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Repaired bent ladder
So I got distracted by the neighbors toddler waving from across the street while I was backing my rv into the driveway. And let's just say the house gutter and the rv ladder suffered the consequences. I was so mad at myself for several days afterward. I tried calling my dealer for a replacement ladder and all they wanted to do was send me a universal fit ladder. I was told that they would have to get a price from Forest River for a OEM ladder, but they told me freight would cost a minimum of $100. My wife wanted me to call the service department to get a price on having one installed so they would seal the body correctly. I'm guesstimating it would have cost around $700, all told. I decided to make a repair instead....
I ended up ordering two 2 foot sections of 1/4" wall 1" aluminum tube. They came in today. I went out to the motorhome and cut out the damaged section, and removed the step that was also involved. I ended up cutting the tube 5" longer than the required lengths. I put the pieces in my metal lathe and turned down the tube 2 1/2" on each end to slightly less than 7/8" for a snug fit inside ladder tubes that weren't damaged. Then reassembled the step and finished bolting the new section to the standoff's. I still have to paint it, but the repaired ladder certainly meets my expectations. Total cost was less than $50, and took me about three hours to make the repair and is very secure.
Sorry about the sideways picture....
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