flight high scaffold? dont ask me how to long a story,back up working after 10 mins though.

 head butted a yorkshire stone brick wall from 16 ft drove home past the hospital and at work the next day ,couldnt wear my cap though{couldnt get it over the egg on my bonce

 gaza

Was the wall OK?

[Paul Coleman]

Hi Shiner,
where did you get the orange ones from?

                   thanks Brett

I can't be certain.  It was either from Soap National or my local janitorial supply shop (Southern Counties).  It was quite a while ago.