Youngman Timberlux Loft Ladder
Introduction
youngman timberlux loft ladderThe Youngman Timberlux loft ladder, was manufactured for Youngman Group and for many years it was a regular seller for them.
I myself , have fitted many of these ladders, into lofts and homes around the country.
They were sold through various outlets, including Wickes, Hombase and Rapid. Youngman, for some strange reason, known only to them, decided to discontinue the ladder, some 8 - 10 years ago, with no particular reason given to fitters, retailers etc.
Instead they went and started selling 3 part folding ladders.
The Ladders
The Youngman Timberlux loft ladder, was suitable for floor to floor heights up to 3.2m and was operated independent of the door. It had a spring mechanism, at the back of the ladder fixed to the floor, two arms were fitted, they ran back to the top of the ladder.
All in all it was a great ladder, with nice deep treads, quite a wide ladder and a handrail on the left or right hand side. Suitable for up to 150kg (23.5 stone). There was a metal catch mechanism, on the right hand side of the ladder.
Why Get Rid Of It?
As I said earlier there was no reason given at the time for it not being sold anymore, but one of the reasons might be:
The youngman timberlux loft ladder was held together by two metal bands, which allowed the ladder section to move through and over each other when being extended or retracted.
On occasions having fitted a ladder, within a week or two we would be called back to the house where it was fitted, because the ladder was said to be binding and stuck together.
This happened a few more times and then the penny dropped. If the ladder was fitted into an un-insulated or poorly insulated loft, where there was moisture present, the ladder would absorb the moisture.
Because the ladder sections were so close to each other, they would enlarge and the metal bands would contract, making the youngman timberlux loft ladder all but impossible to separate.
We did report this fault to Youngman at the time and on other occasions and told them they needed to have the ladder sections with a greater tolerance to allow for any expansion.
In the mean time, if we were fitting a ladder, we would shave off a small area of the stiles in case expansion happened, and explained to the customers, the need for good insulation.
The problem was solved by the fitters, but never actioned by the manufacturer. So they discontinued what was a fine ladder, and the gauntlet was taken up by ABRU ladders with their 2 Section Sliding Loft Ladder.
which is almost identical to the old youngman timberlux loft ladder, but, not quite the same!
