Know your Ladder

[steeky147]

i think [could be wrong] the rung that broke on you steeky147 is a 1 piece rung right thru the stiles but that is squashed in a press to form those rims you describe. but if you bend aluminium to 180 degrees it is very brittle at the bend point .

all rims would be formed in that same way and the thing was that the metal was very thin as it's stretched out to form the rim..

 

[steeky147]

The thing that got me was over all the years I was careful on slippery ground and cautious when setting my ladders in safe positions and extra careful on windy days etc. But it never ever struck me that my ladder would fail and a rung would snap off. People mainly worry about ladder whip or bending as they climb a ladder, but to me the rung stength is the absolute priority these days. It's something that not many of us ever consider and the reason why I posted the thread.

 

[boarcity]

one solution might be to D shape a piece of hard plastic ,a bung of sorts ,about 2 inches long and push this into each end of the rung. this would support the weak point

 

[Dave B]

I loved the clow ladder for the first year although I never felt safe totally (because of the rims) But I knew I would only keep it for a max of 3 years until I got better ladders. I honesly can not recommend them. but I know guys that have used them for 10 years plus and never had a rung break as I made a point of asking them. for me the only way is the superior rung right into the style type as described before. The problem I have is that I have no strength carrying a heavy ladder, but I want a ladder with real strength...LOL

I used a 8.5m 12 rung triple lyte ladder as my regular window cleaning ladder for a few months

That was heavy lol

I think it was @boarcity who pointed it out but the triples are heavier each section than the same size double sections as they are built a bit thicker and more heavy duty

I have since tried the same size double sections and they are lighter

 

[steeky147]

I used a 8.5m 12 rung triple lyte ladder as my regular window cleaning ladder for a few monthsThat was heavy lol

I think it was @boarcity who pointed it out but the triples are heavier each section than the same size double sections as they are built a bit thicker and more heavy duty

I have since tried the same size double sections and they are lighter

my post is more about the actual rung strength as opposed to the heavier duty and thicker styles though. the rungs on your triple I would guess will be the same strength and thickness as the double version. the triples usually have thicker styles to decrease bend as you will be going higher.

 

[steeky147]

one solution might be to D shape a piece of hard plastic ,a bung of sorts ,about 2 inches long and push this into each end of the rung. this would support the weak point

Yes I went through that time of thinking of those ideas m8 and I appreciate it. but its far better just to buy the superior other type of ladder as mentioned in the original post.

 

[boarcity]

Yes I went through that time of thinking of those ideas m8 and I appreciate it. but its far better just to buy the superior other type of ladder as mentioned in the original post. /emoticons/smile.png

how much heavier is this werner ?

 

[Den]

how much heavier is this werner ?

Approx 2kg on a 10 rung ladder

 

[steeky147]

how much heavier is this werner ?

the werner 3 metre double is about 12.5 kilos and the 3.5 metre double is about 15 kilos. the titan classic is good too.

 

[boarcity]

Approx 2kg on a 10 rung ladder

thats a lot. on a busy day youd soon hate that extra weight

as i wrote,i recently replaced my ladders, the LYTE ELT230 . altho visually the same design as previous ELT 230 that i bought 5 yrs before ,the new ones are noticeably heavier -my lads moaned but reluctantly got used to it

it could be they redesigned the rungs using thicker metal

 

[steeky147]

the werner 3 metre double is about 12.5 kilos and the 3.5 metre double is about 15 kilos. the titan classic is good too.

thats a lot. on a busy day youd soon hate that extra weight
as i wrote,i recently replaced my ladders, the LYTE ELT230 . altho visually the same design as previous ELT 230 that i bought 5 yrs before ,the new ones are noticeably heavier -my lads moaned but reluctantly got used to it

it could be they redesigned the rungs using thicker metal

thats a lot. on a busy day youd soon hate that extra weight
as i wrote,i recently replaced my ladders, the LYTE ELT230 . altho visually the same design as previous ELT 230 that i bought 5 yrs before ,the new ones are noticeably heavier -my lads moaned but reluctantly got used to it

it could be they redesigned the rungs using thicker metal

I have a 3 metre double of the titan classic which is a great everyday use ladder and it's light at approx 11.5 kilos due to the styles being only 65mm deep. but I am passing it onto my son who has started into the business and I will then need a new ladder. for me it'll be either another titan or a werner. I'm in N Ireland and titans are rare here now as they stopped supplying the local builders yards and most are changing to Lyte or Werner. I have inspected these makes at 2 different places and the werners seem much superior in my view.

 

[steeky147]

thats a lot. on a busy day youd soon hate that extra weight
as i wrote,i recently replaced my ladders, the LYTE ELT230 . altho visually the same design as previous ELT 230 that i bought 5 yrs before ,the new ones are noticeably heavier -my lads moaned but reluctantly got used to it

it could be they redesigned the rungs using thicker metal

those weights I gave for the werner are approx and probably at the heaviest I would expect at the worst. I will hope they are slightly lighter than that. although the 3.5 metre double felt the same weight as my titan 3.5 when I viewed it in the shop. the titan 3.5 is ok for 4 or 5 higher houses, but I'm always glad to put it back on the car and grab the 3 metre for lower level.

 

[Danfire]

I've been pleased with my Titan Classic...think it's seven rung triple...reaches everything on my round and gets me to gutter level...got it through a few houses and fits nicely inside a LWB transit connect...lower rungs are showing small indents now where the hooks rest...the thumb catches come in handy on mine where I've got garages to climb over, makes it easy to lift the ladder and keep the sections locked together.

 

[Ackroyd_82]

a while ago i saw a set of Globe ladders on top of a van. the van was moving along but from the very brief look i immediately saw View attachment 10284 they looked to have an unusual rung design. looked strong

From that picture... They are clow ladders

Check the link

Class EN131 Aluminium Extension Ladders

 

[Ackroyd_82]

I have a clow ladder myself m8, which I do not trust. they wear out very fast and the feet wear out quickly also. the big rims get hit with the hooks quite easily when closing down the ladder, so I keep an eye on the rims getting damaged as they will weaken after that (and they are damaged too so I'll be getting rid soon. clow group class 1 ladders are good as the rung goes right into the style, but they are heavier than the trade en131

So just to confirm. Are you ssying to avoid the clow en131 ladder but recommending the clow class 1 ladder? From the pictures both ladders look very similar unless I'm missing something?

 

[steeky147]

So just to confirm. Are you ssying to avoid the clow en131 ladder but recommending the clow class 1 ladder? From the pictures both ladders look very similar unless I'm missing something?

The rungs of the class 1 go right into the styles as I already described, that's the difference.. it's all a matter of taste and for me I would still prefer the werner 722 series/ abru promaster or titan classic myself. a lot of class 1 ladders used to have rims, but most have changed to the superior type of rung (without rim) as I have described in the original thread. Please bare in mind that online some suppliers don't update photos. all the Titan ladders for example, the photos online of their ladders on their own website and stock photos also by stockists of their ladders are from an ancient design of ladder with the wrap around guides at the top. Titan stopped doing those ladders years ago.(approx 15).

A while ago I was actually going to buy a clow ladder and ordered it on ebay, and then went to my local branch to collect the ladder. but upon inspecting the ladders before I left I noticed a defect which consisted of the rungs not being spun properly and just on the inside of every rung there was a jagged edge, and very sharp to the touch. When I pointed this out he took the ladder and went in to change it, but 5 mins later came back and said they were all the same. so it turned out it was a faulty batch and after that a different staff member came out and was very rude and nasty about the whole thing. customer service was rubbish and the fact they tried to sell a defected ladder to me put me off totally. a letter of complaint was put in to their main office about the whole incident with much more detail than this.

Overall I suggest just buy the ladder of your choice. In the end I was only making people aware of my views. I've used ladders for years with rims with only one rung every breaking, but I much prefer the other type which are far superior. and without rims there is less there to get damaged and I would then expect a longer lifespan from the ladder too.

 

[steeky147]

So just to confirm. Are you ssying to avoid the clow en131 ladder but recommending the clow class 1 ladder? From the pictures both ladders look very similar unless I'm missing something?

I still use my clow ladder everyday but a lot of the rims are chipped and damaged and I do not trust it. I have been trying to get a 3 metre double titan classic, but over here the suppliers stopped selling them.

 

[steeky147]

thats a lot. on a busy day youd soon hate that extra weight
as i wrote,i recently replaced my ladders, the LYTE ELT230 . altho visually the same design as previous ELT 230 that i bought 5 yrs before ,the new ones are noticeably heavier -my lads moaned but reluctantly got used to it

it could be they redesigned the rungs using thicker metal

Have you weighed the ladder? I would guess they will be about 12 kilos. don't always take the weight that's provided in the description of suppliers. Titan classic 3.5 metre double according to titan are 13 kilos. I weighed mine and it's 14.8 kilos. maybe my scales are not that good but they feel heavier than the stock weight the company provides.

 

[Ackroyd_82]

The rungs of the class 1 go right into the styles as I already described, that's the difference.. it's all a matter of taste and for me I would still prefer the werner 722 series/ abru promaster or titan classic myself. a lot of class 1 ladders used to have rims, but most have changed to the superior type of rung (without rim) as I have described in the original thread. Please bare in mind that online some suppliers don't update photos. all the Titan ladders for example, the photos online of their ladders on their own website and stock photos also by stockists of their ladders are from an ancient design of ladder with the wrap around guides at the top. Titan stopped doing those ladders years ago.(approx 15).A while ago I was actually going to buy a clow ladder and ordered it on ebay, and then went to my local branch to collect the ladder. but upon inspecting the ladders before I left I noticed a defect which consisted of the rungs not being spun properly and just on the inside of every rung there was a jagged edge, and very sharp to the touch. When I pointed this out he took the ladder and went in to change it, but 5 mins later came back and said they were all the same. so it turned out it was a faulty batch and after that a different staff member came out and was very rude and nasty about the whole thing. customer service was rubbish and the fact they tried to sell a defected ladder to me put me off totally. a letter of complaint was put in to their main office about the whole incident with much more detail than this.

Overall I suggest just buy the ladder of your choice. In the end I was only making people aware of my views. I've used ladders for years with rims with only one rung every breaking, but I much prefer the other type which are far superior. and without rims there is less there to get damaged and I would then expect a longer lifespan from the ladder too.

Thanks for the info. A lot of food for thought.

 

[Spartan]

i always put a broom handle through my bottom rung - makes it last a bit longer as its the rung that does seem to take all the abuse.

 

[steeky147]

i always put a broom handle through my bottom rung - makes it last a bit longer as its the rung that does seem to take all the abuse.

My wife needs the broom for flying about at night...LOL....