15' Telescoping Height Measuring Stick with 4' Arm

Comes with black cloth bag with velcro closure.

The evolution of our load height measuring stick!

Back when I started working in this industry, there was only one load height measuring stick available, the old school yellow version. I was told by people there was no need to reinvent the wheel. If it works, why try to change things, don't waste your time etc.

Around 10 years ago a version with a spring-loaded hinge came out but it was still based on the same thin 3-section yellow fiberglass tubing. We didn't sell it, but I had customers telling me they didn't like them. They didn't last long.

For those who don't know, the old school yellow height sticks are pretty much a copy of an electrician’s hot stick, made by a company in MI. The "hot sticks" come with a hook and are used to turn transformers on poles on and off safely. From what I was told, someone added numbers to it and the load height measuring stick was invented.

Back in the early days, we had quite a few customers who complained that due to the collapsed length, they could not easily store the yellow height sticks inside the cab.

I talked with one customer quite a bit about how the sticks could be improved. After a couple of years thinking about it every now and then, Steve (Rowe) found a supplier who could make height sticks using our design. The first take on this design was finally available for retail in 2011. Despite what I call minor flaws, people loved it due to its more compact design. Collapsed, it was a full 8" shorter than the yellow sticks.

We were happy to sell this version for a while but felt we could make some improvements. The Big Red was born and brought to market in 2013. The name Big Red is from our prototype, but it stuck even though the production run ended up Orange in color.

This stick was even shorter than the original when collapsed, making it super easy to store. Manufacturing it with a larger diameter tube made it more durable and it would not break as easily as other designs.

Our compact height sticks became so popular, you now can find several of our competitors selling copies of it in colors like green, yellow, and the same orange as ours. Funny part of this; these sticks were based on my V1 design, and when the copies started showing up, we had already switched to the V2 design with a double-sided hinge, staying one step ahead of our competitors.

It is now 2022, and here we are yet again working on creating new and better versions of our products. Our brand new V4 Height Stick has a patent-pending 4-tooth design, making this load measuring stick even easier to use. WIth only 4 teeth, there is no in between up or down, and no teeth that can break easily.

We do these improvements by listening to you, the customer. This helps you to do your job more efficiently and not have to purchase replacements as often.

This is our back story on height sticks, and we are proud to present to you yet another product stemming from our want to create better products for you!

If you would like to know more, please give us a call!

Thank you,

Gunnar & the AutoHauler Supply Team