Free-Standing Ladder Holder

Free-Standing Ladder Holder FARM HOME Miscellaneous 30-1-34 Until recently, James Granzow, Hubbard, Iowa, didn't have a problem putting Christmas lights on the trees around his house. But they're around 15 ft. tall now so he came up with a nifty free-standing ladder holder that'll work great for other jobs, too. Made out of 1-in. dia. electrical conduit, the rolling cart has an 11-ft. long base. He sets an extension ladder in a small box just ahead of the wheels. Two telescoping supporting arms are held to the ladder by a rod that goes through one of the ladder's rungs. The arms can be adjusted to hold the ladder at whatever angle is needed. The support arms are 3/4-in. conduit over 1/2-in., with drilled holes every 6 in. in the smaller pipe. The base conduit extends under the tree's branches to the trunk in order to keep the ladder as close to the tree as possible. A 1/4-in. thick truss-like cable runs under the entire base from one end to the other to add strength. It's hard to see in the photo but Granzow says, "That's where all the pressure is." "If I have to extend the ladder in excess of 15 ft. there are long telescoping poles made from 1-in. over 3/4-in. conduit that attach to the upper portion of the ladder and reach the ground several feet on each side of the rig," he says. "This stabilizes it from side to side and provides added strength to the entire rig. "After I'm done with it, I just slide it into the machine shed rafters," says Granzow. "It works real good." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, James Granzow, 314 W. Maple St., Hubbard, Iowa 50122 (ph 641 864-3107; jhgranzo @netins.net).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.