4 replies to this topic

[Cerdahl]

I got tired of jumping the last 18'-24' from my folding step to the camper and vice versa. My wife has a bad hip and it was really bothering her so I decided to find something different.

I looked at all of the camper stairs online and the one that caught my eye was the "Glow Step". It is a rack of fold down stairs and attaches to a bracket that would actually fit under our FWC doors. It also glows in the dark! VERY COOL and very expensive: about 350.00 which is too much for me.

So I went to Lowes and Home Depot and measured all of the stools. The highest step on all of them: 20" which is what I have now. I started looking at step ladders and they were all way too high.

I finally found a step ladder at Home Depot that could be modified and it was 39.00 so here it is.

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Edited by Cerdahl, 18 August 2013 - 03:08 AM.

[Cerdahl]

How to do it:
Buy the ladder, a piece of 1"x 1/8 x 4' steel stock, some 7/8 rubber end caps( you know, rubber cane tip dealies), and 2, 1/4" x 1 1/2" flat head bolts plus, washers, 1 ock nuts, and one wing nut and lock washer. All this is at HD and costs another $10.00 or so.

Cut off all the extra that gets in the way of the door with a hack saw. Keep in mind that one side must remain hinged for structural integrity. This will be on the side your door opens on. On the other side where you've cut it to two inches or so above the highest step, drill a 1/4" hole about 1" from the top of each tube.
Measure the distance between the tubes, with the step FULLY OPEN.
Cut the steel stock to size and drill to match the bolts. One side will be attached permanently with the nut and washers, the other uses the wing nut so you can take it on and off as you open the step.
On the wingnut side you can cut out a 1/4" channel and just slide the steel support on and off as needed.
Put the rubber tips over the tubes to cover the cuts.
It only takes a couple of hours to have a great step for your FWC!

Edited by Cerdahl, 18 August 2013 - 03:11 AM.

[griz]

I see u have a trailer reciever, put that to use. Get the male part and weld a plate on it, works great and safe.

[RicoV]

One possible con to a receiver-based solution is a resulting decrease in the truck camper's departure angle/span, which could be an important criterion if one goes off-highway in dissected country (as we experienced).  Now a 3-stepper scissors style step is what's working for us.

[Cerdahl]

I often use the hitch for the bike rack, so no hitch steps for me.