TC Add-A-Step mod
If someone has already posted this mod I apologize, but I was unable to find it while searching the forum and wanted to share it as this is working well for us. Not liking the traditional method of using a folding step stool and having to find a place to store it, I came up with this alternative.
I purchased a gently used Torklift Add-A-Step on ebay, added some spacers, additional bracing and brackets and now have a retractable step that won't get left behind at a campsite and works great. I took the Add-A-Step scissor pieces to a local fabricator, had some duplicates made up along with some half length pieces to complete the mechanism. I mounted 1/4" alum plate to each side of the existing Torklift step that came with our Arctic Fox camper and hung the new step from those plates. Using some 1/2" spacers I sourced from Grainger, the Add-A-Step is hung inside the drop down brackets of the original step.
I drilled a 3/16" hole in both extended and retracted positions and use a ball lock pin secured with a 1/8" cable lanyard to keep the step in the desired position.
I considered using a landing gear setup similar to what Torklift sells, but the price of theirs scared me off, plus imho, it isn't needed for our application. My wife is light in weight and I tip the scales at about a buck eighty, so the bumper deflection when the step is used is minimal (less than 1/4" flex) even when my nearly 200lb. son steps down on it firmly.
The distance between steps when extended is 9 3/4" and to the ground is 14", which is the same distance as the stock step to bumper height. No issues with ground clearance (retracted) so far when driving across uneven terrain and it passed our very steep driveway/street transistion with flying colors. Cost for all parts was right around $100.
As I said, it works well for us, but I wouldn't say it will handle the 300- 350 lbs. that Torklift advertises for their glow steps that actually rest on the ground. Just an alternative that ends the "where to tie on the folding step stool" question.
I purchased a gently used Torklift Add-A-Step on ebay, added some spacers, additional bracing and brackets and now have a retractable step that won't get left behind at a campsite and works great. I took the Add-A-Step scissor pieces to a local fabricator, had some duplicates made up along with some half length pieces to complete the mechanism. I mounted 1/4" alum plate to each side of the existing Torklift step that came with our Arctic Fox camper and hung the new step from those plates. Using some 1/2" spacers I sourced from Grainger, the Add-A-Step is hung inside the drop down brackets of the original step.
I drilled a 3/16" hole in both extended and retracted positions and use a ball lock pin secured with a 1/8" cable lanyard to keep the step in the desired position.
I considered using a landing gear setup similar to what Torklift sells, but the price of theirs scared me off, plus imho, it isn't needed for our application. My wife is light in weight and I tip the scales at about a buck eighty, so the bumper deflection when the step is used is minimal (less than 1/4" flex) even when my nearly 200lb. son steps down on it firmly.
The distance between steps when extended is 9 3/4" and to the ground is 14", which is the same distance as the stock step to bumper height. No issues with ground clearance (retracted) so far when driving across uneven terrain and it passed our very steep driveway/street transistion with flying colors. Cost for all parts was right around $100.
As I said, it works well for us, but I wouldn't say it will handle the 300- 350 lbs. that Torklift advertises for their glow steps that actually rest on the ground. Just an alternative that ends the "where to tie on the folding step stool" question.
