Bowed stairs - reinforcement
BACKGROUND
Over the years our trailer stairs - especially the top one - have become bowed from use.
REINFORCEMENT
The solution came to me this summer - steel angle stock. And with luck I could use these holes already drilled into the stairs.
The angle stock came in 36" pre-drilled lengths. I used a hacksaw to cut them to just under 24".
Both steps have been reinforced - bolting the angle stock to the underside of each step removed the bow as the bolts were tightened. And, fortunately, the holes in the stairs matched the holes in the angle stock.
Although the holes are out of the way near the edges of the steps I chose 1/4"-20 round-headed machine screws over hex bolts, figuring they'd be kinder to toes. They're secured with nylock nuts.
I also added a strip of grip tape to the front of each step for safety - Dawn had a nasty fall last month after descending the stairs in sock feet (luckily, just bumps and bruises).
The reinforcement took all the bend out of the steps and made them feel much more solid, and they still fold and store just as before. For about $30 and 30 minutes of effort, this was a worthwhile repair.
Over the years our trailer stairs - especially the top one - have become bowed from use.
REINFORCEMENT
The solution came to me this summer - steel angle stock. And with luck I could use these holes already drilled into the stairs.
The angle stock came in 36" pre-drilled lengths. I used a hacksaw to cut them to just under 24".
Both steps have been reinforced - bolting the angle stock to the underside of each step removed the bow as the bolts were tightened. And, fortunately, the holes in the stairs matched the holes in the angle stock.
Although the holes are out of the way near the edges of the steps I chose 1/4"-20 round-headed machine screws over hex bolts, figuring they'd be kinder to toes. They're secured with nylock nuts.
I also added a strip of grip tape to the front of each step for safety - Dawn had a nasty fall last month after descending the stairs in sock feet (luckily, just bumps and bruises).
The reinforcement took all the bend out of the steps and made them feel much more solid, and they still fold and store just as before. For about $30 and 30 minutes of effort, this was a worthwhile repair.
