Fold up ladder - Page 2 - Montana Owners Club

sreigle · 03-26-2006, 08:44 AM

Rich, a couple of months ago I sold the six footer and bought the seven footer. It is excellent. It fits crosswise in the basement storage area, taking very little space. It sets up and breaks down quickly and easily and is plenty strong. The six footer has steps on one side. The seven footer has steps on both sides. I have had several ladders during our fulltiming but the folding ladders work best for us. The six footer didn't allow me to reach high enough on the Montana when cleaning off bugs or trying to clean near the top of the sides. The seven footer allows me to do both.

Rich, we've had slide awnings for more than 5 years and only once had anything get under them -- hackberry moths took refuge in there during a thunderstorm in Stratton, CO. Next morning they survived the ride to inside the Montana and we fought with them for days. Otherwise, nothing has ever got under there.

richfaa · 03-26-2006, 09:04 AM

C.W had the ladders on sale this week and we got the 7 foot fold away ladder. Did not think it was a good idea to get the kind that you lean up against the Rv. No matter what you pad it with that is a lot of preseure on the side walls of the camper and those walls are not all that sturdy.Put a 170 lb person on the ladder moving around and a lot of pressure is transfered to the side wall. I noted on the 6 fold away ladder it said max stand height was 4 feet so put another 5'8 or so on that and you are nearly 10 feet off the ground,that should put you over the slide out....But..I got the seven footer anyhow..

dsprik · 03-26-2006, 09:26 AM

At 250#, I will probably need one of those expensive ladders. I really don't want to be leaning up against the Montana either. Cheryl nixed my "wife's underware" solution anyway...

Any suggestions on a 300# (or thereabouts) rated ladded, that is two sided, doesn't weigh much, and is less than a year's wages?

jpkelpe · 03-26-2006, 01:32 PM

Good luck on a teacher's salary. !!!!!!!!!

dsprik · 03-26-2006, 03:36 PM

Even worse! A RETIRED teachers pension...

Trailer Trash 2 · 04-18-2006, 06:07 PM

I'll put in my 2 cents worth of info on this topic. in the County Fire Department tool list of folding ladders they have one that is rated for almost 300 lbs and it is 7 or 8 foot long and folds up to the size of a 4 x 4 x 7 or 8 foot long I will get all the information on it and post it on this post. I do know that it is sold at the Firemans wherehouse supplies in Los Angelas. and it is not as cheap ( $$$ ) wise as Camping World. it will be posted as soon as I can get it for you.

TT2

Bob & Lee · 04-19-2006, 03:37 AM

My wife got me the little giant for christmas, a little high cheaper at sears than on tv,very sturdy and strong, I'm building a slide in rack out of angle iron to store it under the rig out the way.

VanMan · 04-19-2006, 04:40 AM

I have the 12' telescoping ladder and. You can extend it enough to lean on the edge of the unit rather than against the sidewall. It's good to have on a trip "just in case". At home I have a rollaway step stand (like used in aircraft mfg.)
I am also 250+ lbs. and I've had it extended all the way against the stick house before - it does "bow" but I still felt safe on it.

dsprik · 04-19-2006, 09:01 AM

Larry, what's that rated for? Also, what height do we really need for a second ladder - other than the back ladder? And I can't remember what that back attached ladder was rated for. I did ask a salesman a while ago what weight the Montana ladder was rated for. He said, "Why, that thing could hold 300 lbs plus!" I said, "Great, let's find a fat salesman and send him up!" He said, "I gotta go talk to another customer..."

VanMan · 04-19-2006, 12:35 PM

Dave, This should keep you busy a while !!

I "googled" telesteps and found that there are now several new products since I bought mine a couple of years ago. (10.5' extension, wide steps extension, "red step" extension, a stepladder, etc.). The Costco link below states: "This Type 1A ladder weighs only 25 lbs. and still can provide exceptional strength and stability (OSHA and ANSI Type IA - 300 lbs. duty rating). The Type 1A is an industrial grade ladder for professional uses."
CostCo

The next link is to the Telesteps home page (in England). I saw nothing about weight ratings. Perhaps the UK doesn't require them.
TeleSteps

QVC has a wide step 10.5 ft. but it says "made in china" and is rated 250 lbs.
QVC

I can't help you on the height - our Montana is a travel trailer - you can get the specs from the Montana page. Hmmmm - I bet the height at the back is the same as the TT - I think ours is 11.1 but it's an older model and that includes the A/C and stuff on top.

richfaa · 04-19-2006, 04:26 PM

I remember I asked someone to measure to the top of the large slide on the 3400 to see if it would open alongside the house without hitting the gutters and the height was like 9 feet 1 or 2 inches. I am not to excited about the sturdiness of the 7 foot fold up ladder I got at CW but it was a trade off as I wanted a ladder that would take up little space..It is also a incentive to lose about 25 lbs.

gitrdun · 04-19-2006, 05:33 PM

I got the 7 ft. fold up and mounted a 5 in. conduit under my Monty and it fits in just fine.

ols1932 · 04-19-2006, 06:15 PM

I have a 5 ft collapsible step ladder and one of the 12 ft telescoping ladders. I use the collapsible for washing windows and waxing as high as I can reach (safely). I use the telescoping ladder for everything else. Haven't had a problem with marring the finish on the rig with the ladder.

Orv

steves · 04-20-2006, 01:32 AM

I've been thinking about this topic for quite some time and after re-reading and staying in Florida this past winter without a ladder, I decided I needed to do something and get it done. I orderd the Little Giant ladder today. While this is probably the most expenseive one, it is also the most verastile and can also be used quite a lot around the stick home.

dsprik · 04-20-2006, 02:20 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by VanMan

Dave, This should keep you busy a while !!

I "googled" telesteps and found that there are now several new products since I bought mine a couple of years ago. (10.5' extension, wide steps extension, "red step" extension, a stepladder, etc.). The Costco link below states: "This Type 1A ladder weighs only 25 lbs. and still can provide exceptional strength and stability (OSHA and ANSI Type IA - 300 lbs. duty rating). The Type 1A is an industrial grade ladder for professional uses."
CostCo

The next link is to the Telesteps home page (in England). I saw nothing about weight ratings. Perhaps the UK doesn't require them.
TeleSteps

QVC has a wide step 10.5 ft. but it says "made in china" and is rated 250 lbs.
QVC

I can't help you on the height - our Montana is a travel trailer - you can get the specs from the Montana page. Hmmmm - I bet the height at the back is the same as the TT - I think ours is 11.1 but it's an older model and that includes the A/C and stuff on top.

Thanks, Larry! I'll check them out.

So... everyone thinks a seven (7) foot ladder is sufficient?

VanMan · 04-20-2006, 04:33 AM

I guess it depends on what you want/need to do. I don't think the 7 foot will ever get you on top in case you needed to (emergency roof repair, broken TV atenna, hail damaged vent covers, A/C maintenance, etc.) or if you wanted to get up there to clean. I would think a full timer would want the ability to do it all if needed. Just my opinion.

richfaa · 04-20-2006, 05:07 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by VanMan

I guess it depends on what you want/need to do. I don't think the 7 foot will ever get you on top in case you needed to (emergency roof repair, broken TV atenna, hail damaged vent covers, A/C maintenance, etc.) or if you wanted to get up there to clean. I would think a full timer would want the ability to do it all if needed. Just my opinion.

What is that ladder attached to the back of the camper for,Can you not use it to get on the roof..don't tell me it is just there for show or so flimsy it can't be used????

dsprik · 04-20-2006, 06:04 AM

Rich, I stepped up a couple rungs on the ladder on the 3400 at a dealership. After a few rungs, I felt a cold chill in the air. Discovered it was the hair on the back of my neck standing up. The aluminum was giving enough to give me hesitation. That's when I asked for the fat salesman. Still waiting...

*On Edit~ I mean I would probably use it in an emergency, but for not much else.

richfaa · 04-20-2006, 07:19 AM

Well I can send Helen 125lbs up the camper ladder to do the roof work. The flimsy ladder excuse is a great cop out.

VanMan · 04-20-2006, 09:54 AM

Oh yeah - I forgot lots of models (probably most or all 5ers)have built-in ladders - mine doesn't. All the more proof that it's entirely up to the individual, their model, their needs/wants, their fear of heights (or just falling), their spouse's size, etc.

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