Installing ladder on trailer ???

SoundGuy wrote:
Just an observation that no one else has mentioned BUT having climbed a trailer mounted ladder I find it FAR more difficult going straight up than on an incline when climbing a stand alone ladder propped against the trailer. ;)

That was my very first thought when I read the OP's post. I can't imagine how hard it is it climb a vertical RV ladder and get yourself up and over onto the roof. Could be even harder getting back down. I've used a ladder in house construction & maintenance a lot over the years and there's no way I'd ever use a fixed RV ladder. Only use a portable ladder that is leaned against the roof and here's why I say that:

Falls off ladders send 500 people to the ER every day in the US. Falls off ladders are the no. 1 cause of worker accidents here. Injuries can be severe and at the worst result in quadraplegia or death. Also, in a workplace, heights above 10' require fall restraint and many RVs are above that height on the roof surface. Climbing ladders and working on an RV roof can be very risky, even at the low heights involved.

OSHA has a one page summary on ladder safety here. Ladders also have load ratings ranging from 200 lbs for a type III to 375 lbs for a type IAAA. What load rating is an RV ladder?? Would you really trust the attachment method by a factory or a retrofit installation? If I were an RV manufacturer, I wouldn't even offer ladders due to the potential liability. An installation of a fixed ladder like RVs have would never be approved in a workplace setting.

I had a serious fall off a 6' step ladder 25 years ago because it collapsed under me and was standing a couple of rungs from the top and only fell 4-5 feet. I still have pain in one hip and enough to interfere with sleep sometimes and may eventually need a hip replacement. Ladders aren't something to take lightly.

Anyway, if a manufacturer offered a ladder as an option on a model line, I would think that the appropriate backing is placed in all units going down the production line. A retrofit would have attachment issues as mentioned by others.