Regular orchard ladders are designed for use on softer soil and depend upon slight soil penetration to hold the ladder in its proper set up position. These ladders must not be used as is on hard or slippery surfaces.
However, you may wish to use the ladder on hard but uneven surfaces, an application for which the tripod configuration is superior to the four-legged ladder. For this use a Hard Surface Kit consisting of non-skid rubber pads, rubber feet and aircraft cable that limits the swing of the third leg is ideal. This kit can be retrofitted to a standard tripod ladder to provide excellent safety and stability.
We offer tripod ladders with a Hard Surface Kit, which adds slip resistant feet and a third leg restraint to the ladder for use on cement or asphalt. Even with slip resistant feet, however, common sense should be used to keep you safe: avoid unusual, steep or slippery conditions. DO NOT use an orchard ladder on concrete, asphalt, or any other hard or slippery surface without the Hard Surface Kit.
We recommend using our tripod/orchard ladders on all uneven surfaces because of their inherent stability. Our unique adjustable third leg allows you to keep the steps level on slopes or stairs. If they are to be used on stairs, in addition to the telescoping third leg the ladder MUST HAVE a Hard Surface Kit installed. DO NOT use a ladder without a hard surface kit on hard or slippery surfaces.
