How To Make A Mardi Gras Ladder

Mardi Gras Ladders are very popular in New Orleans during parades at Mardi Gras. Information technology'due south a swell way to come across the parade! Information technology'due south besides very common to see custom-made seats atop ladders for children. Information technology helps continue your children from getting underfoot or lost, and gives them a great view when it's crowded. It also gives the grownups a good view at the aforementioned fourth dimension since they can stand on the steps of the ladder while the children are seated and help them catch throws (beads and toys!).

I have posted my ladder seat instructions here in example it helps future ladder seat makers. People make these many dissimilar ways, and sometimes decorate them and include accessories. Employ quality items and keep safety in mind.

Hither'due south what we did:

Items nosotros used:

ane 6′ x 1′ lath three/iv″ or one″ thick (3/4″ is meliorate because it'south not as heavy to carry on your walk to the parade route.)
ane 2-ane/2′ wooden dowel about i-1/ii inches in diameter
several 2-1/ii″ deck screws
2 big eye hooks
one snap clip
two to iv two-i/ii′ bolts with fly nuts and washers (to adhere the seat to the ladder)
ladder (we used a 6 foot wooden ladder)

Instructions:

1. Make the Seat.
The board I used was rounded on one edge which fabricated information technology nice so that it was comfortable for the kids when their legs hung over the edge or they rested their artillery on the top. I cut the board into 4 pieces — two 2-human foot sections (for the back and the seat) and two 1-foot sections (for the sides). I pre-drilled holes and screwed the back and seat together at right angles. Then I screwed the sides on.

2. Make the Condom Bar.
Next, I bored a 1-3/4″ hole into each side most 3 inches from the peak and sides to suit the dowel which acts every bit a safety bar so the kids don't autumn out if they lean forward. (I borrowed the hole-wearisome tool from a neighbor. It'due south a small item that attaches to a regular drill).

I fastened one eye-hook to one side of the wooden dowel near the end, and i correct to the side of the box. This acts as a removable safety bar. When the prophylactic bar is in place, I employ a snap clip to agree the 2 eye-hooks together, and keep the bar locked. This prevents the children from accidentally moving the bar out of place while they are seated. So I did an optional step and rounded the corners on the front of the sides with the jig saw to make the whole thing easier to pull with the wheels, and to go rid of the hard corner and so the kids don't bump it when getting in and out of it.

3. Adhere Seat to the Ladder.
Adjacent, I drilled two holes into the seat area and right through the top of the ladder, to accommodate the 2-1/2″ bolts. Using the wing nuts, this is how we attach the box to the top of the ladder. The wing nuts make it easy to remove the seat from the ladder and then you tin can use the ladder for other things during the off season. Be sure to position the seat carefully and so that it will be well counterbalanced in all directions.

4. Accessorize!
We painted and decorated ours with Mardi Gras streamers for extra fun. Nosotros besides recently added wheels to our ladder-seat, and it fabricated it so much easier to pull the whole ladder with the seat already attached. We have already used information technology at a Mardi Gras parade, and it was lots of fun.

Other customizations people often add to their Mardi Gras seats:

Absorber or carpeting for seat condolement
Wheels attached to the tiptop of the back — this makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to pull the whole ladder with the box already attached. If yous have to walk a long mode to the Mardi Gras parade, it's easy to pull! You can besides strap your libation onto the ladder while yous're pulling it.
Cup holders
Big net to catch Mardi Gras beads
Instead of a dowel for the safety bar, some people use a small-scale board on a hinge for the safety bar.
Minor hooks to hang chaplet or snacks or other things.
Safety strap from the bar going between the child's legs, to the bottom of the seat. This helps forestall a small child from slipping under the bar.
Seat belts

Have Fun – Stay Safe

Remember that local police says ladders are required to be as many feet dorsum from the curb as the height of the ladder to prevent falling ladders from throwing occupants into the path of an oncoming float. This sounds terrifying just in all my years at these parades, I accept never once seen a ladder autumn, or even hear of a child being injure. It'southward besides just mutual courtesy to have your ladder nigh the dorsum so you don't block the view for others. You'll accept a great view at present!

The ladder is a slap-up style for the parent to also have a bang-up view of the parade simply past standing a couple of ladder steps up on the back. Yous'll need to exist in that location anyway to help small children grab their throws, and to keep the ladder steady. ** Too call back that a parent should always stay with the ladder when children are seated in it. Do not leave them unattended, even for a second! **