According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, every year about 165,000 Americans are treated for ladder-related injuries. It’s probably safe to assume that the majority of those injuries involve people being on unstable ladders that fall over, and it is those kinds of accidents that a new product known as the Thor-Stand is designed to keep from happening.
The aluminum device clamps onto the base of an existing ladder in less than 30 seconds. It is then swiveled to match the slope of the ground, while the ladder remains perfectly upright – an integrated bubble level ensures that the ladder is indeed straight. Once everything is lined up, the Thor-Stand is locked into position, and climbing can commence.
Other leveling systems do already exist, that consist of individually-adjustable extensions that slide down from each leg of the ladder and lock into place. As the makers of the Thor-Stand point out, however, these setups do nothing to broaden the base of the ladder, unlike their product. Some of them also require mounting holes to be drilled into the ladder, or have feet that don’t sit flush with sloping surfaces.
The Thor-Stand weighs 14 pounds (6.4 kg), works on grades of up to 30 degrees, and can be used with ladders up to 32 feet (9.75 meters) in length. The standard model sells on the company website for US$320, while a tougher Special Duty version goes for $329.
It can be seen in use in the video below.
Source: Thor-Stand