Our ladders and the materials used to build them are made in the U.S.A. Tallman Ladders began from an orchardist in need of light weight, sturdy tripod orchard ladders. Wooden ladders of this type had been available for years, but were heavy (especially when wet), left splinters in your hands, and constantly needed repairs. They swelled in rain storms and became loose when they dried out, needing
tightening several times a year. Bob Tallman Sr., with experience in aluminum from work with Lockheed Aircraft during World War II, constructed a few ladders for his own use in 1953. Neighboring growers saw them and asked him to build some for them, and orders just kept coming in. His brother Bill Tallman, a machinist, joined in and together they built tools and dies in the last few months of 1953. Bill started producing parts in his garage in downtown Hood River, and assembly was done on the ranch of Bob Sr,'s in an old fruit storage and packing shed. The first production run of TALLMAN LADDERS came out in March of 1954. purchased a larger ranch and brother Bill continued to run the ladder business until retirement in December of 1974. Bill sold the business to Bob Sr.'s son, also named Bob. Bob had worked with his father and uncle from the start, including ladder No. 1 in 1953. Bob Tallman continues to run the business today, and is training his three children (David, Tamera and Brenda) to one day take over the business. Although still a small family business, almost every year has seen moderate growth in the size of the company. Exporting sales have continued to grow, with sales now reaching many countries. The same basic design is still produced today, although technology has afforded material improvements. The ladders have earned the reputation as being the best quality and longest lasting orchard ladder on the market, at the most reasonable cost.
