ladder storage solution ideas?

[RoyBell]

Hey all. Looking for suggestions on how to store 8'+ ladders. Usually most of them are on job sites, but in between big jobs, they pile up at our warehouse. We can manage the 4 and 6's on the other half of the ware house. We even have a spot for most of the 8's. But when it comes to 10,12 and extension ladders they are a real pita to store.

Looking for ideas on how to manage this situation. Any thoughts?

My first thought was horizontal store against the wall, but getting to the ones on top will be impossible. Stacking them against the wall how we have them takes up so much space and it just seems inefficient. Another thought I had was making a rolling cart in the middle to stack them on. However, there's not a whole lot of room once the garage door is open for the 10 footers.

Any ideas?

 

[EOC_Jason]

Pretty much stacking them like you have them is how I've always done it and seen it done.

You could maybe make some racks to do them horizontal along the side so you could store stuff underneath, but even then would probably be a pain to slide in & out plus you limit the height of what can be stored under them.

I love the big fiberglass ladders, but at the same time the multi-position ladders that collapse down and can be an extension or a-frame are so much more storage-friendly.

 

[ThatSickRip]

I hang mine on these with the pads off, but I only have 2-3. Im sure theres a similar way with a heavier duty style hook for your set up

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-Heavy-Duty-Padded-Arm-Hanger-18042/202305548

 

[RoyBell]

We tried those hooks in the past. If you look closely behind the first ladder you can see it smashed against the wall

I suppose I could try a heavier duty version, or some unistrut brackets for some adjustability.

 

[rockettgpw]

It looks like you could do with better/more storage on the left wall, how about a pallet rack with solid shelves. Racking wide enough to lay two ladders side by side and slide them in and out from the door end. Using the top two or tree close fitted shelves for the ladders and the lower shelves for the cable rolls etc.Could even free up some room on the right side.
Rollers on the door end of the racks would ease sliding the ladders in and you could climb the shelves to reach the ladders.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Maybe build like some long wooden cubbies on the ground where you can slide them in on their side. Then you could still stack stuff on top of the setup. Or maybe make two levels?

Possibly not even make the top-right hole but instead make it a step so you could hang stuff on the wall and still reach it easy?

 

[Frank_Z]

Heavy duty wall hooks will probably be your best bet.

 

[ducksface]

There are dozens of solutions, but none for that space.
The ladders are a secondary storage concern once you get the rest under control.
Control that pile and the ladders will hang or stack or lean without much thought.

 

[Zeke]

Overhead rack just below the door. You won't have to go looking for a ladder to get them down.

 

[kbs2244]

A trick I learned when hanging step ladders agains a wall is to turn them around so the step side is against the wall.
They hang flatter.

In your case I would go with some kind of from the wall supports sticking out at the 6 foot height.
Taller ladders can be hung from mid-length steps.
You want to keep them vertical, with the feet off the floor.

 

[rburke65]

I don't have quite that many but I just bought a used fiber ext. ladder and I store it outside, on wall brackets under the overhang on he leeward side of the pole barn. I hate it when I tried to get it down from the roof trusses.

 

[jbwilkins]

Overhead on a pulley system ....something like an overhead bike storage.....I picked up a kayak storage system that’s good for 125 lbs....

 

[tarmy]

This works for me...lift out of way with winch...

 

[jkeyser14]

Do you have a deck? Hang them under the deck.

 

[RoyBell]

This is a warehouse. Keep in mind I need a solution for like 20+ ladders. I kinda like the horizontal storage idea. May try that.

 

[kbs2244]

IMO Horizontal takes up too much wall space.
But if you have it, it easier to get the ladders on and off the racks.

 

[rsanter]

Fabricate brackets that go side to side under the damage door attaching to the walls.
Hang them from that like someone would hang them from a ceiling.
There will never be one in the way of the others and with the center isle clear you will be able to reach up to grab them.
If you have 2 of the same size ladder you also have the option to hang one from the other vie a S-hook.

What if they are too high to reach up and grab?...step stool

Bob

 

[bobabuee]

build a rack from uni strut the width of garage under the garage door hanging from ceiling
3or4 sections and all thread lay them flat across use some wasted space

 

[CJ7VFR]

build a rack from uni strut the width of garage under the garage door hanging from ceiling
3or4 sections and all thread lay them flat across use some wasted space

How can he put the all thread, hanging down from the ceiling, with uni strut the width of the garage, and have it under the door?

Are you saying to hang some all thread from the ceiling in the very small space on each side of the door where the door channels are? Would a flat rack made of uni strut, the entire width of the door, be able to be properly supported by just a few sections of all thread at each end? I don't know that much about uni strut, so I have to ask.

I agree with Zeke's idea. You could build something off of the walls, below the door, to store the ladders. Or you could even build some free standing racks, and put some heavy duty wheels on the racks, so you could move them around where you need/want them.

I have seen that before at a friends garage. He is a painter, and has a lot of ladders. He built some free standing racks and installed some heavy duty rubber wheels on the bottom of the racks. He can roll the racks around where he needs them, or to put the racks with the most used items for the job he is currently working on, in the front of the garage for easy access.

I have also seen him roll the racks out of the garage, pull the ladders off of his truck, and just slide them onto the racks. Then he pushes the racks back into the garage. He built the shelves on the racks to match up to the areas on his truck where the ladders go.

Jim

 

[RoyBell]

Can't build under the garage door because I need the height to get the conduit out. Mobile racks sound like an option. I will explore some of the ideas here and try them out.

 

[samss]

Maybe something like a folding chair caddy. Hang ladders on both sides. Three in a row with the middle one upside down to nest them closer together. Three deep would get 18 on the cart.

 

[Dustball]

Search Google Images for mobile pipe rack. See if you can adapt one of them to store ladders.

 

[sixty4]

I have two 1" pipe flanges (mounted to the wall) with two 15" pieces of 1" pipe extending out from both flanges . I have 2 extension ladders a 10' step ladder and an 8' step ladder that hang in the corner of of my garage off the floor.

 

[NitroShark]

I made these.

.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Search Google Images for mobile pipe rack. See if you can adapt one of them to store ladders.

This is kind of what my friend built to store his ladders in his garage. He made his so that the horizontal storage "arms" are the same height as where he puts the ladders onto his truck.

This way he can just slide the ladders back and forth between his truck and the ladder storage rack, so he doesn't have to lift them on and off.

From what I can remember, he even has the red wheels on his! They are a nice hard rubber and each one can hold a lot of weight and roll very easily over different types of flooring.

Jim

 

[Bucko]

How much room is there between the ceiling and the garage door when it is up? In my old house I made rectangle "boxes" with 2x4's and screwed them to the ceiling about a foot less apart than the length of the ladder. Then I would just slide the top into the smaller box and then lift and slide the bottom of the ladder into the other side. Worked great for my 12' ladder.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Hopefully the op found a good solution by now, lol 2017 thread.

 

[Bucko]

Hopefully the op found a good solution by now, lol 2017 thread.

I don't know why this site does not archive old threads. This seems to happen alot.

 

[73project]

I would be doing some horizontal wall mounted supports at a few different levels. Group similar length ladders together on the same levels to avoid pulling ladders off to get at a long/short one. I would be putting the really long ones on the level closest to waist level to make moving those heavy buggers around as easy as possible!

 

[Feralghoul88]

I don't have quite that many but I just bought a used fiber ext. ladder and I store it outside, on wall brackets under the overhang on he leeward side of the pole barn. I hate it when I tried to get it down from the roof trusses.

Keeping your fiberglass ladder outside will eventually destroy it from the weather and UV light. Just FYI

 

[cpttuna]

How about a utility trailer with ladder racks built on it.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

My father stored his against the ceiling and above the door. He would put the top of the ladder into hooks, close the door and use a pulley to lift the other end. Slight inconvience that the door had to be closed to store or access the ladders. Door operated normally with the ladders stored.

 

[nadogail]

The preferred method of ladder storage depends on many things; the most important is how many ladders and what size are they.
My aluminum extension ladder lays on the slab between a house and the property line fence. My 6' Fiberglass Step Ladder occupies a space in the garage bathroom and another aluminum ladder is tucked under the eves outside the garage.

 

[rayra]

pipe rack on the wall, longest ladders to the top, shorter ladders as you work down, 2-3 deep in each layer. That will get them up high by the opened up door and open up more wall space for other things AND get them up off the floor.

 

[racecougar]

I store all of mine in one corner of the shop. They're out of the way, don't consume much usable space, and won't fall on a car should they get bumped.