Anyone in the Portland area got an extra orchard ladder they no longer need and want to sell? I'm planting a bunch of properly dwarfed apple trees this season, but have two on M111 rootstock in the ground. One of them is already too tall to deal with effectively, and it's growing straight up. So much for landscape trees that also provide fruit.
I can probably prune now with a regular 6' stepladder, but it seems to be time to move up to proper tools.
mh
I once put an advertisement in a nickel ads kind of weekly paper, and some dude called me and had maybe 30 tall orchard laddes. Said he only wanted a dollar a foot. So I bought a 12 footer and a 14 footer. But that was perhaps 5 years ago.
I would think that if you ran your own free or low-cost ad, somebody would contact you.
“It should have occurred to me that anyone on this forum who has one is using it.†--- Almost daily 
I think Craig’s List would be a good place to start, but be careful about taking on a wooden one; they’re so heavy you’re (or at least me) reluctant to move them as often as you should... I find myself leaning a lot more, not wanting to mess ‘re-setting’ my bulky wooden 12 footer. My 8 foot aluminum’s likely my best friend this time of year!
Talked another friend into buying one of her own… with a big and active farm – everybody’s using it! Including me 
I dread getting my 14 foot wooden orchard ladder out. It is pretty heavy. But the 12 footer is actually a delight to use. For me it is not too heavy. Just about right it seems.
I am sure metal ladders are real nice, but I have never seen them go for a buck a foot!
Marsha, I have found that putting my own want ad into publications works tons better than just surfing over what is there. I bet I got a dozen offers off that one ad. Some wanted full price it seemed, others were really cheap. One guy even gave me a 12 footer! I totally forgot about that one until just now!
I assume it's aluminum...And if you still want a ladder, I've got a pile of old wooden ones located in Buena Vista, Oregon - just a bit south of Salem. Not in great shape, and they're 16 footers, but could easily be cut down! And free!! Only problem is that right now the only car I have that could carry one isn't running, so I couldn't drop it off in Portland the next time I wandered through there....until the car's fixed; and that's probably not soon!
But if interesting, drop me a note back.
Dave
lotus026@yahoo.com
Idyllwild
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jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
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