7
Ladder levelers saved me after a parking garage job in Tulsa
Last Tuesday I had to run cable along a sloped ceiling in a parking structure downtown. My ladder kept rocking on the oil-stained concrete, so I finally broke down and bought a set of levelers for $45. Totally worth it, I finished the run in 40 minutes instead of fighting the legs for 2 hours. Has anyone else tried those magnetic base plates for metal beams, or do you just stick with rubber feet?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
ben_fisher4d ago
Those $45 levelers are one of those things you don't think you need until you're on a third trip down the ladder. But the magnetic base plates are a whole different animal, they really only work on steel I-beams that are clean and bare. The problem is most beams in parking garages have a coat of paint or that sprayed-on fireproofing, so the magnet won't seat flush unless you grind it down first. I saw a guy try them on a beam with a slight ridge and the whole ladder shifted sideways, which is scary at 12 feet up. The rubber feet are still more reliable on concrete, especially if the surface has oil like you said. Just keep an extra set of those little rubber pads in your truck, they wear out faster than people expect.
5