When you think of the aluminum ladder it is natural to think of nothing more than a single, or perhaps an extendable ladder which you can use to get up and clean the windows or empty out the gutters, but that is just the tip of the ice berg. I reverently visited the warehouse of an aluminum ladder company who specialized in making custom ladders and I was absolutely blown away by the wide range which they are able to produce. What I love in particular about this is that in a world where we are seeing so much automation and digitalization, so many of the pieces which are made here are still put together by hand and whilst computers are used in the design process, there is still that artisan charm to these products.
Here are just a few examples of some of the ladders which I saw.
Aircraft
One of theist striking things which I saw when I walked in were these enormous ladders which were for use on airplanes, and they were installed with wheels underneath that connected to a small vehicle. You may have seen these before when you are sat on the plane, and to be honest I didn’t remember them looking so big. Once you see them up close and personal however, you quickly realize just how long they are.
Smart Ladders
Some companies and professions have very specific needs for their ladders and that is why they come to a company like this one. For example they may be looking for ladders which can climb and then have an area which flattens to horizontally for a walk way, perhaps to access certain structures. These are hard to design because of the physics and the process by which they make them is fascinating.
Home Ladders
Even looking at the home section was interesting because there was way more to it that just your standard up and down ladders. Here there were ladders which were going to be hooked on to rails for a library and others which were going to for a loft. with an extension coming down and not up.
Boats
When boats dock many of them need solid ladders which will be attached to the side to allow passengers the chance to get on and off and this of course is going to have different specifications depending on the boat. There were a number of these that I saw which were on their way to boats around the country.
Fire Service
The fire service of course require bigger and stronger ladders than most and the size of them is incredible when you see them up close and personal. I am not sure that I would even enjoy climbing up ladders that tall, let alone doing so in a fire resistant uniform wielding a big hose.
There are many more ladders than you may know and if you are looking for a customizable ladder then there isn’t much that these places cannot create for you.