Cptnvideo wrote:
I'm not familiar with the Glow steps, but if they store outside, it likely requires a modification of the outside of my RV. And why would I want to try something else when I'm perfectly happy with what I have?
Hi,
I am not trying to talk you out of your Mor-Ryde steps, Mor-Ryde makes good products. I want to show you what the Glow Step is, as FYI, and for those following along.
We had a very good and solidly mounted 3-step fold-out set of Hickey Springs folding steps made in 2003. The mounting frame was bolted to the floor where an outrigger was, and the bottom of the step frame was welded to the main frame rail. Between the floor mount, the main frame rail mount, and the fact the steps themselves were made of rigid steel, they worked well for most of our camping situations.
Our floor plan (rear living area) has the main entrance door at the back. We camp a lot on lakefront campsites that are a downhill back in to get to the site. To level out the camper, the nose of the camper is almost touching the ground, and the back wall is 3 feet off the ground. In this case, I need a 4th step, and I have wrestled with how to deal with uneven ground.
The 4th freestanding step, with four legs, was solid, but the uneven ground required a shim under one or two feet. After a few days of walking on it, the shim wiggles out, and the step is unstable. I came down the steps and almost went tumbling, then a day later, my wife did on that last step. That did it for me; I need to change this before one of us breaks a leg or worse.
The Mor-Ryde step was an option, but in our case, even though the legs could extend to the ground, the long, deeper last step had to be filled with something, and I am back to the same problem. I need a 4th step. Doing a 13 to 15" one-step rise at the bottom is not good coming down. This leads me to Tork-lift, which makes truck camper steps. They have a 4 to 5-foot gap to bridge, and they do it well. They offer a set of steps for 5'ers and TT's.
Here is how mine integrated. This may not work if you do not have the older style fold-out steps or the ability to cut the fender skit on the camper.
The older steps before conversion
The new Glow Step install. I took out the steps and left the heavy rigid frame in place.
Install a 4 step Glow Step
They have a lever on the side; you have three heights on the top step if you must lower the steps as the camper is way high at the step area. And you can push them in to make them shorter. And there are 2 feet adjusted to the ground.
Here was the campsite that we love to camp at, and it was the last straw to have to do something with the entry steps. This was the summer of 2017.
A closer look at the separate 4th step. You can see how much wood is under the stabilizers to level the camper.
Here is the summer of 2018 after the Glow Steps install. To date, this has solved all our 4th step issues, and they are a very solid step with the 2 feet to the ground. This is not a cheap upgrade but worth it for us.
Hope this helps
John