Customer Reviews

Qualcraft 2481 Ladder Hook with Wheel, One Hook

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This product does its job, but there isn't anything on Amazon to indicate how it works - and the picture isn't very helpful on its own. The thing is, you get two of the pictured hangers (for the indicated price). The small hook goes under the second rung from the top of your ladder. The little wheel is part of a clamp that goes over the top rung of the letter and clamps down to hold the apparatus firmly to the ladder. If you have a ladder you use for climbing on roofs, you can just leave the two brackets attached. To use it, you turn the ladder so that the wheels are down and roll it up the roof. This can be done from a stepladder or another ladder leaning agaist the wall. When the large hook is above the peak of the roof, flip the ladder over and it hangs down the roof. Great for metal roofs that are too slick to walk on.

As a residential contractor, I've used this tool many times in places where it was impossible to set up a ladder from below. This tool lets you hang the ladder from the roof ridge. However, I wish to emphasize common sense and caution when using it...1.Make sure you firmly tighten this tool to your ladder...your life depends on it, 2.Do not let the ladder lay on any surface that isn't reasonably flat, for instance, don't rest the ladder on top of nailed down 2x4 roof cleats, what happens is that the roof cleats can act as fulcrums and if your weight on the ladder goes below the fulcrum(2x4), then the upper part of the ladder will lever its ridge hooks off of the ridge and down you go...I learned this one the really hard way. I know it's really just using common sense, but sometimes you just forget... 3. The use of a fall arrest harness as a backup system isn't a bad idea. I think I'd like the ridge hooks to be longer and somehow padded to protect the roof shingles. Still, when I can't use the ladder from the ground, this is the tool I reach for.

They worked very well. No damage to roof line that I can tell. They do make the ladder heavy. They can make it akward to move down.

I am very glad that I had them.
My first amazon review.

Summary, awesome! Love it!

My wife and I are in a house that has 2 levels and hanging lights on the roof above the garage was impossible and dangerous because of the slope of the roof so you couldn't do it from above, and I didn't have a ladder high enough to reach. BUT the you could get onto the ridge of the first level and then climb to the ridge of the second level. Only problem was you couldn't go down the roof at all because of the steepness of it. This meant we were going to go "lightless" for christmas this year.

I did check with people that hang lights professionally and the going rate was about $175.. Way too much for me to spend. So I did some searching and found these ridge mount ladder hooks. I had no idea something like this existed. After reading the reviews I wasn't sure if they would work because people mentioned how unsafe it was, etc. But I decided I could always return them if they didn't work so I pulled the trigger and ordered 2.

The box arrived and was beat to hell, but that was ok, these are made of steel and if it can't take the abuse of UPS getting it to my house there is no way I would trust it with my life. Good news, they were in perfect condition when I pulled them through the hole in the box.

I was using these on my little giant which I wasn't sure would work, but I am happy to say it did, it worked perfectly. I was able to secure both hooks (I ordered 2, they only come in single units) and did some initial tests by banging it and pulling on them to see if they would pop off, they didn't.

I was ready to hang the lights. I carried everything up to the roof then lifted my ladder up and walked along the ridge to the second level, put the ladder down and in about 7 seconds felt totally comfortable and confident. There was no wobble, no shaking. These things held onto the roof well with no damage to it and kept the ladder exactly where I wanted it. I was able to then climb down the ladder which was hooked onto the ridge and hang lights along the slope of the roof. I then got to the bottom where the gutter was and sat on the bottom run and felt secure while attaching lights along the gutter. I had to climb up to the ridge, move the ladder over a few feet and then climb back down and start all over as I was doing part of the roof, but the entire time I felt 100% safe.

The cost to have someone hang lights on my rood was $175. These cost me $21 each for a total of $42. It took me less then an hour to do my lights and I saved $133 PLUS these things will last for years. This is one of the best tool purchases I have ever made, I love these hooks. If you need something like this get these, but note they only come in single units so you need to order 2. Some people say you can use just one, I wouldn't trust it. With 2 the ladder is held at 2 points which prevents it from swinging side to side. With one who knows what could happen. I submitted 2 pictures of my ladder on my roof as well.

If you found my review helpful please marm it as so!

The listed price is for 1 ladder hook, not 2 as listed in one of the previous reviews. I just learned this the hard way. You cannot use only 1 of these ladder hooks to secure a ladder on a roof.

Bought two thinking would use on two ladders on 10:12 new roof. As with the other reviewers found that a pair is needed for each ladder.
Good point: the wheel swivels.
Otherwise: the radius of the hook is too tight and cannot think that this will handle ridge vents; the bearing material on the end of the hook (angle iron) is too sharp and will cut felt; the adjustment of the bearing material is impractical - thought that if I loosened the bolt (the nut is of the locking type so presumed this is the designer's intention)the angle iron would adjust to the roof, instead one end swiveled into the vertical position and gouged the roof surface (am using the ZIP system so surface damage has to be repaired).
What to do? Looked beyond Amazon and bought the ACRO 11081 Roof Hook. One per ladder. None of the problems with the above. Only possible con is that the wheel does not swivel: so far not a big deal.

Easy to use & works like a champ. Although the packaging says that it is not recommended for use on roofs with a ridge vent, I did and it went over the vent nicely. Also the instructions recommend use of 2 hooks for a ladder. I only used one because that's how many I ordered. It was stable enough for me.

As per the description, two of these are required per ladder. However, after unpacking and setting them up next to each other on a flat workbench, the large bends near the wheel end are not consistent with each other. There is about a half inch difference. I have yet to actually use these on a roof, so I am not sure if this will impact the way the ladder sits. It may be that when weight is applied they will seek a balance, but only time will tell.

The free shipping was great and they arrived as promised.

As a slate roofer I need a safe way to keep my Neanderthal feet off the roof I am repairing. Worse is when I must paint a dormer or effect repairs to existing slate roofs, I must use a "chicken" ladder to drop down from the ridge. Well this ladder hook makes it all possible. Good product and well built. But as with all Qual-Craft products, it will rust quicker than you may think. So either take it off your ladder when done or learn to love rust.
UPDATE January 2012: I have used this product now for over a year and it still works as well as when I first purchased it. But do remember to remove it from your ladder and store it away from the elements (it will rust). The amount of overlap at the ridge is great and even when carrying a load of slate down the ladder it hold very well.

This product is made from mild steel bar stock and about doubles the weight of a 12' aluminum ladder. Had to use a hammer to get the "T" angle iron on the hook to rotate to it's "in use" position. The metal wasn't prepped properly and the paint started falling off day 1. I put 2-3 layers of duct tape on the brackets that touch the roof. Rounding the edges of these angle iron pieces would be a good idea. On a metal or tile roof, I would consider this a must. The wing nuts come loose so I put a standard hex nut on the bolt also to jam the wing nut to. Be careful when pushing the ladder up the roof. The extra weight of the hooks makes the ladder a handful. Bottom line, they work, they ain't pretty, and I would suggest rounding the angle iron hook pads before use. I drilled out the straps to lighten the hooks. The structural strength of the hooks is about 10 times that of the ladder. Fixed wheels would be an improvement in my opinion.