Little Giant Ladders

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sumitonly

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#139329 5-Feb-2014 10:57

Does anyone know where I can buy them from? I live in Wellington region.

I am actually planning to buy a multi-purpose ladder and I was told that 'Gorilla' ladders are not that great. I would also like to know what's your guys preference is.

So far, I have shortlisted 4 brands, in no specific order
1. Gorilla
2. Ox
3. Rhino
4. Little Giant

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timmmay

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#980567 5-Feb-2014 11:01

I have two of those ladders that fold up to be quite compact. I think they last 2-3 years before they rust or the joints break or become hard to work with. Not sure what brand I have. If you don't really need the compactness or the strange shapes they can make, don't buy one.

BigPipeNZ

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BigPipe

#980596 5-Feb-2014 12:11

I have a gorilla one. I've had it for about 5 years. No rust or other problems with it.

The only issue is that because it folds out to be massive, that means it is also pretty heavy, so my wife hates it for smaller jobs that really only need a smaller ladder as she can't really lift it (she is quite small and weak though.... ).

So she has her own little ladies step ladder, and I have my manly gorilla :D

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Bung

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#980605 5-Feb-2014 12:15

timmmay: I have two of those ladders that fold up to be quite compact. I think they last 2-3 years before they rust or the joints break

I think you are talking about a different style of ladder, one that folds into a "W" or "M" shape and is known to be dodgy http://www.consumer.org.nz/news/view/multipurpose-ladders-unsafe

I have a Gorilla AL17 that I use for the ability to vary the length of 1 side of the A frame and as 2 short trestles.
The Gorilla is "only" rated for 120kg and this style of ladder is about twice as heavy as a normal step ladder (19kg)

If a standard combination ladder would do I can recommend Ulrich.

ubergeeknz

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Vocus

#980615 5-Feb-2014 12:26

timmmay: I think they last 2-3 years before they rust

Wow, no Aluminium then? I have an Ulrich ladder (well, technically mum's) which must be at least 20 years old and it's still good as new. Yay Aluminium.

Jase2985

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#980856 5-Feb-2014 17:06

BigPipeNZ: I have a gorilla one. I've had it for about 5 years. No rust or other problems with it.

Ditto. i love its flexibility

no rust. its like anything though if you take good care of it it will last a lot longer.

BigPipeNZ

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BigPipe

#980857 5-Feb-2014 17:08

Jase2985:
BigPipeNZ: I have a gorilla one. I've had it for about 5 years. No rust or other problems with it.

Ditto. i love its flexibility

no rust. its like anything though if you take good care of it it will last a lot longer.

I don't even take very good care of it. It's spent half it's life outside in the rain, caked in mud and/or paint.

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timmmay

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#980898 5-Feb-2014 17:58

The 5 year or so old one that has stiff joints and is starting to rust is butlers. The two year old warrior's in better condition, but I can see by 5 years it won't be perfect. They're a lot more complex than standard ladders, not sure if they're aluminium or steel too - well the parts rusting are obviously iron based.

raytaylor

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#980914 5-Feb-2014 18:41

I was recently riding up a hill and had my A style ladder strapped to the back of the quad bike. Went through a gate, didnt have the quad centred as i went through and the ladder went into the gate post, bent and is now unusable. Was a nice and light alum one too.

So went to Mitre 10 and got one of these for like $150
http://australia.wernerco.com/view/Products/Climbing-Equipment/Multi-Purpose-Ladders/MT-AZ/MT-17AZ

It allows me to get onto one storey buildings to install rooftop antennas quite easily (90% of the houses we come across)

A little disappointing is that it is heavier than an aluminuim A style ladder, but the one i got is still light enough to carry around quite easily and it folds up to fit into the trunk of the car.

I use it like 5 times a week, leave it in the rain- it gets covered in mud whenever I am on the quad bike going up to a transmitter site and so far I am impressed for the price - considering you see the multi purpose ones on the informercials for like $500+ or the gorilla ones at the home and garden trade shows for close to $1k

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kiwigander

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#981032 5-Feb-2014 22:23

I'm not sure if it would be flexible enough for your uses, but I highly recommend Jaws ladders ( http://www.brookings.co.nz/Brookings_Online_Jaws_Ladders.html) .

They're aluminium, very solid (I'm not good with heights and a bit of a klutz yet have no problem working on either of my Jaws ladders fully extended) and quite versatile. They're quite durable. My older Jaws is somewhere around 20 years old and is solid as ever.

The downsides are, they're bloody heavy, and they're very expensive.

mcraenz

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#981056 5-Feb-2014 22:59

I've got a AL-17-C : Gorilla Multi 15. I'm very happy with it. Compact but can extend up to 4.5M! But yes it is heavy but that's ok for around home. Contractor would hate carting it around I think. I got it from Mitre10 mega a few years ago. Aluminium so should last ages I keep it clean and dry with hinges lubed.

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Bung

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#981085 6-Feb-2014 06:44

raytaylor: So went to Mitre 10 and got one of these for like $150
http://australia.wernerco.com/view/Products/Climbing-Equipment/Multi-Purpose-Ladders/MT-AZ/MT-17AZ

It allows me to get onto one storey buildings to install rooftop antennas quite easily (90% of the houses we come across)

A little disappointing is that it is heavier than an aluminuim A style ladder, but the one i got is still light enough to carry around quite easily and it folds up to fit into the trunk of the car.

I use it like 5 times a week, leave it in the rain- it gets covered in mud whenever I am on the quad bike going up to a transmitter site and so far I am impressed for the price - considering you see the multi purpose ones on the informercials for like $500+ or the gorilla ones at the home and garden trade shows for close to $1k

150 is a good price. I don't know where Gorilla @ $1000 comes from, mine was low 200s. Little Giant might be pricier.

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raytaylor

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#981164 6-Feb-2014 12:22

Bung:

150 is a good price. I don't know where Gorilla @ $1000 comes from, mine was low 200s. Little Giant might be pricier.

They had a bigger one for $200 but I decided since they weigh 3x more than a standard aluminuim A frame ladder, and I didnt think i could lift it with one arm, I went for the medium sized one which I can put my arm through, lift it up and walk with one of the rungs resting on my shoulder. Its still heavy but I can deal with it.

Ray Taylor

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