Tripod ladders

[MisterBoy]

I have a 25m long leylandii hedge, trimmed to between 8-10m high. Even with my long-reach stihl tools I can only get about half way up.

I've been wondering for a while about getting a proper tripod ladder but they are pretty pricey. But if I can do the hedge myself it's going to save be calling someone out every year and I'm sure I'll use it on other things too, pruning etc.

Henchman's largest one seems to be one of these, at a whopping ~5m/16 feet: https://www.henchman.co.uk/ladders-...ders/platform-tripod-ladder-3-adjustable-leg/

But not having used one, I'm not sure if I could stand on top and then use my long-reach trimmer - this would give me almost exactly the height I need. I have done this from a step ladder before and it wasn't the most fun experience but OK, a tripod should be more stable but 5m is a lot higher than 2m for working hands-free!

The other option - if I insist on being able to do this myself - would be a scaffold tower. Presumably much easier to work from but a lot heavier, more faff to store it and get it in place, and lots of places I couldn't use it... I don't want both.

If the ladder only lets me work at my head height, that's not much more than I can do from the ground with the long-reach tools. Anyone used these able to give advice on realistic safe use?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

edit

 

[MisterBoy]

Anyone else? Bueller?

 

[blup]

The Henchman gets good reviews but at 5 metres there will be a lot of sway, even with a wide base. So hire a scaffold tower, or why not reduce the height.

Blup

 

[JohnD]

I'm surprised it's only a tripod

my neighbour had something similar, two legs that folded out like an easel, making a four-legged ladder. Seemed pretty secure, though he usually positioned it so the ladder part was resting against the hedge (composed of close-planted Leylandii, now happily felled)

Looking out, I should say it reached about 5 metres height.

Your ten-metre Leylandii hedge sounds to me like an unneighbourly nuisance.

You can also get a pole saw, with either a chainsaw or hedgeclipper head attachment, which saves a lot of running up and down ladders. I had some people in to do my trees, I might hire one and see if I can manage it myself.

I have used scaffold towers, but you really need several people, to wind the wheels up and down and push it to the next position.

 

[MisterBoy]

I'm surprised it's only a tripod

my neighbour had something similar, two legs that folded out like an easel, making a four-legged ladder. Seemed pretty secure, though he usually positioned it so the ladder part was resting against the hedge (composed of close-planted Leylandii, now happily felled)

Looking out, I should say it reached about 5 metres height.

This sounds pretty similar to another Henchman product, https://www.henchman.co.uk/hi-step ?

Your ten-metre Leylandii hedge sounds to me like an unneighbourly nuisance.

I have no neighbours. It's a screening boundary between us and the road, but it's about 50m from our house to the hedge, another 50 to the road, and we're up a hill so it HAS to be tall to work. I think we had it cut down to about 9m and it's grown back, so that's really the height I want. It was almost twice that height when we moved in, as a reminder what leylandii can do in 25-30 years - the previous owners planted it. We're talking more something you'd see in a stately home (the hedge not my house!)

You can also get a pole saw, with either a chainsaw or hedgeclipper head attachment, which saves a lot of running up and down ladders. I had some people in to do my trees, I might hire one and see if I can manage it myself.

I've got both the Stihl LTA85/HTA85 which are I think as long as anything else on the market. They look crazy long until you get them up against even a medium sized tree and realise the scale, even holding the hedge trimmer basically above my head (not advised) I can get 5m above the ground. A bit longer on the polesaw.

My guess is if it's safe to work hands-free from a proper outdoor ladder, I need my feet to be 4-5m above the ground, even if I do reduce the height a bit. I'm thinking I get a pro to reduce the height to whatever height I can achieve myself to manage it. But it's clearly on the upper end of what a homeowner can do, bit a of a balancing act between screening and maintenance because of course I need to trim it at least once a year to get it to thicken up, the previous owner clearly let it get away and they are turning into big trees. A medium term project to get a nice hedge out of it especially since you can't cut leylandii back to brown wood.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The other option - if I insist on being able to do this myself - would be a scaffold tower. Presumably much easier to work from but a lot heavier, more faff to store it and get it in place, and lots of places I couldn't use it... I don't want both.

I would not be happy using the item you linked to, a light alloy scaffold would be much more sensible and allow you to work safely, in comfort and have access to more of the area before having to move the scaffold. Look for second hand on Facebook, ebay etc.

 

[MisterBoy]

Thanks Harry. I've seen tripods used by gardeners on crazy-steep group before but this was maybe to get 2-3 off the ground - apple picking, etc. To me it seems being 5m up and 2m up is a whole different ball-game - not just safety but confidence.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks Harry. I've seen tripods used by gardeners on crazy-steep group before but this was maybe to get 2-3 off the ground - apple picking, etc. To me it seems being 5m up and 2m up is a whole different ball-game - not just safety but confidence.

Picking apples is a whole different ball game to waving a heavy hedge cutter around, on the end of a long pole. The weight of which can easily unbalance you.

 

[MisterBoy]

Definitely another important point.

 

[ETAF]

The tree Surgeon we often have for sorting trees and a leylandii hedge at the back of the property boundary with a park, uses the tripod ladder , with 3 adjustable feet so that it is stable on uneven ground - I think hes was about 6 to 8m tall - very stable - I tried it and was very impressed (i fell off a ladder cut these things back in 2016 ish ), he uses it with a chainsaw and appeared to be very stable going along the width of the garden - may 30m
But then i saw the price and will continue with my ladder which i set out as a tressel with a worktop.
Last week our neighbours had a large hedge cut down - probably 3-4m high cut down to head height, and that gardner with a long stihl ople hedge trimmer had a tripod , not sure of its height - my guess 5m as the platform was level with the top of hedge, and again all 3 legs adjustable , i checkly gave that one a go, and still impressed very stable , even swinging the pole saw around, which i was also thinking of purchasing.

 

[MisterBoy]

What was the price that scared you off @ETAF ? I can imagine price goes up very quickly as they get taller!

BPS don't list the Henchman one now, here is the link to the product I had in the first post: https://www.henchman.co.uk/ladders-...ders/platform-tripod-ladder-3-adjustable-leg/ - this sounds similar to the smaller one you are considering?

 

[ETAF]

i went to a garden show in sussex earlier this year where they had a lot of different sizes on show - starting at around £250 for a small one upto 700/800 for a longer one, I think I worked out - BASED on where you stood , which i think was much lower down , I would need 4-5m one
looking at your link 3.6m = £550 quid

 

[Bosswhite]

Why not just get a Tree Surgeon in for a "one off job" then try to keep on top of it by regular pruning at the height that suits you .

 

[MisterBoy]

Why not just get a Tree Surgeon in for a "one off job" then try to keep on top of it by regular pruning at the height that suits you .

that is exactly what I want to do... but the height it will be is still 8-9m. When we had it reduced before the guy climbed up the first tree, cut off about 8m, then basically walked along the top cutting as he went, using the cut trunks as stepping stones.