Recommended ladders

[blueant27]

Hi all, newbie here

Starting up windowing clean in the near future and one of the last things I need is some proper ladders.

I after a set of "a" ladders for nothing higher that 1st floor house windows.

What height and where from would you all recommend ?

Thank you in advance

 

[Alpha]

I have 12yrs experience trading and I'd recommend a 12ft double point for tops and a 7ft single point for getting round bushes and high fan lights on the bottoms. around £250 and £80 for aluminium ones.

 

[Smurf]

Hi & welcome to the forum :thumbsup:

 

[boarcity]

dont buy if they have rubber feet .some A frames has rubber feet as standard which is a design flaw

always check this first. rubber has no grip on damp or dusty ground

 

[Jimroot]

Does that apply to rubber ladder mats boar? Or just small surface area rubber?

 

[Alpha]

Ones I've always used have had rubber feet. I've never come of the ladder and I do some real dodgey moves on em lol. What is supposed to be on the bottom of them boarcity?

 

[boarcity]

Does that apply to rubber ladder mats boar? Or just small surface area rubber?

i had a really bad fall when laddermats lost their grip. the full drop!

that led me to undertake research into rubber being used outdoors, i learned from several proper sources that its a known fact that rubber should never be used in outdoor situations

unless the ground is dry and i mean perfectly dry . in the uk that is the peak summer months only on dry days

 

[boarcity]

Ones I've always used have had rubber feet. I've never come of the ladder and I do some real dodgey moves on em lol. What is supposed to be on the bottom of them boarcity?

usually ladders have hard plastic feet , for a very good reason . the hardness of hard plastic bites thru damp ground to the surface below . rubber being softer does not bite thru anything .

as i said in post above above i looked into it all , trying to get to the bottom of why did i fall ,even tho i was using a supposedly safe safety device .

 

[Jimroot]

Interesting, thanks for the Intel

 

[Alpha]

Now you say it I do recall having used points with rubber feet, they wear down extremely quick and also sink up in to the bottom of the ladder. The plastic ones you mention are not obviously plastic they appear rubber but are very robust and last a lot longer so I geuss your a very knowledgeable man to know boarcity!! Point to mention for all is that the reason pointed ladders are a must for window cleaning is all to do with the ladder splaying out at the bottom, because of this the weight you transfer downwards and backwards on the ladder as you climb upwards is diverted outwards to the sides where it gets cancelled out due to the lowest rung keeping it from splaying further. Basically you can have a point at a much lower angle than any square ladder alowing you to not require time wasting footings and not miss windows when working alone.

 

[TolishAPurd]

I could never go back to normal ladders now for window cleaning. They'resafer and get you up to windows that would never be possible with a standard ladder. Sorry I can't remember what size they are OP but when I get them off the van I'll let you know.

 

[Alpha]

Most typical double point is 12ft which is a great all rounder however the 13ft is my preference as it reaches most triple work. They also come in 14+15ft but there heavy and sometimes too big for the majority of jobs

 

[boarcity]

think its Ramsey that have soft rubber feet. that reminds me i heard a tale about roy .boss of the roys group, downtown ipswich, when his ladder slid on him his face hit hard on a shop window and he cried which was embarrasing for his lads who were with him

if roy ever happens to read this thread why do u have the plate B16ROY when u are not big at all with only 1 van

 

[Jimroot]

Boar, what do you use on uneven or soft ground as a base, board?

Seen the film twin town, its about a welsh handyman who falls off a ladder

 

[Dave B]

Boar uses spikes on his ladder

I use mats if i need to but not without using my ankalad in conjunction with them so i can't slip backwards

(Thanks for the tip smurf)

 

[Jimroot]

So laddermat and brace/stabiliser is fine as a combo? Great, otherwise I've wasted 18 smackers on the mats

 

[tench0771]

ive got a 5.1 meter 12kilo ladder its idel its not a a ladder its a h ladder i got it from h.s.hire its rated to 150 kilo max waight load ive had it nearly a year an its showing no signs of were at all my friend has 3 of them in different size an he has had them for 8 years now an there still solid he if 100 percent trad to unlike me so mine should last a life time lmfao o an i cost me £120

 

[Smurf]

I use that laddermat just to level the ladder with the ladder setup I have and would not use it on its own without the legs of the ankalad deployed. When I say I use it that's actually another bit of kit I've lost which is probably still left in someone’s flowerbed /emoticons/biggrin.png

So laddermat and brace/stabiliser is fine as a combo? Great, otherwise I've wasted 18 smackers on the mats

 

[Dave B]

The ankalad just gives me the peace of mind that even when wet the ladder won't slip out with the mats

I can usually put one of the legs longer than the other slightly to keep it stable

 

[Jimroot]

Isn't rubber meant to stick to stuff? Why arnt the laddermats being made safe?

 

[Dave B]

Rubber grips well but not with water in between rubber and the surface it is in

Then it is not rubber direct on the surface and that doesn't seem to work