Another Ladder Question...

[sixgun95]

Looking for a ladder that will fit "IN" my van and extend to get on a 2 story home. Any recommendations?

[hausdok]

What size van and what's the average ceiling height of most homes in your area and the height of the top of the foundation above grade?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[StevenT]

I always consider 10' per story. This formula does not consider raised foundations, attic space, etc.

[Brian Kelly]

I have a Gorilia ladder. It is a 21' ladder that is just like the "Little Giant" ladders but cheaper. Mine fits in my Mazda MPV mini van with out any problems. There has only been a few times that this ladder does not work on higher roofs.

Well that's my 2 cents.

[hausdok]

Hi,

Yeah, that's why I asked the questions that I did. I have the same 21' ladder plus the 13' model. Still, there are some vehicles that my 21' might be a tight squeeze even when collapsed. He did say he has a van though. The only houses that I haven't been able to get up onto are mostly those damned 3-story townhomes but there has been the occasional four-square without lower roofs to climb up onto and use the second ladder.

However, most of our homes seem to have a lower profile than some of those I've seen back east and I'm not very familiar with what the typical house profile is in Tennessee.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Les]

A little thread drift - We had a new guy do his very first inspection by himself last week; new tools, ladders, instruments, clear day with a little breeze, good attitude and a 3yrs old two storey house in an excellent neighborhood.

We always arrive 1/2hr early and do the roof and exterior and get our own sense about the house. He leaned the ladder against gutters and scrambled onto roof carrying a 10' telesteps for the second floor. Wind gusted, ladder blew away, it fell against vinyl siding (40 degree day), ripped siding off, leaving him high and dry on a three year old two storey roof.

Fast- forward: I thought I would stop by to "check up" on him. I came around corner just in time to see him jump from top roof to garage, run across garage and jump into shrubs. I kept driving out of consideration for his manhood! Few scratches, bruised ego and a lesson learned!

PS: he loves this business. and yes we repaired the siding!

[sixgun95]

06 KIA Sedona. 7 1/2 ft ladder length will fit. Most homes here have a crawl space, guessing 3'; the avg ceiling height is 8'. Which ladder will work? I have a Cosco 17', not quite big enough. Thanks for the input gents!

[hausdok]

Hi,

Figure about 20ft to the eaves, that 21' gorilla ladder will just barely reach. With those, I usually go around to the back and set it up on the deck. Or, if it's higher, I look for a lower roof to get up on with one ladder and then set up the second from that roof. A few times, I've backed my Baja up close to the house and stood the 21'er in the bed to make the height. I'd like to purchase a 26'er, but the things are so heavy I don't know if I could handle one alone.

Like I said, except for those danged 3-story townhomes with the tiny balconies to shallow to set up a ladder on, I'm able to get up on most roofs using the 21'er and the 13'er. The others I just do from the eaves when I can or from the ground with binos. When they're just too danged high to see anything decent and get up onto them, I exclude them. That happens maybe a dozen times a year.

Now, if Chad would just invent a levitation machine and sell them to home inspectors, we'd be all set.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[NJinspector]

Mike,

I carry the same ladders as you, the 21 ft gorilla and the 13. My 21 has taken me to most roofs without a problem.

I know it varies with different roof styles, but can someone explain the safe way to setup a ladder on a pitched roof?

What do you do when you have two gable roofs, one high and one low adjacent to each other ? Is it safe to straddle the ridge? Is that even possible without the bottom rung hitting first?

[hausdok]

Have you tried putting it between the two with one leg on the slope of each?

OT - OF!!!

M.

[NJinspector]

Cant picture that? Do you mean one leg on either side of the lower ridge?[:-boggled

[hausdok]

No, one leg on the slope of either ridge on the inside of the valley.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[NJinspector]

Download Attachment: roof.jpg

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No valley? How do you get from the lower roof to the upper roof?

[hausdok]

On that one, I'd use one to get to the lower roof. Haul the second one up and then straddle the ridge of that middle roof. Done the same thing off the gable roofs of porches dozens of times.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Inspectorjoe]

What do you do when you have two gable roofs, one high and one low adjacent to each other ? Is it safe to straddle the ridge? Is that even possible without the bottom rung hitting first?

Mike types so fast that I'm sure he'll answer before I post this, but just in case ...... Yeah, I believe he means to stradddle the ridge. With your Gorilla (Little Giants too), you'll have to extend it up one rung so the straight inner rails don't touch. You want the outer splayed rails to contact the roof for the widest, most stabile stance.

I dont extend mine too far up above the ridge at the upper gable, because I grab onto the rake end as I dismount and mount the ladder, to help prevent it from shifting. Also, I don't step onto the upper roof, but start out on my knees, again, so I can brace the ladder from moving.

For those times when you need to put your ladder paralell to the slope, you may want to make yourself a rig like this:

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum/uploads/Inspectorjoe/2007114213553_Ladder1.jpg

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum/uploads/Inspectorjoe/2007114213714_Ladder2.jpg

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum/uploads/Inspectorjoe/2007114213838_Ladder3.jpg

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Inspectorjoe. . . For those times when you need to put your ladder paralell to the slope, you may want to make yourself a rig like this: . . .

May want to?

Climbing that ladder without a safety rig like the one in your picture is just plain stupid, especially a little giant with it's nasty slippery feet.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[randynavarro]

Originally posted by NJinspector

Download Attachment: roof.jpg

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No valley? How do you get from the lower roof to the upper roof?

That one, I'd just pull my taller ladder (24' extension) and use it to get on each roof from the ground.

[sixgun95]

You guys are crazy! A rig to put a ladder on a roof or a ladder straddling a ridge. Not me, I'll hang it out and use bino's, I know its not the same but ya know what....I'll be driving myself home instead of taking a trip to the hospital. Be careful, please! The knowledge you guys pass along is awesome and much appreciated. BTW, I bought the 21 Gorilla today. Enough of this crazy ladder talk! [^]

[Bill Kibbel]

Guys that are serious about accessing roofs around these parts carry a 28' minimum, 32' for urban jobs.

Here's an addition roof that I had to set my 28' on to access the main roof:

I've never used a rig to secure the bottom of the ladder, but I always strap the top so it's still there when I get back.

[Inspectorjoe]

Bill, you set a 28' ladder on a metal roof? That's crazy.

I like the bucket truck idea. I hate walking two story roofs. I can't say it's just because of the height, because I used to fly an ultralight - a really flimsy ultralight. In it, I was as comfortable at 3,000 feet as I was on the ground. 3,000 feet was as high as I'd ever taken it. It took a LONG time to climb to that altitude with a 90 cc engine.

Here's the view between my legs: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/108/276772440_3593ac22d8_o.jpg

Here's the cloverleaf at routes 33 & 22: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/122/276771504_2716090637_o.jpg

Jeez, I miss those days.

[ozofprev]

I can't believe I just clicked on some guy's link that is labeled: Here's the view between my legs. Dumb! [:-banghea

[kurt]

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[Inspectorjoe]

Just looking at that picture on the monitor started my knees a'knockin. If I had the chance, I'd have gone out and taken the same picture, but my pic would have contained a white-knucked hand on that railing. Oh, plus the picture would be blurry from extreme camera shake.

[Jim Morrison]

Nice photo, Kurt. Who tied your shoes for you? Very neat.

Anyway, before we get into the great HI ladder debate once more (for some reason, we feel compelled to do this at least twice each year for as long as I've been paying attention), let me just (re)post the only conclusion this debate has ever produced:

For an HI to do their job properly, we should get as close to the roofing material as we comfortably and safely can; and document the condition of the materials and the means by which we observed them.

Yours,

The Ladder Monkey

[hausdok]

Wow,

Look at all that stuff to hang onto.

Kewl! It's all a matter of individual perspective and abilities Joe. I could easily work up there, but if you told me to work up there while trying to sold a mathematical equation I'd probably start shaking too and it would have nothing to do with heights.

Jimmy makes an excellent point. Search the archive for "ladder" and you'll be reading for hours. There's no need to start a new thread for this kind of stuff and to go through it all again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and a.................

OT - OF!!!

M.