Roof top ladder 1992 Hymer Camp 56

Hi,

Maybe a silly question but here goes ... On my camper is fitted the roof bars around the roof perimeter with a one piece ladder running down to just above the rear light. (See photo attached of same setup to my van). There is no folding ladder section to reach the ground; is it intended on these Hymers to use the internal bunk bed ladder to extend the exterior ladder to the ground? I see 2 rubber bump stop type things on the outer rails of the fixed exterior ladder - I can with a bit of difficulty hook the interior ladder around these & the length suits, just wondering if this is the intended way or would there be another part of the exterior ladder which has gone missing over time please?!

(Moved from the Hymer Owners forum, as it may be relevant to other vans also & someone can advise pls?)

Thanks,
Anthony

Thanks Panda,

Yes the over cab bed ladder was what I should have written..

On another note, the bottom rhs of the roof ladder is separating from the aluminium skin at its mounting point to the camper body ; there looks to have been previous damage where someone probably reversed the van into something & struck/bent the corner moulding along with the ladder.
There is a little bit of panel delamination when I press the area just above the brake light where the ladder mounts. The area is not leaking, but I want to address it both for use of the ladder purposes, but more importantly to prevent any water ingress. The slightly bent corner moulding was sealed at the time I would say from looking at it.

Anyone any advice on repairing this? There doesnt look to be much in the way of a "ground" internally in the laminate wall to screw the ladder back into; obviously drilling all the way through the wall and fitting a plate inside is not ideal for the risk of water ingress, even if sealed with Sikaflex or similar?

I know from reading here & other forums that roof solar panels etc are fitted with strong adhesive; my problem is both the delamination within the wall panel at the ladder mounting point & also the fact the wall panel surface is the Hymer mottled aluminium finish which has been overpainted with I don't know what type of paint in previous years! The joys of an old camper

The ladder mounting point is at the same height as the bike carrier bottom mounting rail; maybe there are "grounds" (timber studs) internally in the wall to take screws - I cannot tell exactly until I strip away old sealant around the ladder brackets..

Appreciate any advice from anyone who has done similar or an experienced repairer (even if you tell me to not attempt a DIY repair, albeit I am a very competent DIYer ) - I can post some photos later or when I investigate more if needed to explain more! The van is an old lady but she is in good nick relatively speaking & I want to preserve her originality in as much as I can.