Patent ID: 7870932

Claim:
A machine access ladder assembly comprising: a ladder having first and second side rails that terminate at a top end of the ladder, and a plurality of steps connected between the first and second side rails below the top end; a hinge mechanism having a first hinge portion mounted to said first side rail closer to a top step than the top end of the ladder, and a second hinge portion pivotably coupled to said first hinge portion via a pin, said pin being fixed to one of the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion, said second hinge portion including mounting features for mounting the same to a machine; said pin of said hinge mechanism being spaced a distance away from said first side rail in a direction perpendicular to the first and second side rails, and said pin defining a hinge axis oriented diagonally with respect to said rails such that the ladder flips front to back and vertical to horizontal when rotated by the hinge mechanism from a deployed position to a stowed position; and an actuator disposed to engage a toothed collar of said pin, wherein the actuator is operable to rotate the pin and the one of the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion relative to the other of the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion; wherein said actuator is operable to torque said first and second hinge portions one against the other.