Pulling my (stuck) ladder for the winter/cover.

[Gilligan8]

New pool owner here, purchased a home 2 weeks ago with an inground pool and it had a pool cover in storage.

Though the cover has seen better days, we will use it for sure this year.

Realized we need to pull the ladder out to properly cover the pool but one problem, seems like it won't budge and seems like the sleeves were sunk into the concrete and potentially other unseeable problems.

So far, I've tried to shake it and pull it. Today I tried putting some straps around the base of each side with a rolling hitch knot, going up to a unistrut which was going across a board stood up on my floor jack... cranked on that till it all came apart (the contraption, not the ladder) and didn't seem to budge.

My brother has suggested I just cut it and then resleeve it from itself on the inside and can drill and tap my own "set screws" which seems like the right answer... but I fear I'm gonna create more problems than I'm fixing.

What do you guys think?

 

[Bperry]

New pool owner here, purchased a home 2 weeks ago with an inground pool and it had a pool cover in storage.

Though the cover has seen better days, we will use it for sure this year.

Realized we need to pull the ladder out to properly cover the pool but one problem, seems like it won't budge and seems like the sleeves were sunk into the concrete and potentially other unseeable problems.

So far, I've tried to shake it and pull it. Today I tried putting some straps around the base of each side with a rolling hitch knot, going up to a unistrut which was going across a board stood up on my floor jack... cranked on that till it all came apart (the contraption, not the ladder) and didn't seem to budge.

My brother has suggested I just cut it and then resleeve it from itself on the inside and can drill and tap my own "set screws" which seems like the right answer... but I fear I'm gonna create more problems than I'm fixing.

What do you guys think?

Looks like the deck fittings are missing or corroded. Hard to tell, but looks like it hasn’t been removed in a very long time.

 

[JamesW]

Typical for aluminum anchor cups because they are made of aluminum and they are attached to the bonding grid, which makes them a sacrificial anode to everything else on the bonding grid.

If you remove the ladder treads, you can sometime rotate the rails independently and the rail will break loose.

Because the anchor cups are aluminum, muriatic acid would eat them up rather easily, but this is a very dangerous thing to do.

The acid would probably run down into the ground or get on the deck or maybe splash as you work on things, so I cannot recommend using acid.

Once you remove the rails, you will probably need to core drill out the cups and replace them.

 

[Newdude]

First, scrape out the mud and gunk here, looking for a wedge bolt to loosen



Then with nothing to lose, duct tape a 4x4 under the rails and add however many pieces of scrap you need to the height of the floor jack and let er rip.

 

[Gilligan8]

Typical for aluminum anchor cups because they are made of aluminum and they are attached to the bonding grid, which makes them a sacrificial anode to everything else on the bonding grid.

If you remove the ladder treads, you can sometime rotate the rails independently and the rail will break loose.

Because the anchor cups are aluminum, muriatic acid would eat them up rather easily, but this is a very dangerous thing to do.

The acid would probably run down into the ground or get on the deck or maybe splash as you work on things, so I cannot recommend using acid.

Once you remove the rails, you will probably need to core drill out the cups and replace them.

I read you loud and clear!

 

[Gilligan8]

First, scrape out the mud and gunk here, looking for a wedge bolt to loosen

View attachment 542765

Then with nothing to lose, duct tape a 4x4 under the rails and add however many pieces of scrap you need to the height of the floor jack and let er rip.

I will check for a wedge, I just assumed that normally this bit was meant to be above ground with a set screw coming in from the side... but a wedge does make sense.

 

[Bperry]

If you remove the ladder treads, you can sometime rotate the rails independently and the rail will break loose.

That’s a great idea. Mine is really stuck as well and I may need to do that rather than using a heavy rubber mallet to hit loose.

 

[JamesW]

If there is a wedge, you can just push it down.

The wedge gets pulled up to lock the rail in place.

Make sure that the ladder bumpers are in place so that the rail is not digging into the side of the pool.

 

[Newdude]

Finding the bolt if there is one doesn't help un-seize it, but at least gives you a chance.




I always tightly taped a 2x4 under my rails to protect the finish and hit upwards under each rail with a 10 lb sledge. Yours probably needs the floor jack. Or both.

 

[Gilligan8]

Finding the bolt if there is one doesn't help un-seize it, but at least gives you a chance.

View attachment 542843


I always tightly taped a 2x4 under my rails to protect the finish and hit upwards under each rail with a 10 lb sledge. Yours probably needs the floor jack. Or both.

This helps to understand what I might be looking at!

 

[Newdude]

This helps to understand what I might be looking at!

Want me to whomp on it, little buddy ?

 

[duraleigh]

I have had luck with a large rubber mallet.

 

[JamesW]

If you use some sort of acid, which I do not recommend, you should be very careful not to use any force while acid is present because it can make acid squirt out or splash out.

 

[sande005]

x2 on the bolts and wedge suggestions above. For mine, long ago, I stopped tightening the bolts - it stays just fine without. It looks like you got a little bit of movement, judging by the dirt line. Try working it up AND down - even if that means a rubber mallet for both directions. The down will help loosen any stuck wedges. Also, mine is very touchy about side to side - too much up on the left side means the right gets jammed even tighter. And vice versa. So alternating which leg to work on, bit by bit, may help it "walk" out of the two holes. It may be slow, even only 1/64" of up and down motion, on each side, to start.

 

[hexabc]

This always works for me:

If there is a slightest movement between the rail and the cup, the penetrating agent will get sucked into the gap and will lubricate the surfaces.

 

[Gilligan8]

x2 on the bolts and wedge suggestions above. For mine, long ago, I stopped tightening the bolts - it stays just fine without. It looks like you got a little bit of movement, judging by the dirt line. Try working it up AND down - even if that means a rubber mallet for both directions. The down will help loosen any stuck wedges. Also, mine is very touchy about side to side - too much up on the left side means the right gets jammed even tighter. And vice versa. So alternating which leg to work on, bit by bit, may help it "walk" out of the two holes. It may be slow, even only 1/64" of up and down motion, on each side, to start.

Zero movement right now... I haven't been home since all of these helpful suggestions though.