2015-2016 Dutchmen Voltage Ladder recall - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 12-21-2015, 12:08 PM   #1
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2015-2016 Dutchmen Voltage Ladder recall

| Safercar | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
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Old 12-21-2015, 01:15 PM   #2
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They will install appropriate fasteners, that must mean longer screws.
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Old 01-15-2016, 08:19 PM   #3
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My ladder ripped off the side the first time I tried using it. Took it back for warranty work, I told Keystone that the screws were not secured onto any framing. They agreed to have the screws replaced with rivets... Keystone has been pretty good with all of the warranty work thus far.
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Old 01-28-2016, 02:15 AM   #4
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Just picked up our voltage after having warranty work done sinc October!!! I watched and asked the tech about the ladder recall... They will pull the screws out one by one and make sure they are into wood, if not they only pop rivet the ones that do not hit wood. What a fix!
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Old 01-30-2016, 06:01 PM   #5
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Wood ?? I did not think there was any wood in these toy haulers. Aren't all of the studs and framing material aluminum now?
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Old 01-30-2016, 07:06 PM   #6
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Wood ?? I did not think there was any wood in these toy haulers. Aren't all of the studs and framing material aluminum now?
Yes most frames are aluminum, but attaching points for things like ladders, TVs, etc there is (or is supposed ) to be wood in between the studs.
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Old 01-30-2016, 11:43 PM   #7
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had this same issue wi the cyclone. in my case, the heads poped off the screws..

i don't think using a rivet is "fixing" anything if its not into wood, or aluminum ..
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Old 01-31-2016, 12:56 PM   #8
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The service guy said the same thing... It is just a CYA type of repair... Out unit was one of the ones that needed the rivets drilled out and bolts installed on the front entry steps, but not the back... Said that the rear steps were made after the front set so no repair needed... They also looked at and fixed the axle recall supposedly, all I know is that me brakes were outta adjustment and had to adjust them before we left the dealer... Tech said they weren't that bad... I heard him click each axle about 5-7 times!!!
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Old 01-31-2016, 04:10 PM   #9
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The service guy said the same thing... It is just a CYA type of repair... Out unit was one of the ones that needed the rivets drilled out and bolts installed on the front entry steps, but not the back... Said that the rear steps were made after the front set so no repair needed... They also looked at and fixed the axle recall supposedly, all I know is that me brakes were outta adjustment and had to adjust them before we left the dealer... Tech said they weren't that bad... I heard him click each axle about 5-7 times!!!
How many miles have you put on you trailer between brake adjustment?

Did the 5-7 clicks include backing the adjuster back off after the brakes locked-up?

When I was running drum brakes and adjusting them every 25-3000 miles, it took about 7-8 clicks to lock-up then back off a couple. A right pain in the butt having to adjust brakes every week when you travelling.
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Old 01-31-2016, 10:29 PM   #10
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Pirate here,

I've taken another approach. Somehow the bottom of our ladder got ripped loose when having the Voltage cleaned and waxed in San Diego last Summer.

Have seen this solution in a couple of catalogs, then our Ace Hdwe got them and put them on sale. Bought the 12.5 ft ladder. Easy to extend and retract, has feet that are well designed and don't slip. Keep it on one of the HappyJack lower benches with two straps. So for $179 a ladder that replaces:

The ladder up to the roof

The ladder up to the loft and the HappyJack upper bed in the garage

Provides a ladder to lubricate all the slide mechanisms on our 3800

And probably a lot more things as the situation crops up. So now have three dumb ladders in the old box car where I store stuff...

Here's a couple of pics:



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Old 02-01-2016, 11:31 PM   #11
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Hello Pirate,
How well does that ladder work? I've heard issues like pinched fingers and problems retracting. Have you had any of those issues?
The Triton I just bought doesn't have an attached ladder so I'm looking for an alternative.
Thanks, Jerry
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Old 02-02-2016, 02:08 AM   #12
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Pirate here,

I've taken another approach. Somehow the bottom of our ladder got ripped loose when having the Voltage cleaned and waxed in San Diego last Summer.

Have seen this solution in a couple of catalogs, then our Ace Hdwe got them and put them on sale. Bought the 12.5 ft ladder. Easy to extend and retract, has feet that are well designed and don't slip. Keep it on one of the HappyJack lower benches with two straps. So for $179 a ladder that replaces:

The ladder up to the roof

The ladder up to the loft and the HappyJack upper bed in the garage

Provides a ladder to lubricate all the slide mechanisms on our 3800

And probably a lot more things as the situation crops up. So now have three dumb ladders in the old box car where I store stuff...

Here's a couple of pics:



Are you able to get up on the roof with this ladder? I assume max reach is 12.5', and you can't climb on the top steps. I see they make a 15.5' ladder, but suspect even that when leaned out from the trailer won't safely give me access to to get on the roof. I like the concept, but need to be able to climb up on the roof.
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Old 02-02-2016, 02:17 AM   #13
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Sure you can... just put your ramp in the patio mode, and start from there. I use an 8' A-frame ladder to get on the roof that way, so you should be able to easily do the same with a telescopic ladder the same way.
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Old 02-02-2016, 02:32 AM   #14
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I haven't actually tried it yet. But thinking about it, if I need to get on the roof, I can just lower the front hydraulic leveling jacks to the point that I for sure can get on the roof. When done, just push auto level again...and done.

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Old 02-02-2016, 09:21 AM   #15
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I've owned the 12.5' Xtend & Climb for the past year and love it. I'm able to access the roof by fully extending the ladder which puts it about 2' above my unit allowing me to to have something to hold onto when I'm getting on/off the roof.
As for collapsing the ladder, I let gravity do most of the work. I simply turn the ladder upside-down on occasion when retracting the sections. You do have to be careful not to pinch your fingers, but the Xtend & Climb is designed that the section above the release levers will NOT come down all the way until the one below it is also released. You will understand this when you use it the first time.
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Old 02-02-2016, 04:14 PM   #16
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Matt,

You are correct, got a blood blister on my left index finger the first, and so far only, time I collapsed the ladder.

Gloves were in my hip pocket...why didn't I have them on????

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Old 02-02-2016, 05:59 PM   #17
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hddecker, sorry for the late response... that was 5-7 clicks one way...no backing off. When we left the dealer the brakes felt "better" but not good. So i got to my shop, backed them off all the way and started from scratch. I click as I spin the wheel till it stops, and then back off a couple of clicks.
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Old 02-02-2016, 07:43 PM   #18
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hddecker, sorry for the late response... that was 5-7 clicks one way...no backing off. When we left the dealer the brakes felt "better" but not good. So i got to my shop, backed them off all the way and started from scratch. I click as I spin the wheel till it stops, and then back off a couple of clicks.
That's the thing that made the decission for me to convert to disk brakes, adjusting the drum brakes made them feel better but not great.

On the ladder topic, I always thought that it was great to have a nice place to store the ladder I actually use to get up on the roof. Good place to lean the ladder too, I don't have to worry about padding it to lean against the trailer.
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