A new ladder rack alternative is now available for all the service trade vehicle owners out there. Most of you have been limited in ladder rack availability for your vehicle, based on the narrow focus of the ladder rack manufacturers.
Overhead or actually over-bed ladder racks and truck roof mounted ladder racks have been the only options in the truck, trailer and van ladder rack market for far too long. Although there are many products available in many sizes, materials and configurations, they all achieve the same end in basically the same way. One being to stow your ladders over the open bed of your truck, creating a dangerous overhead obstacle; or in the case of roof mounted ladder racks, for trucks, vans and trailers, they stow your ladders on top of the vehicle, the highest possible point from the ground. Requiring the user to climb the truck, trailer or van to stow or retrieve their ladders, a daunting, if not dangerous task in the best of situations.
Many readers will interject that rotational racks are available, point taken; rotational ladder racks are a good choice for many van ladder rack users. They offer the ability to lower the ladder to a reasonable loading and retrieval height, albeit being limited in application and capacity. They have moving parts that require maintenance and replacement after only a few years in operation; in spite of their high initial cost they require ongoing expenditure to keep them functioning properly.
So this being said I would like to inform all my readers that there is an alterative available in the ladder rack market that is long overdue, the “vertical ladder rack”; available for truck bed, van, truck and trailer mounting. This design places the ladders on the side of your vehicle instead of the top, stores your ladders on edge, not lying flat, thus taking up less space. This “vertical ladder rack” design keeps personnel on the ground during loading and unloading, thus eliminating the danger involved in climbing the vehicle to retrieve the ladder rack’s contents. The “vertical ladder rack” also greatly speeds loading and unloading of the ladders on and off of the ladder rack, time is money and any time savings translates into increased profits.
In the case of bed mounted applications the “vertical ladder rack” can accommodate multiple ladders in a minimum amount of space, off to the side of the truck bed, not over it; keeping you from banging your head on the ladder rack or the ladders every time you climb into the truck bed.
The vertical ladder racks pictured here are of an all aluminum design; they have all stainless steel hardware and a clear anodized finish on all aluminum parts.
The design of these vertical ladder racks is masterfully simple, a side mounted ladder rack; not just hooks mounted to the side of the truck or trailer body. This vertical ladder rack design features infinite adjustability, of its mounting points and its ladder support arms; it is a maintenance free design, requiring zero maintenance.
So much for the design of this new type of ladder rack, now lets move on to its usage. Stowing ladders on the “vertical ladder rack” is as simple as hanging the ladders on hooks on the wall of your garage. Simply place the ladders on the ladder support arms and hook the ladder securing straps. That’s it; your ladders are securely stowed for travel, what could be simpler.
This new ladder rack, the “vertical ladder rack” is a patent pending design that was introduced to the market sometime in 2007 so its maker, VertiRack Manufacturing Co. is still spreading the word of its existence.
Upon checking with VertiRack I was informed that popularity is spreading quickly among the contractor and service industries; I can see why it is a very interesting design, it takes the danger and liability out of accessing ladders stowed on large truck roof and over-bed ladder racks.
If you are looking for a ladder rack for your new or existing service vehicle, do yourself a favor and check it out.
Dave Winter is a freelance writer and product reviewer who evaluates products relevent to multiple industries.
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