Chat with an old timer about ladder angles changed my whole setup

Ran into a guy named Jerry at the fuel dock last week, been dredging since the 70s. He said I was running my ladder too steep and losing material off the sides, showed me how a flatter angle keeps more in the cut. I dropped it 4 degrees on my next shift and picked up almost 15% more per load. Anyone else had someone point out something obvious you'd been missing for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret9917d ago

Man that rings a bell so hard my head hurts. I spent two years running my ladder like I was trying to climb a wall before a old timer named Ray told me the same thing. He just laughed and said "son you're dumping half your pay over the side." I dropped it maybe 5 degrees and my wife actually noticed the paycheck difference before I did. Funny how the little things like that can make you feel real dumb after the fact. Jerry sounds like a good guy to bump into.

sageburns17d ago

Wait, how do you mean by dropping it 5 degrees? Like laying the ladder back more or tilting it sideways? I always go by the 4:1 rule, one foot out for every four feet up. @margaret99 your Ray sounds like he knew his stuff, wish I'd run into a guy like that sooner. I used to spend half my mornings fighting extension ladders that were too steep, slipping and cussing. Once I started aiming the base a bit wider, climbing felt way less like rock climbing and more like just walking upstairs. Its funny how the simplest trick ends up saving you the most time and cursing.