BandJ, I had the same problem this year on our 2955rl. It was getting downright spooky climbing the ladder and hearing the creaking and seeing movement.
From my (faulty) memory:
I tried tightening the screws holding the uprights to the mounting tubes and found they were all tight - as were the flange screws attaching the ladder assembly to the fiberglass.
So, I removed the flange screws at each mount location, except the two top mounts which attach the ladder to the roof.
Once, the flange screws were removed, I could see the problem. The screws holding the flanges to the tube were loose. The two at the bottom were especially bad- at least 1/4 inch backed out!
So, just tighten the screws, right? Well, not so fast! Three of those screws were severely rusted (one was one of the outer screws attaching the upright to the mounting tube). Finally got one of the three loose but no amount of penetrant soaking nor going back and forth would break them loose. Finally, after clamping between v-blocks in a vise they began to turn - well "turn" as in spin inside the tube! Definitely not what I wanted to see happen.
The nuts inside are called Star Nuts. After some Internet searching I found that name and some sites that sell them. Then it dawned on me they appeared to be the same as I had seen in younger days working with the front stem on my bicycles. Went to a local bike shop and bought 6.
I was still puzzled as to how to get the rusted Star Nuts out, since they only go IN and just dig in when you try to pull them out. I gave up and cut the screws off and pounded the remainder deeper into the tube far enough to allow a new one to be installed. (By the way, I guess there is a special tool to install them. I got away with it by inserting a screw into the new one and persuading it to go in - with some difficulty starting it and keeping it straight.)
Since the Star Nut is bare heat treated metal, it is prone to rust. I decided to pack the complete assembly with waterproof grease. Was a little concerned it may allow the Star Nut to slip when tightening or when pressure is applied while using the ladder. Made it since early summer with no problems. Maybe someone can come up with a better idea than grease to prevent the rusting/seizing of the screws in the nut.
I really think the ladder was never very tight because it feels so much more secure now when I use it and makes NO noise.
I think it is a bad design considering the environment it lives in.
I think the factory leaves them loose to make up for the lack of correct fitting of those tube angles. This just allows more water, salt or other corrosion producers to get in and, it just allows the screws to begin working their way out from day one.
One tip would be to number and mark the ladder mounting tubes and their relationship to the flanges and the mounting locations. After I put mine back together I realized that the factory doesn't necessarily cut the tubes off at the correct angles to match the contours. I thought I had some in the wrong position and wasted time trying to get a perfect match.
In hindsight another tip would be to consider doing some custom fitting of those tube angles for a "perfect" fit. Mine now has some stress on the fiberglass and probably should be taken apart again for the "customizing".
I think the Star Nuts are 1 inch. I tried posting 3 pictures at TinyPic.com. They are sort of fuzzy (and large) but may help you "see" how the thing works. Hope this helps - Sorry it got so long...
- Star Nut
- Star Nut in Ladder mount - rusted
- Loose screw holding ladder flange to the Ladder Star Nut inside the pipe - as it was when I removed it!
Russ
Linear Mode
