Quick verdict
An aluminum alloy tripod ladder for pruning and picking, with a wide splayed base, a widened top platform and pedal, a third leg on an adjustable telescopic pole with a safety chain, and clawed feet with four hooks each that bite into soil and hold on slopes, so it stands steady on a lawn or an orchard floor where a stepladder sinks and wobbles. A tripod reaches into the tree where a straight ladder cannot lean and an A-frame cannot stand. It is the ladder orchards use, in a home size.
Strengths
- Tripod stands on soft and sloping ground where stepladders sink
- Clawed feet with four hooks grip soil
- Adjustable third leg levels on a slope
- Wide top platform and footrest for long pruning sessions
- Rust-resistant aluminum alloy
Weaknesses
- Not for hard flat floors; the claws skate
- Third leg must be chained and locked every time
- Heavier to carry than it looks
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
The Ladder That Belongs Under a Tree
A stepladder on a lawn sinks one foot and rocks; a straight ladder against a fruit tree breaks the branch it leans on. Orchards use tripods. ERRULAN’s is an aluminum tripod ladder with a wide base, a widened top platform and pedal, an adjustable third leg on a chain and clawed feet with four hooks each that grip turf and soil on a slope.
This review is based on the listing specifications and on how tripod orchard ladders perform generally. We have not used this ladder ourselves and the brand is a generic importer.
Setting Up
Open the ladder on the orchard floor with the wide base facing the work, push the claws in, extend the third leg until the ladder stands plumb and lock it, then fix the safety chain between the leg and the ladder. The third leg goes into the tree between branches where no other ladder fits, and the picker stands inside the canopy with both hands free.
Claw Feet
Each foot carries four hooks that sink into soil and hold on a bank where a flat foot would slide. That is the whole reason it works on an orchard floor. On concrete or paving the claws skate, and a tripod is the wrong ladder there.
Platform
A wide top step and a footrest on the other side let a pruner stand for a long session without a foot cramping on a narrow rung. The telescopic third leg levels the ladder on a slope in seconds.
Build
Aluminum alloy that shrugs off rain and orchard mud. It is heavier than a domestic stepladder and carries over the shoulder between trees.
Safety
Lock the third leg and fit the chain every time; an unchained leg splays under load. Keep hips inside the rails and move the ladder rather than leaning. Never step on the top platform rail.
Who Should Buy It
- Home orchard owners pruning and picking on grass.
- Anyone with tall hedges on a lawn.
- Gardeners on sloping ground.
Common Owner Complaints
Skating on hard floors and the weight. It is an orchard ladder; use it on soil.
Technique Tips
Set the ladder so the work is in front of the chest, not off to one side, and move the ladder rather than reach. Hang the pruning saw and the picking bag on the rail before climbing. On a slope, put the two front legs downhill and the single leg uphill where the adjustment has the most range.
Alternatives to Consider
A fiberglass tripod for electrical work near trees. A platform stepladder for paved areas. A pole pruner for the branches a ladder cannot reach safely.
Verdict
For trees on grass and hedges on a slope, a tripod with claws is the ladder that stands, and this one has the platform and chain to use it well. Lock the leg, fit the chain and keep it off the patio.
Full specifications
ERRULAN Lightweight Aluminum Alloy Orchard Pruning and Fruit Picking Ladder with Wide Base and Adjustable Pole FAQs
Three legs always find the ground, so a tripod stands on an uneven orchard floor. The single back leg pokes into the tree between branches where an A-frame cannot go.
Hooked feet sink into turf and soil and hold where flat feet slide, especially on a slope. On concrete they do the opposite; use a stepladder there.
Extend it so the ladder stands plumb, lock it, and fix the safety chain to the ladder so the leg cannot splay. Every setup, every time.
This listing is a 5 step ladder suited to home fruit trees and tall hedges. Check the height against the trees.
