The Ladder ... 225 pounds ...

[bkervaski]

Hey guys, the roof ladder on the Journey/Meridian (and I assume others) has a 225 pound limit per the manual .. I've never weighed 225 .. well, maybe when I was in 6th grade .. at 6'2" and military+football in my pocket I'm lucky to stay below 250.

Any other big boys out there going up that ladder? I don't want that thing to rip off the back of the coach.

[ahicks]

Yes, I'm um.... well over that limit, and use the ladder on ours whenever I do maintenance.

[halftimer]

Good thing I never read the book don't how many time I been up one of those ladders I'm two six bits

[homeless]

If your using your ladder you should consider 1" screws in old plywood and wonder if they where mounted in the studs? Studs made from the cheapest wood on Earth!


I use my Ladder to mouth the ladder I really use when getting on my roof?

[MaverickBBD]

The ladder limit is my personal limit also. I try not to go on the roof if I can avoid it. Even if I had an elevator. What in the world am I going to do when I get up there? I inspect the ladder pretty much screw by screw before I ascend. I use a small foldable (may three foot) to board the bottom step so as not to put an pulling strain on the ladder.
If I am going to make repeated up and down trips I lash my seven footer to the steps. Haven't had nor do I expect to have a problem.

[ahicks]

Originally Posted by MaverickBBD

The ladder limit is my personal limit also. I try not to go on the roof if I can avoid it. Even if I had an elevator. What in the world am I going to do when I get up there? I inspect the ladder pretty much screw by screw before I ascend. I use a small foldable (may three foot) to board the bottom step so as not to put an pulling strain on the ladder.
If I am going to make repeated up and down trips I lash my seven footer to the steps. Haven't had nor do I expect to have a problem.

Speaking for myself, our roof gets a good washing twice a year minimum, wax as required, and every screw and seam up there gets a close inspection/treatment spring and fall. If I could eliminate the necessity for that work, I wouldn't be up there either. I can easily pass on the potential sight seeing attributes for sure!

[MaverickBBD]

Originally Posted by ahicks

Speaking for myself, our roof gets a good washing twice a year minimum, wax as required, and every screw and seam up there gets a close inspection/treatment spring and fall. If I could eliminate the necessity for that work, I wouldn't be up there either. I can easily pass on the potential sight seeing attributes for sure!

I agree I do an annual inspection and then caulk when needed. DW is my safety spotter. Or is she there to video an entry in the Mayhem commercial contest? I pay to have it washed at least x2 annually.

[motohomo]

Im 170 lbs and i dont feel safe going up and down the ladder. It feels like it let loose any second.

[powderman]

A friend has a Jayco Eagle and while doing some work on the back wall we discovered that one of the ladder brackets was screwed into the fiberglass and they missed the framing behind it completely. Be careful with those things.

[charles tuit]

I've always said all adult males UNDER 250 lbs. are freaks of nature. I'm perfect since I quit smoking 25 years ago.

I use the ladder on my coach but every year it get harder to climb.

[BVThunder]

I'm 5' 6" and weight 145. I can feel the ladder give under my skinny body. Can only imagine what it does with someone carrying another 100'!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ahicks]

For DIY'ers that might use that ladder more if it had a little extra support, extra standoffs are easily made and added to an existing ladder. The hardest part will be to find additional hard points to mount them on the coach side. If you mange that, parts that may duplicate what you have now available at places like this one:

RV Ladder Repair Parts - Factory RV Surplus

You can get parts to rebuild a ladder that's just crunched "a little" as well.

[cwsqbm]

When forced to use my rear ladder, I move as slowly as possible. That 225 lb limit has some shock loading built-in to it's rating. I still hate the way it creaks when I go up. Today, I'm going to get my good ladder out of storage and strap it to the camper so that I can safely re-seal my roof.

[Deny]

my wife declared : "old fat men should not leave the ground" she says she doesn't want to have to spoonfeed me applesauce

[ralphie]

I think the RV ladders are fairly flimsy and use one as a last resort. It's good to have a proper 10' ladder handy to do that once per year inspection, or send up a properly instructed son-in-law up there (you didn't want him to marry your daughter, anyway, did you).

[bkervaski]

you didn't want him to marry your daughter, anyway, did you

[Brockx]

I'm 235 and use the ladder, my previous Fleetwood had pop rivets into the rear cap, no backers not even washers. Decided not to look at this ones mount system, devil hates a coward.

[slowmachine]

Originally Posted by Brockx

I'm 235 and use the ladder, my previous Fleetwood had pop rivets into the rear cap, no backers not even washers. Decided not to look at this ones mount system, devil hates a coward.

I wondered about the safety of mine, too, as it appeared to be simply riveted to the rear cap. When I dismantled the wall behind the bedroom closet, I discovered that the vast majority of the vertical part of the rear cap is reinforced with a sheet of plywood, I'm guessing 3/8", glassed into the wall. It's very solid, and the blind ends of the rivets are readily visible. There are no washers, just the plywood and fiberglass. Maybe yours has something similar, and you just can't see it from the outside.

My ladder is anchored on top to an aluminum framing member in the roof, or at least it's supposed to be. The assemblers missed the mark on one side, where the screws penetrate only the roof skin. I haven't decided whether to fix it or throw it away and use a portable ladder.

The easiest safe way for me to get onto the roof is to extend one of the slides, lean a ladder against the end of the slide, and climb up. The slide seal flange helps to prevent the ladder from tipping.


Mike
2000 HR Endeavor

[HerbZilla]

I am 250 and I use it quite often. I do not pull my self up on to it though. Shock loading 250 lbs can really add up. I use a ladder till I am even with it and then climb up on the RV ladder.


Sent from my iPhone using iRV2 - RV Forum

[RogerRoll]

I suggest you take each step slowly, placing your foot in the center of each rung to evenly split the load between the left and right rivets.
Oh! And also keep your fingers crossed! #couldnthurt


2010 Winnebago Aspect 28B