Ladder Mover™ ladder dolly / ladder carrier

Safety

1. Read and understand all instructions before using Ladder Mover.

2. Always inspect LadderMover™ before each use. Look for any damage such as cuts, gouges, cracks, crazing, stress marks, deformation, or excessive warp.

3. Always inspect your hand truck before each use. If your hand truck toeplate has any burrs or sharp edges, then use a file or other suitable device to remove all burrs and sharp edges.

4. Always make sure your hand truck tires are in good shape, properly inflated and the bearings are lubricated.

5. Always use a hand truck with a non-foldable toeplate and handle.

6. Never use a damaged Ladder Mover.

7. Never use a damaged hand truck.

8. Never exceed the weight limit for your hand truck.

9. Never exceed the 225 lbs. safe weight limit for the Ladder Mover™.
   Our ladder carrier has been tested with loads many times greater than the "safe weight limit", and passed with flying colors. We built-in this safety factor because it's impossible to accurately predict all of the dynamic forces that may come into play with your unique setup using your ladder, supplies, hand truck, terrain, and rate of travel.

10. Never carry a person on your Ladder Mover. They could become injured if they fall, or if any part of the assembly of ladder(s), hand truck, straps and Ladder Mover were to fail. Don’t take a chance with someone’s safety.

11. Never use a folding or collapsible hand truck. It could fold during use and damage your ladder.

12. Never leave a load on your LadderMover™ overnight. Maintaining a heavy load for an extended period may in rare cases, cause deformation due to creep. Creep, known also as cold flow, is the permanent deformation that increases with time under constant load or stress.

13. To get the most life out of your Ladder Mover, don’t make a habit of storing it on the dashboard of your vehicle, the constant UV rays and heat could break down the plastic over time. During testing, I stored a Ladder Mover on my dashboard for several months, boiled it in water for 30 minutes, then loaded it on my test fixture and bounced 200 lbs. up and down on it without any sign of failure.

14. Never climb your ladder until the hand truck and supplies have been moved to a safe location away from the work area. Falling from your ladder or elevated work area and onto your hand truck could cause serious injury or death. Be observant for anything that could be dangerous to fall upon.

15. Ladder Mover will function without bungee straps when carrying an extension ladder, traveling over a smooth and level surface, however we highly recommend always using rubber bungee straps to secure your ladder(s) and supplies to the Ladder Mover and hand truck. An unsecured load could slide or bounce off and strike the edge of your hand truck toeplate, causing severe damage to your ladder, making it unsafe to climb. Dents or scratches in your ladder side rails could create a weak area causing your ladder to suddenly bend or break while being used, this is true for both fiberglass and aluminum ladders. Don’t take a chance, it’s not worth getting injured or damaging your expensive ladder.

16. Use at your own risk. We are unable to predict or list every possible safety hazard or misuse. No one can force you to be safe or act in a responsible manner. Your safety is in your own hands, always take your time and think before acting, watch for hazards to yourself and those around you, stay alert, and stay safe.

How to store Ladder Mover

Store Ladder Mover on your hand truck by slipping it onto the toe plate rear lip, between the handle bars.

1. Slip Ladder Mover onto the rear lip of your hand truck toeplate as shown in the image below.

    

2. Park your hand truck in an upright position with Ladder Mover attached as shown.
   Tip: Slip your hand truck toe plate under a box or table to further reduce the storage foot print.

Click for recommended hand trucks »

How to install Ladder Mover

Install Ladder Mover by slipping it onto your hand truck toe plate. The video begins with the Ladder Mover in the storage position, which is straddling the toe plate rear lip.

1. Lay the hand truck handle down on the ground, the toeplate will be pointing nearly straight up.

2. Slip Ladder Mover onto the hand truck toeplate as shown in the image below. The symmetrical design allows installation facing in either direction. Different hand truck toeplates vary in thickness and some will have a loose fit to the Ladder Mover, this is normal for thinner toeplates and it is not a problem. Once the weight of a ladder is applied, then the Ladder Mover will tilt and the fingers will grip the toeplate more tightly due to the binding effect. If you prefer a tighter grip then fold a small piece of cardboard over the top edge of your toeplate then slip the Ladder Mover over the cardboard.

    

3. You are now ready to load a ladder.

Click for recommended hand trucks »

How to load a ladder

Loading a ladder is quick and easy.

1. Start with your ladder lying flat with both side rails on the ground.

2. Mark both side rails at the halfway point with a sharpy marker or a piece of electrical tape. This is the balance point of your ladder; you will use this reference point each time you load your ladder.

3. Position your hand truck parallel to, and on the righthand side of the ladder with the axel aligned with the center mark you made with the sharpy marker. Your hand truck handle should be pointing toward the top of the ladder and the hand truck toeplate should point toward the bottom of the ladder. Your body should be closer to the top end of the ladder and facing toward the bottom end of the ladder.

4. Roll the hand truck forward, toward the bottom end of the ladder, until the front edge of the toeplate, hence the Ladder Mover is aligned with the next ladder rung.

5. Rotate the hand truck counterclockwise until it is precisely aimed at the center of the end of the ladder.

   

6. Position yourself directly in front of the top end of ladder, which is at the same end as the hand truck handle.

7. Lift the ladder by both side rails, using your knees and not your back.

8. Tilt the ladder slightly onto the left side rail, the right side rail should be about one inch above the ground.

9. Walk the top end of the ladder toward the right, pivoting on the left side rail, moving to position the ladder rung directly above the ladder rung cradle.

10. Slowly let the ladder rung down into the cradle while wriggling the ladder back and forth slightly to help it align on its way down.

11. Once the ladder rung has reached the bottom of the cradle, slightly push the ladder forward about one inch, this helps start the hand truck handle on its journey upward to make contact with the ladder. The hand truck handle will rise much faster than the ladder is going down, and will likely slam into the ladder until you master the technique. This may feel awkward the first few times, but after a little practice you’ll be able to do it smoothly.

12. Your ladder is now loaded, it’s time to secure your ladder with rubber bungee straps.

How to install the bungee straps

It only takes a few seconds to install bungee straps, that's a small price to pay for insurance that your expensive ladder will stay put during a rough ride or crash.

1. Wear proper eye protection when working with bungee straps, the strap could break or come loose and strike your eye with blinding force.

2. For best results, use flat profile, rubber bungee straps that have fully exposed rubber, with no protective sheathing. The rubber will grip and help prevent the Ladder Mover and ladder from sliding when properly applied.

3. The bungee strap at the toe plate is the most critical. I get good results using a 31" strap here when carrying an extension ladder lying flat or a step ladder tipped on one side. Ladder Mover has a bungee strap access window located below the center of the ladder rung cradle as shown in the image below. Start by slipping one end of the bungee through the window.

    

4. Lift both ends of bungee straight up, then cross over the top of the ladder rung with both ends, encircling both the cradle and ladder rung.

5. Stretch one end of the bungee down to hook under left rear of toeplate.

6. Stretch the other end of the bungee down to hook under the right front of the toe plate. This method does the best job of keeping the Ladder Mover centered on the toeplate. If your bungee is tighter on one side than the other, then it will pull the Ladder Mover off center, toward that side.

7. A correctly installed bungee strap will completely encircle Ladder Mover cradle and the ladder rung, holding them tightly together. I like to encircle two rungs as shown in the video, to prevent the top section from sliding out of the bottom section. However, this method does not provide the greatest amount of holding force. For a more secure hold when climbing stairs or navigating extreme terrain, it is best to encircle only the rung that is in the cradle. To simplify encircling only the cradled rung, extend the fly section about 6 inches. This fully exposes the cradled rung and provides the most clearance for wrapping the bungee strap only around the single cradled rung.

8. Install a second bungee strap where your hand truck handle makes contact with the ladder. I get good results using a 21” strap here. This bungee strap is more forgiving and can be attached in a number of different ways, just make sure the hand truck handle is tight against the ladder rung. To avoid damaging the paint on your hand truck, wrap 5 turns of electrical tape around the hand truck handle where it makes contact with your ladder rung.

   

A step ladder should be bungee strapped the same way as an extension ladder, with the main strap completely encircling the side rails and the Ladder Mover. The strap will pass diagonally across the side rails and through the Ladder Mover bungee strap window, two sections of the bungee are visible on top and one section through the window. It is installed exactly the same way as the video shows for the extension ladder. Some of my videos show a step ladder with the strap installed differently, with only one section on top, but this is not the strongest way to attach your ladder and may not work for rough terrain or a larger ladder. The image above and the video below shows the best way to attach your step ladder with a bungee strap.

This video demonstrates how to attach a step ladder using the "Side Carry" method.
For instructional clarity, we're using a small 8-foot step ladder, but treating it as if it's much larger.

How to navigate stairs

1. Attach Ladder Mover to the first or second ladder rung to allow enough clearance for the end of your ladder when at the bottom of the stairs. The amount of force trying to pull your rung out of the cradle, depends on your ladder size, hand truck length and your angle of lift. Be sure to attach your bungee straps such that the rung cannot be pulled from the cradle. For the most secure grip, only wrap your bungee one full circle around the cradle and the rung that is within the cradle. Do not wrap your bungee around the cradle and 2 ladder rungs.

2. Look up and all around to be sure there are no power lines or other obstacles in your intended path.

3. Grasp the hand truck handle with one hand.

4. Using your other hand, grasp a ladder rung on the lower section of ladder. In other words, grasp a ladder rung on the section of ladder that is directly attached to the ladder mover.

5. When climbing up the stairs, pull the hand truck wheels tight against the riser of the next step. Then pull upward to climb that step. In order to achieve the easiest lift, you must pull nearly straight up. Only the upward vector of force will be applied to the lift. The sideways vector of force will all be wasted by pushing against the immovable step. When lifting straight up, you will only need to exert 80 pounds of force to lift an 80-pound load. Note that the ladder does not need to point straight up to achieve a straight up lift because you may be grasping your ladder close to the balance point.
   Do not attempt to climb the stairs by pulling from the end of your ladder because nearly all of your pulling force will be directed against the immovable step and very little force will go towards lifting your ladder up the step. This will likely pull your ladder out of the Ladder Mover cradle and could damage your ladder.
   
   Here is an example of doing it the wrong way (Do not do this):
   Let us say you are pulling the hand truck loaded with 80 pounds up a flight of standard stairs which are typically a 30° angle of slope. While pulling from the end of the ladder, your pulling force will follow the stair slope angle of 30°. Which means your pulling force will be twice the weight you are lifting; you will have to exert 160 pounds of force to lift the 80-pound load. Then as you pass over the top step, that 30° angle becomes even less, so your pulling force may increase to over 10 times the weight you’re lifting, to over 800 pounds. This will likely pull your ladder out of the Ladder Mover cradle and could damage your ladder.

6. When going down the stairs, hold the ladder and hand truck the same as you did when going up. Take your time going down, do not let the hand truck drop off the step, instead lower it down gently at every step. Dropping the hand truck down a step produces impact force. This shock could damage the hand truck or the Ladder Mover, which could also damage the ladder. Pneumatic tires offer some protection and will act as a shock absorber.

How to load additional ladders and supplies on your ladder

1. Always position your heaviest supplies, concentrated loads such as a toolbox, directly on top of the ladder rung that is supported by your Ladder Mover. The weight is safely transferred through the ladder rung, Ladder Mover and finally to the hand truck toeplate.

2. Never position your heaviest supplies, concentrated loads such as a toolbox on top of the ladder side rails. Doing so creates a concentrated force that could structurally damage your ladder side rails as they are not designed to support much weight in this direction. It's best to spread out the load along the length of your ladder, or put your concentrated load over the rung supported by Ladder Mover cradle.

3. When carrying multiple ladders, stack your ladders with the heaviest on the bottom and the lightest on top. This keeps the center of gravity at the lowest point, which improves maneuverability, and quick cornering with less chance of tipping. Be sure you remain within the weight limit of the hand truck and Ladder Mover.