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Posted By TXAD on 06 Jul 2009 11:16 PM

I need to find a way to carry my 26' extension ladder, and I'd like to attach it to my 30' trailer somehow.  I'd rather not put a rack on my truck, if I can figure out a better way.  

A 26' ladder will consist of 2 sections 13' long, won't the thing fit IN your 30' trailer?

I favor vans (the château Chevrolet) but if you own a pickup and don't want a full rack - have you seen the things that stick in the "stake-bed" holes on the top of a truck bed that give you a small rack just over the height of the cab so the ladder doesn't bang your paint?  you can stuff the end of it into the bed by the tailgate and it will rise above the cab, or there is a shorter bar-thing they make that sticks into the rear holes of the bed so the ladder sits more level, like this one http://www.usrack.com/back_rack.php   (that's a 24' ladder in the photo, 12' long before extended)

Posted By TXAD on 08 Jul 2009 09:51 PM 
I'd be willing to mount it on the top, if I could find a good way to secure it, so that no damage is done to the trailer top. 

Have you seen those Rivet-Nut thingies?  That's how I put a commercial rack on my van (I will drill a hole in anything, this stuff is meant to be used).  Anyway you get the correct hole drilled from above, put some silicone around it, put the Riv-Nut in there, tighten the bolt so it squashes out the rivet thing on the inside, remove the bolt, and you have a threaded insert thing permanently mounted on the sheet metal.  That's how they mount factory side mirrors on doors, if you ever had to replace one. 

Granger, or Fastinal carry them, and body shop supply places.  You may also want to consider having some rowdy parties inside your trailer, so you don't have to worry about banging up the interior any more...

 

Posted By WILLIS on 14 Jul 2009 07:01 PM
You guys just kill me hauling all these ladders you look like a painter do you carry walkboards as well I have been adjusting for 37 years I have one 18 ft fold up Little Giant... 

Do you really think you are sending a good message to the community to recommend that adjusters should not carry a 2 story ladder?  You don't have to go out and buy one, but to ridicule others for carrying a 2 story ladder adds NOTHING to this forum.  That road leads to increased tendency to double pulls, when the 2nd story could be accessed safely with proper equipment.

When I am not on a 2-story steep team, I don't use my 2 story ladder that often - but to bust someone else's balls for carrying one is out of line.

Posted By LarryW on 14 Jul 2009 08:06 PM
Work floods. Then you won't need a ladder. Unless it was a really deep one.

With the NFIP "single adjuster rule" he will still have to get on the roof.  This house I looked at in Slidell had a 5' water line inside

I worked 100% of Ike with a 16' ladder, but the co. I plan to work withthis yr.  "requires" a 26' ladder.  Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it.

I wasn't asking for peoples' opinions about whether or not I NEEDED to carry one.  I was asking for ideas on how to carry one.

Thank you to all who submitted ideas.  I will probably attempt to put it on top, like suggested.

I put my fold-up little giant ladder on the top of my car with a luggage rack and ended up losing 7 miles per gallon because of wind drag.  I then built a wooden seat protector so that it won't scrape up the carpet while the back seat is folded down.

I say this to indicate that you may wish to explore an alternative way of attaching your two story ladder 'within' the window area of your truck opposed to the top of the truck while going to appointments.  That way it would reduce the amount of wind drag like the traditional painter's ladder rack.

I've heard the Telesteps ladders are safer these days.  I'm looking into getting one that can stretch to 18' and will fit on a motorcycle.  As for two story applications, I rarely need them down here in south Alabama to the point that it is worth just acquiring the assistnace of a roofer when I need it.  Different areas of the country are more prone than others regarding the necessity of having rope/harness and or two story ladders.

I have used several ladders that are wood or metal that I could put in the trunk or fold down the seat. These long ladders have a place for the roofing contractors who use them and I have been able to get some roofer to get me on a roof if I really wanted to get on the roof. On the other hand I have NEVER had a roof claim turned down because I did not get on the roof. I kinda look at a roof like I do a flooded basement. I inspect the basement and if its flooded I do not get my feet wet. I have even used other people to take pictures of the slopes I would not walk on. I think this whole roof thing is getting out of hand.

Posted By Ray Hall on 20 Jul 2009 11:52 AM

.... I kinda look at a roof like I do a flooded basement. I inspect the basement and if its flooded I do not get my feet wet. I have even used other people to take pictures of the slopes I would not walk on. I think this whole roof thing is getting out of hand.

I just looked at a flooded basement today (deployed in Michigan, wind event of 6-25-09 put trees in houses and knocked out power for 3 days, sump pump - drain backups).

Rubber boots are cheap.  I measure and scope all covered damages, and get where I need to go.  Over the years I have crawled on my belly like a reptile to see if there is coverage - or if there is excluded rot under every claimed bathroom/kitchen of a house on a raised foundation, with photos and screwdriver shoved in the rotten wood.  If a termite / home inspector can do it, I can do it.

This isn't a matter of "out of hand", it is just the tools that occasionally are needed.  You may borrow a ladder occasionally from a professional roofer, I choose to bring my own.  And I am not alone.  It's not that one adjuster is better, worse, more experienced, we are just getting these clams closed the best way we can.

 

You guys are tough on each other.

I do agree however that I do not do 2 story access nor do I walk anything over 8/12.

If I wanted to be a roofer, I would have... call a local roofer for access

Mike B

I do not think I have ever lost one penny by not walking on a steep roof. I have respect for the people who have the training and tools. I guess it goes like this" thats why  you do what you do" with your tools and I " do what I do with my tools"