Roof ladder has too much give.

I took my new 2017 3760EL in to have the ladder, that accesses the roof, corrected. The situation is that when I climb the ladder, there is a noticable excessive deflection of the standoffs from the end-cap. I don't know what the weight limit is of the ladder, but have not experienced this on other ladders.
I am 195 lbs. an 5'10". I took it back to the dealer for warranty work. The service writer at Explore USA didn't want to climb on the ladder.
Wait and see.

I noticed that on mine as well- how ever a screwdriver to the screws and a little tightening ( especially where ladder meets standoffs ) did the trick

The inflection/bending is inherent in its design. I purchased a telescoping ladder and use the top of the existing ladder to support it when I climb up.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/12-5-foot-telescoping-extension-ladder/69451

It is like this one at Camping World, but I payed less and it is rated for 360lbs. I store it in the storage bay and it is very secure in use.

The only RV installed ladder that I used that was worth anything was the one on my old class C. It is was curved back into the body at the bottom where it was secured with fasteners. It never drooped or bowed.

The flimsy ladder isnt anything new. Those plastic standoffs will snap. I do like others here suggested, I use a separate ladder to get up to the top of the coach mounted unit, and then go from there. The other thing I do, is use a car jack, or bottle jack under the bottom rung, pre-load it to take off the stress. So the weight is not all hanging off the ladders standoffs.

jgbagwell said:

I took my new 2017 3760EL in to have the ladder, that accesses the roof, corrected. The situation is that when I climb the ladder, there is a noticable excessive deflection of the standoffs from the end-cap. I don't know what the weight limit is of the ladder, but have not experienced this on other ladders.
I am 195 lbs. an 5'10". I took it back to the dealer for warranty work. The service writer at Explore USA didn't want to climb on the ladder.
Wait and see.

Click to expand...

The ladder is rated for 300 lbs., but I don't think the mounting technique is quite that strong, especially if the installer missed the structure under the cap. That said, at 170 lbs., I've been using mine since Day 1 without a problem.


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Ladders don't generally get much use, and the design reflects that. Because we spent a lot of time in heavy snow areas, in the winter I had to get up on the roof frequently; sometimes 2 or 3 times a day to clear snow. The ladder does flex quite a bit at the first 90 degree bend above the roof, which stresses the horizontal standoffs along the rear cap.

I experimented with a number of ways to reduce the flex and settled on supporting the ladder from below, by inserting adjustable supports under the lowest horizontal standoffs. This completely eliminates all flex.

My initial design was using a 2x4 with notches. From that I went to adjustable PVC supports. Last year I ran into an even better solution available from Amazon or Home Depot. You adjust the length and slip it into place. One will probably do the trick; 2 would be better. Here's a link.

Another historic weak link on the ladders is the plastic end cap that holds the rungs in place. Hose clamps around a strip of gasket material under each rung will eliminate any stress there as well. But if you're only using the ladder occasionally, you probably don't need this.

I utilized a different type of support to provide support when I need to get my large size kiester up the ladder. Just as a word of warning, the manufacturer of my support recommends not using this device in a vertical manner and I take no responsibility in anything that happens if you decide to utilize this method of supporting your ladder.

I bought the " Adjustable Ratcheting Truck Bed Cargo Bar" from Walmart for about $25. This bar is adjustable from 40-70" which, when fully retracted was too long for my application and I disassembled it and cut off about 8" of each of the two sections and reassembled. I span the two lowest horizontal ladder supports with a short piece of 2" x 6". I then place the ratcheting bar under the center of the 2x6 and use the ratcheting feature to raise the end of the bar until it puts some vertical pressure on the ladder support. This device adjusts to any uneven terrain, highly portable, and gives enough support so there is no movement of the ladder/RV. Completely safe ?????? is doing anything that involves the use of a ladder completely safe? Works for me, YMMV. We are going to Goshen and if you would like to see this device in action, look me up and I will be happy to demonstrate it.

I like the idea of a single support and a piece of wood under both horizontal supports.

I added a set of standoffs. Ordered from Heartland and installed about 6" from originals. Ladder very sturdy...

danemayer said:

Ladders don't generally get much use, and the design reflects that. Because we spent a lot of time in heavy snow areas, in the winter I had to get up on the roof frequently; sometimes 2 or 3 times a day to clear snow. The ladder does flex quite a bit at the first 90 degree bend above the roof, which stresses the horizontal standoffs along the rear cap.

I experimented with a number of ways to reduce the flex and settled on supporting the ladder from below, by inserting adjustable supports under the lowest horizontal standoffs. This completely eliminates all flex.

My initial design was using a 2x4 with notches. From that I went to adjustable PVC supports. Last year I ran into an even better solution available from Amazon or Home Depot. You adjust the length and slip it into place. One will probably do the trick; 2 would be better. Here's a link.

Another historic weak link on the ladders is the plastic end cap that holds the rungs in place. Hose clamps around a strip of gasket material under each rung will eliminate any stress there as well. But if you're only using the ladder occasionally, you probably don't need this.

Click to expand...

Dan - that Master Lock Security Bar you linked to from Amazon looks great. Just ordered several as door prizes for the Goshen rally!

Note too that those pesky plastic end caps on the ladder rungs are available from Dometic-Atwood. They may even supply them at N/C if a person calls their CS line to tell them how many broken ones they need to replace. I usually carry a bag with me and hand them out to those in need.

I just use slideout supports under my ladder. I turn the screw up far enough to apply some pressure to the bottom of the ladder.

On mine I've tightened the screws many times but that doesn't seem to help. Now I use an 8' ladder to get up to the top two steps. I like the slide support idea. Of course I gave them away when we bought the Landmark.

danemayer said:

My initial design was using a 2x4 with notches. From that I went to adjustable PVC supports. Last year I ran into an even better solution available from Amazon or Home Depot. You adjust the length and slip it into place. One will probably do the trick; 2 would be better. Here's a link.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Dan for the Amazon link. I've been using a hydraulic jack with wood between the jack and the ladder...your solution is much better.