use of ladders

[Big bird]

I have a new Cardinal, which stands 13 feet tall. It also has full body paint. I can wash it fine with extension poles, but waxing requires I reach the roof line from the sides, front and rear. My 8.5 foot step ladder leaves me standing on the next to last wrung. I am not a chick or a fool and I feel like both when I am up there. I am considering an extension ladder, but I do not know if the side walls and the front and caps on the trailer can hold the weight.

Anyone have good knowledge on the subject?



Big Bird

[milzat]

Hi Big Bird,
You may want to look into purchasing a 10' step ladder. If it were me, I wouldn't want to lay anything against my trailer walls, especially with a full body paint job.

[NWJeeper]

I have one of the folding type of ladders similar to a Little Giant that I use to get to the top of our rig when I wax it or work on something. Our rig stands at just over 12' when leveled in our garage. I set the ladder up like a scaffolding with a 2x6 running across it. It gives me an 8' wide platform from which to walk back and forth on. Of course it isn't as tall when set up as a step ladder but I can reach the top of the rig for waxing. in your case a taller ladder like Mike suggested is probably a good bet. The folding ladders come in different sizes and sure do come in handy for other things though so you might find one that will work for you.

[tmmar]

I also purchased a ladder similar to a Little Giant at Lowe's. It allows me reach the top of my MH and still have a couple of steps left.

[Ken in NJ]

I agree with others .. I would not be leaning a ladder against the sides ..

I am VERY lucky and own a scissor lift .. its so easy to wax, wash and do repairs up high .. I just resealed the roof and never had to walk on it

[MightyMike]

Originally Posted by Ken in NJ

I agree with others .. I would not be leaning a ladder against the sides ..

I am VERY lucky and own a scissor lift .. its so easy to wax, wash and do repairs up high .. I just resealed the roof and never had to walk on it

Sounds really easy. Maybe I could bring my camper over and you can DEMONSTRATE

[bobsquarepants]

as an experiment I took my drywall pole sander, bought some cheap hand towels from a liquidation center...and found a old paint pad applicator in my junk. The paint pad screws onto the lightweight extendable pole, used that to apply NuFinish (as it takes almost no effort to remove). Did one whole side of my 5th which is around 12 feet at the highest point...then switched to the pole sander attachment with the hand towel clamped on to buff...worked great, did the whole side in about 1/2 hour. now if it would quit raining... i could finish the job!

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by bobsquarepants

as an experiment I took my drywall pole sander, bought some cheap hand towels from a liquidation center...and found a old paint pad applicator in my junk. The paint pad screws onto the lightweight extendable pole, used that to apply NuFinish (as it takes almost no effort to remove). Did one whole side of my 5th which is around 12 feet at the highest point...then switched to the pole sander attachment with the hand towel clamped on to buff...worked great, did the whole side in about 1/2 hour. now if it would quit raining... i could finish the job!

Ditto what MightyMike just said....

[Deleted Account]

what you are looking for is this Faxko LLC, Home of safe Tripod Ladders and Stepladders

299 on ebay. Little GIants are expensive. I shopped and shopped and shopped for over a year for a ladder that I could easily reach the pitch of my house with, without feeling like I was going to DIE. Also wanted to be able to use it as a leaning ladder, or a smaller step ladder.

The Faxko ladder is flat out awesome for the price. A bit on the heavy side. Without a doubt serves its purpose. It is adjustable in a lot of ways. I have no problems hitting 18' at the peak of my house. The ladder in the picture is not extended.