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Time to buy a new ladder.

NickD on Sun November 08, 2009 7:48 AM User is offline

Yeah with leaf raking time, roof is coated with them and are the gutters, went up and down several times, but saw vent that could use a coat of paint. Was kind of dumb sticking that spray can in my back pocket that caught on a rung and launched the ladder backwards. My head was 13 feet above the concrete, feet about seven feet. Thanks to my parachute jumping training, quickly reacted to ease the fall. But my big left toe was up at a 60* angle and left knee had swollen to twice the size. So was a trip to emergency. Toe was dislocated, so my doctor pulled it out to reset it, nothing broken. Nothing broken in my left knee either, but have to go in for an MRI for possible ligament damage. Same knee that was severely damage in my accident back in 95. Can barely walk now because both my foot and leg are in a restrictive brace.

Got that folding step ladder for free about 40 years ago and maybe was about that old when I got it. That thingy that holds the legs apart was worn out a long time ago, but been using it without problems until yesterday. When that can got caught, moved back a tad lifting the rear legs off the concrete causing the legs to close, lost balance and went down. Wife said she never wants me to climb a ladder again, and asked her, who is going to put up your house Christmas decorations. Was up and down that ladder many times yesterday.

Well, time for a new ladder, one with rubber feet and a good latching mechanism.

FrankD. on Sun November 08, 2009 12:35 PM User is offline

Nick I hope your injuries do not hurt much and heal fast.



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FrankD.

Karl Hofmann on Sun November 08, 2009 6:08 PM User is offlineView users profile

Nick... Parachute training is no bloody good without a parachute.


Take care, I hope you are feeling better and more mobile real soon.. Take it easy and get some of those lazy ass kids to do a bit for you

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Never knock on deaths door... Ring the doorbell and run away, death really hates that!

TRB on Sun November 08, 2009 8:45 PM User is offlineView users profile

Quote
Originally posted by: Karl Hofmann
Take it easy and get some of those lazy ass kids to do a bit for you

Are the Brits vacationing again?

Good thing Nick did not hurt his typing finger! Hope you feel better soon Nick!

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MikeH on Mon November 09, 2009 7:32 AM User is offline

Yes, Nick, get well soon.

NickD on Mon November 09, 2009 7:38 AM User is offline


Thinking of trading this large two story house for a ranch or maybe one of those underground homes. Was wearing heavy leather gloves, so that saved my hands and protected my face from hitting the concrete. Swelling has gone down substantially in my knee and toe. Darn pain killers cause constipation, don't need that, pharmacist daughter-in-law said I could give that bottle to my step daughter and she could sell those for big money at the campus. Still like to be aware of my body.

See an aluminum 8 foot ladder is 70 bucks, a fiberglass is twice that, most of my lazy ass kids are afraid to go up on the roof. So which is better, fiberglass or aluminum, either would be better than my ancient wooden ladder. Actually hit that same knee a lot harder when my dog pulled me over the handlebars on my bike, but got a tricycle instead. This time the entire knee is all black and blue.

Parachute training was jumping off a ten foot ledge to a gym hardwood floor without a parachute to learn how to break the fall. Back then they figured ten foot was the same speed as jumping out of a plane with a parachute on.

HECAT on Mon November 09, 2009 9:43 AM User is offline

Jeez Nick, at your age, you should be sitting on the porch supervising the gutter cleaning company crew; not practicing and perfecting your jump training. I suppose you now understand that you don't bounce like you once did, or like some young buck paratrooper. If your lazy ass kids won't go up there, tell them what needs to be done; and let them hire a crew to do what they won't. I truly hope you feel better soon and heal fast.

I have not cleaned a gutter since the day I drove up to see my ladder leaned against the house and all three boys (9, 10, & 12) on the roof. I did not "make" them go up there (Oh, the horrors of child labor), but I would not let them come down until they accomplished some maintenance tasks for me.

My lazy ass oldest boy turned 13 today. I took him to school early this morning, for one of his social club meetings. On the way I explained how corporal punishment can no longer be used on a teenager, to which he gleefully exclaimed, "good!". I further explained that challenging me from now on would require us to step outside and settle it as men (he he, I am so mean). I told him I was up for his first teenage challenge, anytime he was. As we arrived at the school, I asked him for 2 bucks; he pulled it out and handed it to me with a, "why?". To which I responded, "only kids 12 and under ride for free". My little boy has hit that point where life starts to become a little tougher; time for Dad to crank up more on the reality and responsibilty lessons.

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MikeH on Mon November 09, 2009 5:25 PM User is offline

I used to do a lot of DirecTV installs and always used an aluminum ladder although OSHA says that fiberglass is required ( only because of power lines).
Aluminum is much easier to lift and carry. Plus,. it is stable. I never once fell while working.

NickD on Mon November 09, 2009 7:38 PM User is offline

This was my first and only time I fell off a ladder, not that I really fell, my ladder collapsed on me. Set it out with the garbage, they didn't take it, should have cut it in half first. But didn't feel like doing that today. Maybe tomorrow.

Karl Hofmann on Mon November 09, 2009 8:12 PM User is offlineView users profile

Fibreglass ladders are mandatory for sparkies, National Grid and BT engineers for their insulative qualities but they are as heavy as hell.. I have two aluminium ladders with a load rating of 150Kg which are ideal.. The smaller set can be either a triple extension or step ladders with an extension on, ideal for working above false ceiling grids..

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Never knock on deaths door... Ring the doorbell and run away, death really hates that!

NickD on Tue November 10, 2009 7:05 AM User is offline

They are running lots of 2,400 VAC around here on two wires, put a step down transformer on the poles to bring it down to 240 VAC, wires are bare. A fiberglass ladder would not help much if one were to grab those two wires. We are all underground for that, so I could buy an aluminum ladder, but better buy a fiberglass shovel. Looking at an aluminum ladder with rubber feet, not for electrical insulation, but so the damn thing won't slide.

MikeH on Tue November 10, 2009 7:24 AM User is offline

Yeah, Nick. I have both a 14' aluminum extension ladder and a 10' aluminum folding ladder - both with rubber feet. Neither will slip. Also, for just around the inside of the house I use a short step ladder, you know, one that pops apart with steps and has the rack on top to hold tools and paint? Really handy to hand stuff on walls.

NickD on Wed November 11, 2009 6:30 AM User is offline

After touring my building and hardware stores in town ended up buying a Cosco premium 8' step ladder that cost $109.00 here.



Double the price on the net, cheapest 8' aluminum was a Werner for 63 bucks, but had skimpy feet and kind of wobbled, this one is sturdy. Also looked at fiberglass with all that electrical safety stuff, gee, just the rails were fiberglass, the steps and all the brackets are aluminum, think these guys are smoking crack, and what if it's raining outside? Mine as a big caution on it for electrical work, but they don't mention if you are working on 120 or a zillion volts.

Didn't think the garbage man would take my old ladder, four feet is the maximum, so hauled it back in. Without any great effort and a bad leg, broke the steps in half with a pair of vice grips. Had a long 1/4" bolt that bend in half also without any effort so the whole thing fit easily inside of a plastic garbage bad. Had this thing so long, guess I didn't pay attention to the fact it was rotting away. Well it's history now.

Got chewed out by my doctor for not taking pain killers, said they block the pain and can't tell if I am doing more damage, addictive, caused custer like headaches, and severe constipation, don't need that. Said then to pour down ibuprofen, just said the kind of pain relief you get from ibuprofen isn't worth taking. Then chewed me out for not wearing that leg brace, said it hurts like hell rubbing again that worn out skin and causes my knee to really swell, I will just watch it. Did ask how come they never repaired my severed PCL, just said, I begged to, said I didn't need it. Going to see a different doctor tomorrow, see what he says.

Also tore up my rain gutter in the fall, fixed that yesterday with my new ladder. Worse part for me now is getting up from the prone or sitting down position. Get a big kick out of my one year old granddaughter, walking great now, when she wants to sit, just flops down on her butt. Ha, we should try that.

NickD on Thu November 19, 2009 1:18 PM User is offline

Yawn, getting bored, saw the doc today after 12 days, still wants me to lay on my can or rather stay off that leg. Says I have knee joints better than a 40 year old, should be happy that I am in such good shape, but stay off the roof. Just said, did get a new ladder, but may have a phobia now about getting back up there. Can he recommend a good psychologist?

Wife looked at my Supra this morning, are you ever going to get that car running again? Said, it runs, but want to change the timing belt, but added, you keep on giving me projects to do, like hanging Christmas decorations. If I didn't fall, it would have been done. She said, are you blaming me? Said yes, this is America, we always blame somebody else.

MikeH on Thu November 19, 2009 2:31 PM User is offline

My God, ain't it the truth. When something happens to anybody it is never their fault.
Getting hit by a drunk driver would be an exception.

HECAT on Thu November 19, 2009 3:27 PM User is offline

Quote
Originally posted by: MikeH
My God, ain't it the truth. When something happens to anybody it is never their fault.

Getting hit by a drunk driver would be an exception.

Why an exception?

"If I was not laid off, the bartender kept selling me drinks, and the used car salesman had not put me in this thing: I would not have hit you."

My kids have this perfected.

Nick, thanks for the update. Stay off the knee.

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Edited: Thu November 19, 2009 at 4:39 PM by HECAT

NickD on Sat November 21, 2009 7:34 AM User is offline

Health insurance companies are always looking for someone to blame or me to sue for what is called an accident. Just told my doc, my own damn fault for not pitching that ladder, was up and down it about 50 times without problems, but finally decided to give out.

Told my wife to get me one of these for Christmas.



Use to climb 50 foot poles for antenna maintenance at the airports, but insisting they get me one of these for that kind of work today.

Karl Hofmann on Sun November 22, 2009 3:33 AM User is offlineView users profile

Ha! Nick, I'd rather climb up the post rather than use a cherry picker, they sway with every movement.... Saw the doctor the other day as a follow up from my op in February and he's decided the next disc up has to come out so I'll be in Salford Royal on the 9th of December for a couple of days... I did protest that since I'm only 5ft 9 inches tall, that I coldn't afford to lose any more height, the smart ass pointed out that the 70s were coming back into fasion and platform shoes would be both helpful and stylish...

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Never knock on deaths door... Ring the doorbell and run away, death really hates that!

NickD on Sun November 22, 2009 6:54 AM User is offline

The new FAA equipment has a guarded ladder and provisions for locking on a safety belt that is self locking if you miss a step with a large platform on top that is fenced in rather than just an old rotting wooden pole with those spikes on the side. And impossible to wear a safety belt with those as would get tangled up with those side spikes. And not very many of those side spikes so when on top only one foot has a step. Have to use one hand to hang on only leaving one left to work with. And you don't want to drop a tool in the process.

I feel a lot more secure when topping a tree, to strap an extension ladder to the trunk, raise it as I go up using straps, did that a couple of year ago with a safety belt so I had both hands free to use my chain saw. Takes a bit of care so the top doesn't land on you. Neighbor just had their home reroofed, see their contractor rented a cherry picker. I used an extension ladder carrying a couple of bundles on one shoulder, but always concerned about the ladder sliding sideways, nothing to attach the top to. And always was a bit nervous with the first couple of runs bend forward near the edge. Think my roofing days are over.

Both my ex-father-in-law and my son-in-law's dad worked in construction, both had falls that crippled them for life doing rush jobs, not worth it.

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