Adjustable Ladder

[Aaron S.]

Good afternoon everyone, I'm searching for a ladder that I can use to straddle the seats in the house of my venue. I have a few criteria.

1) Has to adjust for the step in the seating rake.
2) Lightweight. Preferably under 50lbs. Thought being 1 person can easily stow it and pull it out if need be.
3) Has to be able to safely work at about 16ft.

I have looked at Little Giant ladders, but they are either too heavy or not tall enough.

Just thought I would ask and see if anyone here has found a good solution.

 

[SteveB]

You don't state what the top of the ladder is resting against. Normally a 24 ft. extension ladder is the most flexible, requires 2 people to setup and have somebody footing. I hate extension ladders though and would prefer a lightweight aluminum scaffolding unit with outriggers and adjustable feet. Does your facility have a health and safety officer ?, maybe run it past them what they would be happy with you using ?.

 

[Aaron S.]

You don't state what the top of the ladder is resting against.

Sorry, the ladder isn't resting against anything, A-Frame ladder.

 

[What Rigger?]

Good afternoon everyone, I'm searching for a ladder that I can use to straddle the seats in the house of my venue. I have a few criteria.

1) Has to adjust for the step in the seating rake.
2) Lightweight. Preferably under 50lbs. Thought being 1 person can easily stow it and pull it out if need be.
3) Has to be able to safely work at about 16ft.

I have looked at Little Giant ladders, but they are either too heavy or not tall enough.

Just thought I would ask and see if anyone here has found a good solution.

16 foot ladder under 50 pounds is challenging. I'm going to go ahead and note that "1 person can easily stow it and pull it out if need be" seems to indicate working alone on a ladder, which is inherently dangerous. So don't do that.

I've had some success with telescoping ladders, but have noticed their adjustment fittings don't seem as durable as I'd like. An aluminum ladder is likely not approved for electrical work as well. But this is pretty close to what I've had before:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KZQMVDS/?tag=controlbooth-20

 

[Aaron S.]

16 foot ladder under 50 pounds is challenging. I'm going to go ahead and note that "1 person can easily stow it and pull it out if need be" seems to indicate working alone on a ladder, which is inherently dangerous. So don't do that.

I've had some success with telescoping ladders, but have noticed their adjustment fittings don't seem as durable as I'd like. An aluminum ladder is likely not approved for electrical work as well. But this is pretty close to what I've had before:

Yeah, I know it's a tough ask, just trying to see if there is something out there that will fit the bill. The reason for the 1 person stipulation, is so that 1 person can set it up while the other person is grabbing whatever gear they may need. Not working alone. I do appreciate the concern.

 

[SteveB]

I'm not aware of A frames with adjustable legs and would not want to use one. Scaffolding is likely your best option.

 

[Aaron S.]

I'm not aware of A frames with adjustable legs and would not want to use one. Scaffolding is likely your best option.

Home | Little Giant Ladder

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Scaffolding isn't an option for my venue.

I think I might have found something that will work. Just need to double check some measurements.

 

[Aaron S.]

16 foot ladder under 50 pounds is challenging. I'm going to go ahead and note that "1 person can easily stow it and pull it out if need be" seems to indicate working alone on a ladder, which is inherently dangerous. So don't do that.

I've had some success with telescoping ladders, but have noticed their adjustment fittings don't seem as durable as I'd like. An aluminum ladder is likely not approved for electrical work as well. But this is pretty close to what I've had before:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KZQMVDS/?tag=controlbooth-20

Little Giant Ladders | Dark Horse 2.0 | Multi-Position Ladder

The Little Giant® Dark Horse™ combines some of our best ladder features into one versatile, multi-position ladder. The Dark Horse 2.0, ANSI Type 1A - 300 lb Rated, is made from lightweight, durable fiberglass, and is 10% lighter than previous models, without sacrificing strength or stability.

www.littlegiantladders.com

That might work. I just need to double check some measurements. I feel like I might need like 1 more foot out of it. But I will take a look.

 

[almorton]

I'm sure Zarges do a "Y" frame (several, actually) that they show being used on the rake of a theatre. Worth checking them out.

 

[TheaterEd]

I have two little giant ladders that I use around my house and I love them.

 

[almorton]

I'm not aware of A frames with adjustable legs and would not want to use one.

Out of interest, if it is designed for that purpose, why would you not want to use one? I've seen ordinary two piece ladders that have adjustment to allow them to be used side on to a slope - seems safe enough to me, it was designed for that purpose.

 

[almorton]

Zarges Vario B allows offset heights, very stable, available up to 7m working height.

 

[SteveB]

Out of interest, if it is designed for that purpose, why would you not want to use one? I've seen ordinary two piece ladders that have adjustment to allow them to be used side on to a slope - seems safe enough to me, it was designed for that purpose.

Refering to A frames in general, especially the type with an extending center "stick", I spent a lot of my early career on one of these, they were shaky and downright scary to be sitting on top of. Most had some of rolling cart in use, made it even worse and dangerous. The move to Genies was a huge improvement. If I were using an A frame without center stick in your application, I would want 2 extra people on the bottom supporting and bracing. At that point I would be using a scaffold which has a wider footprint, thus is marginally safer..

 

[RonaldBeal]

Look for ladder levelers. Werner, Little Giant, and louisville all make rated levelers that attach to two legs, and allow you to level an A-frame on unlevel surfaces

 

[almorton]

they were shaky and downright scary to be sitting on top of.

I guess if that was your experience... I've used a Zarges Y frame at about 5m height and it's pretty stable. My colleague in the theatre uses a much higher one in his church (7m), and reckons it's also stable, not wobbly or twisty.

 

[TheaterEd]

I feel like Steve might be referencing one of these bad boys. I have had to work with one of these on a rolling dolly and it is definitely not a stable or fun experience.

 

[cbrandt]

We have a couple of the Skyscrapers in inventory. No one likes using them, but they allow access to spaces that are otherwise quite difficult to reach. However, they are absolutely not a one person ladder. One strong person *can* carry them around, but cannot safely put them up.

 

[almorton]

I feel like Steve might be referencing one of these bad boys. I have had to work with one of these on a rolling dolly and it is definitely not a stable or fun experience.

That looks very different to a Zarges skymaster, and looks to have far less bracing, so I can imagine it being less stable.

 

[FMEng]

A ladder has to have non-conductive side rails when working with electrical equipment. I'm probably alive today due to that. I recommend fiberglass because I never met a wood ladder that wasn't loose and wobbly, and nobody ever takes the time to tightened them up.

 

[Aaron S.]

Refering to A frames in general, especially the type with an extending center "stick", I spent a lot of my early career on one of these, they were shaky and downright scary to be sitting on top of. Most had some of rolling cart in use, made it even worse and dangerous. The move to Genies was a huge improvement. If I were using an A frame without center stick in your application, I would want 2 extra people on the bottom supporting and bracing. At that point I would be using a scaffold which has a wider footprint, thus is marginally safer..

The ladder we currently use in this application feels totally comfortable. I too have been up on those ladders, being pushed around a stage at the top of the stick while focusing. The Genie is much nicer. I haven't found scaffolding to be a great solution for the majority of what I need.