(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Ladder reach question

J

JOB

Member
The fascia board on the gable end of my house
needs some attention and I am having a little
trouble getting up there. I have a two foot
overhang on the gable ends and a three foot on the
eves. It is 22 feet from the peak of the gable end
to the ground with a 4/12 pitch. And no I do not
have safe way or an all terrain lift or pump jacks
to get up there. I am wanting to use two ladders
and a plank to do the job. Ladder stabilizers will
get the ladder away from the house a shy foot so
that would help but I would like it out a little
farther. Any one have any ideas?
 
If you have the kind of brackets that will do it you can put the plank outside the ladders, that is what I did when we were working on the house here.
Zach
 
If you have aluminum ladder jacks you can use them on the outside of the ladders. If you have the old fashioned finger pinching steel ladder jacks scrap them and buy a set of aluminum ones.
With the ladder and plank on the outside of the ladders I'm not sure you'll need the stabilizers.

With the plank set up on the outside you'll either need to climb over it which gets kind of harry or you'll need a third ladder to set up over or next to your plank. I strongly suggest using the third ladder. It's much safer than crawling over the walk board. Place the third ladder on the fascia on the side you're not working on.
 

First thing I would do is get an eyebolt strong enough to hold twice your weight in the point of the gable somehow then a rope and harness (just don't put it around your neck)... Then a pair of ladder jacks and the plank... Scaffolding would be the safest if you set it up right and anchor it to the house. Good luck. Or, maybe get your stuff all ready and catch the telephone guys in the neighborhood with the basket truck....
 
Is there anyone around with a bucket truck that you could hire for an hour? Or two?

It may be costly, but so is getting severely injured or killed. This operation is too risky to go cheap.
 
The rent on the correct equip to do the job is a lot cheaper than a hospital tour. Said by the guy thats always been cheap, but getting older and scared a lot easier. gobble
 
Get some quotes from contractors to do the job for you. You may be surprised how low the price difference is.

If you do the job youself, prime and pre-paint as much as you can on the ground ahead of time. That way you only have to paint the nail heads when you are in the air.
 
A 30 foot tow behind basket type man lift would be pretty cheap for something like that. Probably rent for 150 a day or so.
 
That is what I have now is the aluminum ladder
jacks. They did not get the plank out quite far
enough. It looks like I might have to use the stabilizers. I do use the third ladder, it is a
lot easier than crawling over that plank. I am
kicking around the idea of making a set of stabilizers that will get me out far enough. I saw
one years ago that the man who used it liked it
better than the store bought ones. But I need this
fascia done before winter sets in. Thanks for the
suggestions, looks like we were on the same page.
 
You can't get a truck in close enough because of the terrain and the trees. I will set up the ladders and
plank and see how sturdy it is. And you are right a
harness should be used.
 
If you do actually use the ladders and plank use the proper brackets and use a REAL SCAFFOLD PLANK!

The best ones are laminated and are marked OSHA SCAFFOLD PLANK. A 2x8 from the local lumberyard is not a substitute.

Be safe,

Brad
 
I picked up a pair of used aluminum ladder jacks that have much longer arms than the standard jacks. They are close to twice as long. I'm sure if you could find a set of those, they'd get you out far enough to replace your rake board.

What are you using for a plank? If you have access to an aluminum stage life will be much easier. I've worked off a bunch of 2X10's and 2X12's for over 30 years without ever having a problem. If you're using a 2X10 or 12 just make sure it doesn't have any big knots, and don't use too long of a span.
 
I am using a 14 inch wide 20 foot Louisville
aluminum plank rated at 500 lbs of load. All of my
ladders are type 1A. The ladder jacks I have are
stinson with the short arm to rest the plank on. I
do have one jack with the longer arm that I bought
off craigslist. You are right a pair of those would
do the job. When I get done with this end of the
house I will look for a couple more of the long
armed jacks. Using that long arm jack is a good
suggestion, Thanks.
 
I don't think a scaffold plank will work on ladder jacks. I use an OSHA approved aluminum plank where possible. I do use a 10 foot 2x10 for short runs and that does not sag much when I am on it. I don't want to take a tumble. I knew an 18 year old that fell 8 feet out of a loader bucket and was killed.
 
I just did that job this summer, and I also have a 2 ft overhang. I used one ladder with stabilizers. I had to move it a few times, but it was not a big deal to do so. I found some aluminum tube that was a snug fit inside the square tubes of the stablilizer, and that got me a little farther away from the house.
 
Aluminum planks are great for safety and convenience. Unfortunately for me the work I was doing required standing for a fairly long clip and for whatever reason they made my feet and knees hurt.

As for wooden planks I really don't think that the laminated planks are that much stronger but they will 'talk to you' if overstressed and not fail with one resounding crack!

Brad
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Portable spot welder question for the experts
Replies
13
Views
899
Goose
Goose
Keith Williams
  • Locked
Electrical Question - Everybody loves them!
2
Replies
38
Views
3K
Keith Williams
Keith Williams
C
instead of eves trough
Replies
4
Views
477
miangus
M
P
1974 John Deere skid loader 170 (owatonna 1700) bearing help/ question?
Replies
2
Views
153
JIM MN
J
F
Tractor Stability Question
Replies
15
Views
907
FinallyFarming
F
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top