Autohome (Maggiolina/Columbus) ladder alternative

manoweb

New member
Hello, I'm very happy with my Columbus extra-long. However I do not like the ladder too much. It's very high quality and all, but I'd prefer something that can collapse to a smaller size so that I would have more options to store it. Has anybody tried any alternative?
 

JackW

Explorer
A lot of us use extendable ladders like this one because they collapse down and can be stored inside the roof tent or the vehicle. The original ladder for my old Maggiolina was painful to use.

roof tent deployed.jpg
 

manoweb

New member
A lot of us use extendable ladders like this one because they collapse down and can be stored inside the roof tent or the vehicle. The original ladder for my old Maggiolina was painful to use.

View attachment 642917
Yeah that looks pretty good, so much better than the stock ladder. Does it get full of sand and debris internally? What is the height of that ladder, it looks like you could use a shorter one with a couple less steps?
 

manoweb

New member

alia176

Explorer
Thank you for the thread reference. It didn't come up when I searched.

It seems people are using the ladder from a different RTT manufacturer even if I am not sure what the advantage over much cheaper, almost identical ladders available on Amazon is. I will continue on that thread thanks!

You're welcome! Mind giving us a link to the "cheaper, almost identical ladder" on Amazon?
 

NatersXJ6

Explorer
I’ve bought cheaper and heavier ladders on Amazon in my search for better replacements. I think the first try was “wolf wise”. The big difference is in the top connection brackets. If you are willing to modify the top step, there are lots of options in the world. The one I bought from Amazon was never used and I would sell it cheaply if you want to pick it up in central California. If you’re paying for shipping, you should just buy from Amazon.
 

JackW

Explorer
Yeah that looks pretty good, so much better than the stock ladder. Does it get full of sand and debris internally? What is the height of that ladder, it looks like you could use a shorter one with a couple less steps?
Its about 9' tall fully extended and I couldn't find one that is shorter. I like that this one has individual locks on the rungs - some only have one lock. Its worked real well for me for about eight years in all kinds of conditions.
 

manoweb

New member
You're welcome! Mind giving us a link to the "cheaper, almost identical ladder" on Amazon?

This is on ebay for 56 dollars shipped:
7.5ft that seems to be the ideal length, pretty light at 11lbs
Only 6 steps so it might be harder to climb, not sure how big of a deal that is

There are MANY others, almost identical to each toher on Amazon just shy of 80 dollars:

8.5ft, 14.3lbs - a little too tall

For reference, the ikamper costs 145 bucks (plus shipping, I must assume?) and weights 16.4lbs, 7.5ft

The stock Autohome ladder is pretty light, 8.5lbs, less than I thought
 

alia176

Explorer
I’ve bought cheaper and heavier ladders on Amazon in my search for better replacements. I think the first try was “wolf wise”. The big difference is in the top connection brackets. If you are willing to modify the top step, there are lots of options in the world. The one I bought from Amazon was never used and I would sell it cheaply if you want to pick it up in central California. If you’re paying for shipping, you should just buy from Amazon.

Agreed, the one I bought from Amazon is heavier and built for higher capacity human but the one from iKamper (and prolly other resellers now) is MUCH lighter and friendlier on your bare feet. It's nice to leave your shoes at the bottom of the ladder, on a small carpet and walk up bare feet during summer or dry seasons.

Some folks store their ladder in their RTT, for me that'd entail opening up the RTT, then climb on the rear tire to fetch/balance, a task I don't do. I suppose if the rig isn't tall, this would be easier on our aging bodies but at 7.5' off the ground, it's not always the safest maneuver for me!
 

greg.potter

Adventurer
My first RTT had telescopic legs - not a big fan. In my experience you definelty have to be careful to keep the telescopic legs clean or they bind / jam. My James Baroud came with a ladder where the two pieces of the ladder slide over top of each other similar to how a conventional aluminum extension ladder works. This worked better but there is no locking mechanism to that the top section gets locked to the bottom section. When you are on the top couple of rungs they are supported by hanging off the plastic hangers that are bolted onto the bottom tub of the RTT. I haven't had a failure of the hangers in 6+ years of use ...... but I am thinking it is an inevitability. I have been thinking of drilling a number of holes through both halves of the ladder (adjustability) and using a bolt through each side so that the top section was supported by the bottom section sitting on the ground. Another project languishing in the list of things to do.
 

manoweb

New member
My first RTT had telescopic legs - not a big fan. In my experience you definitely have to be careful to keep the telescopic legs clean or they bind / jam.

That, to some extent, happens also with the stock ladder of the Autohome. The locking holes can let sand inside and when you move the ladder around you can hear it "sloshing" back and forth with sand. This said I really want to experiment the convenience of a physically small ladder on a few trips.

The stock Autohome does lock when extended; I am very surprised that yours does not, it sounds very bad...
 

greg.potter

Adventurer
That, to some extent, happens also with the stock ladder of the Autohome. The locking holes can let sand inside and when you move the ladder around you can hear it "sloshing" back and forth with sand. This said I really want to experiment the convenience of a physically small ladder on a few trips.

The stock Autohome does lock when extended; I am very surprised that yours does not, it sounds very bad...

I've never contacted James Baroud to inquire about the rating of the hangers bolted onto the RTT tub, but based on them not failing in 6 years perhaps they are rated appropriately. Regardless they are made from some sort of a plastics and bound to fail one of these days with full body weight on them - I do need to make the improement before I end up on my backside or worse!
 

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