Make a Ladder Easier to Move

I added a wheel truck to a 15 foot extension ladder so one person can move it easily with one hand to the place where it will be used.

Materials

• Two 6 inch lawnmower wheels
• 3/8 inch concrete reinforcement bar
• 6 hex head bolts 1/2 inch x 2 1/2 inches with hex nuts
• 2 cotter keys 1 1/2 inch long
• 4 lockwashers 1/2 inch in diameter
• 4 squares of steel 3/16 inch thick measuring 1 3/4 inch x 1 3/4 inch

Tools

• Electric drill and bits
• Hacksaw
• Welder
• Tape measure
• Wrench
• Grinder

Step 1: Dimensions

My wheel trucks form a triangle. The ladder rungs are 12 inches apart on center. That forms one leg of the triangle. The other legs are 11 inches and 11 3/4 inches center to center. It does not matter much which leg is 11 inches and which is 11 3/4 inches.

Comments

[wynelle]

Just this weekend I was dragging out my 10' fiberglass step ladder that I store under my deck because I cannot reasonably get it into the garage. Every time I pull it out I feel badly that the dragging it going to ruin it and that I ought to put it on rollers or something. This is exactly the "tip" I needed. I think I'll use some bicycle training wheels I just pulled off one of the kids' bikes since it still needs to fit under the deck. I'll post when I get it done.

I'll sure feel better protecting those treaded feet from wearing down from the first 2-3 feet of dragging required to get it out of its storage space. Thanks Phil!

[Topcat2021]

Congratulations Phil;
Your post got picked up on Lifehacker.com. I like the idea but for now I'm still able to carry the ladder top of shoulder style like the telephone workers do, so I'll keep this idea filed for later use if it should arise.
Keep up the good work.
Dan

[iceng]

Following in the footsteps of the master.
Please let me know if I should give more credit

A

[Phil B]

I am glad you got around to doing an Instructable on your version. If anything, you gave me too much credit. It is interesting to see how you did yours. Also, I tried to determine how you did the levitation, but am not quite sure. If your leg or your grandson's leg is hiding a post, it is not a big post and it is cleverly hidden. Maybe you should have worked in one of the Las Vegas shows in addition to or instead of working on the gaming electronics. ;-)

[iceng]

LoL
Only the pic of my levitation in not retouched using a magic means.

Getting the 36 pounds dynamite to sit still was almost impossible.
There I used a single inverted pin jack stand and edited the pic.

[rimar2000]

Good idea, Phil. My ladder is not so long, then I don't need to do this.

[pfred2]

Me either. I just find the balance and put it on my shoulder. Then I don't use any hands. One ladder I have is a 32 foot extension too!

[Phil B]

Perhaps I should mention this ladder actually belongs to our church and is often in use by a variety of people who may not use a ladder more than twice a year, and some of whom may be older.

[pfred2]

Fact is I'm always going to be picking the whole ladder up at some point regardless. I don't ever have someone to foot the ladder for me, so I foot against whatever I'm climbing up, raise the ladder, then carry it back to where I'm going to use it. For me carrying the ladder is just a good warm up for the main event so to speak.

[iceng]

Super Man you :-)

I had to use this ladder to clear branches for my giant box camera
for last week's sun eclipse.
Don't plan to move it until after Venus goes by June 5th but then those wheels sure look like the way to go for me.

A

[pfred2]

My super days are behind me now. I can still move a ladder though. When I can't I think I'll retire from trying to use a ladder too. So sorry, I cannot move it into place. Really, carrying the ladder is nothing compared to carrying a 90# bundle of shingles up the ladder.

Leave that ladder up and the neighbors are going to think that you eloped!

All that Sun gazing you're doing explains a couple things.

[Phil B]

The wheels are nice. I am increasingly more clumsy as I try to avoid tripping myself while carrying a ladder with two hands about thigh high. Frequently one end or the other bangs into something I would rather not scratch or dent. The wheels take away all of those troubles. I hope the wheels works well for you. Thank you for looking and for commenting.

[pfred2]

See Phil that is where you got it wrong. You have to shoulder the ladder. Once you've shouldered it, then you're carrying a ladder! I never said it was going to be any fun.

[iceng]

Thanks for posting, Here is mine over the week end, It really works !

Iv never been in this position before.

What are the rules on asking you permission to post my copy of your Ladder easier to move ible ?

I would certainly give ample credit to your inventive skill
This was a first project that I made without ever leaving my workshop,
all the materials were at hand :)

A really handy used it again tonight...

Anyway, if you say NO then I will not post.  .   .   A

[pfred2]

Do Phil better, put another set of wheels on it and motorize the sucker.

A parts list for you:

http://www.strangecosmos.com/images/content/176701.jpg

[iceng]

LoL  I got this thing,
you know how some people can't step on the crack in a side walk.

Well I can't do clutches !   I'm a really sick EE welder...

[Phil B]

I am delighted you made this and it works for you. I have no idea what the etiquette is. I am sure you learned something I did not mention, or you found a shortcut that would be really helpful to someone. My advice: go ahead and post what you have done. You could simply say you saw something like this in another Instructable and wanted to show how you did or modified it. The motto of Instructables is: "Show what you make." You made it. Now you can show it.

I once got upset with someone who took something I wrote that was several pages long, reprinted it word for word, and let everyone think it was all his. You are not doing that at all. Go for it with my blessing.

[Phil B]

This idea is for longer and heavier ladders. When I was young I helped my father with his electrical business. He had big heavy wooden ladders and I remember wrestling with those by myself. Aluminum ladders were a great improvement over those, but could be dangerous around electrical wires. Still, they were much lighter and easier to handle. But, these wheels make even an aluminum ladder easier yet to use. Maybe I am just getting older and am not as strong as I once was. Thank you.

[omnibot]

Good idea and build.
Make sure to coat the attachment with something to prevent the aluminium in the ladder and the iron in the rebar to become a battery, the polarisation will cause electrolysis to dissolve parts of the construction.

[Phil B]

Good idea! I currently live in Idaho where it is very dry. I made this wheel attachment three or four years ago. When I took one of the rods out for the photos, I saw no evidence of electrolysis between the two metals. Perhaps it might be more of a problem in a high humidity climate.

[pfred2]

I've seen that with nails and sheets, but I don't know how much of a factor that'd be with thicker parts. Even with nails and sheets it takes about 20 or 30 years out in the weather for it to happen. But it does happen, and makes stuff fail before it should.

[jessyratfink]

Genius! I wish I had known about this when I still worked at the bookstore - I was always lugging a 12 foot ladder around by myself. :P

[Phil B]

Thank you, Jessy. My regret is that the version I made requires a welder, which I know many do not have. Still, it is often possible to have a friend with a welder.

[stroland]

I wonder if the part that is welded could be made from wood...that would eliminate the need for a welder except for the replacement for the threaded rod. I may have to see if I can coble something together like that. My 22' gets heavier each passing year. Or, I am going to have to improve my welding skills (starting at almost zero).
John

[Phil B]

John, at the risk of shameless self-promotion, you could look at my Instructable on learning to weld, but would still want to practice a little. Still, you can always grind out a bad weld and do it again. 

I thought about a wooden version. I would think 1 x 3 or 1 x 4 would be fine for the wheel supports. I would use a piece of plywood over the joint where the wheel axle would pass through the wood. It would make the joint more solid and would better anchor the axle bolt, too. 

The wheels for the ladder do not need to carry much weight, so you could probably use thinner threaded rods through the rungs. You could always buy simple rod with no threads and buy a thread dye for the size you need so you can cut your own threads on the ends of the rods. 

I hope all goes well. Thank you for looking at this and for commenting.

[stroland]

I have already read your instructions about welding and it really is very good and quite easy to follow. I do have a welder, but had thought about making it out of wood since I have way more experience in that area. I even thought about just using a piece of triangular shaped plywood.

I had also thought of threading the end of a standard rod or even threading a piece of rebar, admittedly that might be hard to do but it is soooo cheap.

This is really a super handy idea though.
John

[Phil B]

Thanks, John. Your ideas sound good. I did not have a welder until a few years ago. I would surely have done this with wood if I still did not have a welder.

[cathymeyer52]

i have copyed your plans for my husband who always needs help when im busy .great idea. thank you.

[Phil B]

Thank you, Cathy. Let me know how it goes. Contact me if you have questions.

[steliart]

Now that's clever ;)
Thanks Phil

[Phil B]

You are welcome, Steli. Thank you for looking and for commenting.