Ladder Inspection: Fill & Download for Free

What are tie rods on ladders (specifically in regard to ladder inspection checks)?Tie rods on timber ladders run parallel to the rungs, and serve to hold the two stiles (the vertical members) parallel, and stop them spreading. If spreading were to take place, the rungs would fall out.They are often threaded rods with nuts on either end. It would be a pity if the nuts fell off, or the rods were otherwise rendered inoperative.Photos from Slideshare

Not an answer but, In Britain Historic buildings have to be maintained as built. I was posted to RAF Brampton where the entrance guardroom was a listed thatched house. One day cumming in I stopped dead in the middle of the road. “ that’s my father!” Man on ladder inspecting the roof. My father was a trained reed thatcher and unknown to me had been contacted by the RAF to inspect the roof.

A ladder.His precious ladder.My ex and I sold our home after our split. He was off training for a new job and met his actual soul mate (not a sad story, they break up three months later) so we split up after many years together, a beautiful house and a pretty cool blended family, his, hers and two of ours.Actually one of ours, the other was still baking.I was hurt but quickly got to work learning what to do and what not to do when you’re in the middle of a divorce. I wasn’t going to be betrayed AND left in financial shambles. I took care of all the business that put me in a financially stable place and the last thing to do was sell the home and move on to just co-parenting life.He was not living with us anymore and actually didn’t have much of a plan as to where to go next. I got to keep most of our household items.I wasn’t going to be moving into my own place right after the sale of our home so I got all my strong friends and a huge moving truck and moved all of my things to a storage facility in the town I intended to move to.On the very last day at our house he came by with a small rental van to pick up the remainder of his clothes and a few personal items he intended to keep. The garage was the very last space with any belongings in it. There was some exercise equipment, a dumbbell set, that sort of thing.He took a last look around and realized he had his ladder hanging on the wall in the garage. It was one of those super long ones that can reach the roof of a two story home.He was so thrilled to buy this ladder years ago when we bought our house together. He said something about it being one of those symbols of home ownership and being in your forever home. Getting the ladder you’ll use to inspect the roof after a hail storm or to clear out a bee hive that’s being formed in the space below the flashing or an overhang on the roof.He was sad that he could not fit it into the small van he’d rented. He asked if I’d take it since I had the big truck.I said I had no use for it. My new life would likely not include climbing up to a second story roof and we should just leave it as a gift for the new owners to make good use of it. I could see his disappointment.Taking it, salvaging his beloved ladder, even if he never got it back from me, may have felt to him like I still cared for him and his feelings and I wanted none of that.I was all business and this person standing before me was simply someone I was transacting the sale of a home with.It’s strange to go from one extreme to another.One day you’re looking into someone’s eyes and are able to transport yourself to 40 years later. You can imagine what they will look like when you’re still nose to nose looking into each other’s eyes all those years later.The next day, the ladder, his precious ladder is just cumbersome metal that’s worthless, save for the few bucks you could get by selling it to some dude with a pick up truck.The saddest thing I saw was what seemed to be some regret on his part and a lot of apathy on mine.