The Xtenda Legs now cost $96 from Amazon. As a safety feature, they are easily worth the money. The rubber pads hold up very well even after 10 years of exposure to the sun. However the metal parts do rust, and the plate which secures the rubber to the pivot mechanism will corrode. Always buy spare parts. Use stainless steel bolts and nuts instead of the maker's parts.
I am a professional window cleaner and these things are quite literally life savers. They say they are not supposed to be used on slick surfaces but I use them on wet grass all the time just don't do it on a sharp incline unless you have someone to spot you.Forget the brick under one ladder foot say good bye to the hail Mary ladder moves.I do a lot of ladder moves in a day and I trust my life to these things fifty times a day.
Are these better then the rectangular sliding Werner ladder extenders? I like the fact that the Werner has pins to lock it in place Also I have no worry about slippage with the spring and lever mechanism on these
I've been using these types of levelers for almost two decades. In your assembly review you show two common brands, and I can say I greatly prefer the Xtenda-Leg version because the cage around the Ladder Pro brand is more difficult to access the release for people like myself with wide feet.
I usually don't use my foot to release the tension. I start with the feet in the up position, and after I put the ladder up I step on the foot to put down whichever side needs it. Then when I'm done, I take the ladder down and just push up the foot with my hands. Once in a while I need to adjust upward when the ladder is up too, but I also typically use my hand to pinch the release. Not sure my boot would catch the release, but I'll try it next time. The extension cords catching on the release are what can annoy me!
I can see an application of this when you are painting the ascending edge of the roof. As you move the ladder in order to paint, one leg of the ladder needs to be adjusted.
I was able to install them on the vulcan ladder. Only issue is that the bracket is too close to the legs and you cannot push the extension pad up past the original ladders feet. I attached them so that I can unscrew the extension rubber pad and then push the extension bar further up. Then I can use the ladder on all four original feet.
I would love to buy a couple of these leveler. The cost of materials to build these things isn't that expensive, I suppose if there's a copy right could raise the price. I looked on the internet to price these levelers, and the prices are out of sight. I guess I'll settle for putting a brick under one leg to level my ladder.
It's funny--I haven't bought any recently, but I just checked and the prices have gone up considerably. The ones shown in this video are about $80-90 for a pair now, which is on the cheaper end. Still, if you use your ladder regularly, the cost for the increased safety and convenience is worth it.
I understand your concern, but it's really not an issue in practice. You need to hold the tab down to slide the leg any distance and in the years I've been using this design I've never come close to dropping anything on the tab.
Excellent question--these can generally be used on either aluminum or fiberglass ladders. Since there are a lot of different brands, though, check to be certain your brand works on both.
It depends on your bolt size. Hold the drill bit up to the side of your bolt and the drill bit should just obscure the threads. You don't want too big of a hole or the bolts will become loose over time. Just big enough so the bolt slides through.
If I were putting these on my extension ladder...… I would use a nut in place of the washers. One nut is about the same thickness as the three washers.. I'm buying a set to bolt to the back of my 12 ft enclosed trailer. I call it my "MOBILE" storage, that's where I store my lawn equipment. It has the back as a ramp door, "AND" ONCE upon a time...heavy on the ONCE!!! I backed out of the trailer when it wasn't attached to the truck.. YEP! did a great wheelie... like to have scared Maaah to death.. heh-heh-heh I'm using a scissor jack at the present to stabilize the rear. But these particular stabilizers ought to cure my problem.... and save Maaah from an emergency room trip!!!! Y'all have a great day in the "LORD".....
