@c4_fabrication
I waited until after the issue was "resolved" before I placed my order (June 25th). The ladder arrived a few days later. I finally got around to installing it this afternoon.
I can definitely confirm the top plate I received does not sit perfectly flat. When you start the process it looks like it will, but by the time you've finished and everything is bolted down tight, it does not sit flat.
I would highly recommend using something along the edge of the cargo door that can protect the paint, regardless of the issue being fixed or not.
Update: I received a message from C4. The issue may be able to be resolved with some adjustments using this plate. The top plate I have should be a fixed one. I’ll try to make some adjustments and report back.
Update 2: Per C4's instructions, I made some tweaks to the bolts attaching the ladder to the top plate. This improved the situation slightly, but it doesn't sit flat yet. I'm going to reinstall in a couple weeks after I'm back from Colorado. If I still can't get it flat, I'll be driving by C4's shop in September, and I'll make a pit stop.
As mentioned, it doesn't really happen until you bolt everything down, so it wasn't until the process was completed that I noticed it. The paint is probably already scratched a little, though it's on the back edge of the door so you will never see it. I'm going to reach out to C4 about a replacement.
As far as the rest of the process goes, do a number of dry runs before removing the sticky tape. You will have to make adjustments. The instruction measurements were not perfect. Once you're absolutely sure that everything is aligned, then remove the sticky tape and bolt everything.
In order to get the top plate to sit flat (side-to-side), I had to position these bolts in extreme opposite ends of their respective slots.
The top plate will then rest flat at the 3" mark (per instructions) side-to-side on top of the vehicle.
This part of the process was
very inaccurate for my 2018 TRD OR.
In order for the top plate to sit flat and the ladder to be perfectly level both horizontally and vertically, the correct measurement was 9".
Bolting the ladder to the bottom plate was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. To be honest, you can probably finesse it with 1 person, if you needed to. With 2 people, it was extremely easy.
Finished:
Other notes:
* Would be nice if the ladder came out a bit farther from the vehicle. Pretty difficult to use the ladder without your toes hitting the cargo door. Not a huge deal though, and not having to worry about backing into things is nice.
* The powder coating looks nice, but scratches quite easily. As soon as you bolt anything down, the powder coating in that spot will scratch right off. It's actually probably the aluminum itself that is scratching off.
* If you have the SSO rack, this ladder will allow you to completely open the cargo door without impacting the final 2" angled crossbar!!!!!
* The stock struts for the cargo door are
ALMOST strong enough to lift the door with the ladder installed. It only takes a very weak nudge to give it the energy it needs. If you let go of the door, at worst it will stay in position. I'll be in Colorado next week without installing new struts yet and I'm not even mad.
Update: If you have the window down, the struts will struggle. The OEM struts will only hold the door all the way open if the window is up.
* Overall, I'm happy with the ladder. I just need an appropriate top plate. I fits my needs and the few accessories you can get for it are nice, too. Would be cool if you had to option of anodizing (or whatever) the hardware.
