This is nothing new, but I thought I'd mention it....whenever I need to get on the shop roof, I used to just use an extension ladder leaned against the gutter. But...I'm at an age where I'm still willing to go on the roof, but my willingness to fall 16 feet to solid Earth has waned considerably.
I made a quick 'ladder landing bar' out of some 1-1/4" SS angle and used 3/8" lag screws to attach it to the header the gutter attaches to. The header is a solid 2x8 board, and I used some SS spacers between the angle and header so the gutter itself sees no load. I then made some eyelets to allow me to securely ratchet strap the ladder in place.
On the ground, I backed up my Kubota tractor until the drawbar touches the ladder, then strapped it as well.
The result? The ladder is super-rigid...going up went from a shaky experience to one of pure confidence. Best of all, the transition from ladder-to-roof and back is no longer a tricky maneuver. Cheap, long lasting, and very effective.
I made a quick 'ladder landing bar' out of some 1-1/4" SS angle and used 3/8" lag screws to attach it to the header the gutter attaches to. The header is a solid 2x8 board, and I used some SS spacers between the angle and header so the gutter itself sees no load. I then made some eyelets to allow me to securely ratchet strap the ladder in place.
On the ground, I backed up my Kubota tractor until the drawbar touches the ladder, then strapped it as well.
The result? The ladder is super-rigid...going up went from a shaky experience to one of pure confidence. Best of all, the transition from ladder-to-roof and back is no longer a tricky maneuver. Cheap, long lasting, and very effective.