Telescoping ladder height

[Electra glide]

I have a 2016 320A Supersport fifth wheel. It does not have a side ladder. How tall should I get one of these ladders in order to safely get on top of the fifth wheel? I currently use a multi position aluminum extension ladder which is quite heavy and takes up a lot of space. I want to save space and weight yet also have a ladder to get to the roof and clean the slides off.

What length would you go with?

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by Electra glide

I have a 2016 320A Supersport fifth wheel. It does not have a side ladder. How tall should I get one of these ladders in order to safely get on top of the fifth wheel? I currently use a multi position aluminum extension ladder which is quite heavy and takes up a lot of space. I want to save space and weight yet also have a ladder to get to the roof and clean the slides off.

What length would you go with?

How tall is the lowest point on your roof?
For safety....the ladder should always be MINIMUM 2 rungs higher than your climb off height.

[Bama Rambler]

For extra an extra margin of safety I always have a ladder that's 3' higher than the edge of roof that I access. that allows you to hold the ladder to steady yourself as you step off the ladder onto the roof and off the roof onto the ladder without having to bend over.

[Safetydave]

Bama’s right. 3’ above the landing. So you will need a 20 ft ladder to cover you after you level your trailer. However they are expensive. Your better off just purchasing one and having it installed on your RV. Almost 1/2 the price. That way you don’t have to lug it around or set it up. Be Safe !!!

[CincyGus]

Originally Posted by Safetydave

Bama’s right. 3’ above the landing. So you will need a 20 ft ladder to cover you after you level your trailer. However they are expensive. Your better off just purchasing one and having it installed on your RV. Almost 1/2 the price. That way you don’t have to lug it around or set it up. Be Safe !!!

Call the factory and ask them before you make that decision. Some RV's do not accept aftermarket ladders as they do not have the support built into the wall structure to have them added. Some are built the same way regardless of if that option was selected or not and can be added on afterwards.

I certainly wouldn't trust a dealer to put one on until I knew from the factory where to mount it and that it was okay to add an aftermarket one.

[nomad297]

This is what you need:

785P+ 15 Ft Industrial Ladder | Xtend+Climb Telescoping Ladders | Xtend+Climb Telescoping Ladders

It is worth every penny you will pay for it.

Bruce

[Iwannacamp]

Here’s a cheap one if you wanna check it out... I ordered my 12.5 from Walmart on clearance and have been happy with it and I’m fat.

[Electra glide]

I won't buy any aftermarket ladder and put on that fiberglass. I have seen too many have damage doing that.
My current ladder is a Little Giant 17' that is tall enough so I think a 17' telescope model will work for me. Menards only seems to carry the 14' model. I had hoped to use some cash back and the 11% off to grab one but 14' isn't tall enough.

[nomad297]

Here’s some advice for any aluminum telescoping ladder:

1/ Try to keep it protected from the elements when not in use.

2/ When it gets wet, dry it off as well as you can before storing it.

3/ Use only silicone spray on the rung release/lock tabs if they ever need lubrication.

4/ Never use any standard lubricant or WD-40 on the tubes if it becomes difficult to extend or retract — read next item.

5/ Use Pledge Wipes to clean and lubricate the tubes when necessary. This works well.

Those five things are just some of the things I remember while I was on the phone with an engineer at Xtend+Climb. Item 5 was the solution to the reason I called them in the first place.

Bruce

[madatme]

I think my telescopic ladder is 14', it works great and amazon $68, they can pinch your hand so be carefull, it looks just like the previous posters pic, love it

[itat]

Originally Posted by Electra glide

I won't buy any aftermarket ladder and put on that fiberglass. I have seen too many have damage doing that.
My current ladder is a Little Giant 17' that is tall enough so I think a 17' telescope model will work for me. Menards only seems to carry the 14' model. I had hoped to use some cash back and the 11% off to grab one but 14' isn't tall enough.

I have the Werner version of your Little Giant ladder that I bought from Home Depot up here. At 17 ft. long, its the right length for leaning against the back of our 5er - I have 3 rungs above the top of the wall - but its much heavier and more cumbersome than the telescoping ladders. If they weren't so pricey up here (almost double the price of the Werner), I would have gotten the telescoping ladder. It's a great choice if the price is reasonable.

[Safetydave]

Originally Posted by Electra glide

I have a 2016 320A Supersport fifth wheel. It does not have a side ladder. How tall should I get one of these ladders in order to safely get on top of the fifth wheel? I currently use a multi position aluminum extension ladder which is quite heavy and takes up a lot of space. I want to save space and weight yet also have a ladder to get to the roof and clean the slides off.



What length would you go with?

I can offer a picture of what mine looks like and where it is mounted. Lots of good advice on this post.

[oliver305]

Recently I have invested in a LUISLADDERS telescoping ladder. I am very impressed with this one, especially the fact that it can extend to a height of 15.5 feet. When fully retracted, it becomes a little over 3 feet tall. The feet of the ladder have rubber tips that are useful in preventing slipping.

[hinkle_e]

If you decide to go with a telescoping ladder, I recommend a telescoping a-frame. I get a ton more functionality out of mine than I would with just a straight model.. it's nice because u don't always need something to lean it on. I use it as an a-frame at least 5x more than I use it straight. For reference, a 16.5' is <$200 on amazon.

[GPs37FLH]

I just picked up a telescoping ladder last week I'll use on my FLH Sabre that's 16.5ft and cost $150:

https://www.amazon.com/SUNCOO-Telesc...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Versatile: can be used as an 8ft folding step ladder, or 16ft extension ladder, whichever you need inside or out.

Portable: folds down enough I can easily store it under the bed of the RV. At 39 pounds, it's heavy as hail, tho!

Stable & Heavy Duty: supports up to 330 pounds and has stabilizers with rubber feet on each end when using as a folding step ladder.

Also purchased a Werner Quickclick Stabilizer that snaps on and off this ladder quickly for an added $44. Going to throw this on when its used as an extension ladder:

https://www.amazon.com/Werner-AC78-Q...3593305&sr=8-1

It'll make it much easier and safer getting on and off the roof, or accessing the high pitch power awning on my rig.