Exterior Stairs

What kind of steps do you have that is OEM and doesn't fold into the trailer? I have no use for any of the non-folding steps. We have them and I hate them. They require adjustment almost any time they are put down, and may not be able to be put down if the distance to the ground is far enough. And when in storage the nearness of your neighbor may preclude you opening your steps, and thus make it impossible to get into your trailer. Now add in the dirt and mud that will be dumped in the trailer when the steps are lifted up into the trailer. Yuck-o.

We went from the three step folding steps to the quadra step on our last trailer and thought it was great.

I've used Carlyle 4-step (changed from 3 steps) from etrailer.com and they were well built. They aren't all the same width, so be sure to measure yours. Craig

e-trailer of Tweety's.

Measure carefully!

I like the one piece steps that fold into the interior space. They came with our Solitude and are very sturdy.
I did have to remove/replace them when we replaced our RF fridge with a residential, but that was no big deal.
Its also no big deal to clean the steps before folding them into the RV.

If you want QUALITY look at Elkhart Industries steps. Mine are 4 step and only have 1/2" deflection on bottom step with 200#. At least 4 years full time use and they still look great.

^^^^^^^^^Love those types of steps. You just fold them out, no messing with legs, or making sure the legs have enough room to deploy, like the solid legs.

But I see an extra step is required in some cases.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I see no need to bash one or the other.

Not bashing just being honest. IMO the solid steps have no advantages. :)

Then why do manufacturers choose to install them when they cost more?
I prefer the one piece and I've had both.
The one piece is solid, easy to clean before stowing, and the legs adjust in a mere few seconds.

Cptnvideo wrote:
Then why do manufacturers choose to install them when they cost more?
I prefer the one piece and I've had both.
The one piece is solid, easy to clean before stowing, and the legs adjust in a mere few seconds.

But the folding stairs require no cleaning before putting away, and need no adjustment. Granted the mobility impaired may like the stability of the solid stairs. Personally I never noticed.

And I don't know that the solid steps are more expensive, they require no supporting structure to be built under the trailer, and are much simpler to construct. Personally I think the builders use them for the main reason behind most changes: improved economic feedback, i.e. less cost, more profit. :)