Niwaki Tripod Ladder
Original and Fully Adjustable models

Perfect for hedges, topiary, fruit trees and all other garden and DIY jobs where you need to work safely at height. The three legs and wide base provide incredible stability, even on slopes and steps… read the full description.

Delivering to US (Paying in USD) Edit

4' (1.2m) Original	$289.00
6' (1.8m) Original	$339.00
7' (2.1m) EN Pro Adjustable	$499.00
8' (2.4m) Original	$389.00
9' (2.7m) EN Pro Adjustable	$589.00
10' (3.0m) Original	$439.00
11' (3.3m) EN Pro Adjustable	$669.00
12' (3.6m) Original	$479.00
15' ANSI Pro + Set of 3 Feet	$757.50
No Rubber Feet	+ $0.00
+ Set of 3 Feet	+ $27.00
	exVAT

Niwaki Tripod Ladder • 15' ANSI Pro + Set of 3 Feet is in stock, available to dispatch in the UK and Europe, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

41lb 14.2oz
330lb 11.1oz max load
15' 3.9" folded length
Aluminium
Made in China

Niwaki Tripod Ladder • 11' (3.3m) EN Pro Adjustable is in stock, available to dispatch in the UK and Europe, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

38lb 9.3oz
330lb 11.1oz max load
10' 8.7" folded length
Aluminium
Made in China

Niwaki Tripod Ladder • 9' (2.7m) EN Pro Adjustable is in stock, available to dispatch in the UK and Europe, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

31lb 8.4oz
330lb 11.1oz max load
8' 7.9" folded length
Aluminium
Made in China

Niwaki Tripod Ladder • 7' (2.1m) EN Pro Adjustable is in stock, available to dispatch in the UK and Europe, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

25lb 9.2oz
330lb 11.1oz max load
6' 10.7" folded length
Aluminium
Made in China

Niwaki Tripod Ladder • 12' (3.6m) Original is in stock, available to dispatch in the UK and Europe, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

26lb 10.8oz
220lb 7.4oz max load
12' 6" folded length
Aluminium
Made in China

Niwaki Tripod Ladder • 10' (3.0m) Original is in stock, available to dispatch in the UK and Europe, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

23lb 2.4oz
220lb 7.4oz max load
10' 4.8" folded length
Aluminium
Made in China

Niwaki Tripod Ladder • 8' (2.4m) Original is in stock, available to dispatch in the UK and Europe, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

18lb 4.8oz
220lb 7.4oz max load
8' 6" folded length
Aluminium
Made in China

Niwaki Tripod Ladder • 6' (1.8m) Original is in stock, available to dispatch in the UK and Europe, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

14lb 5.3oz
220lb 7.4oz max load
6' 4.4" folded length
Aluminium
Made in China

Niwaki Tripod Ladder • 4' (1.2m) Original is in stock, available to dispatch in the UK and Europe, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

10lb 12.8oz
220lb 7.4oz max load
4' 4" folded length
Aluminium
Made in China

Tripod Ladder Rubber Feet (Set of 3) is in stock, available to dispatch worldwide, or contact us for showroom stock availability.

12.5oz
Rubber
Made in China

Product description

Tripod Ladders are essential for large topiary and hedges. You can either work face-on, with the 3rd leg poked into the hedge, or sideways, with the ladder parallel to the hedge - their adaptability (3 legs), stability (wide base) and comfort (double rungs) allow you to spend all the time necessary to do jobs properly, without rushing.

Ideal for orchard work, both for picking and pruning, where thanks to the single back leg, you can get right into the crown of the tree. Unlike traditional orchard designs (pointed A-Frame), you can lean over the top, or rest picking baskets etc on top. They’re also considerably wider at the base than A-Frames, adjust for slopes, and of course are welded not riveted, so are much, much stronger - and exceptionally light and easy to use.

Use the Rubber Feet on hard surfaces; patios, concrete, tarmac, driveways, etc.

Please take time to read through all the guidance on this page – especially the WHICH LADDER? section – to help you choose the right ladder for your needs. Please also familiarise yourself with niwaki.com/about/returns/

Best usage

The Tripod Ladder is described by Monty Don as one of his five favourite gardening tools in the Telegraph. As used on BBC Gardeners’ World.

Size (open height)	Weight	Base Width	Spread ?	Folded Length ?	SSH ?	Hedge Height	Steps	Load Bearing
4' (1.2m) Original	4.9kg	95cm	92cm	132cm	2'	5'–6'	4	100kg
6' (1.8m) Original	6.5kg	125cm	122cm	194cm	3'	6'–8'	6	100kg
7' (2.1m) EN Pro Adjustable	11.6kg	95cm (±10cm)	169cm (±10cm)	210cm	4' (±20cm)	6'–9'	7	150kg
8' (2.4m) Original	8.3kg	125cm	157cm	259cm	5'	8'–10'	8	100kg
9' (2.7m) EN Pro Adjustable	14.3kg	127cm (±12cm)	210cm (±12cm)	264cm	5' (±20cm)	8'–11'	9	150kg
10' (3.0m) Original	10.5kg	145cm	193cm	317cm	7'	10'–12'	10	100kg
11' (3.3m) EN Pro Adjustable	17.5kg	128cm (±14cm)	248cm (±12cm)	327cm	7' (±20cm)	10'–13'	11	150kg
12' (3.6m) Original	12.1kg	145cm	219cm	381cm	9'	12'–14'	12	100kg
15' ANSI Pro + Set of 3 Feet	19kg	145cm	335cm	467cm	12'	15'–17'	16	150kg

Ladder DeliveryWhich Ladder?Ladder BumpfThe Story Behind Niwaki and Tripod Ladders

Mainland UK:

We use a combination of our own vehicle or private courier, and delivery is typically up to 7-10 days but please allow up to 21 days.
We do not use the national couriers, who are ill-equipped to handle our ladders properly.
Some delivery areas require a surcharge – please contact us for a quote.
Collect from Niwaki HQ near Shaftesbury and save 10% – this way you get to see the ladders and know you are getting the right model and size. This offer may not be used in combination with any other offers.
We will always let you know the day in advance, although narrowing down the time slot is difficult.
When ordering, please give us as much useful information as possible regarding hard-to-find addresses, awkward access, dates when you’re away, etc (Our courier may be unable to deliver without a VISIBLE house name).
With your instruction, ladders can be left safely without a signature, to save you from having to wait in all day.
Even if we give you an approximate time of delivery, please understand we cannot avoid the occasional delay, and it really helps to give us instructions to leave the ladder, to avoid you having to wait in unnecessarily.
Please note we do not deliver the 15' Tripod Ladder nationwide, and need to discuss delivery options with you before ordering.

Europe:

Please contact us for a price – we need your business EORI and VAT number, full address and ladder size.
The easiest way is to add the ladder and any other items to your order and follow the onscreen instructions during checkout to request a quote

USA:

Please visit hasegawaladders.com

Which ladder to choose? Good question, without a straightforward answer. Every garden, every gardener and every job is slightly different and what works for one might be less suitable for another, BUT, there are a few basic truths…

Original or EN Pro Adjustable:

The heavy duty EN Pro Adjustable Tripod Ladders are designed for landscapers, tree surgeons and other tough jobs - but do perfectly well in private gardens. If the ladders are used by employees, or will be taking a heavy weight of more than 100kg, or used intensively, day in, day out, they are essential, even without the adjustable legs. Consider it a beefed-up version of the original Tripod Ladder, conforming to EN-131 standards, assuring professionals, employers and all demanding gardeners of the quality and safety of these remarkable ladders. With a load bearing of 150kg, reinforced lower rungs and a chunkier back leg, it is stronger, more robust, and more rigid, offering greater stability and user safety. For regular domestic use, the Original Tripod Ladder will do you fine - although it is not suitable, or rated, for trade or commercial use. If you need the adjustable front legs - for full versatility - go for the EN Pro Adjustable.

Size:

Using our SSH (Safe Standing Height) combined with your own height, and the height of the job in hand, we can fairly accurately say what size ladder you need (for a specific job). On the larger ladders (7' and up) the SSH is 3 steps from the top, so the top is effectively your handrail or something to lean against. On the smaller ladders, the SSH is officially 2 steps from the top, but for more cautious users we still recommend 3. So, using the 8 footer as an example, you can stand, comfortably and safely, at 5'. Let’s say you’re 6' tall, which means the top of your head is at 11' and you can reach to about 12', arm outstretched. For hedge pruning, where ideally you want to be working between waist and chest height, you’ll have a working height of 8-10'. Of course it’s higher if you’re taller than 6', and lower if shorter.

The ANSI 15' Tripod Ladder is enormous - far too big for most gardens, and very hard to manoeuvre. We only deliver this ladder in our own vehicle. Please contact us to discuss, before ordering.

Weight:

They’re all remarkably light, and folded up into a lump of aluminium, in a suitcase, would seem like nothing at all. What they are, though, is tall, and wide. Moving them around, especially when you’re deep in the undergrowth and you need to move a few feet, can be tricky: the legs stick out wider than you think, and the taller ladders can be top heavy. Taller people tend to hold the ladder higher up, so this is less of a problem - for shorter people it can be a real bore. Keiko, who is Japanese-height, finds using the 8 footer fine, but not the 10 footer.

All-rounder:

Just like everything else, there’s no such thing as the perfect all-round ladder (even though we like to think we get pretty close.) If your ladder is for one job - great. If it’s for general use, there are a couple of points to consider. If you think you need the biggest one, think again. It will be great for a few jobs, but it will be OTT for lots more: we always suggest getting the size that will get the most use, and point out that even if you get the biggest, it still won’t be big enough for some jobs. Personally, my favourite ladder is the 7' Adjustable (and you can guess how many I have to choose from). Think also about where the ladder will live, whether it will travel, and who else might use it.

Slopes:

All the tripod ladders have an adjustable back leg, with a spring-pin that extends (by 6") or shortens (upto 18") in 6" stops. So working into a slope is fine (always try and work into, not down, the slope). The EN Pro Adjustable has adjustable front legs too, adjusting in 5cm increments to cater for sideways level changes of up to 40cm.

Load Bearing:

Original Tripod Ladder: 100kg
EN Pro Adjustable Tripod Ladder 150kg

Tripod ladders are used all over Japan by gardeners and nurserymen. Our customers include tree surgeons, topiary specialists, head gardeners, orchard owners, hedging contractors and landscapers, as well as countless keen gardeners who all appreciate the stability and practicality of the tripod design.

We import directly from our Japanese manufacturer Hasegawa Kogyo’s factory in China, and keep stock of all models in our warehouse in Shaftesbury.

Hasegawa have the reputation for making the best quality and safest tripod ladders in use today - their production conforms to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards).

Ask any gardener in Japan which ladders they use and they all say the same thing: Hasegawa.

All the ladders have full safety and user instructions included as factory fitted stickers
The EN Pro Adjustable Tripod Ladder conforms to EN-131 standards for commercial use
The 15' ANSI is a heavy duty ladder, rated to US standards, and although it conforms to EN standards, is not certified as such

The wide base, deep steps and telescopic back leg, as well as clawed feet and flat top make them incredibly safe and easy to use.

Rather like in the design of the Eiffel tower, your weight is directed downwards and outwards, pinning the ladder to the ground.

The back leg adjusts quickly and easily up to 18" in 6" stops with a spring-loaded pin, extending 6" and shortening 12" for use on slopes and steps.

The front legs of the EN Pro Adjustable Tripod Ladder adjust in 5cm increments, allowing for a 40cm level change.

The welded, extruded aluminium construction is weatherproof, strong, and very light. Double rungs are easy on the feet, and don’t get muddy or slippery.

Use the Rubber Feet on all hard surfaces - tarmac, concrete, patios, flooring etc, to ensure sound footing, but not on grass or soil.

Tripod Ladder Rubber Feet (Set of 3)

Jake, intrepid adventurer that he was in those days, is in Japan. Why? That’s another story, but Japan it is, working at the Furukawa nursery in a small village called Kannan Cho, near the town of Tondabayashi in Osaka. Along with the three Furukawa brothers, A-chan, Kan-chan and Ya-chan, daily duties include an awful lot of clambering about on ladders, and Jake, being the youngest, the newest, the keenest and by far the most gullible, seems more often than not to get the tallest ladder.

At this point Jake doesn’t really appreciate the ladders he uses - the work itself, the language and the summer heat are his main concerns. Day one involves chopping bamboo from the bamboo grove - not puny 6' canes like we use here, but enormous poles of Phyllostachys edulis, so wide you couldn’t get your hands around them, and so long that they could be cut into three stout 15' poles. These poles are then driven over to a field of olive trees (this is another story altogether: Furukawa had started growing olive trees, bought from a huge nursery in Shikoku, for sale to the new style of western gardens being built. The olives were doing their olivey thing, growing outwards but not upwards, and our job that day was to train a leader up from the middle of the tree to encourage a bit more height…) the afternoon involves Jake, right at the top of a 12' tripod ladder, tying in leaders to bamboo poles, with A-chan, Kan-chan and Ya-chan watching from below, smoking, chatting and probably having a good old giggle.

It’s not until Jake is back in England that he really begins to appreciate the ladders he was using in Japan - faced with a rickety old step ladder, wobbling like mad, twisting under pressure, legs sinking into the ground, the tripod design suddenly makes perfect sense, and much to his delight, brother-in-law Haruyasu ships over a couple as a present. (One of these is still in use today, fifteen years later. The other disappeared a few years ago in rather suspicious circumstances.) Using these two ladders, Jake realises just how good they are, and soon after, other people start realising too. Not long after that, a container full of ladders aboard a big boat floats gracefully into Southampton docks, and the Niwaki story begins.

Stories...

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Niwaki Tripod LadderOriginal and Fully Adjustable models