14 - Rear Ladder

The Orion 24RB does not come with a rear roof ladder, which is probably a cost-cutting decision since so many of Coachmen's other models include them as standard. Most of my previous RV's had ladders, and I find that I often want to get up on the roof for inspection or maintenance work; especially when I am travelling and do not have access to a regular ladder. Therefore, installing a ladder on my Orion was on my "to do" list.

I wanted a black single piece ladder but it so happened that Amazon had an unbeatable price on a chrome-color jointed ladder, so that's the one I opted for. Now the instructions say, and I am well aware, that the ladder mounts need to be screwed into solid material to support the weight. Thinking about the lightweight "Azdel" construction of the Orion, I was pretty sure that solid backing was not likely, and more so given the relatively limited mounting location options.

So, I spent a lovely (and full) day planning, measuring, cutting, and fitting to get it right. Once I had everything fit and assembled, I drilled the holes for all the mounts. At each mount point, I scuffed the surface of the Azdel, mixed and applied some 3,300 psi marine epoxy, and screwed each mount into place. I was right about having no solid material to drill into, only the thin ply of Azdel and backing material. But with 32 screws and about 15 square inches of epoxy bonded contact, it seems to be more than strong enough.