I have read the thread on making a 4 1/2 section from a base section and converting it to a mid section.
I noticed the yokes did not rest on the pegs completely. I was wondering why it wouldn’t make sense to have the 4 1/2 section be a base unit. So you would have a standard base unit as well as a shorter base unit to give you more size options. Just cut the bottom off and put leg levelers on it for a shorter section. I was curious if this would be a bad idea.
Making a four foot base out of a six foot base is the best option now. Rather than using ladder levelers you could also take the feet off the original base section and install them on the shortened modified ladder.
Metallica Ladder replacement parts for feet.
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I don’t believe in ladder levelers for sectional ladders. That’s why I would transfer the rubber feet and keep both base sections the same so they’re always interchangeable. In a jam I use one of these.
Little Giant Ladder Leveler
Or this
It’d honestly be a whole lot easier to go that way. I use levelers, so I like having just one 6’ base section with the levelers, and my 4’ section be a standard middle.
I’ve had a couple of occasions where a 4’ base would’ve been really handy though.
That’s funny I use my four foot middle section as a base all the time, at least weekly. My top and the half section give me a nice nine footer. Mostly for transoms and French Panes I don’t want to pole. Storefronts. Throw a set of crutch feet on the ladder yokes and I’m good. Not osha approved but almost everybody does it even though it’s not safe. Haha
I’d never use them on more than one or one and a half sections.
Clever solution, but wouldn’t work in the stairways I needed it for. Need the leg levelers to work on stairs. One and a half piece height.
On a somewhat unrelated note, this was probably my most creative use of the sectional ladder to date:
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Very creative!
PS
Is it safe? 
Define safe 
It felt perfectly stable(ish). And it was just 1.5 pieces over a nice, soft bed. The bed did have a little give to it, now that I think about it. But the ladder wasn’t going anywhere, placed in the corner like that.
Would the ladder police agree with you? 
Very little of what I do with a ladder would meet current OSHA regs.
- Using ladder for access only, not as a work platform
- Tying off ladder securely
- Using fall restraint above [however high it is nowadays]
- extending ladder 3 feet above roof when using it to step off of
- and probably other stuff I can’t think of, or don’t yet know about
That said, I am quite keen on making it home in one piece every day. I strive to be very conscientious in my use of ladders, or any other tool for that matter. I do not advocate a cavalier attitude towards safety.
Not that I thought you were questioning my thinking. I just don’t want some newb coming along, looking at my pics and thinking, “Well, Alex does it that way… I can, too.” Everybody has to be responsible for their own safety, and work in a way that they are comfortable with (and is in harmony with the safety standards that their company and contracts are subject to). And as @JfromtheD would point out, you’ve got to understand the forces at play, and really think it through.
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For some people out there this is an unreasonable expectations. Common sense judgment has become a rare thing.
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They used to make “Half Piece/ Bottoms”…
My gripe was the height.
It just didn’t feel right shuffling with my arms straight out, rather than up high.
[half assed example]
hold your arms straight foreward for 30 seconds…
Then hold them upward for 30 seconds…
- the latter feels much better.
I kind of actually really LOVE @Infinity idea…
But as a “footer”
Maybe slap that f cker down on the floor against a wall…in the case of a shady/slippery floor
(hope that made sense)
Oh, man. You are so right. I’m just imagining the awkwardness of trying to setup on top of a 4 foot base 
BostonMike-- how does that Little Giant adapt to the sectional ladder? I have never seen that before. That looks real handy. I have never used ladder levelers before, I think the only time it has been an issue is with staircase windows and anything on stairs really.
I have seen those in the second picture-- do you just put that on a step on the staircase and then the other foot of the section on the step next to it?
Looking to be safer. And work smarter. Always.
I WISH they still made the 4 foot sections. A buddy of mine had a bottom as well as a middle, and man do they come in handy. Not to mention with a few extra 6 footers, you have yourself 2 sets of ladders.
I have an 8 foot. I really don’t like it because you can’t store it in the back of the pickup bed like the 6 footers. But it comes in handy so many jobs. I have seen how you can make a 6ft a 4…but is that safe?
I have only used sectionals. I have been on an extension ladder helping a friend who never has used a sectional. I have to say, extensions have their use-- but they are so much heavier. I really like how safe they are at the top rungs and how you have more footing, but the weight and transport isn’t my favorite.
Works great! But I almost never use it. Not sure if it’s any good on steps. I always flip the ladder.
That depends… do you have employees? And how are your fabricating/diy skills?
I would not use any homemade ladder element if I had employees. It’s just a liability nightmare.
But I feel pretty comfortable using my homemade half piece.
I do plan on replacing some of my aging pieces before spring, as they’re getting a bit of play in the rungs. This includes the half piece that I’ll need to rebuild with a new 6’ base.
LOL Mike, that is a good idea. Would it work with multiple pieces?
Alex-- No I don’t have any employees. I work full-time for a window cleaning company and I work on the side with my own, so nobody but me. I just liked using the 4 foot section, I used it daily about 14 years ago but now all I see are 6 foot sectionals (no 8s anymore either I see)
