It seems these wooden ladders were valuable enough for their users to remount them on motor chassis even if they were relatively primitive. German fire services often used wheeled ladders which were either horse drawn or manually pulled to incidents, just as in Britain, France and many other places. However, these died out very quickly after firms like Metz and Magirus started building turntables. Around the turn of the century they started to become quite popular, especially in Germany - and indeed the first to appear in the UK were of German origin.
The weight of wooden ladders limited them to 25 meters, and it was not until 1935 that steel ladders appeared. These were able to be built out to 30 meters, and then soon to no less than 45. Several examples were exported in the thirties, including to Hull in England, Hong Kong and to Chicago in the US.
The weight of wooden ladders limited them to 25 meters, and it was not until 1935 that steel ladders appeared. These were able to be built out to 30 meters, and then soon to no less than 45. Several examples were exported in the thirties, including to Hull in England, Hong Kong and to Chicago in the US.
Added by Rob Johnson on 30 October 2025.