Crush weight for aluminum ladder rails

[xpnstos]

I am wanting to use some Werner Aluminum ladders as a surface to skid a refrigerator-sized object that weighs around 1500 lbs. across a lawn. The plan is to lay some 3/4 ply down on the ground creating a surface, then lay two ladder sections side by side & equal distance apart as "tracks" where I want to move the object using a pipe roller system to get this where I want to go. Will the aluminum rails hold 1500 pounds moving across them?

 

[haruspex]

using a pipe roller system

You mean, laying cylindrical pipes across the rails to act as rollers? That would conentrate the weight onto the narrow area of contact between the pipes and the rails. You might be better off laying a carpet on the rails and dragging that along.

 

[anorlunda]

That's a good question for tow truck operators and salvage ringers. It is less good for scientists and engineers. A ME could calculate the crush weight if pressed, but it's less likely to guess this practical answer than the experienced tradesman.

An engineer can calculate how hard to hit the nail. The carpenter just does it.