Community Forums

drhartley · 10-03-2013, 11:57 PM

My wife and I are having difficulty entering our motorhome. I built a plywood ramp for use at home, but need something lighter and portable for the road. Any ideas?

BobGed · 10-04-2013, 12:03 AM

Try doing a Google search for "motorhome entrance ramps" I got quite a few hits.

tedgard01 · 10-04-2013, 12:10 AM

I have seen hydraulic wheelchair ramps that fold up against the side of the RV. I don't know if that may be an option that is totally necessary for you at this time, but it may be an option that you could use as something that would be useful for now and years ahead.

Doggy Daddy · 10-04-2013, 12:21 AM

Check out Coach Lifts
Handicap Chair Lifts by Coach Lift | Mobility Lift Systems
Had one on my parents RV for years. Mom enjoyed not having to use the stairs.

Retired and Happy · 10-04-2013, 09:19 AM

We put a Coach Lift on our MH. The style we chose was for a chair that our special needs kids transfer into. At the top, the chair swings into the MH from where we transfer the kids to the appropriate seats. If memory serve me, they also offer lifts that raise wheelchairs to the door opening. Our consideration was the width of the door, and our lift is narrow enough to swing through, but would not accommodate a wheelchair without modifications.

Now we have a newer MH and must get the lift transferred to the "new" one before we travel for the holidays.

Just for reference, I recently saw what I thought was a childrens' slide near a MH. Turns out it was a ramp assembly with a section that folded into a doorway when needed and a lower section that seemed to separate for storage. It looked to be very heavy, but sturdy. And it probably would take a trailer or at least a bumper mount to store it.

jasright · 10-05-2013, 08:02 AM

How about a sheet of 1/2 to3/4" plexiglass. Light weight and waterproof. You could put in hinges to attach iit to the flpor and eyelets to attach it to a hpist for raising and lowering it. As a stroke survivor I've seen looking into ramps for my walker. I've got it down to aluminum or Plexiglas. Titanium is too expensive.

I can run a cable to each side and install eyelets or small pulleys in the doorway attah the cables to the ramp and a three or four horsepower electric motor and voila! A poweer ramp.

I could even set it up with spring a a garage door opener to operate with a remote.

jasright · 10-05-2013, 11:04 PM

I'm also thinkingabout attaching steel L braces to the underside in a big X to prevent flexing.

jfran304 · 10-05-2013, 11:29 PM

We have one of these for our dogs. Holds up to 400#'s and extends out to 7'.

Dog Ramps: Deluxe Telescoping Pet Ramp | DrsFosterSmith.com

AZGypsie · 11-17-2013, 01:53 PM

Oh, I like that ramp! For me AND the pugs.

gruelens · 11-17-2013, 03:10 PM

There is one thing to consider with the "ramp" idea. If the OP has a class A or 5er, the inside floor height off the ground is significant. A 7-8' long ramp from RV floor to the ground would be extremely steep to navigate. Also, a ramp with a comfortable angle (not to mention handrails) would need to be long, heavy, and hard to store. Sorry to be a naysayer, just would not like anybody to buy something that would not work for them.

Retired and Happy · 11-17-2013, 07:46 PM

We used a pair of wooden ramps years ago when our children were younger and their wheelchairs were much smaller than now. It was hard to push them up the 6 foot ramps, into our van. I'm sure 7 foot ramps would not work at all for our motorhome, and whatever length was used, pets might be ok, but humans would definitely need some sort of handrail. We still used our old wooden ramps, but only at a cabin we stay at in Gatlinburg, with only a two step rise.

waroland · 11-17-2013, 09:21 PM

OSHA Regs. for a ramp length is one foot for each inch of rise. That seem like a lot but anything steeper is real hard to go up.

danandcarol · 11-17-2013, 09:38 PM

I have arthritis in my knees and was having trouble with so many steps into our Class A. We purchased this aluminum ramp 8' ft Aluminum Multifold Wheelchair Scooter Mobility Ramp Portable 96" MF8 | eBay and modified it slightly. Still have to maneuver the inside step-ups, but that is do-able for me using the inside handrail. Plus, please note that while not terribly heavy, it still weighs nearly 50 pounds. Not terribly steep to walk up, but 10' would have probably been a little better choice. We store it in our toad when traveling and set it up once we arrive at our site.

BluewaveRV · 05-30-2021, 11:27 PM

We have the same trouble. Do not like the outside retractable 2-steps.
Looking for a light weight ramp that has a porch that would have pins to attach to the side of an class "A" side entry RV. Needs to have adjustable legs on the outer corners of the porch & no more than 3' wide, with a railing on the right side looking up to the porch. elevation gain is 18". NO railing on side of porch from RV-out to allow for door swing.
Have something? Have a design?