NA -- Ladder Repair

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JGoodish

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JGoodish
I have a 28' Type IA fiberglass extension ladder which had a large cherry tree fall on it, and as a result exhibits some side rail damage on both sections of the ladder. The damage consists of minor impact damage, but enough to slightly crush the inside of the "U" channel rail on one side. It's still rigid, but I suspect it would be most unwise to use it.

Can these things be repaired in a manner that is safe and worth doing? Of course, there are numerous ways that the damaged sections could be reinforced, but without some type of engineering analysis I'm not sure how you could prove the efficacy of the repair. I did a search online, and there are some companies who claim that they can repair and "recertify" damaged ladders, but I don't think there is one in my area and I'm skeptical that this ladder could be repaired for less than it's worth.

Anyone in the construction industry here have any experience with these types of things? Should I just cut it up and put it out for the trash?
 
OSHA would say dispose of it. From a workplace liability standpoint, a new ladder is cheap. For home use? Whatever you are comfortable with. Who here has never had one of those old rickety wooden A-frame ladders that wiggles when you climb it?
 
midwestpa24 said:
OSHA would say dispose of it. From a workplace liability standpoint, a new ladder is cheap. For home use? Whatever you are comfortable with. Who here has never had one of those old rickety wooden A-frame ladders that wiggles when you climb it?
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I'm not comfortable on any ladder above about 3 feet off the ground, so climbing one that is or may be compromised doesn't get me excited. I was leaning toward junking it, especially since it isn't quite tall enough to reach the roof of my house and it's rather heavy (being fiberglass) compared with an all aluminum ladder. Can't imagine that it could be repaired economically versus what news ones cost, just wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing something.
 
If it got all the sections, it's trash, if only one section you could separate them and use the undamaged part. I've never been a fan of fiberglass, you can never tell what is going on inside.
 
That is why they invented duct tape (well maybe for sealing ducts, too).

Edit: Get 'er done.
 

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Get a couple 2x4 boards and screw it to the damaged side, for extra security, get some JB weld and duct tape to bond it all together.
 
bnt83 said:
Get a couple 2x4 boards and screw it to the damaged side, for extra security, get some JB weld and duct tape to bond it all together.
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Excellent recommendations. One question: could Elmer’s Glue or maybe Tightbond be substituted for the JB Weld? The ladder won’t be used on rainy days.
 
I have a couple ladders that are so old they don't even have warning decals on them....

I am pretty sure my dad got them from A&M after they were written off inventory.
 
Cut it off above the damage, make two short ladders, then trade them in for 1 long one.
 
Clark1961 said:
Excellent recommendations. One question: could Elmer’s Glue or maybe Tightbond be substituted for the JB Weld? The ladder won’t be used on rainy days.
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I've never had good luck with JB Weld. If wood is involved, only a medium-quality wood glue will do (cost and all). Duct tape is too ghetto, for a classy job just use extra glue and maybe a few decks screws to hold things in place if necessary. Fill the gaps with caulk, a little spray paint, good as new.

The truth is that I was never 100% happy with this ladder to begin with. Even at 28', it's slightly too short for when I need an extension ladder, however because it is fiberglass it is also heavy relative to aluminum. While aluminum ladders will deflect when there's weight on them, fiberglass ladders *bounce*, which to me is a much worse feeling when you're 30' in the air.

The damage is about 3/4 of the way up both sections of the ladder, so I could probably salvage something out of the sections separately but I may just junk the whole thing since I already have other smaller ladders.
 
You don't repair a damaged ladder. Ladders are properly used to make repairs!

Seriously, if your ladder is smooshed, keep the unsmooshed parts and dispose of the rest. If all of your fiberglass ladder was under the tree and only part is visibly smooshed, dispose of thenwhole thing, because sometimes fiberglass can be damaged without it being visible.
 
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