Itโs a long story, butโฆtermites. Thatโs what got me interested in reviewing theย Werner D6216-3 16 ft fiberglass extension ladder. Itโs not that termites are any particular cause for going out and buying a nice ladder, but an infestation leadsโin the South at leastโto tenting your building. And when youโre tenting a 6,500 square foot facility thatโs been standing around since the 1940โs you need some ladders. But more importantly, a ladder that provides 16โฒ of extension while only taking up 6โฒ 4โณ of space when closed is a life-saver.
I needed this ladder to remove the lightning rods from the bell tower located on the southwest corner of a community center. Getting to the rods involved climbing all the way up to the tower, and that involved ascending several different levelsโeach of which presented limited maneuverability. Remember, this place was built before ADA standardsโฆperhaps even before common sense was invented.
Werner D6216-3 16 ft Fiberglass Extension Ladderย Features
Because theย Werner D6216-3 16 ftย fiberglassย extensionย ladder collapses down to just 6โฒ 4โณ, it was an absolute breeze to move through cramped doorwaysโvertically, no less. Try that with a standard 16โฒ extension, which closes down to around 8โฒ in length. It was also lightweight enough to take with us as we ascended each level, finally accessing the high walls of the bell tower (which actually does have a bellโฆalbeit an electronic one).
Extended, the Werner D6216-3 is the same size as a two-section extension ladderโjust over 13โฒ. So you gain portability and lose almost nothing. The Werner is also really well-built, with a strong fiberglass frame and what looked to be billet aluminum extension locks (there are four). To help secure the three piece ladder during movement and storage, Werner added a nylon storage strap that ties the top and bottom sections and keeps them from moving. We liked the D-rungs Werner used on this ladder as well, and our feet tended to keep a nice grip during ascent and descent.
Overall, this is just a really nice ladder. Werner makes it in both aluminum and fiberglass and I really think the three-section design is something that pros will find extremely useful in many situations (I shudder to think of the damage Iโve seen caused by some of my guys who havenโt had the luxury of being able to carry ladders vertically through doorways). In a culture that seems to scream โbigger is betterโ itโs nice to chalk one up to the little guyโฆer, ladder.
