Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-09-2012, 09:16 PM   #1
DS ADV Rider
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 154
Who needs a roof ladder?

So, you bought a Lacrosse just before the new Touring Edition was announced and you're really upset because you think you really NEED a roof ladder?


I did, but I think I've found a great solution. I saw a "multi-ladder" on sale recently and it started me thinking. It can be used as a 5', 4' or 3' step ladder, a 7'-11' extension ladder, a multi-height stair ladder, or as twin A-frames, and it packs small enough to fit under the bed. A rear-mounted roof-ladder is single purpose, but the multi-ladder does way more. This is the one I bought: 13' Multi-Task Ladder - ES-13T11G1 | Vulcan Multi-Task - Vulcan Ladder Company


Here's a few pictures taken today during our 4th shakedown trip at Niagara County Camping Resort.


Washing the bugs off using the 5' step ladder



Brushing the leaves off the slideout with the 11' extension ladder



Roof access?



Stored under the bed (with my Shaw Direct Satellite dish)



BTW, the ladder I bought was regular $199(Cdn) on sale for $129 but I just saw a similar (but lower quality) one at Wal-Mart for $79.

I think this is a pretty cost effective solution.

Bob
__________________
Lacrosse 301RLS Touring Edition
GMC Sierra SLT 2500 4X4
BMW F650GS Dakar
Suzuki DR350SE & Suzuki DR650SE
Specialized FSR XC Comp
DualSport is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2012, 09:25 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Fire Instructor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Upstate (Albany Area) NY
Posts: 832
Home Depot had the 12' Little Giant (a quality product) for only $88 this past weekend.
__________________
Fire Instructor

2022 Coachmen Leprechaun 319MB
2022 Ford Ranger toad
Fire Instructor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2012, 11:06 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,258
Those are great ladders. I use a 7-foot one around home all the time.
Super strong and stable.
bakken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2012, 01:21 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
ironj's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,368
Yup....that's the same type ladder I drag around with me....it does work fine , but is just more stuff to drag around....and you have to be real careful when you extend it and lean it against the trailer as it will bend/scratch the drip rails on the sides.... I usually set mine up like this and step on the slide to get on the roof....and yes , you can walk on the slides without issue....same frame as roof...


Click image for larger version

Name:	ForumRunner_20121010_012056.jpg
Views:	192
Size:	46.3 KB
ID:	20454
__________________
2015 F350 Platinum Fx4 6.7 Diesel Dually. B&W turnover, B&W Companion, air bags and wireless controller.
2015 Heartland Road Warrior 420 Rt
2012 f250 Fx4 6.7 Diesel crew cab tinted n tuned
2012 lacrosse 318bhs touring- sold
ironj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2012, 07:51 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,258
While I have heard that people walk on their slide roofs, I am always leery about doing it. One thing, the roof on the slide is nothing like the roof on the camper.
bakken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2012, 09:37 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
ironj's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,368
Quote:
Originally Posted by bakken View Post
While I have heard that people walk on their slide roofs, I am always leery about doing it. One thing, the roof on the slide is nothing like the roof on the camper.
well, i said the "frames" were the same ....(ie aluminum)..i guess i shoulda said they had similar weight bearing capabilities.....

while the roof is a truss setup on 5" centers with a 3/8" deck coated with a one piece rubber, the SLIDE roof is actually BONDED aluminum frame (ie aluminum, foam insulation, luan, and fiberglass all sandwiched and high pressure bonded together (eternabond as prime calls it)....THEN a one piece rubber membrane.

as short as the slide ceiling is, and given its structure, i cant see it being any weaker than the main roof......in fact, prime mentions the "walk on" capability of the slide as an industry feature, and uses it in thier marketing.....

(from primetime)ETERNABOND Feature –Laminated, Aluminum Slide Roofs

Your slide out roof is one of the most critical
areas of your RV so LaCrosse goes the extra
mile to assure your complete satisfaction
and long term durability. These strong roofs
are designed to support hundreds of pounds
and can easily be walked on during
periodic maintenance or to clean off
debris.

either way, im only 5 foot 7, so i need a dang ladder to get up there!! LOL
__________________
2015 F350 Platinum Fx4 6.7 Diesel Dually. B&W turnover, B&W Companion, air bags and wireless controller.
2015 Heartland Road Warrior 420 Rt
2012 f250 Fx4 6.7 Diesel crew cab tinted n tuned
2012 lacrosse 318bhs touring- sold
ironj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2012, 02:59 PM   #7
Camper Less Camping
 
Cajun Po-Boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: NW
Posts: 3,642
Best ladder to carry in your RV, always had one even with camper ladders on our units.



__________________
2013 Sabre 32RCTS-6 (sold)
Family of 4 whose always on the GEAUX!
Cajun Po-Boy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2012, 12:45 PM   #8
DS ADV Rider
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by ironj View Post
Yup....that's the same type ladder I drag around with me....it does work fine , but is just more stuff to drag around ...
Your ladder seems to be the large one like the one I got for home use. One of the main attractions in the 13' model is that I can reach everywhere I need AND it just stays under the bed at all times as I bought it for RV use only.

BTW, I must have a ladder fetish as I have two 21' extension ladders, 13' and 17' multi-purpose ladders, plus 10', 8', 6', 5', and 2' stepladders

Bob
__________________
Lacrosse 301RLS Touring Edition
GMC Sierra SLT 2500 4X4
BMW F650GS Dakar
Suzuki DR350SE & Suzuki DR650SE
Specialized FSR XC Comp
DualSport is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2012, 02:59 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
ironj's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,368
yeah the one in the pic is a 21ft extending...the one i had in the camper was a 12.5ft extending.....

but to be completely honest i dont use any of those anymore, as i now have a telescoping type one....its like 15ft fully extended and 3ft collapsed down...pretty nice, but does not make into an a frame like the others....kinda pricy for what it is as well....but it fits in my storage compartment now..

on a diff note, how do you like the fsr xc comp???

we ride a couple of stumpjumper expert carbon evo 29ers.....im old school still like the hardtails....we ride a couple of roubaix for road and triathalon....always liked the specialized line....used to race competetively way back when on a custom rockhopper!! no disc brakes and the forks had elastomer in em! LOL
__________________
2015 F350 Platinum Fx4 6.7 Diesel Dually. B&W turnover, B&W Companion, air bags and wireless controller.
2015 Heartland Road Warrior 420 Rt
2012 f250 Fx4 6.7 Diesel crew cab tinted n tuned
2012 lacrosse 318bhs touring- sold
ironj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2012, 05:53 PM   #10
DS ADV Rider
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by ironj View Post
... on a diff note, how do you like the fsr xc comp???

we ride a couple of stumpjumper expert carbon evo 29ers.....im old school still like the hardtails....we ride a couple of roubaix for road and triathalon....always liked the specialized line....used to race competetively way back when on a custom rockhopper!! no disc brakes and the forks had elastomer in em! LOL
I really like the FSR xc comp - it's a 2009 model, so it has lockout on both the front and rear suspensions. The other one is actually my old '98 FSR Comp that became Sandy's (with upright bars and a gel seat added!) after I got the '09. I used to ride a lot until I got back into motorcycling in 2000 (I quit working in '99), and now I'm lazy and take my bike off-road instead of riding the MTB. But, the '98 served me really well - I've ridden it in Moab, Sedona, Crested Butte, Vancouver North Shore, Banff/Canmore, Stowe, etc. We usually winter in Tucson so I get lots of bicycle and motorcycling done in Jan - Apr

I see now where the "ironj" comes from ... you must be in great shape to do triathalons.

Bob
__________________
Lacrosse 301RLS Touring Edition
GMC Sierra SLT 2500 4X4
BMW F650GS Dakar
Suzuki DR350SE & Suzuki DR650SE
Specialized FSR XC Comp
DualSport is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2012, 09:07 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
ironj's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,368
Quote:
Originally Posted by DualSport


I see now where the "ironj" comes from ... you must be in great shape to do triathalons.

Bob
Yeah , I actually have a golf cart now I use for puttering around....lol...I'm not as young and vigorous as I used to be...

Iron j is actually a Nick name given to me when I was a competitive bodybuilder...it is now the name of my athletic training facility....and I'm not in that great of shape by triathlon standards , but what I lack in speed and skill I make up for in determination!....lol...

Keep the rubber side down!
__________________
2015 F350 Platinum Fx4 6.7 Diesel Dually. B&W turnover, B&W Companion, air bags and wireless controller.
2015 Heartland Road Warrior 420 Rt
2012 f250 Fx4 6.7 Diesel crew cab tinted n tuned
2012 lacrosse 318bhs touring- sold
ironj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2012, 11:15 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brewerton, NY
Posts: 329
Is t difficult just to get me installed on the unit?
__________________

2015 Dodge 2500 Big Horn 4x4 6.4 HEMI
2015 Grand Designs Reflections 323 BHS
Reese 16K Quick Slide with Factory Rail Kit Option
kozzy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-14-2012, 10:33 AM   #13
Member
 
weiman1983's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Posts: 97
Send a message via Skype™ to weiman1983
That' the exact same ladder I use to get on my roof. I thimk I paid $129 at Canadian Tire for mine. Since we park at a seasonal site every summer, it's not a real pain to carry around. I usually only get on the roof about once a month to check on things.
weiman1983 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-14-2012, 10:42 AM   #14
DS ADV Rider
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by kozzy View Post
Is t difficult just to get me installed on the unit?
If you are asking if you can easily have a roof ladder installed on a trailer without one, then the answer is probably NO.

This is from the Prime Time FAQ at Prime Time Manufacturing, Manufacturers of travel trailers and fifth wheels:

Q-Can I add a ladder to my travel trailer?
Prime Time does not prep any travel trailer for after-market installation of a ladder.

Bob
__________________
Lacrosse 301RLS Touring Edition
GMC Sierra SLT 2500 4X4
BMW F650GS Dakar
Suzuki DR350SE & Suzuki DR650SE
Specialized FSR XC Comp
DualSport is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:12 AM.