With your knowledge and experience, you are the perfect candidate for the sectional how-to video. It’ll turn out great and really benefit both the newbies and veterans here and on the rest of the interweb. Go for it!
Thanks Larry,
But, I need a video camera and a camera man. Maybe some pictures taken with my blackberry on the job, of ladder set ups would be helpful. Uploading the pictures to this forum with my camera phone might present a problem though.
I guess that was easy. 
But I had to use my home computer.
I was thinking … about using an extension ladder last night and I bet triple track storm windows are a lot easier to do if you’re set up directly under the window.
I almost ALWAYS set my sectional ladder up to the side, usually on the left and high, almost always in the top half of the window. That makes raising and lowering storms a little awkward. The ladder is almost always set at an angle so my feet are actually under the window but I’m not directly under it. If I did a lot of triple track storm windows a 15 ft extension ladder with stand off might be nice to have.
I was trying to put myself in Jays shoes and think about this discussion from his point of view instead of my own. I believe he does a boat load of triple track storms, 80% of their work! He’s probably better off using an extension ladder as his go to ladder for jobs with storm windows.
Mike Im up your way all the time, id love to mee t you at a job site and get that series filmed up!
I can tell you all about them. I have been up 6 pieces 5 - 6’ sections with 1 - 8’ top section. Let me tell you that I will not ever go up it again. It flex’s way too much that high. Rule of thumb - for every 6’ section you stack on after 3… sections it will flex about 3-4", this also depends on how heavy you are. I am 208lbs and going up a 5 stack with an 8’ top on it it flex’s almost 10-12". In this picture it looks to me like you are on 5 pieces with an 8’ top on it, this is safe but would be safer if you would put the locking pins in, which I see you removed. (LOL I did this to my ladder also, but I do keep them in the truck.)
That not me or even my pic - I found it on Flickr and couldn’t believe the flex.
Sounds great! Hopefully it will meet Larry’s expectations. ha ha
That’s funny everybody I know has taken the pins off their ladder. 
They use to come without pins back in the day. I guess they got sued by to many people who forgot that they do come apart if you catch them on a window ledge or something else up there and pull down. Falling ladder sections can get ugly. Not hooking your ladder on things seems like common sense to me. Anyway now we have safety pins [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]permanently[/SIZE][/FONT] chained onto our ladders so we won’t forget to use them, but everybody I know has cut them off. Go figure. That’s funny!
Be smart! Be safe!
Sometimes the flex works in your advantage like if you have the top above a big window and you need to be closer to the lower section of the window.
They are not that bad to learn I just get tired of hoisting them all the time.
Chris knows my taste in music.
I have 4 sets of mettalic stacks 5 6 ftrs and 1 4ftr with levelers rotting in my shop because after 10 years of ladder ballet I am now a convert, give me a 16ft and a 24ft extension with a standoff and levelers and I am a comfortable, happy window cleaner.
From the top lookin down it looks like one big ass vert ramp!
It is all balance great observation!
Surf wax will loosen those sticky ones right up!
Hey Larry,
What if I pick the music? 
Hey Norgan,
When a newbie kicks their sectionals to the curb I assume that they didn’t give the ladder a chance. When a “sectional guy” kicks them to the curb I have to sit up and listen. Could you please tell us what happened?
This has become a really good thread. I love sectionals there practical and very easy to move around. I agree with mike, dont bad mouth sectionals if you never used them or never learned how to properly use them. I own 2sets of the Alaco brand sectional, I made a huge mistake when ordering them I got the the 7’ sections (the base, middle n top). I’m 5’6" I can’t connect them. The other set are 6’ sections which I prefer to use n I can easily stack lol. Every window cleaner should have a sectionals. They impress your customers, they are easily to stack, you can get inside a home with out worrying to damge the sorrounding. I say sectionals for inside work, extentions ladders for outside work. I have a 24’ extention ladder n a 16’ extention ladder. Oh almost forgot, it not about muscle its all in the balance. For example I weight 120lbs I’m skinny guy. I can easily stack 5 sections.
Hey Seth,
The original question was about flex, right? I was thinking. The sectional ladders are very light about 10 lbs a section, maybe 65 lbs for 29 ft. The extension ladders are stiffer but they’re heavier, right? So I guess it’s a trade off. .If you want something lighter and easier to work with ALL day long the extra flex might be something to just get use to. Would the guys in my avatar worry about a little bit of extra flex? Just wondering. 
Sectional ladders should not be used for those heights…too many sections involved.
I don’t even think the manufacturers will recommend that.
True manufactures don’t recommend over 21ft. Which you can only stack the base 6ft, small section 4ft, middle 6ft and top section 6ft top section. I think the reason why manufacturers don’t recommend anyhigher is people can lose ther balance when un stacking them.
