That is a ham sandwich with full strength mayonnaise to hold it together lol...$1200 ladder and it breaks when used....Geez....

 

I emailed the fine folks at PowerfulUk about this some time back and they are aware of it and are working on replacements. Not ready for primetime yet but it seems there is indeed a market for hinges.

 

Simon to the rescue. I bet they do the hinges, seems like something that's right up their alley.

 

It will sadly be Land Rover to the rescue when someone gets hurt using the ladder and sues...Just a matter of when and not if...Land Rover needs to step up and do the right thing, and they know what the right thing to do is. Do it with class and without a class action suit! Your choice Land Rover...

 

I think that new OCTA comes with a redesigned hinge and 6 dimensional ladder that can be unfolded even when a hyperbolic space-time curvature is present.

 

Below is the descirption from the LR website: https://accessories.landrover.com/us...#tertiary-tabs
Zero warnings about max allowable number of uses and how it would break after a certain time....Wake up Land Rover!

Exclusive to Land Rover Defender, the deployable roof ladder is a key innovative and stylish interpretation of the traditional Land Rover Defender accessory. Designed to enhance the vehicle's exterior style, it has been optimised to minimise wind noise and has a unique, two stage deployment to ensure a compact size when stowed. Mounting to fixings in the body side and roof, it maximises roof accessibility. The roof ladder is lockable when in the stowed position to ensure it is secure. The ladder has anodised aluminium steps with black, powder-coated aluminium sides, set in a high-quality, durable plastic with an Anthracite colored finish frame. For additional durability the top and bottom steps are rubber coated to help improve grip. The maximum weight capacity of the ladder is 330lbs., sufficient for a person carrying equipment to the roof.For 90 and 110. Not applicable for vehicles with V8 engines.Roof rails required for fitment. The ladder will fit to both sides of the vehicle, however if the vehicle is already fitted with the exterior side-mounted gear carrier, it can only fitted on left hand side. Compatible with all roof carrying accessories.

Price: $1,200.00

PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE: EXCLUDES RETAILER INSTALLATION CHARGES AND TAXES. PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL AUTHORIZED RETAILER FOR DETAILS.

Reference #: VPLER0189

 

Hey, it's only $1200 guys. What do you expect from such a cheap part ! hahahaha

 

I know. A mere pittance. That was pretty much the only solution LR came up with. They'd happily sell me a new one. Hard pass.

It's a shame. I'd been a real fan-boy of the OEM ladder up until it $hit the bed. I really found it tremendously useful. A side ladder is really a good thing to have. Meets my needs far better than a rear one. A hinge is such a simple part to stock as a replacement. It's insane it can't be offered instead of having to buy a new one. That should not be left up to the aftermarket.

As parts to break go, it's minor, and I don't want to grumble too much. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I feel like a bit of a mug to have shelled out for rubbish OEM tat when Alibamazon knockoffs would have probably been better.

Anyway, in an unrelated word of caution, keep an eye on your hinges this weekend in Oregon. It'd be a real shame if one went mysteriously missing from your X.

 

Mmmhmm. And I hope your undercarriage felts stay on when we hit the trails.

 

more running repairs.

superglue to fix the stylish plastic trim along the side which evidently broke at some point.

I used some new black zip ties to convert this to a 3 rung ladder. Works surprisingly well and fully supports me. Gives me good access to entire rack.

Ladder is now 12 dimensional. One for each zip tie. Octa-inspired.