Community Forums

J Birder · 10-16-2014, 04:45 PM

A few weeks ago, completely by accident, I was towing my 27' Puma on a steep, narrow, 2 lane mountain road. Some curves were so sharp that I needed all of both lanes to negotiate the curve.

Eventually,the inevitable happened. On a right hand curve, the trailer wheels went off the road, and into a bit of a ditch. The stabilizing jack and the manual steps were both badly damaged.

The jack is no problem, but the steps have absolutely no markings. I have found several, from a variety of manufacturers. All have the same mounting dimensions as my damaged steps, but considerable difference in some other dimensions.

Are these steps at all interchangeable, or do I need an exact replacement?

I am still waiting for an answer from either the dealer, or the manufacturer.

Thanks,
Joel

mike1poles · 10-16-2014, 06:41 PM

Biggest difference in steps, is height of 5th wheel when set up, and width where steps are mounted. As far as height, you can also decide whether you want 3 steps or 4 steps. The step difference is size between the number of steps and the total height.
Check out this website, the company is one of the best step maker's around: Elkhart Tool and Die : Elkhart Indiana - RV Steps - Continuous Hinges - Custom Metal Fab. They offer any size and/or number of steps you may want.

The older we get, some times an extra step can make all the difference in the world. LOL

Hope this helps and God bless,
Mike

road dogs · 10-16-2014, 11:58 PM

Earlier this year I was pulling our 5th wheel on a twisty bumpy road. When we got to a straight spot my wife suggested maybe I should stop and check to make sure nothing broke loose in the trailer. Everything OK, got back in the truck and continued on our way. About 40 miles later, I came to a road construction area. The flagger motioned me to stop and told me my step was out...or what was left of it. Sheared the bottom step off somewhere back there!! Anyway, I found a new one, Hickory Springs brand, same as the original and everything looked the same dimension wise. When I installed it, I was pleasantly surprised to find the new one had deeper step treads, making it much easier for my 70 year old knees and replaced hip to negotiate. The new steps took up the same space when folded up but come out about 3" further and about 1" closer to the ground. Had I known how much nicer the new steps are, I would have replaced the old hard-to-negotiate steps as an ergonomic improvement. The old ones were welded in, a real pain to remove. I bolted the new ones in so if I have another senior moment it'll be a lot easier to change....