TheSwanStory.com - Stabilizing the ladder

How we stabilized our RV ladder

Our Fuzion 429, being a toy-hauler, has a ladder attached to the side. We have been noticing that some of the screws holding the ladder to the wall were loose. Snugging the loose ones up didn't last long since they were clearly stripped at some level.

We use this ladder at least three times per stop; once to put up the cell signal booster antenna, once to inspect the tops of the slide-outs before we put them in (when we leave), and once to take down the cell signal booster antenna. The ladder needs to be stable.

I had an online chat with a customer service representative via the Keystone website (www.keystonerv.com) and they suggested just trying a larger wood screw. While that may have worked in the short-term, I don't think that would be a long-term solution. Additionally, the holes in the ladder mounting brackets are fairly small so a large wood screw or lag bolt just isn't going to fit.

Our ladder, mounted on the side with the cell signal booster antenna attached.

The three mounting brackets toward the rear of the RV were really letting loose to the point where the rungs of the ladder were sagging about one inch on that side.

We needed to do something to stabilize those brackets.

The wood screws used to hold the ladder mounting brackets to the wall. They are quite small and only about 1.5 inches long. If there was only downward force on these screws, they would be fine but there is definitely outward force which caused the threads to fail.

The wall is only about 2.5 inches thick so we decided to install 3" bolts and go all the way through.

The other side of the wall, along the column of three brackets to the rear of the RV, ended up being a bit of a dead spot between the screen door and the rear wall/door/deck. No one will even notice them!

We removed these bolts, which hold the ladder to the mounting brackets. This gave much easier access to the holes with a drill.

After installing the 3" bolts through the wall, this is what the mounting bracket looks like. We added a little caulk to make sure no moisture would seep in there.

I think these were 8/32 by 3" and were at a local hardware store. We used nuts with nylon inserts so they wouldn't back out. Altogether, we spent less than $10.

Here are the nuts and washers on the inside of the wall. They are in a dead spot between the screen door and the rear wall/door/deck. We used fender washers to give us a larger surface area with which to grab the wall. We did not have to tighten these nuts a lot, simply snug.

The ladder mounting brackets are VERY secure. A great fix!

Here's the YouTube video explaining what we did.