US3414082A

US3414082A - Ladder leg equalizers

Info

Publication number: US3414082A
Application number: US634175A
Authority: US
Inventors: Willard L Gilland
Original assignee: Willard L. Gilland
Current assignee: WILLARD L GILLAND
Priority date: 1967-04-27
Filing date: 1967-04-27
Publication date: 1968-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 1985-12-03

Description

Dec. 3, 1968 w. GILLAND LADDER LEG EQUALIZERS Filed April 27, 1967 INVENI'OR Willard Gillund zzwzw United States Patent ice 3,414,082 LADDER LEG EQUALIZERS Willard L. Gilland, 2487 Driftwood Drive,

Bethel Park, Pa. 15102 Filed Apr. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 634,175 2 Claims. (Cl. 182204) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ladder leg equalizer for metal ladders rotatable about the end of a ladder leg and extensible generally parallel to the vertical surface against which the opposite end of the leg of the ladder is placed.

This invention relates to ladder leg equalizers and particularly to equalizers for metal ladder legs rotatable about the end of the leg and extensible generally parallel to the vertical surface against which the opposite end of the ladder leg is placed.

The problem of providing an extension for the leg of a ladder to permit its being used on a sloping surface is one that has faced the art for manyyears and to which a vast number of solutions has been proposed. Typical of these proposed solutions are those exemplified in Patents Nos. 224,462, 257,411, 279,545, 666,948, 742,288, 891,965, 1,346,831, 2,213,471, 2,306,797, 2,318,017, 2,914,135, 2,936,849. All of these patents provide an extension for a ladder leg which moves in a straight line and forms a straight line extension thereof. Such extensions are not satisfactory for a variety of reasons. First, such an extension throws a tremendous twisting beam load at The weakest point of the extension, its connection with the main ladder leg. Second, on a sloping hill side, the extension may never touch the hill side in any reasonable distance and finally such leg extensions tend to be unstable. There have been attempts to provide extensions which take an angular position with respect to a ladder leg for special purposes, e.g., to fit on the confining space of a stair well. Such patents are exemplified by Nos. 1,462,505 and 3,032,140. These patents are held in frictional engagement on the outside of a wooden ladder leg by a pair of spaced clamps of fixed spacing which limits the angular movement within the clamps to a very small angle.

I have invented a ladder leg extension which overcomes the problem of prior art leg extensions. The extension of my invention is usable on any slope, is free of bending or twisting beam movement and isfvery stable and firm under load.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide a ladder level comprising an elongated mounting member adapted for pivotal attachment at one end to the bottom end of a ladder side rail, means at the other end of said member engaging the side rail at points on an are spaced from said pivotal attachment whereby the mounting member may be selectively positioned at an angle to the line of the side rail, an elongated extension member telescopingly engaging said mounting member and latch means between said extension member and mounting member engaging and holding said extension member at selected relative positions. Preferably, the extension member is provided with evenly spaced holes along its length and the mounting member is provided with at least one hole cooperatively receiving a latch pin or bolt to hold the extension member and mounting member in position.

In the foregoing general description, I have set out certain objects, purposes and advantages of my invention. Other objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

3,414,082 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a ladder equipped with the ladder equalizer of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation viewed from the left of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line III-III of FIG- URE 1.

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated a standard aluminum ladder having side rails 10 and rungs 11. The side rails 10 are of channel configuration and formed of extruded metal sections.

The ladder equalizer includes a channel mounting member 12 having inturned flanges 12a. The channel member 12 is provided with a hole 13 at one end mounted on a pivot bolt 14 which passes through a hole 15 in the lower end of side rail 10. The mounting member is pivoted on this bolt. A second hole 16 is provided at the opposite end of mounting member 12 and adapted to be aligned with one of holes 17 spaced apart on an are about hole -15 and whose radius is the distance between holes 13 and 16. A bolt 18a is passed through hole 16 and the selected hole 17 to provide the necessary angle on mounting member 12 so that it lies generally parallel to the wall 20 against which the ladder rails are placed.

Retaining members 18 are provided at each end of the mounting member 12 to form a box closure. Each retaining member is provided with a hole 19.

An extension member 21 of channel configuration is slidably received in mounting member 12 beneath retaining members 18 so as to telescope therein. The extension member is provided with a line of spaced openings 22 which align with holes 19 in retaining members 18. Bolts 23 or other latch means are removably placed in

holes

22 and 19 to hold the extension member in selected position in the mounting member. A stop tab 26 is formed on the outer surface of member 21 to prevent its removal from channel 12.

A safety foot 24 may be pivotally mounted on the bottom end of extension member 21 and provided with a rubber or other friction pad 25.

The extension is used in the following manner:

The top end of ladder rails 10 are placed against the wall 20 so that the bottom end is preferably about one foot out for each four feet of height. The mounting member 12 is pivoted on pivot bolt 14 to a position generally parallel to wall 20 and aligned with one of holes 17 and bolt 18a is placed in position. Extension member 21 is then moved in mounting member 12 until the safety foot 24 engages the surface of the support 30. Latch bolts 23 are fixed in

holes

22 and 19 of the extension member and retaining members respectively and the ladder is ready for use.

It will be seen from the foregoing description and the drawings that the load on the ladder base is applied directly downwardly onto the length of the extension member and not in the form of a beam so that flexing of the member is eliminated and a stable, solid base is provided.

While I have illustrated and described a presently preferred embodiment of my invention in the foregoing specification, it will be understood that this invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the fol lowing claims.

I claim:

1. A ladder leveling apparatus adapted to be mounted to the side rail of a ladder comprising an elongated partially closed channel mounting member pivotally attached at one end to the bottom end of a side rail, means at the other end of said member engaging the side rail at spaced points on an are spaced from said pivotal attachment whereby the mounting member may be selectively positioned at an angle to the line of the side rail, an

elongated extension member telescopingly engaging said mounting member and latch means between said extension member and mounting member engaging and holding said extension member at selected relative positions.

2. A ladder leveling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the extension member is provided with a line of spaced holes adapted to be aligned with at least one hole in the mounting member and bolt means passing through said holes to maintain the two members in selected relative position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Bachman 182-204 Drummond 182204 Meier 182111 Anderson 182-204 Larson 182-204 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner.