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I play with it as an addition, much like a vehicles weapon, you would fire from the weapon, with the deff rolla, you measure tank shock from the deff rolla. Unlike a weapon it can't be destroyed, it doesn't obscure my front hull and I can't disembark 2" from it because my boyz ain't jumpin over that unless the mad dokz with them. (still not doin it in game.)
It limits your charge distance but gives you one hell of a tank shock so it's an interesting thing. As it's an accessory like the wrecking ball or the boarding plank I don't see why you can disembark from around it or treat it as hull or get a cover save from it since it's technically just a part of the vehicle that would have no effect on the vehicles moving about should it be destroyed.
I do understand the way you would use it as a hull, but given the rules written in the codex and the basic rule book, I don't know why it was such a debatable subject, I gather it became so when people found it hard to destroy BW lists with Deff Rollas. Which is not really the case anymore.
The only debate is that it can be destroyed like a weapon, my rebutle to such a debate is, just immobolize me. *cough*.

Luckily that argument died.

Q: Is a deff rolla a weapon that can be destroyed by a
Weapon Destroyed result on the damage table? (p55)
A: No.

As for the hull or not hull part, by the rules as written there really are only two options:

1) It counts as Dozer Blade/Reinforced Ram. If it does, it's not hull and ignored for about everything.
2) It's not a doze blade. If it isn't, it counts as hull for everything, including disembarking and shooting(both ways).

Anything outside these options is a house rule.
As said before, I think 1) makes more sense as Boyz shouldn't be able to disembark or shoot from the deff rolla. If my opponent disagrees, I'll happily play 2), but I will not suffer some random penalties that are not based on any rules.

It would also make it harder to get cover on side armor with an extra chunk added on...

And round these 'ere parts we don't like people who show just their deffrollas. I just don't get why we'd get kicked out of the flgs for shooting at the swine that do that in the US