"Joe" wrote in message
ups.com...

fishcakes wrote:
I just bought a 20 ft. extension ladder and it came with a rope and
pulley system. How do you operate this. If I untie the knot, it
seems like I can just push the ladder up and lock it in place. Is the
rope just another alternative to extendind the ladder or is it a
safety mechanism that I need to do something with. If not, it is
necessary to tie the rope around one of the lower steps after
extension to secure or just let it dangle in place.

Thanks for all the advice.

For me, the rope and pulley are a royal PITA. I generally do the
ladder extending on the ground and walk it up into place, so a rope/
pulley serves no purpose. Best kept in place for anti-wind tie-offs,
though. Walkng the ladder back down and collapsing on the ground is
much less hassle than trying to do it on the house or other work site
and risk damaging fresh paint, siding or whatever. Of course YMMV, so
always work safely as best you can. Incidentally, I see some pro
roofers driving around with no ropes on any equipment on their ladder
racks.

I'd love to see how you "walk up" an extended 32' heavy duty ladder.

Bob