Bedlam wrote:
The other steps I have seen take a cutout from the deck and a stair well is welded in place that does not extend sideways beyond the deck rub rail. You see these more on bucket trucks.
Yes, I've seen those too.
Because I'm limited on the max length of the truck, so I can fit it into my shop at night, I couldn't build a low deck extension platform and steps on the back of the flatbed, like the bucket trucks have. It would be nice though.
One idea I have is to build a bi-fold, fold-down stairway, that can also act as a tailgate when up, to keep stuff from falling out the back of the truck. It will make it more difficult to haul over-length items in the bed though, unless I can swing the whole stair sideways out of the way. I have to do more thinking on the design.
Another idea is to get one of those rental box truck loading ramps and mount it under the bed, where that storage box is seen in the pic above. There are benefits and drawbacks to a ramp, which I need to do more thinking on.
I looked at the Glow Steps. They appear very similar to the aluminum folding accordian steps I already have. I think I'll pass on those, for this application.
