Installed some aluminum brackets onto my aluminum ladder to make a roof (chicken ladder). Will there be any problem if I make the attachments with steel bolts/nuts etc. I don’t think so but I’ve been wrong before.
Installed some aluminum brackets onto my aluminum ladder to make a roof (chicken ladder). Will there be any problem if I make the attachments with steel bolts/nuts etc. I don’t think so but I’ve been wrong before.
There are a number of ways to achieve a level foundation and mudsill.
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Replies
I'll betcha a nickel that if there are any rivets holding your ladder together they are steel. I'd say that you're good to go.
RedfordHenry:
Thanks for the reassurance.
Be sure to use lock washers. I don't think galvanic reaction is going to be a problem, but the expansion/contraction rates of aluminum/steel are different and they may tend to loosen over time.
DonCanDo:
It's good to be reminded of that.
Thank you
When I'm concerned about a bolt or machine screw staying tight, I pay the small extra for nylon locking nuts (I was raised to call them nylock nuts, but I think this was probably a trade name originally). Much better, in my opinion, than lock washers, and often, the cost is identical for a nut and washer vs. nylock.
Galvanized steel is OK with aluminum as long as it's not in a wet or salt air environment. Cadmium plated hardware is much better for long-term use on aluminum in wet or salty locations.
All of my AL ladders are constantly in wet locations. That is where they are used and stored.And they don't suffer at the joints. Dogs are on with steel bolts.
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housenut1,
I have another method of attaching brackets.
I make the brackets out of 3/4" ply and drill holes thru them that align with the rungs of the ladder. I then use 2' x 1/2" pipe clamps to pass thru the brackets and the ladder and tighten them down.
Makes for an easy to assemble and easy to remove method for brackets.