My grandfather has a Werner 24' aluminum 200-lb type III extension ladder. I want to know if, in its fully collapsed state, it will safely support ~300 lbs. By my reasoning, if it will safely support 200 lbs fully extended, there is no reason it shouldn't support ~400 lbs while fully collapsed, provided, of course, that the weight is evenly distributed across both rungs.
Will a fully collapsed extension ladder safely support twice its duty rating
laddersafety
Related Solutions
Your ladder should have a rope and pulley mechanism for extension and retraction. Make sure you understand how it operates to prevent finger injury. Normally it's simply a matter of pulling down on the front rope to raise the ladder. To retract, lift the ladder a few inches using the rope, which allows the retention brackets to release, and lower the ladder extension with the rope.
Walking the bottom out to lay the ladder down isn't a good option. It puts huge torque on the person holding the upper portion of the ladder and risks damage to the building.
A single fairly strong person can safely stand and lower a ladder by simply placing the ladder base against the wall our foundation and walking it up from underneath, or by backing away.
Leaning the ladder against the gutter
If the gutters are safe to lean on, and if there are no potential problems with denting them, then that is the way to do it.
The ladder will be stable and you will be in a better position for cleaning the gutters than if you were on a ladder leaning on the walls.
Some gutters are actually strong enough that you can lean a ladder against them without any issues; not even a risk of aesthetic dents. I talked to a guy who hand crafted and installed gutters and he said that for some buildings they install extra strong gutters because they know that ladders will be leaned against them or they know that kids will be hanging in them.
Don't lean the stabilizer on the side of the gutter since that involves a risk of the stabilizer arms suddenly slipping below or above the gutter. Instead, do not use the stabilizer or if using the stabilizer place it above the gutter so that the ladder itself is leaning on the gutter.
Leaning a two arm stabiliser against the window area, not a good idea in your case
The stabilizers that I know of all have two "arms". Even if you place the ladder correctly and the spacing between the arms will rest against the framing, then that is not really good enough in my opinion. There is a risk that something gives in and the top of the ladder moves a bit to the side, in which case one of the arms will suddenly lean against the glass.
Leaning a stabilizer against the roof
From googling it seems that many ladder stabilizers are built to be used like that as well.
Avoiding using a ladder
This is what I would do if I had a house like that. You can get remote controlled gutter cleaning robots, eg iRobot Looj or you can get accessories for a power washer that lets you clean the gutters while standing on the ground eg Gutter Ball.
Best Answer
Your logic is that in fully-collapsed mode, both channels are doubled up, and ought to be able to bear twice the weight.
The problem with that is the second channel is not resting on the ground. It is still transferring all its borne weight to the first channel at some point.
What's more, it is virtually impossible to distribute your weight evenly on the rungs 100% of the time. You will be climbing or descending on toe or heel. You might be super careful the first few times, but complacency will set in.
They do make heavy-capacity ladders... but I am concerned about the general wisdom of taking a great deal of mass up a ladder. Agility is a big factor in ladder work, and I can't imagine being able to be safe managing 120 pounds of gear up a ladder, even if it was securely attached to me, even if I had more muscle than I do.