Ladder capacity

[CarpeDiem]

We just purchased a Baker 32 gal waster tank. I see people strap tanks to their ladder. This one weighs 40 lbs it just seems very heavy to carry that way. Anyone travel with something that heavy attached to their ladder?

[4x4van]

I would think that 40lbs is well within safe weight. I'm 190, and I often climb up the ladder to my roof for inspections/etc.

[creativepart]

Pretty sure RV roof ladders are rated to 250 lbs. I think it's in your Operator's Manual.

BUT... don't shoot me but I sure don't like seeing one of those (or a worn out step ladder) hanging on the back of an expensive motorhome. To each his own.

[CarpeDiem]

Originally Posted by creativepart

Pretty sure RV roof ladders are rated to 250 lbs. I think it's in your Operator's Manual.

BUT... don't shoot me but I sure don't like seeing one of those (or a worn out step ladder) hanging on the back of an expensive motorhome. To each his own.

You are so right. That’s why I asked the question. I climb the ladder often but strapping a 40 lb weight on it and driving down the road at 60 mph worries me.

[Old Navy]

I'm not sure what kind of backing those screws are sunk into, and I would want to know before I decided. I think mine just has a thin piece of sheet metal behind the fiberglass shell.

I suspect Winnebago would tell you that you can't mount anything to your ladder, but 40lbs might be fine. Or not. It's not just the static weight, like a person climbing up, but the dynamic weight, as you are hitting bumps and dips, plus the repetitive shock/impact/vibration from potholes, washboard, etc. If I did it, I would inspect the ladder every so often to make sure all the screws and welds were secure, especially after a particularly jarring bump or rough road.

[akeagle]

Originally Posted by 4x4van

I would think that 40lbs is well within safe weight. I'm 190, and I often climb up the ladder to my roof for inspections/etc.

I think there is a decal near the ladder on our Minnie Winnie that says the weight limit is about 200 pounds. I'm a bit north of 200 and I've been up and down it many times with no ill effect on either me or the ladder.

[powercat_ras]

I have a 2015 Vista 27N and have had a bike rack mounted to the step ladder for 4 years, carrying a 6 foot step ladder and a bike on it, weighing about 35 pounds. No problems - ladder has not bent and is still securely attached to the RV.

As noted by others, Winnebago has designed the ladder to RV connection to securely hold with a 250 pound person using the ladder.

[FIRE UP]

TEMPORARILY putting 250 lbs on an RV ladder is pretty much OK, based on the very, very chincy way of mounting them. RV builders don't put too much stock in something like that. They make it JUST good enough to make it past warranty.

But, putting even something half that weight on a ladder, basically permenently attached, IS NOT GOOD. The reason is, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize this, Americas roads, as about 99.99999% of us know, are not the best on the planet. There are thousands of miles of very POOR ROADs. Pot holes, cement cracks, poor and crumbling pavement, 18 wheelers tearing up millions of miles of pavement, all contribute to JARRING effects of your coach, as you travel.

That means, as you hit EVERY SINGLE POT HOLE and or bad section of pavement, dents and all, you stress those chincy ladder mounts by having ANY form of additional weight back there, tied onto it.

Yes, yes, there are tons of folks traveling Americas roads with everything but the kitchen sink attached to their rear ladders. We've seen all kinds of crap stuck back there. Bicycles, auxiliary ladders, trash cans, barbques, and yes, portable waste carts. It's your coach, do as you feel. We just don't feel we need to appear as the Jed Clampett and the Beverly Hillbillies cruising on down the road.
Scott
Scott

[Rick 99037]

Clearly, it's within weight its capacity. That leaves the issue of vibration, bounce, and sideloading. Visually inspecting the screws and calking to see if it's working loose should give reasonable warning of such, before it could fail. I would avoid hanging anything at the bottom of the ladder. Though the vertical load is shared with all of the screws, the horizontal loading (sideways pressure,) pulls on only the nearby screws. So mounting between pairs of screws vertically would share vertical movement over 4 attachments, where as hanging off the bottom would put all that load on a single pair of mount points.

[pubtime]

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

TEMPORARILY putting 250 lbs on an RV ladder is pretty much OK, based on the very, very chincy way of mounting them. RV builders don't put too much stock in something like that. They make it JUST good enough to make it past warranty.

But, putting even something half that weight on a ladder, basically permenently attached, IS NOT GOOD. The reason is, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize this, Americas roads, as about 99.99999% of us know, are not the best on the planet. There are thousands of miles of very POOR ROADs. Pot holes, cement cracks, poor and crumbling pavement, 18 wheelers tearing up millions of miles of pavement, all contribute to JARRING effects of your coach, as you travel.

That means, as you hit EVERY SINGLE POT HOLE and or bad section of pavement, dents and all, you stress those chincy ladder mounts by having ANY form of additional weight back there, tied onto it.

Yes, yes, there are tons of folks traveling Americas roads with everything but the kitchen sink attached to their rear ladders. We've seen all kinds of crap stuck back there. Bicycles, auxiliary ladders, trash cans, barbques, and yes, portable waste carts. It's your coach, do as you feel. We just don't feel we need to appear as the Jed Clampett and the Beverly Hillbillies cruising on down the road.
Scott
Scott

Let me get this straight, I can temporarily put 250 pounds on my RV ladder, but can’t put a 40 pound plastic tank on it while traveling because the “chintzy” way they’re mounted? So what point does my use of the ladders use exceed “TEMPORARILY” and when might I come crashing to the ground while using it?

Assuming, of course that a RV is in good condition (no dry rot, impact damage, animal damage or other hidden damage (to name a few)) and its RV ladder will support 250 pounds then it will support that 250 pounds all the time, if you want to stand on it for a week, if it’s certified for 250 pounds, and you’re less than that then it will support you. I know my RV and I know there is no hidden damage at the contact points between my RV and the ladder that I use to get on top of it.

I previously weighed 250 pounds and can attest that my ladders have always been sturdy even under my load.

Equally, as unsightly as it may seem, a ladder without underlying damage will support a 40 pound Baker or Thetford tote while traveling, even down the crappiest of roads and not fail as a result, unless of course you could find a hole large enough in the roadway to impart more than 6 G’s on that tote, and your tote would be the least of your worries after that.

The biggest worry I’d have while carrying my Thetford attached to my ladder would be that I improperly lashed it down and I’m about to hurl an empty (but used) sewer tank at someone else, but not for the integrity of my attached ladder. Never.

[NormD]

I assume the tank will be empty. At 8.3 pounds per gallon of water, 5 gallons will double the dry weight.

Dynamic loading is the chief concern. With static loading of 40 pounds the tank would be no problem for a ladder able to support 250 pounds. As you bounce through the potholes the F=mA formula takes effect. You would need an accelerometer attached to the tank to measure the actual value of F. However, with the damping factors of RV mass, tires, springs, and shock absorbers, the dynamic loading will not likely reach 80 pounds. It will also help if the tank is snuggly attached to the ladder so that it cannot move up and down independantly.

[jcurtisis]

All that said, I don't attach anything to my ladder. It really wasn't designed for that purpose, and we have plenty of storage room inside. I assume you really really need an extra 32 gallons of water for your camping needs - but of course you need to fill it up when you arrive...so if there is a source of water there, why the extra tank? Just curious.

[jayelldouble]

Originally Posted by pubtime

I previously weighed 250 pounds and can attest that my ladders have always been sturdy even under my load.

Equally, as unsightly as it may seem, a ladder without underlying damage will support a 40 pound Baker or Thetford tote while traveling, even down the crappiest of roads and not fail as a result, unless of course you could find a hole large enough in the roadway to impart more than 6 G’s on that tote, and your tote would be the least of your worries after that.

This is true until one takes a phenomenon called "fatigue" into account. Fatigue failures occur as a result of loads applied repeatedly at levels much lower than the static load that would cause failure of the same item. A simple example is repeated bending of a piece of wire, for example a piece of coat hanger wire. You can bend it once and bend it back straight with no apparent damage, but bend it back and forth a few times and it will break. In the case of your RV ladder that 40 pound tank will repeatedly load and unload the ladder and its attachment points as the vehicle travels down the road, to the tune of hundreds of cycles per minute or thousands of cycles per hour, pulling on the screws with each cycle.
I know a lot of people do attach things to their ladders but it's not really what those ladders are designed for, they are designed for one person to occasionally climb up and down, not to carry dynamic loads for long periods of time.
I wouldn't do it but we're all grownups here (I presume) and can make our own choices, just consider all the factors before making your choice.
Happy traveling -

[stoney1]

Originally Posted by CarpeDiem

We just purchased a Baker 32 gal waster tank. I see people strap tanks to their ladder. This one weighs 40 lbs it just seems very heavy to carry that way. Anyone travel with something that heavy attached to their ladder?

I have read all the pros and cons of doing this so let me say this. I have logged over 3 millions miles (verifiable) on this nations highways and I NEVER ever follow anyone with anything attached to the top or rear of their vehicle or for that matter in the rear of their pickup. WHY? because I've seen countless items come off for one reason or the other. Yours may never come off but then again it could be one of the countless.

[CarpeDiem]

Originally Posted by jcurtisis

All that said, I don't attach anything to my ladder. It really wasn't designed for that purpose, and we have plenty of storage room inside. I assume you really really need an extra 32 gallons of water for your camping needs - but of course you need to fill it up when you arrive...so if there is a source of water there, why the extra tank? Just curious.

Your point is well taken. However you missed the part about it being a waste tank. Two things, it will never travel “full” and second after it’s first use we won’t want in inside the coach. 😃

[jhedges]

Originally Posted by CarpeDiem

You are so right. That’s why I asked the question. I climb the ladder often but strapping a 40 lb weight on it and driving down the road at 60 mph worries me.

You've just answered your question.

[CarpeDiem]

Originally Posted by NormD

I assume the tank will be empty. At 8.3 pounds per gallon of water, 5 gallons will double the dry weight.

Dynamic loading is the chief concern. With static loading of 40 pounds the tank would be no problem for a ladder able to support 250 pounds. As you bounce through the potholes the F=mA formula takes effect. You would need an accelerometer attached to the tank to measure the actual value of F. However, with the damping factors of RV mass, tires, springs, and shock absorbers, the dynamic loading will not likely reach 80 pounds. It will also help if the tank is snuggly attached to the ladder so that it cannot move up and down independantly.

Wow! I graduated from the Chicago Public School System in 1972. I know what all those words mean, but not when they are strung together like that. Thanks, I think you are saying it will be ok if I’m careful. 😃

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by NormD

I assume the tank will be empty. At 8.3 pounds per gallon of water, 5 gallons will double the dry weight.

Dynamic loading is the chief concern. With static loading of 40 pounds the tank would be no problem for a ladder able to support 250 pounds. As you bounce through the potholes the F=mA formula takes effect. You would need an accelerometer attached to the tank to measure the actual value of F. However, with the damping factors of RV mass, tires, springs, and shock absorbers, the dynamic loading will not likely reach 80 pounds. It will also help if the tank is snuggly attached to the ladder so that it cannot move up and down independantly.

Many have echo’d my sentiments. Especially this post. DW loaded a cabinet above our dinette, with a LOT of canned goods. After two trips, the cabinet started to drop down from its ceiling attachment. Why? Because, as mentioned above, every bump one goes over is like hitting it with a hammer, equivalent to the weight of the contents.

My recommendation, don’t do it. But was also mentioned, If it is so secure that it won’t “bounce” up and down, you may be ok.

That said, your ladder WILL fail prematurely, no doubt.

[gurroz]

Back in the day when we had our Super C, we carried two mountain bikes on our ladder. The bikes probably weighed 35lbs each and the small rack 15lbs for a total of 85llbs. We noticed fatigue on the ladder. We had to tighten it up a couple times. I personally would not use a ladder to transport anything including bicyles, step ladders or a blue boy. We use the ladder for it's purpose of accessing the roof a couple times a year for maintenance. Just MHO. Safe travels!

[FIRE UP]

The only way I'd consider ANYTHING tied to the ladder would be to build a structure or, some form of step/shelf/platform, right BELOW the ladder that, by design, would CARRY the WEIGHT of the object in question. Then, the ladder would or could, provide a means to tie the object down. Then the bulk of the SHOCK LOAD would be taken up by the shelf/platform and NOT the ladder. But, as well as I know many motorhomes, there usually isn't any form of a frame or substantial sub-frame that is near the area of the bottom of the ladder (inside the rear cap) that one could tie into and add the aforementioned step to. Not to mention, it still would like Jed Clampet.
Scott