Garage ladder recommendations

[Zevo]

I need to add a ladder to my garage to access the attic for storage. My ceiling is 128 inches tall, and the opening is 36 inches wide. I’m eyeing an aluminum Louisville ladder pull down. Are all the major brands about the same?

 

[Codyboy]

I have a 10ft ceiling in the hallway. My attic access is the old school pull down, folding wood ladder. Unless you're really tall, you need a step ladder to open the ladder.
It *****.
If I did it again I would get an aluminum, pull down and slide out.
No idea about brands

 

[tarmy]

Buy a good one…your life is literally on it…

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Is this something that you will need someone coming up the other side, that an adjustable A frame like a Werner or little Giant might be of use?

 

[finn]

I have the aluminum drop down, and I think it’s a Louisville,
. I had to build a box in the ceiling to get a little more height.

The ladder works, but I sort of *****. Narrow, steep, with shallow steps.

I have storage trusses, but rarely go up there. I don’t recommend attic storage in general, but if you have to do it the aluminum ladder beats the wood variant or a step ladder.

 

[pbon]

I have one of the low end pull down wood ladders and don’t recommend them unless cheap is the primary requirement and use is occasional. Have had it 8 years and it works fine, but would prefer a wider one that is sturdier and has bigger steps. I will eventually get around to replacing mine, but wish a better choice had been made at the beginning.

 

[blue-5]

I had a drop down in my last house that was from a company called Rainbow. It was very sturdy and it sealed like a car door. It was expensive but by far the nicest pull down i have ever seen.

 

[Fav Onefour]

My garage ceiling is 124". It is dang close to the absolute limit for a ten foot pull down. I used a mid line Werner setup with adjustable legs. I adjusted the legs to get a flat set on the floor. I would not feel comfortable moving them further. The C channel overlap is about 5 inches.
The tall ceiling isn't an issue for dropping the ladder. The pull cord is easy. Folding the ladder back in place is my challenge. I can just barely reach high enough to fold and drop the ladder into the cradle position.
The ladder I'm using fits between 24" OC and it's fairly narrow with the folding mechanism. I have not found an issue using the ladder. The opening size is the limiting factor. In my case the limiting factor is fine. It keeps me from trying to cram heavy oversized junk into the attic.

 

[nadogail]

I have a pull down ladder installed in the very late 1980's, it came from a big box store, either Homebase or Home Depot, I don't remember which. I cut a very short piece of 2" pipe and attached it to the pull down cord; I can reach up with a hook to grab the cord.

 

[Hooked]

I have a 10ft ceiling in the hallway. My attic access is the old school pull down, folding wood ladder. Unless you're really tall, you need a step ladder to open the ladder.
It *****.
If I did it again I would get an aluminum, pull down and slide out.
No idea about brands

My daughter's garage has a 10' ceiling with a pull down ladder, wooden but very heavy duty. She had the same problem, reaching it to pull down so I installed an i-bolt where the rope was then used an old broom handle and screwed a 'hook' in it which hangs on the wall near the ladder. Made it very easy to pull down and raise it without slamming it closed.

 

[Mike65]

At our last house it had the attic storage access from the garage which had a wooden fold-down ladder which was old. We replaced it with a metal fold-down ladder which was way sturdier.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Werner-AH2210C-8-ft-to-10-ft-Rough-Opening-22-5-in-x-54-in-Folding-Aluminum-Attic-Ladder-with-375-lbs-Capacity/5013806049?store=707&cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-bdm-_-ggl-_-PMAX_BDM_000_Priority_Item_Omni-_-5013806049-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22862108289&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W_sraDdjdwoQoYIa1GCGDo_8&gclid=CjwKCAjwlaTGBhANEiwAoRgXBTJHzouoPpuWOome_57UN79W8WX3y4sn31OtHuV874vQ_VJ87drSFRoCaxwQAvD_BwE

 

[lund]

I have a few ladders. An extension ladder that is pretty heavy fiberglass a lightweight fiberglass step ladder maybe 6' tall, and two different Little Giant type adjustable ladders (both very heavy). That is good enough for most things I do. The little giant ladders can be used with a plank for scaffolding and can be adjusted to setup on roofs, stairs, etc. Heavy is good when working on them but is a pain to move. The lightweight step ladder can be moved around easy for quick and low jobs. Variety and flexibility is the key without having and excessive numbers to store. Heavy ladders are much better for any serious work.

 

[Uncle murph]

I need to add a ladder to my garage to access the attic for storage. My ceiling is 128 inches tall, and the opening is 36 inches wide. I’m eyeing an aluminum Louisville ladder pull down. Are all the major brands about the same?

Louisville customer service is fantastic,worth the extra money to me.A proven product as well.

 

[steve308]

If I could redo my garage the stairs in the above video would be my go to.....

 

[Codyboy]

My daughter's garage has a 10' ceiling with a pull down ladder, wooden but very heavy duty. She had the same problem, reaching it to pull down so I installed an i-bolt where the rope was then used an old broom handle and screwed a 'hook' in it which hangs on the wall near the ladder. Made it very easy to pull down and raise it without slamming it closed.

I would say mine is heavy duty. The steps are probably 6" maybe a little deeper and very heavy.
The issue is not pulling it down but unfolding it.

When pulled down ready to unfold , the bottom part (first hinge) is about 6' 6" or so.
So a small step ladder has to be used to get the first section unfolded.

 

[Zevo]

Thats like a diy version of these majic stairs. These seem like a great option, but I don't think that I’ll use my garage storage enough to justify the expense.

 

[WisJim]

I've had the cheaper fold down stairs that fit the 22.5" space between joists or trusses, and they were narrow and flimsy. I would get the stiffest version I could find, and as wide as will fit, if possible. When I built a new shop/garage with an article, I put in a real stairway even though it took up space all the time, and I am glad I did, especially since somehow I keep getting older.

 

[CraigStu]

Buy a decent 10ft step ladder. Install eyebolts into the joists on either side of the opening. Tie a rope to one eye and put a dog leash hook on the other end. Set the ladder below the opening. Run the short dog leash through the upside down 'V' of the ladder. Now run a rope from the bottom of the ladder up through a pulley on the ceiling, and through another pulley near the wall, and down the wall. At a convenient wall height install a cleat on the wall. Rig a velcro strap to hold the bottom legs of the ladder together. Pull the ladder up to the ceiling for storage. If you need the ladder for another use, set it up, go up and unhook the dog leash. back down, fold the ladder, and carry it to wherever you need it. Believe me climbing a good step ladder is SO much better than the typical fold down steps there is no comparison. And you have an extra ladder for other uses. Note that the dog leash has no function when climbing the ladder, so it just needs to be strong enough to hold the ladder to the ceiling.

 

[CDPLUCKER]

just bought and installed FAKRO steel pull down set for my garage attic storage, have 10 ft ceilings, and the choices are narrowed for high ceilings, very happy with it super stable, pulls down easy with the supplied tool. got a the 22.5" version to fit between the storage trusses. looks like it is European manufactured, and it was about $1000 thru my local building supply house.

 

[Zevo]

I ended up getting this. It seems solid, and is much better than the wooden attic ladder in my old house.

Louisville Ladder​

Energy Efficient 10 ft.- 12 ft., 22.5 in. x 63 in. Insulated Aluminum Attic Ladder with 375 lbs. Type IAA Load Capacity​