First time for me ,,but tall ladder climbing is over

[GOPAPA]

Back in Oregon at our old home I painted the house 4 times in the years I lived there...all by brushing the paint on ,,about 3000 sq ft ,, But ,, I decided to hire our house painted here In Idaho for two reasons
First the wife says no way are you getting up on a tall ladder to paint the house
Second to that ,,it took me a day or so looking at where I would have to maybe lean out to get to so some areas and agreeeeeeeeed finally with her

So yesterday the painter came and power washed the house and tomorrow they come and start the painting

I could of saved $3700 I said to myself ,,then I admitted to myself that I will be 74 years old in August and I am not as spry and flexible as I used to be..... like jumping the ladder over when needed ..

Any of you going through the golden years with second thoughts of doing what you used to do,,like climbing ladders ?

[Steeveedee]

I used to do all the wrenching on my vehicles. But when I started commuting long distance, I had to let some of that go to a shop. Now that I've had carpal tunnel release surgery on both hands, I'm having a tough time with things that were easy, like picking up a 94 pound back of mortar mix. I do OK when things have handles, but bulk items I can't pick up. I needed to verify that the spare wheel I bought would fit my truck. I did manage to take the left front tire and wheel off and do a fit check, and then put them back on and torqued the nuts. At least I can do that. I'm looking to rebuild or replace the engine, and will probably have to have it done. Not happy about that, and I'm only 65.

[dieseldawg142]

not as old, but over the 50 barrier......
still going up and down ladders 100 times a day (roofing) and on stupid designed roofs where i need a rope and harness to stay up there. why do i still do it? money is the big one...plus it does help keep ya in shape and limber...they always say be active in your later yrs....
it does get harder as time goes on...but around here there really is'nt much "new blood" coming into our trade, so our boss pays us a little more to stay up there and "git er done" ...

have to say i am more careful and not as "careless" as once was, getting to the stage where i break now instead of bend....but no second thoughts
my job has kept me outside my entire life, which is the biggest bonus as far as i'm concerned, and have travelled far and wide across the country doing jobs, and you'd be amazed at what you can see from up there... (everything from nekked ladies to police chases to your next project truck...)

[Boog]

I hear you Larry. I'm 64 and I am experiencing the same issues. I have always done most everything myself, home and vehicles. I've never paid to have something done I could do myself. Now days I start out doing normal things at the same pace as I always have but run out of steam real quick. Strength and stamina have fallen way off. My mind and experience says I can still do that but my body now says hold up there old guy, not so fast.
Ladders? I've never been one to shy away from climbing a ladder but in the last couple of years I have a real problem getting up one.
I need to roof the shop and hang new siding and trim. I'm still putting it off.

[Ol Blue K20]

I'm only 56 but this last fight with cancer has kicked my butt. I'm hoping to get some strength and stamina back but it looks like it'll be a while. I need to be able to climb when I go back to work but......

[Stocker]

I'm a few years behind ya Larry, but pretty much in the same boat. Passing years and rheumatoid arthritis have convinced me to hire some jobs done. I see it as money well spent, all things considered. Same as you, I hired painters last time around, and a roofing crew the year before that. Still able to cut firewood but it does take longer than it used to.....

[davischevy]

I had my annual physical the other day and the doctor (same age as me) said I was in extremely good health for my age....But I am my own worst enemy from here on out. If I get hurt, I'm not going to heal like I used to.

I hired somebody to power wash my eves and clean my gutters this year. Then I hired some guys to do some work on the French gables on a two story apartment house I have, and I didn't like the way it looked from the ground so my brother in law and I, both 66, got a ladder and climbed up there. We ended up spending a 1/2 day cleaning the work up.

The few young people that learn a trade, and learn it well, will rule the world 20 years from now.


I am right behind you Larry.

[Boog]

As someone humorously put it "growing old ain't for sissies". There's some truth to that. Diabetes, heart disease, gout, arthritis and cancers all take some enjoyment out of life.

[Killer Bee]

[GOPAPA]

Guess I am not alone .. few of you are feeling your age too..
When I was young I worked on a lot high jobs ,,,and it not good a weather either ,, one was the cooling tower for the Trojan Nuclear Plant it topped out at 500 feet high ,,I worked all the way up it to the topping out party ,,that's history ,,now its more like my 8 foot step ladder .. mainly cause the wife reads all these stories about old guys fallen off ladders and dying..

I wanted to paint my own house again ,,but it was mainly for saving the money ,, and if I had fallen off the ladder like she said I might then come July 5th when the job is done ,,I wouldn't been able to get on this good ol truck forum ,, now would I ? lol

[Gotenntitans]

My dad is 77 years old; his neighbor is 80. They were gonna work together and blow all the pine straw & leaves off the roof and out of the gutters of their houses back in December. Dad has the blower and the neighbor has and would hold the ladder. Dad's roof is shingled, but the neighbor has a metal roof. Dad's roof went fine and they got it all clean and gutters cleaned out. Neighbor's roof was slick and he's holding the ladder while Dad took a couple of steps, then fell off. Fell flat on his back into the shrubbery or it would have probably killed him.

Hire it done if you've got the funds. It's not worth getting hurt or worse.

[68C15]

There's a reason I want a house built into a hillside

[davischevy]

Originally Posted by 68C15

There's a reason I want a house built into a hillside

So you can just mow your roof?

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by Gotenntitans

My dad is 77 years old; his neighbor is 80. They were gonna work together and blow all the pine straw & leaves off the roof and out of the gutters of their houses back in December. Dad has the blower and the neighbor has and would hold the ladder. Dad's roof is shingled, but the neighbor has a metal roof. Dad's roof went fine and they got it all clean and gutters cleaned out. Neighbor's roof was slick and he's holding the ladder while Dad took a couple of steps, then fell off. Fell flat on his back into the shrubbery or it would have probably killed him.

Hire it done if you've got the funds. It's not worth getting hurt or worse.

A gal in my carving class' husband fell while doing roofing work. He's 65. He landed so hard that it broke bones in his inner ears and around his sinuses. He didn't go to the hospital for a few hours, because the guys he was working with didn't realize how bad it was. Once he started slurring his speech, they insisted on taking him to the ER. He had a bad concussion, and the doctor said that if he had come in right away they would have drilled a hole in his skull to help drain the blood and relieve the pressure. That was almost two years ago, and he's still messed up- just sits around the house now, and doesn't do anything. I dropped a driveshaft on my head while working on my Buick. It didn't fall that far, but when it hit, I jerked my head away and hit it on the concrete driveway. I kind of just laid there for a while, and then crawled out. I had a concussion, and it took a year before I was back to sort of normal. Short term memory loss, lose track of what I was talking about, that kind of stuff. I'll hire painters to do my house, like last time. Though the painters were hired because I was constantly traveling for my job, back then. Sucks not being able to what I used to do.

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by Gotenntitans

My dad is 77 years old; his neighbor is 80. They were gonna work together and blow all the pine straw & leaves off the roof and out of the gutters of their houses back in December. Dad has the blower and the neighbor has and would hold the ladder. Dad's roof is shingled, but the neighbor has a metal roof. Dad's roof went fine and they got it all clean and gutters cleaned out. Neighbor's roof was slick and he's holding the ladder while Dad took a couple of steps, then fell off. Fell flat on his back into the shrubbery or it would have probably killed him.

Hire it done if you've got the funds. It's not worth getting hurt or worse.

Thats about it in a nut shell . I read about older guys fallen to often..and acually I am pretty stable yet , but I realize I can not take a fall like I used to.. glad your father fell on something softer than cement or hard ground .

[Ironhorse]

Guess I'll throw my hat in this ring also. I'll see 70 next year, mind tells me I'm still 19, body sees it different. Our yard light is giving some problems. It's an older mercury vapor outdoor light. I put it up most likely about late 79 or early 80's. Climbed the pole using the pole spikes, mounted it, wired it, all is good til now. Ballast is finely giving up, hard to buy good quality items any more, huh?

Looked the situation over and decided, Nope, not gonna' climb that pole again. Called an electrician, supposed to change out the light for an LED yard/security light next week.

More, had the house done in vinyl wrap, vinyl siding, all new vinyl gas filled windows (26 of them !) guttering and gutter guard. Wow, pricey for sure but no more scrapping and painting and puttying windows. No more cleaning gutters off the ladder.

Just finished helping my middle son swap motors in his '96 Z71 4x4. Spun a bearing at 188,000 miles. He's working 55-60 hours a week right now, only gets to spend 2-3 hours at a time on it. Finally today, stabbed the dist. and fired it off. Ran for about 20 minutes at 1800 rpm for cam break in, no problems other than a small water leak from a by pass hose at top of water pump. Years ago would have done that over the weekend by myself. Not any more.

Those golden years are not all gold, some of that is rust and tarnish. Still, I have to tell myself I'm better off than some buddies of mine listed on The Wall in DC.

[Steeveedee]

^^^ Yeah, better old than dead. Thank you for your service. I served from '72 - '76 but never went anywhere. Joined the Navy to see the world, never made it overseas.

[truckster]

I'm only 58, but I'm old enough that I've decided that rather than paint, this time I'm putting up vinyl siding. Painting the house is almost as much work, and I'd just have to do it again in a few years.

[special-K]

Like others, I've been climbing ladders all my life, working off of them and scaffold, as well as off of roofs hanging siding. Carrying the equipment is what I'm getting too old for. Still feel fine on a ladder and up a roof, but the cartilages in my feet are worn out and give me pain, as well as arches ache when on the ladder a lot. I did get up on a high end wall on tall poles (36') with a long walkboard (30'), which is as wobble sway twisty as it gets, not long ago and got the heebee jeebees. Had to come down. My nerves gave me a fit. I bit the bullet and went up the next morning... hated every second of it. Had to keep breathing deep and putting my mind somewhere else. I don't do siding all the time now, and that was a new monster house with LP Smartside, which didn't make it easy. It made me realize I am not what I once was and siding as a full-time thing, especially with these new mansions, is behind me now.



I have a customer with a house I have been fixing water problems on. Had to repair this thing up on the roof, including lifting the skylight off. Feels good having the feet flat on the ground at the end of the day

[GOPAPA]

The Painters have arrived .. one is the contractors soon to be wife? She is a very good painter who is their main "cut in painter for trim " I seen her work on another house and also watched her move a 20 foot ladder along a tall wall with out taking it down by doing a great balancing act doing baby steps.. She puts on her saftey belt and walks around the roof with the same kind of non fear I used to do on many high work jobs ..

Its good to be caution and careful ,, but you don't want to be afraid of height either.. she and one other painter are both great at working off the ground.

Killerbee,,I see you way up there on that ladder of the fire truck ,,,,,,,,,,,,, I used to ride the headache ball up and down to the roof of paper machine buildings when we were building them ,, I do not remember when they stopped us from doing that. Some operators would take you up and bring you down pretty darn fast.. it was a thrill back then when I was just a 21 years old.

[Fred T]

My most interesting ladder climb was working on a big light fixture, weighed about 100 lb. Hanging from a 28' ceiling. Stood on the top of a 20' step ladder and could brace one hand against the ceiling . If I hadn't been over 6' tall I wouldn't have been able to do it. Hard part was putting the fixture back up. Had to hang it with one hand. I was about 30. My next adventure was painting a chimney that was 6 feet square. On top of 60 degree roof. My 35' extension ladder almost reached the peak. (Never had a ladder that was long enough.) Me and the stepson, about 11, were up there when he slipped. He recovered, and I did my Fred Sanford routine. When I told his mother (after he grew up) her comment included something about murder.

About 10 years ago I got on the roof to patch a leak. Got the work done and went to head down. With one fused foot, I couldn't walk down the slope. No problem, grabbed the cell to call 911. Dead battery. Finally sat down and scooted back down. Now I am 66 and have had both feet fused. I don't go above the 3rd step on a stepladder. And I rarely do that.

[Steeveedee]

My youngest brother used to work for a special effects outfit (he now works for a different one- there are tons of them out there, it would seem). He had to go straight up on a post lift, 60 feet up, to install LED bulbs in some of the special effects at a casino. About one zillion #6-32 screws to do the install, IIRC. Then there was a problem, and they had to go back and remove and replace them again. Best job- he had to go into a gas tanker in the California heat to install stuff for simulating fires, for some fire fighters to practice on. I worked in the engine room on a US Navy ship; that tanker was way worse.

[Advanced Design]

Great stories. Hats off to all you guys doing the high stuff for a living!

About 20 years ago I was on the shop roof with 15’ walls and started to slide as I wasn’t tied off. The surface was pretty rough, though some how I hit a slick spot. Looking down at my wife, I stopped sliding and said..

“Ha, you should have seen the look on your face!”

“My face?” she responded. “You should have seen the look on yours!”

I use the bucket truck for about anything up to 25’ now. And hire a lot more done than I use to.

[cypressbog]

Yes, I'm not doing what I used to be able anymore. I actually sold all my old cars because I can't work on them anymore. Both knees, left wrist, left shoulder and C6-7 cervical spine injuries are catching up to me. Pains getting worse now I can't walk the track or other physical activities and I'm gaining 20 pounds every year.

[dieseldawg142]

you would make a good hi-line roofer Killer Bee!
heights are'nt an issue..
one of the worst things i've done in a while was to pack 150 lbs up 35 floors once...
the company i work for does 95% commercial, industrial and hi-rise roofing. we do a lot of these...


as most of our work is new construction, we have to use construction elevators, or Baoda lifts as we call them (after the manufactor- Baoda)


we were on a smaller 35 story once, and our crew was in the Baodo going up with some strange guy. the baoda operator asked us a few times to quiet down so he could hear what this strange guy was saying. being raffish roofers we just kept jawing on untill we heard the operator tell this guy that the bolts had sheared off at the 24th floor....well, it got real quiet real quick, you could hear a pin drop...it was like; you can let us off at the 20th, we'll hike it from there....


the next day we humped up 35 floors with our gear...i'm pretty sure i had 3 strokes and 2 heart attacks on the way up.....luckily they got the Baoda fixed that day. we were the first suck-...er guys to ride it down after the repairs.
i made a quick vid of it cause we fully expected it to fall off the building, and we figured if anything it would make a cool vid afterwards (if the cam survived..)...
i have never shown this vid cause there was quite a bit of family un-friendly conversation from us on the way down....so i dubbed in the lame elevator muzak to make it more palatable...
as you can see, their repair was stellar and all good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P6yPJl-ya0