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Extension ladders come with feet that pivot so that they can bear fully against a hard surface.
When using a ladder on soft ground, the feet can be rotated to a vertical position so that the serrated edges bite into the ground to help anchor it.
This is a handy feature, but I’ve found that whenever I move the ladder from place to place on soft ground, the feet want to pivot back to a horizontal position, making moving the ladder a bit unwieldy.
After all, standing on one foot and trying to coax the ladder feet into a vertical position with your other foot — while holding a 20-foot ladder overhead — is not the ideal way to adjust the ladder feet.
So I created a simple solution to end this precarious balancing act. As shown in the accompanying drawing, I’ve wrapped a sturdy rubber band around the bottom of each ladder leg. The bands hold the feet in a vertical position even when I move the ladder.
— Andrew Sheppard, Madison, Conn.
Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2009 The Taunton Press
To contact Fine Homebuilding, e-mail Christina Glennon.
BuilderBooks 2010 Virtual Publications Catalog Now Online
The NAHB 2010 Publications Catalog for BuilderBooks is now available online.
Presented in a virtual format as part of the BuilderBooks effort to go green and streamline delivery, the catalog includes publications and products to help building industry professionals ramp up for a successful year as the industry and the economy begin to recover.
The materials in the catalog, written by industry leaders in various fields of residential construction, feature publications and products about accounting, estimating, business management, green building, sales and marketing, safety, construction codes, 50+ housing, multifamily housing, construction management remodeling and more.
Some of the newest publications in the catalog include “Social Media for Home Builders,” the “National Green Building Standard Commentary” and “Paper Trail: Systems and Forms for a Well-Run Remodeling Company, Second Edition.”
To view the virtual catalog, click here.
