Community Forums

wa8yxm · 07-13-2014, 11:20 AM

Roof ladder on this rig was a joke, my 300 plus pulled it right off the RV without no tools needed (Though I did cut the top mounts)

Put a pair of heavy duty "J" jooks (Look ust like a letter J) up near the roofline, these are lag bolted into good solid wood and either of them can hold my 300+ no tribble.

Combo Step/Extension ladder hangs on them.

At teh bottom a shower "Assist" bar from Home Deopt bath&Shower dept keeps it from hitting the RV and also serves as the anchor point for a bicycle cable lock to keep it from ... er.. .growing legs and wandering off.

Extended it is a roof ladder

Unfolded it is a step ladder

Either way my 300 + is no problem.

K7JV · 07-13-2014, 12:02 PM

I prop it up against the side of the coach when I put my antenna and weather station on the roof, and do that task while standing on the ladder. On our coach, we have a two section ladder on the back. The top half, above the engine hatch, is permanent. The bottom half lives in our attic at home, as it just was too unwieldy and took up too much space, so I don't carry it. When I want to get on the roof, I extend the Telestep just far enough to get me to the bottom rung of the fixed part of the ladder. For storage, it fits on it's side, in the basement slide out tray without hitting the floor of the tunnel, so it's only takes up about 3 ½" x 32" of floor space in the storage slide.

I think it can be a finger biter if care isn't taken in collapsing it down, but I've not suffered that (yet), and I really do find it easy and have not had any problems. I spray the side tubes with silicon spray every couple of years, or if it starts to hang up, a bit.

When I prop it up against the ladder, i drape a towel or a rug over the top of it so that I don't scratch the ladder. I don't protect it when I prop it against the side of the coach, and I've never left a mark. And it is against the wall of the coach dozens of times, every year. It has a hard rubber knob like shape at the top which protects the coach pretty well. When I prop it against the fixed ladder which is narrower than the Telestep, its metal against metal, so I take measures to protect the coach ladder.

There appear to be several manufacturers of a very similar product, and most look like they would be ok. I would watch for the weight rating and the ANSI approval, though.

We also carry the same ladder that MandG-Fun and Jeff753 are showing. I use that when I need to get to the top of the windshield for screen removal and installation, for example, and when cleaning and servicing the slide seals and awnings. When I want either of the two ladders, I really don't want the other, and vice versa. For me they serve very separate missions. 😊

I hope that helps.

MSHappyCampers · 07-13-2014, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NVMike

What do y'all use as a step ladder that fits in your storage bay? I have seen some ladders hanging on the rear ladder (little tacky). What about the Lowes folding ladders that could get one up on the roof?

Mike, I just use a standard 4' aluminum stepladder that I bought at Lowes. It fits nicely on the roll-out tray in one of the storage bays. There are times that another couple of feet would be nice, but I get by!

ShapeShifter · 07-13-2014, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Selah

Here is what I use. 7 foot folds to about 5"X5"x7 foot.
Compact Folding Ladder by GPL for RV's or Home Use - PPL Motor Homes

Another vote for that ladder. Sturdy, steady, and folds compactly. Easy to set up and fold. I'm well over the 225 pound Type II rating, and yet it still feels sturdy and able to hold more weight. I hate ladders, but I feel very steady and secure on that one. It's pricey, but very handy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWeigant

Had one of these and after a while it's impossible to open up.

Interesting... I've had mine over 7 years and never had a problem. What kind of issues are you having? Is it corroded and needs lubrication? Did it get bent? I've not had a lick of trouble from mine.

CoCoDave · 07-13-2014, 05:04 PM

My coach has no attached ladder. Having had the situation where I really needed to get up on the roof (satellite antenna stuck in up position and would not come down) with my previous coach tells me it's good to have a ladder. I have one of the collapsible GPL ladders but it is nowhere near long enough to get me up on the roof.

I measured the length required of a ladder to reach the roof. As can be seen, it is 14.5 ft. Unfortunately the ladder in the picture is a two-section extension and therefore too long to fit perpendicular to the length of the coach in one of the basement compartments.

However, this ladder available at Home Depot, collapses down to 6 ft and looks like it would do the job. It's a Werner Model # D1216-3. Werner ladders are widely distributed.

Anyone have experience with this ladder?

PushedAround · 07-13-2014, 05:19 PM

I don't have any experience with that ladder, but if it is a Werner, then I trust it completely. Have been using Werner and Louisville ladders only for the last 40 years. Those 2 companies make the best around.

tankcj · 07-15-2014, 12:39 PM

GPL!...

trabuco · 07-15-2014, 04:45 PM

I use a telesteps ladder collapses down to about 30" extents to 14' and has a 300lbs capacity. Been using it for 2 years while on the road full time.

wigginsjsr · 07-15-2014, 08:37 PM

I have tried both the folding step ladder and the Telestep. Both worked well, but neither provided the capability to comfortably stand on the side of the coach and reach the top rails. The folding step ladder was too short for me, and the Telestep could only be used leaning on the coach, which doesn't allow you to comfortably do some work like a free standing step ladder does. Even though the step ladder hung from the rear ladder can be considered a little tacky, an 8' aluminum step ladder offers the simplest and safest solution for my needs.