[Nhcoll-l] Museum platform ladders

Fri Mar 15 15:51:31 EDT 2024

Hi Tonya,
I think the kind of ladder you described in your message is sometimes
called a "lift table ladder".  We looked at some of these for getting down
specimens and trays from our upper levels:
https://www.cotterman.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/cotterman-ltl-3000.pdf

However, we ended up going with a motorized "stock picker" for safety,
speed, maneuverability, and height.  The main disadvantage (other than
cost) is that training is required for users (U-M has a permitting
process).  I normally use the Big Joe J1 Joey
<https://bigjoeforklifts.com/products/joey> with the extra-large load
platform and find it works quite well.  The Crown WAV
<https://www.crown.com/en-us/forklifts/man-up-order-pickers/wav-wave-work-assist-vehicle.html>
is a smaller option we use occasionally.
Good luck!
-Adam

On Fri, Mar 15, 2024 at 3:15 PM Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu>
wrote:

> Tonya
>
>
>
> At various times we have used two different types of rolling ladders in
> our collections - the original ladders we bought for our wet collection
> facility some time ago now and a more recent ladder we bought for our
> paleobotany space.  Both have their pros and cons and we have learnt some
> lessons along the way:
>
>
>
>    1. Make sure that all four wheels can swivel.  The more recent ladder
>    we ordered only has one set of swivel wheels while the other set are fixed
>    and it is much less maneuverable making cornering and moving into tight
>    spaces more difficult.
>    2. Our wet collection ladders have weight induced stabilization (you
>    step on it and springs in the wheels compress to stabilize it to the floor)
>    while the newer one has a kick mechanism that achieves the same.  I have
>    found the kick mechanism to be vey finicky and unreliable and much prefer
>    the weight-based solution although, as John mentions, it needs to be
>    calibrated correctly (and recalibrated over time) to ensure that it works
>    efficiently for all people weights.
>    3. The bigger and bulkier the ladder the more stable it is but the
>    less maneuverable it is so there is a trade off in what application you
>    need the ladder.  If you are going to handling large, heavy trays or
>    drawers you probably want something with a staging area at the top that
>    will add weight to the ladder but will make handling those that much easier.
>
>
>
> This is similar to our newer ladder -
> https://www.uline.com/BL_3863/Rolling-Ladders?keywords=Rolling+Ladders
>
> This is similar to our wet collection ladders -
> https://www.stokeslightingandelectric.com/brand-louisville-ladder/louisville-ladder-gsw2402/sku-V7778-gsw2402
>
>
>
> Hope that helps
>
>
>
> Andy
>
>     A  :             A  :             A  :
>  }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
>     V                V                V
> Andy Bentley
> Ichthyology Collection Manager
> University of Kansas
> Biodiversity Institute
>
> Dyche Hall
> 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
> Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
> USA
>
> Tel: (785) 864-3863
> Fax: (785) 864-5335
> Email: abentley at ku.edu
>
> ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258
>
> http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu
>
>     A  :             A  :             A  :
>  }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
>     V                V                V
>
>
>
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> *On Behalf Of *John
> E Simmons
> *Sent:* Thursday, March 14, 2024 9:08 AM
> *To:* Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) <Tonya.Haff at csiro.au>
> *Cc:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] Museum platform ladders
>
>
>
> Tonya,
>
> When the fluid preserved specimen facility at the University of Kansas was
> built, we were required (by the university safety office) to purchase
> safety ladders to access the upper shelves. Although we thought these would
> be a problem, they actually worked very well and are still in use more than
> 25 years later.
>
>
>
> The style we purchased are similar these--rolling ladders, with the wheels
> on springs, and a platform and railing:
>
>
> https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-3132-24/Ladders/7-Step-Safety-Angle-Rolling-Ladder-Assembled-with-24-Top-Step?pricode=WA9521&gadtype=pla&id=H-3132-24&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwMqvBhCtARIsAIXsZparSypH65kAU7w_vJjYfk1Ro-0LTxtfU-tfUQQYnbnynPmuOpXU-pUaAnCGEALw_wcB
>
>
>
> As Dirk mentioned, the most important thing is to match the ladder to the
> width of the aisles and the width of the area where the ladders are to be
> turned around. Even the narrow 25 inch wide ladders (such as are in use at
> KU) cannot be turned around within the aisle, but this is not a
> problem--just as with compactors, you quickly adjust your work habits to
> accommodate moving the ladders and opening and closing aisles. The ladders
> need a fairly wide space to be turned around, so make sure the ladders you
> purchase will fit your space. We cut a shape of the base of a ladder out of
> cardboard and used that to make sure the ladders could be easily wheeled
> about and turned around in your space.
>
>
>
> Another important factor is to adjust the springs so that the weight of
> the lightest person using the ladders will cause them to settle on the
> floor. If they are adjusted for heavier people only, the ladders can slide.
>
>
>
> We also found that having the railing around the platform is very useful
> for moving boxes or, in your case, heavy trays.
>
>
>
> If you have any questions about using safety ladders in your collection
> space, you might want to check with Andy Bentley at the University of
> Kansas, who has now used the ladders longer than I did while there.
>
>
>
> --John
>
>
> John E. Simmons
> Writer and Museum Consultant
>
> Museologica
> *and*
> Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia
> Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 13, 2024 at 8:27 PM Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) <
> Tonya.Haff at csiro.au> wrote:
>
> Hello again everyone,
>
>
>
> I am wondering if any of you have ladder recommendations that you would be
> willing to share. We are moving to new taller cabinetry for our study
> skins. The trays are also quite heavy, as they are large and made of powder
> coat steel. I think I would like some ladders that have a moveable platform
> on them, in order to be able to retrieve trays from height and then lower
> them down mechanically. Ideally, they would also be manoeuvrable so that we
> could easily get them down aisles and around corners in very full
> collection halls. Any thoughts or recommendations on something like this,
> or alternatives I should look into, would be greatly appreciated!
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
>
>
> Tonya
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nhcoll-l mailing list
> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l
>
> _______________________________________________
> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nhcoll-l mailing list
> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l
>
> _______________________________________________
> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/nhcoll-l/attachments/20240315/91dd480d/attachment.html>