Werner, 29-1, Lock Flipper Kit

The media could not be loaded. I spent a lot of time researching this because I didn't want to spend the ridiculous amount of money some of these sellers were asking for the flipper replacement kit. I have a very old Louisville Ladder L-2324-16 that this worked on. Watch my video. At the time, this seller was the only seller to leave dimensions in the description so I took the chance. I'm glad I did because it turned out fine and I saved money. BUYER BE WARNED: The description says to only use it on a Werner ladder though! For $16.40 it was a chance I was willing to take.

I decided to finally repair my Dad's old Keller 3520 from the '70s or '80s. One of the flappers broke many years ago and was too short to be effective and the other flapper was damaged at the tip but still was intact enough so you could determine it's original length but due to the profile it would still catch on a rung sometimes. The flappers in this kit are a tiny bit shorter than original, but their profile is a little different. The bottom line is they work!The included hardware other than the flappers didn't work for my ladder, but gave me an understanding of the parts I needed to acquire. I went to the local hardware store and picked up 1 1/4 x 1/4 inch stainless steel bolts, stainless nylon locking nuts and 8 nylon washers. The washers included in the package were twice as thick as typical nylon washers and they actually look like 2 washers fused together.Removing the old flappers isn't trivial and required removing the ladder locks first held on by a specialized bolt with an allen head on one side and a nut on the other. Although a little rusty, they came apart and I was able to reuse them. A spring is trapped by the bolt so be careful not to lose the spring and note it's orientation. The spring in this kit different and I needed to reuse the original springs. Once the locks are removed, I drilled out the rivets holding the flappers in place. The rivets for my ladder were larger than the bolts supplied so I needed to get larger bolts to stay in the groove. Needing larger bolts almost meant drilling out the wholes in the flappers. Knowing the flappers were a little shorter than original I concentrated on enlarging the holes using 4 drill bits increasing in size and applying pressure towards the back. I'm not sure how successful I was, because the plastic is pretty hard. It's easy to over tighten the flappers onto the ladder lock and deform the plastic, so I backed off the lock nuts until the plastic no longer looked deformed and you also want the flappers to easily 'flap around'. Installing the ladder locks is a little tricky as you have to manage the spring while aligning the ladder lock and inserting the bolt.It may have been possible to drill out the flapper rivets with the ladder locks still attached to the ladder. If I would have known that it was going to be tricky getting the ladder locks back on, I would consider leaving them on if possible.For ten bucks it's nice having a properly working ladder again.

Good for the price.

Fits perfectly and has good instructions for how to install

I ordered this particular set of "flippers" because it is the Werner factory replacement for the original parts, which failed after about twenty years of steady use. Didn't want to take a chance on a less expensive knock-off just to save three dollars. I haven't installed them yet, but they appear identical to the originals, and included a new nut and bolt to replace the original riveted fastener. I'm sure they'll be fine and last another twenty yeas.

Easy to install and working so far. Only need a drill to remove stubs of old broken flippers and a ratchet / wrench to install new flippers. Much less than new ladder or new rung lock kit.

When these things break your ladder turns into a huge frustration as you try to get the extension to lower without killing your back. I've had a werner ladder for 25 years (it seems otherwise to be indestructable) and have had to replace two of these flippers - one 2 weeks ago and the other 5 years ago. They can save you the cost of a new ladder so are really valuable. However don't expect them to go on easily - getting the spring positioned correctly is essential but hard to do and there are no helpful directions just some indecipherably vague diagrams. Needs a better design. However once you get it on and working well (the one I replaced 2 weeks ago took me a half hour to replace correctly) it's excellent. NOTE: if you're replacing two, do one at a time so you can use the other one to teach you how the spring is supposed to go - otherwise it will be impossible to get the spring facing the right way and hooked around the right parts.

As far as a fix for a ladder goes this was the fastest and best repair for a broken flipper! I only did one side so I have one for when the other side brakes! The orgional needed to be cut not drilled out. Use a hand grinder and just take off the end of the rivet. then push it out, and install this new flipper! Don't over tighten the locknut! Check it to mace sure it is not installed upside down, and that it is springy! And Done... your ladder is fixed!