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hbrady's avatar
hbrady
Explorer
Jun 27, 2018

Lippert Solid Step

Just thought I'd share my experience and hopefully help someone else. I have a 2018 SportTrek 290vik and I promised myself that my next camper would have those nice solid steps. Unfortunately it came with the cheap fold down steps so I started doing some digging and settled on the Lippert Solid Step.

The information I found was to measure the door opening and then round up to the nearest size so I ordered the LC678041 (26"-28" wide door). When I went to install it I discovered the cross-member for the transport lock was just a tad bit too wide to allow the steps to fold up into the camper. I paid the return shipping and ordered the next size down, LC678040 (24"-26" wide door). After getting it installed I realized the cross-member for the transport lock (pictured below) was about 1/2" too narrow to properly secure the tabs between the screen door frame and door. This would allow the steps to go crashing into the camper and through a wall.

I was fully committed at this point, I had 10 new holes in my brand new floor and I was not going to pull them out. I pulled the cross member off and a buddy is going to help me bend the tabs so the overall width is better but the transport lock mechanism will be useless. As it is, even if the cross-member fit properly the ends of the locks would not extend far enough to actually engage the screen door frame (even when adjusted to widest point). No big deal, as long I remember to open the door slowly so the steps don't come crashing down on me ;)

Hind sight being what it is, I wish I negotiated sold steps (whatever brand) at the time of sale and let the dealer install them.

  • sgfrye's avatar
    sgfrye
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2018
    fj12ryder wrote:
    FWIW adding a support to the bottom step of the fold out steps will basically make them as solid as any set of steps. It's the fact that they are not resting on the ground that makes them appear to be unstable. Support them and they are fine.


    x2 on this

    i use a small adjustable jack stand under our step frame.
    makes the steps very solid
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Jun 28, 2018
    FWIW adding a support to the bottom step of the fold out steps will basically make them as solid as any set of steps. It's the fact that they are not resting on the ground that makes them appear to be unstable. Support them and they are fine.
  • buc1980's avatar
    buc1980
    Explorer
    Jun 28, 2018
    Why don't use the Torklift revolution they are one of the best if not the best steps.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Jun 28, 2018
    hbrady wrote:
    ScottG wrote:
    So is this the step system that folds straight up in back of the door and is about 5' tall?
    They are nice and solid but in some of the places we park, there just would be room to swing them out.

    They are only about 4’ tall, if I couldn’t swing them down I couldn’t open my slide. I’d call that a city block, not a camp site ;)


    Wouldn't work for me!
  • hbrady's avatar
    hbrady
    Explorer
    Jun 28, 2018
    Honestly, Lippert needs to get their sh*t together. There is an LCI sticker on the majority of components on my camper and I believe they made the doors too. For about $1.00 per unit they could engineer a cross-member and transportation lock which is adjustable 24”-32”. Get what you pay for I guess. My next steps will be Glo-Step.
  • hbrady's avatar
    hbrady
    Explorer
    Jun 27, 2018
    ScottG wrote:
    So is this the step system that folds straight up in back of the door and is about 5' tall?
    They are nice and solid but in some of the places we park, there just would be room to swing them out.

    They are only about 4’ tall, if I couldn’t swing them down I couldn’t open my slide. I’d call that a city block, not a camp site ;)
  • B_O__Plenty's avatar
    B_O__Plenty
    Explorer II
    Jun 27, 2018
    Sounds to me that I'm liking my Glo-Steps even more than I thought.

    B.O.
  • RobWNY's avatar
    RobWNY
    Explorer
    Jun 27, 2018
    On our Salem Hemisphere 5th wheel, it came with the Lippert Solid Steps. The Pros are that they truly are solid steps and they have a larger top step to remove shoes before entering the camper, and are made of aluminum so they won't rust. With that said, I don't really like them. First, when down, I have never had to use the extensions to reach the ground. This means that the bottom step lays nearly flat on the ground and gets muddy. When you put the steps back up, that mud now is in your camper or you have to hold the 30-40 pound steps in the air and clean off the steps before putting them all the way in. If it rains and they are wet when you put them in, you have to put a towel on the floor to catch the dripping water. If your camper is not completely level, or worse yet, the camper is level and the ground isn't, the door won't shut with them down. If the ground is un-level and you put one of the extensions out to secure the steps to the ground, the door won't shut because now the steps aren't all the way down. To solve this dilemma, you have to dig out the ground to make contact on both sides of the steps which then puts that bottom step further into the mud. But...when the camper is level and the ground is level and the steps are down on a really nice concrete pad and it doesn't rain, they're wonderful steps.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Jun 27, 2018
    So is this the step system that folds straight up in back of the door and is about 5' tall?
    They are nice and solid but in some of the places we park, there just would be room to swing them out.

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