Small step for camper
We have a scissor step to access the camper that attaches to the threshold (?) or back platform of the camper. There is an attached lip that the edge of the step fits into. We have added cotter pins t...
Forum Discussion
We've run the gamut on ways to get into the camper.
1. The original, narrow, 4 step, scissor steps. Too short for a 3 inch lifted/bigger tired Dodge pickup.
2. Glow steps: a step up, o.k. a pun, from the factory steps, but too stiff once they get a little grit in there. Tough on the framing bolts. These were 4-step and too short for our rig, so I added 4-aluminum extesions down from the attaching hardware. That helped but made the entry step 8 inches lower. Very solid and don't depend much on the ground texture. A chainsaw man's wedge now and again will solve those little incongruities.
3. A short aluminum step ladder made in 1955. No pads on the legs so not good on soft sand or undulating ground. Very lightweight, which looms larger as you get older. A little rickety now. It goes against the prime directive for people over 65: 1. "DON'T FALL DOWN".
4. A newer, taller step ladder with the hoop removed. A bit too tall for our entry threshold. Cannot close the door with the ladder up. It would work with a 4 inch lifted Dodge truck, not a 3 inch.
5. A 4-step Little Giant with all extra and expendable parts removed to lighten it up. This has worked out very well with nice wide pads for soft ground and big, wide steps with a gradual incline like stairs for entry. The most solid of the on ground, 'ladder' styles. Heavier than most, and difficult to hoist onto the hook on the TC ladder, as I get older.
6. The Brophy, 2-step on a 20 inch extension receiver hitch. Unlike Whiz, I'm 4-5 inches taller at the receiver, so the Brophy just goes straight into the receiver. I had to drill a 2nd hole(s) for the pin to line up the steps with the threshold. The lower step is a wee bit tall. For traveling long distance, this is a good, no-user-moving-parts, put the pin in and forget it, way to travel. The only woe I see is limited ground clearance on the rear departure angle over very undulating terra. I was thinking of just hanging the whole receiver and Brophy on the rear ladder hanger and strapping it down if we needed maximum departure angle.
There is one more way to enter. If I have the 5 foot wide rear basket in the receiver, I can, with a long step, step on the shear wall on the basket and hoist myself into the box, but this is only a stop gap, so to speak.
So, the bottom line is we have a lot of choices with ways to get into the box. Some good; some not so much.
jefe
1. The original, narrow, 4 step, scissor steps. Too short for a 3 inch lifted/bigger tired Dodge pickup.
2. Glow steps: a step up, o.k. a pun, from the factory steps, but too stiff once they get a little grit in there. Tough on the framing bolts. These were 4-step and too short for our rig, so I added 4-aluminum extesions down from the attaching hardware. That helped but made the entry step 8 inches lower. Very solid and don't depend much on the ground texture. A chainsaw man's wedge now and again will solve those little incongruities.
3. A short aluminum step ladder made in 1955. No pads on the legs so not good on soft sand or undulating ground. Very lightweight, which looms larger as you get older. A little rickety now. It goes against the prime directive for people over 65: 1. "DON'T FALL DOWN".
4. A newer, taller step ladder with the hoop removed. A bit too tall for our entry threshold. Cannot close the door with the ladder up. It would work with a 4 inch lifted Dodge truck, not a 3 inch.
5. A 4-step Little Giant with all extra and expendable parts removed to lighten it up. This has worked out very well with nice wide pads for soft ground and big, wide steps with a gradual incline like stairs for entry. The most solid of the on ground, 'ladder' styles. Heavier than most, and difficult to hoist onto the hook on the TC ladder, as I get older.
6. The Brophy, 2-step on a 20 inch extension receiver hitch. Unlike Whiz, I'm 4-5 inches taller at the receiver, so the Brophy just goes straight into the receiver. I had to drill a 2nd hole(s) for the pin to line up the steps with the threshold. The lower step is a wee bit tall. For traveling long distance, this is a good, no-user-moving-parts, put the pin in and forget it, way to travel. The only woe I see is limited ground clearance on the rear departure angle over very undulating terra. I was thinking of just hanging the whole receiver and Brophy on the rear ladder hanger and strapping it down if we needed maximum departure angle.
There is one more way to enter. If I have the 5 foot wide rear basket in the receiver, I can, with a long step, step on the shear wall on the basket and hoist myself into the box, but this is only a stop gap, so to speak.
So, the bottom line is we have a lot of choices with ways to get into the box. Some good; some not so much.
jefe
