With the telesteps, you’re putting your life on a set of pins.
I’ll stick with the foldable ladders thank you.
More people are injured or killed on conventional ladders. Ladders are dangerous. Be careful
Don’t know about the Metaltech but the directions for the TeleSteps are the same. If you don’t open the ladder to full height, you open from the bottom. You release the locks at the bottom and the ladder collapses into itself. Nothing holding the ladder in the open position if you do it the other way. I guess the question is, who are you going to blame when it collapses because you did the opposite of the manufacturers directions?
I wouldn’t buy the the normal bar step version. I like the wide step version and the locks appear to be bigger because of the available space.
Are any of the accidents involving the “wide step” version of these ladders or only the bar step version? Bryce?
The poor thing couldn’t bear the heavy load. They’re only rated for 300 lbs.:mrgreen::mrgreen:
Ditto Dave…!!!
The Pins SNAPPED off on my Telesteps, and I weigh about 175 lbs.
I would NEVER use anything but Folding Step Ladder(s) and my Gorilla Ladder AGAIN.
I posted the pictures here of the Telesteps in two pieces last year I think on this MB…In my opinion their an ambulance waiting.
:D:D:D
Brian, in looking at your pictures, is there a reason you did not follow manufacturers instructions for extending your ladder? 
Dale…
Good to see you again. Hope you are doing well.
Don’t be a stranger!!!
Jeff
This is an Extend and climb ladder Stephen. 
This is exactly how an **ExtendandClimb **Ladder is supposed to be used Stephen. ;)
Don’t think so. Unless you open to full height, you start from the bottom and leave the unused rungs at the top.
http://www.xtendandclimb.com/instructions.htm
Same as TeleSteps. 
Steve,
I would never own a telestep but please enlighten me. What is the issue with leaving the unused rungs at the bottom verses the top?
Telesteps has pins at the bottom of the ladder David that lock/unlock ALL OF THE RUNGS at the same time, the Extend and Climb ladder each rung locks/unlocks separately. I still do not see where Stephen is finding his info about how to lock Extend and climb rungs.
I think the thing to remember is that ALL ladders can be dangerous. The close calls, and thankfully not much worse than that, have nearly all been coming down the ladder.
In reality it’s basic SOP when many of us learned about ladder safety, that we were supposed to be “spotted”. And as I gather, most of us are out in the field alone, unless you include the RE Agent and your client.
I imagine that most of us have had more than a few close calls.
A short but sad story included below
Maybe a good idea for some of us. A roofer I knew had shown me a little tip many moons ago. He told me that if he were to have to climb a long way up, he would hammer a metal stake behind his ladder. Or block in some similar way. Simple enough and maybe some of you do that now anyway. The roofer’s point was, and I’ve found it to be true several times “When you step out/around from roof surface and transfer your weight on the ladder, some shifting occurs, this is when most accidents happen”.
Be careful, don’t be in a hurry, make sure that people know the addresses that you are going to be at. Simple enough.
Anyways, if this point doesn’t hit home… the roofer was out one day by himself doing estimates, didn’t follow his own advice and fell, he laid there for the rest of the day on the side of the commercial building, until someone noticed him there. The injury took a few years back and forth to get him, but it did. He passed away a few years ago. I see his wife who now works for a mutual friend of ours, so when I forget about ladder safety, when I see the roofers wife, I remember.
Tim
Since my ladder incident (broken tibia and replacing tendons), I have drilled holes at the lower portion of my ladder to receive screws. I now screw my ladder directly to the deck.
David,
Great Idea!
2 Questions:
How are you doing now?
When you fell, was it going down, and more specifically when you initially transferred weight back on the ladder?
BTW, I fractured a carpal bone (I don’t fly in the air well either) 4 years ago, they hurt more as we get older, was #5 for me. I recovered fairly well with exercise and such… hands less than a 100%, but I still work out a bit too. Helps. Don’t give up. Seriously, if you can, work out!
I hope you’re getting close to having some or most of the pain gone, takes a while.
Tim
Tim,
As I was coming off the roof, I placed one foot on the second rung down, then as I brought the other foot around to meet on the same rung, the bearing end of the ladder started sliding away from the house (it was bearing on a composite deck). These composite decks are very slippery.
The ladder stopped sliding and I was thankful. So I slowly placed my foot on the next rung down and the ladder started to slide again, but this time the top of my ladder fell off the roof bearing and slid down the siding and smashed right through a window. I then fell off the ladder but my poor left leg stayed inside the rung. My leg then snapped in half (at the tibia) and my body fell to the deck below. I was in absolute pain and couldn’t even move my leg. It was in a Z shape when I looked at it.
I grabbed my cell phone out of my pants pocket and called 911. The ambulance showed up loaded me on a gurney and off I go. There’s more to this incident, but it’s a long ordeal that I had to go through.
I went through a lot of pain for about 18 months. I’m fine now, but I’m preparing for arthritis to set in soon.
I broke my Right Tibia by getting it caught in something when falling as well.
Arthritis…yep!
This sounds bad, but, can you still hear the sound of your bone snapping? I can remember the sound on a couple…ugh!
Anyways, that’s awesome that most of the pain is gone and you’re back to work! I’m sure that you’re thankful that it wasn’t a whole lot worse.
Tim
Well I can only take so much, and after all of the Ladder Accident stories I have changed my ways. Thanx for all the input.
