Kayak mount for RV Ladder

Just the other day I was behind a full size van & they had a cargo rack that went into the trailer hitch receiver. The type you can get at Harbor Freight, etc. He had made tall sides for it. Looked like they were made from electrical conduit. There were 2 kayaks standing vertical in the basket. At least 10'ers. Seemed like a slick set-up. The rack sits low, even with the receiver. The top of the kayaks were a few feet above the roof line of the van. I'm sure there were tie-downs, etc. I was too busy checking out the basket.

I use to carry bikes on the ladder and over time the screws holding the ladder on would back out. After tightening them several times I had to over size the screws. I removed them and bought fold up bikes which I hated.

Roof racks on top of a towed vehicle would most likely be your best bet. And the racks (even really good ones like Yakima, Thule or Malone) are far cheaper than those trailer hitch RV racks.

Its not just the weight, but the wind resistance they cause. Every MH has a different profile for air flow at different speeds. You may have noticed some peoples bikes doing the hat dance an the ladder of their MHs. I have seen some carrying their folding boats on the side of the MH, probably for the same reasons. It may or may not work for you and others. As said before, they will hold up to 250 lbs. live weight, but probably not intended for the extended jostling that may expose it to.

AllenTC2 wrote:
I'm no expert, but I'd say it might be a matter of time. A man is only going to be on the ladder briefly, his weight being distributed over it for a relatively brief period of time. If you strap Jimmy Hoffa (in his pre-deteriorated state :D) to a ladder and head off for 5 hours, would it hold?

A kayak, even if only 50#, over a prolonged period of time might cause a failure. Especially if not secure and bouncing.

Just a thought. Again, I'm no expert. I was wondering the same thing. I have two kayaks, both around 70#. I was wondering how RVers take those things with them if not on a trailer. I certainly don't like the idea of lugging one up and down a ladder!! LOL

What a great answer! By the way, seen Jimmy lately? The logistics you desribed are SPOT ON. A man is on those rungs for a very brief time frame. And, of course this depends on the weight of the individual, but, I see my stanchions, the components that are actually attached to the fiberglass of the rear cap on my coach, flex their mountings a bit each time I step on a different rung. NOT GOOD!

Those ladders are about as cheap as they can be and yet still allow for temp climbing to do roof stuff. And, as in a few zillion applications in the industry world, they're built good enough JUST to get them through the warranty period! After that, they could care less if they rip out the mountings due to improper loading. It's not theirs anymore.

A kayak is a long and cumbersome item weighing not all that much. I really don't know how much they weigh, even different versions of them. We just learned how to use them a few weeks ago. And maneuvering them around on the beach, to get them to the water, was tough enough. I'd hate to have to heave-ho one up to my ladder and then, figure out a way to secure it, AIN'T HAPPENING! Not to mention there would be TWO OF THEM, not just one.

We tow two different toads. One, a GMC Sierra 1500 Extended Cab 4x4 and, a '15 Jeep JKUR. If we were to purchase a couple of Kayaks, I'd come up with way better ways of transporting them then on the back of my coach on the ladder, that's for sure. On the truck, I'd simply either build or buy a form of a lumber rack which, would work very nicely. On the Jeep, although I'd not be in favor of it, an outside cab rack of some sort, (seen many). That would work too.

I think a kayak would be lighter than two bikes and would probably be OK depending on the condition of the ladder mounts. Having said that I agree with Allen's post. When I worked in aerospace I had the stress dept analyse handing loads on a towed airframe across the tarmac with uneven surfaces which were about 20 g if I remember correctly, the worse that the airframe saw in flight was 2.5 G. So a 50 lb static load could many times that when you hit a pot hole or two. The other thing you have to look at is how the ladder is attached, mine are attached with star nuts which rust out and come loose after a while. I had to replace mine with thru bolts. If your MH is fairly new and you climb up on the ladder and bounce a few times without much movement your probably be OK. If you get a fair amount of movement you can always add a few more supports or a single support to your bumper as a previous poster suggested.

I would think the majority of the stresses on the ladder are concentrated on the roof where the return bend attaches. I "assume" that the manufacturer would assure, for their own liability sake, that the ladder is secured into some reliable structure in that area. I don't believe that the screws holding the vertical section are meant to provide much in the way of load bearing.

AllenTC2 wrote:
I'm no expert, but I'd say it might be a matter of time. A man is only going to be on the ladder briefly, his weight being distributed over it for a relatively brief period of time. If you strap Jimmy Hoffa (in his pre-deteriorated state :D) to a ladder and head off for 5 hours, would it hold?

A kayak, even if only 50#, over a prolonged period of time might cause a failure. Especially if not secure and bouncing.

Just a thought. Again, I'm no expert. I was wondering the same thing. I have two kayaks, both around 70#. I was wondering how RVers take those things with them if not on a trailer. I certainly don't like the idea of lugging one up and down a ladder!! LOL

^^^^ added thought^^^^ to this

Ladder might work great to hold the position of the Kayak - but I'd rig a brace to the hitch or bumper to support the weight. Then as it bounces down the road it will not mess with those screws in the Fiberglass.

JMHO,

I'm no expert, but I'd say it might be a matter of time. A man is only going to be on the ladder briefly, his weight being distributed over it for a relatively brief period of time. If you strap Jimmy Hoffa (in his pre-deteriorated state :D) to a ladder and head off for 5 hours, would it hold?

A kayak, even if only 50#, over a prolonged period of time might cause a failure. Especially if not secure and bouncing.

Just a thought. Again, I'm no expert. I was wondering the same thing. I have two kayaks, both around 70#. I was wondering how RVers take those things with them if not on a trailer. I certainly don't like the idea of lugging one up and down a ladder!! LOL