I used this with Louisville Ladder FE3224 Fiberglass Extension Ladder 300-Pound Capacity, 24-Feet to clean my gutters. It works perfectly. It is easy to assemble (tighten 10 nuts/bolts) and takes just a few seconds to connect to the ladder with the two wire lock pins.
Because I have deep overhangs, I had the standoff's rubber feet resting on the roof shingles. I did not notice that they damaged the shingles like some others have mentioned but I will keep an eye on it. I also purchased mine in June 2016 and the edges on the step pieces were not overly sharp, so maybe the manufacturer has paid attention to others complaints.
For those of you who have Little Giant ladders, this standoff does work with a caveat since you are not able to attach it to every single rung. I have included photos of the standoff attached to my Little Giant Alta One 22 Ft Ladder I bought back in 2011. The ladder fits the requirements of the stand off (rungs 12" on center and depth of rung 2" or less) but it can't be attached where the extension rung overlaps the main rung because the two overlapped rungs are deeper than 2" (see second photo). The photo shows the ladder in full extension (where only one rung overlaps) which allows you to attach the standoff on the top three rungs. If you are trying to attach the standoff on a side that is not fully extended, you will be losing attachment points since more rungs will start to overlap.
Easy to assemble and install, however the assembly instructions could be clearer. However, it makes the ladder much harder to set up and move once it's installed since it kind of throws off the balance of the ladder. Also, the top couple rungs need to be extended for it to attach, and it would not allow those rungs to slide back down with the product installed on my Werner 28' fiberglass extension ladder. So basically adds additional footage to your ladder before you even start to lift it into place and extend it.
Also, once you get the ladder set up and the product resting on the roof it is difficult to make small adjustments. Part of the problem is that the rubber feet of the product grip the roof so well that the ladder does not want to move side to side. And if trying to slide the ladder in or out to adjust the angle, the feet will actually hold the extension up and prevent it from locking again without standing the ladder straight up again.
I also experienced an issue where i could not get the ladder to line up perfectly straight, as if the product was not square. To be fair, i did not measure the product for square after assembly as indicated in the instructions.
I found that it was almost impossible to set the ladder up with just one person while this product was attached. However, the ladder does feel very stable when in use and that is the real purpose. And it works fantastic for accessing gutters while cleaning. I believe the difficulties in use will go away with time as i get more used to handling the ladder with the product installed. My only other con would be that it really is kind of expensive for what it is.
these are amazingly stable and make me much more comfortable getting on and off the roof. it's also much easier for me to clean my gutters without having to lean on the gutter! i'd buy these again and again because they're worth every penny. i wish i'd known about them before. i use them too with a Guardian Fall Protection 10800 Safe-T Ladder Extension System (sold separately), which makes it doubly good (see photos). the combination makes the ladder top-heavy, especially with a fiberglass ladder, so it's recommended to have two people manage moving the ladder to avoid breaking a window. i did file the sharp edges a bit with a file because they were left unfinished when the metal was cut out at the factory. not a big deal, but they could cut someone not wearing gloves.
Safety first! When you are literally putting your life on a ladder you don't cut corners as far as safety goes. This Ladder Max Stabilizer is extremely safe and secure and made out of heavy duty steel. I needed a stabilizer with a 19" standoff for rain gutter installation. The Ladder Max Stabilizer was exactly what I needed to comfortably install my rain gutters.
There are cheaper stabilizers out there but you get what you pay for. I can't stress this enough, don't cut corners on safety. Invest in a Ladder Max Ladder stabilizer. It's not worth putting your life at risk with cheaper less well made brands.
When you are at the top of a 24 foot ladder you don't want to mess up.
Do it right and invest in a Ladder Max Stabilizer. Less well made could end up costing you thousands if you fall off. I feel very secure on my ladder 24 feet up with the Ladder Max.
Will highly recommend it to everyone. Perfect for gutter installation.
+1 - Arrived on time, and not damaged
+1 - Item is as described
+2 - Item functions as described, and is really well made
-1 - Cost
Thoughts: For what it is, it's pretty expensive. It was also a bit to put together, so don't expect to open the box and slap this on your ladder. It will take 10-20 minutes to put together depending your skill level. Putting on and taking off of the ladder is not too bad. Do understand that this adds a bit of weight to your ladder. I was used to handling my 24' ladder by myself and positioning it. With this on, I need an extra person to spot the ladder while I held it and extended it. Taking off the house also became a 2 person job - to ensure it was done without any accidents. Once it was up on the house, I could easily slide it side to side, but putting up and taking down needs a second person. I'm also not 6' 250lbs, so perhaps if you're a bigger person you could handle it a bit better on your own. Just food for thought. All in all, does exactly what I needed which was to NOT sit on my new gutters, and the rubber feet protect my shingles and my siding - wherever I need to place it. Highly satisfied, other than the cost could be lower for what it is.
Feature Product
- Recomended in recent issue of "This Old House"
- #1 Selling Ladder Standoff in North America
- Installs On and Off Your Ladder in Seconds
- Protects Your Gutters and Keeps You SAFE! 19" of Standoff.
- Ladder-Max Stand-Off Stabilzer "The Original" Made in the USA
Description
Enjoy safety and confidence while using your ladder. This is the best built, and easiest to use ladder standoff available to Homeowners and Contractors. It improves ladder stability and safety while protecting gutters and other surfaces. Great for cleaning gutters, installing Christmas lights, cleaning windows, safely getting on your roof, painting, and other DIY projects. It has been ANSI certified and tested for direct roof placement and can be used to comply with OSHA requirements for roof access. Ladder-Max provides 19" of standoff from roofing and walls and is built in the USA with durable zinc platted steel construction materials. Fits aluminum, fiberglass and articulating ladders. Ladder-Max takes 10 minutes to assemble and can then be installed on and off your ladder in seconds. For convenience add our NEW Tool and Project Tray, the Multi-Tray MT 1000. It easily connects with wto re-usable zip ties for quick on and off. The Ladder-Max Standoff/Stabilizer will fit ladders with the following clearances: 11-3/4 width between the ladder side rails; spacing of rungs 12 in on center; depth of ladder rungs the standoff will rest on should be 2 inches or less.
Awesome sturdy attachment for your extension ladder. Makes cleaning the gutters eaisr and safe. Now I'm able to just reach down into the gutters. Before I would have to have the ladder against the house and then had to reach over the eves and into the gutters. This never felt very safe and I was always reaching into the gutters blindly. Also, this makes getting on to and off the roof a breeze and also provides a way to do so safely. Materials are good quality, easy to put together and it only takes a minute to take it off, put back on or use on another extension ladder you may have. I would definitely recommend this as a must have for anyone who wants or needs to work up high around the house. This has provided me with more sturdy ladder setting / footing and does't slip or move making use of my ladder more safe and confident. Take it from someone who blessed to be alive where last year I was planning on doing work on the roof, gutters and eves.. I was cheap and at the time didn't want to spend the money something like this and a saftey harness and ropes. Well, after years of going up and down ladders, climbing trees and cutting branches while working around the house I fell 30+ feet. Broke 7 ribs, punctured both lungs, broke my pelvis, lacerated my liver and kidney as well as a head injury. I was in ICU for 8 days etc etc... my wife found me unresponsive... again, I'm blessed that she called 911 and didnt just sneak away thinking... hmm, insurance money, bereavement cruise... lol... Anyway, I recommend this and have recently got the courage to get back up on the ladder after no of course with saftey equipment but still much to the disapproval of my wife... I just like doing things myself.
I don't know how anybody does stuff on the roof of most houses without a stand-off. I have a two story house with lots of gutters and a lot of one story extensions. If I didn't have this, I would be destroying the side of the house and gutters putting a ladder everywhere. The stand-off feels very safe and stable--it really buys me a lot of confidence. This is particularly important because I hate heights and can't stand working on ladders, so this makes it slightly more palatable. It has some sharp edges from machining here and there tat you might want to file a bit, but construction quality is generally very good. You do need to assemble it carefully per the instructions or you'll end up not square and you can bend it. I had no such issues, fortunately, but it did take about an hour to get it together, carefully. I now use it at least once a week. You'll want to store it indoors probably off the ladder--it looks like it might rust sitting around outside. My ladder lives under the deck. The stand-off removes easily and goes on in seconds. I wouldn't get on the ladder without it--seriously.
The LadderMax stabilizer is a quality built product and it worked well at keeping the ladder secure against the roof surface - enough so that I (at 66) could easily climb off onto the roof of our family room to replace a bolt in the metal chimney support struts. It does throw off the balance of the ladder while carrying, and it's a bit too expensive for what the actual qty. of the components, but it's not a bad deal if it keeps you from a tumble from 15 feet up. It's pretty easy to put together but an extra set of hands would come in handy. In particular, the primary bolt/nut combination you need to attach the structure to the 2 "feet" requires squeezing the aluminum piece to compress the 2 sides enough to get the bolt through enough to attach the washer/nut. I used a large lock pliers to do that - but the instructions imply that it's a simple task. I'd buy it again - but I'd feel better paying $60. for it.
Unique design for the stand off angle in which helps reduce muscle fatigue while working @ 15’ to 35-Ft above the ground on a ladder.
Little Giant or Werner A-frame style Ladders don’t necessarily work as well as a extension ladder because the A-frame ladder is wide at the Feet, but narrow @ the middle steps.
The U shape bracket slides over the 1st and 3rd ladder step and then mechanically slide the pin that is hanging off your Ladder-Max Stand Off through the holes which are located under your ladder step, ( This is the primary lock pin ) .
The pin can sometimes be in a not so safe of a position on these ladders, but it doesn’t seem to be a safety concern. We use them every day and it is the best safest ladder support “Hands Down” I have several sets throughout the crews and my own set for inspections and they are perfect.
I have a long history of learning things the hard way.Recently I was putting a metal roof on my shed on a very hot day and got dehydrated to the point of having severe muscle cramps anytime I used any muscle. Hands, feet, abs, lower back,legs or arms. To top it off I was working alone. Yep, lots of world-class stupid that day. I knew there was no way to safely use the laddder to get off the roof because I had set it up in an unstable way. I wasn't a super genius that day but I do learn from my mistakes. I ordered a :Ladder-Max and used it to finish the roof this past weekend. This is a great product for what I was doing. I set the ladder so that the max ladder pads were against the side of the shed to do trim work and on the roof to finish the roof. I followed advice from another reviewer and put a cheap mat from Home Depot (get a thin door mat with non-slip rubber backing on one side and indoor/outdoor carpet on the other. I think mine is a TrafficMASTER-Enviroback-Charcoal-60-in-x-36-in-Recycled-Rubber Door Mat) on the roof to set the pads on. Not only did the mat protect the roof, it kept the ladder solidly in.place and provided solid footing for me when getting on and off the roof. The only downsides I encountered were minor. As stated in another review the sheet metal edges are sharp and need to be smoothed. Also seems likely you will wear the pads quickly if you are not careful. Although the product is light putting it at one end of an extension ladder has leverage working against you, making the ladder a little awkward to move. Still I consider it to be an important piece of safety equipment that I will always use when using an extension ladder.
As far as compatibility goes, I was not using a regular extension ladder. Instead, I was using one of those ladders that are designed to be used in a lot of different configurations, i.e., a "multi-position ladder". After assembly, the Ladder-Max only takes a few seconds to put on the ladder or to remove it. One reviewer said that Ladder-Max does not work with the really thick rungs and I believe that. For standard size rungs, though, it does not matter whether they are round, square, triangular, or whatever profile.
One more thing. The Ladder-Max seems a bit over-priced but I consider it to be a bargain compared to being seriously injured.
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