The ladder angle thing finally clicked after 12 years of DIY work

I've been setting my extension ladder at whatever angle felt right for about 12 years, mostly guessing. Last weekend I was out on my neighbor's deck in Cleveland helping him paint his gutters, and he pulled out his phone to check the angle with a level app. He showed me the 4 to 1 rule where the base should be 1 foot out for every 4 feet up. I'd been setting mine way too steep that whole time, basically climbing straight up like a fireman. Has anyone else discovered a basic safety rule way later than they should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher5943d ago

Is it really that big a deal if you just go slow?

charlesb423d ago

and the main thing nobody talks about is how going slow actually makes the TENSION WORSE in some cases. @christopher594 I helped a buddy swap out a steering rack last month and taking it slow meant we kept losing our place in the torque sequence because we had to stop and wait on parts. the whole job took 7 hours instead of 4 because we were crawling along and second-guessing every move. speed is usually fine as long as you have the right tool in your hand and know what bolt comes next.