Ooops - where'd that ladder go?

[WV Sawmiller]

   Nice sunny day, 75 degrees with a pretty good little breeze. looks like a good time to finish painting the used tin roof on that shed extension I finished a month or so back. Moved the ladder to the front of the shed, climbed up and cleaned off the roof with my leaf blower. Mixed up the rest of my aluminum paint in the 5 gallon bucket. Had about 4 gallons left over.

   Up on the roof and started painting. nearly finished when felt a nice cool gust and heard my aluminum extension ladder sliding along the front of the shed and hit the ground. About 14' to the ground on front and nearly the same on back since it slopes away to the creek below. No problem, just call the wife in the house on my cell phone and have her to come stand the ladder back up. Tap, tap, tap - now why is that pocket flat?

   Oh well nothing else for it. Fortunately I had a buckeye and cut off hickory that had been leaning over the shed and I'd trimmed last summer. On to the buckeye then shifted to the hickory and shinnied on down unharmed and only slightly embarrassed.

   Another lesson learned/remembered - be sure to tie off your ladder especially when working alone. You may not have a handy tree to climb down. Oh yeah, keeping your cell phone with you when alone could also be a good idea.

[red]

Ladders are strictly Forbidden for Forestry Forum members

[Jeff]

That is true. They have caused more fatalities and severe injuries to our forum members that any other cause we know of.

[thechknhwk]

I ate dirt a couple months ago when the strap pulled the rivet thru one of the legs on the ladder I was standing on.  No problem though I was only on the second step from the top of the 8 footer.  I'm sure some would be disappointed, but I wasn't much worse for wear since I landed in the dirt between the building and nice big pile of lumber.  My brother said he heard a thud, a loud groan and loads of cursing :D  It did hurt a little...

[Dave Shepard]

That is true. They have caused more fatalities and severe injuries to our forum members that any other cause we know of.

That was my first thought when I read the title.

I'm glad your your trees hugging abilities were up to snuff.

[sawguy21]

Nice to have plan B in place. :D Ladders and I have never really gotten along that well.

[Magicman]

Knowing from the title that there was going to be a gotcha made for interesting reading.  

The word ladder has to be an acronym for something bad that either; is, has, or will happen.   :-\

[doctorb]

 We've been down this road before.  This thread is from 2010.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,46700.msg671497.html#msg671497

My rule about ladders is contained in that thread.  I know this self-reliant group won't follow this advice....

People over 50 years old should not climb ladders.

[pigman]

Good advice Doc, but I have found getting on the roof without using a ladder is very difficult. What I find dangerous about ladders is the stepladders that say on the next to top step to not use this step.  Trying to stand on the top of the ladder without using that step is very dangerous. I would just like for the manufacture to make that step strong enough so I could use it to get to the top.

[doctorb]

 :D :D ;D

[red]

If you go up to Fast gravity will pull you down Faster . 

[Brucer]

My variation on doctorb's advice is ...

People over 50 years old should not climb fall off ladders.

Which is fine (in my opinion, anyway), but only if you actually take deliberate steps to make sure you don't fall off the ladder.

[Ron Scott]

I've had the "lost ladder" experience. : It sure increased my awareness to always having it secured well.

[Gary_C]

People over 50 years old should not climb ladders.

If that was true then people over 50 could not own harvesters and forwarders. I should be exempt from that rule because I'm over 70.   :D

After I saw that rule I had to go out and work on the guard rails (hand rails) on my forwarder and I did not use a ladder very much. I climbed up to the cab and stood on the tires to work.  :

Seriously those big machines are lacking in steps and hand holds for outside work. Many times you have to clean the windows daily and that is a dangerous chore. The newer machines are somewhat better with outside steps and rails to hang on to but that doesn't help the older machines. Some new machines have short ladders that fit into attachment points around the machine as there is a problem with permanent attachments getting torn off by brush and limbs.

One time I had to fix a hydraulic hose on the machine and I had my good heavy duty double sided step ladder next to the machine. I got in to start the machine and test my fix and I realized I must move the machine to swing the boom and without any noise or bump that machine flattened that good ladder that I could not see from the cab. 

[sawguy21]

 Machine 1 ladder no score  :D I need one around the house, I have to change lights in the garage and climb on my rv to replace a roof vent. I think I will get an orchard ladder, the kind with the wide base and single leg so it's stable on uneven ground. I hate pain especially my own.

[drobertson]

WV, I hear you on the tie off procedure,, but a few weeks ago while visiting Dad in SC I thought I would stand up the ladder, double extension to the where the squirrels were gaining access to dad attic,, just about a full extension, got to the second floor, tapped on the wood, then it hit, I am beginning to have a fear falling,, never had this before, I hung on and close ;D like sliding down, put the ladder up and told Dad we might have a pro do it,, scarry stuff,, glad you had a successful escape,,

[WV Sawmiller]

WV, I hear you on the tie off procedure,, but a few weeks ago while visiting Dad in SC I thought I would stand up the ladder, double extension to the where the squirrels were gaining access to dad attic,, just about a full extension, got to the second floor, tapped on the wood, then it hit, I am beginning to have a fear falling,, never had this before, I hung on and close ;D like sliding down, put the ladder up and told Dad we might have a pro do it,, scarry stuff,, glad you had a successful escape,,

Well done.

The sign of a truly wise man is knowing when to ask for help - either to get someone else with more experience and better equipment to do the job or go get better, safer equipment yourself before starting.  Unfortunately many of us don't gain that wisdom until after the unfortunate and painful fact.