What percentage of the time do you use your porch?

[Mr. M]

We are looking at toy haulers. The ramp/porch seems like a great feature. But in some of the parks we've stayed at, it doesn't seem like a porch would be useful.

What percentage of the time do you use your porch when camping or at a park? Also, do you have to stow it every time you leave the camp?

[Scarab0088]

We only enabled the ramp to be a deck last year after several years unable to do it due to hardware (was not originally set-up that way).

Since adding the capability, it is a 100% of the time thing...causes quite a response from the neighbors, wanting to come-by for a look.

Of course we have yet to be in a campsite that had an obstruction to using the ramp as a patio.

We do not leave the ramp down when not there or while sleeping for security concerns (just keeping honest people, honest) but our interior door is set-up with a locking knob to secure the interior if desired.

Also we added an Xtend-a-room, making the patio almost an any-weather option (having no OEM awning). It folds-up inside the garage doorway when not in use:
Xtend-a-Rooms - Dometic Corp

Safe travels

[neegirll]

We love ours and have it open as long as the weather will allow us. The rig is 43 ft long and we always list our rig as 53 ft when making reservations to ensure a site can accommodate this feature.

[the.wilsons]

We have had ours for almost a year now and have only set it up once. Mainly because if you set it up you loose all of the heat or cool air in that room and if someone is sleeping in there it just takes to long to recover. But if we go much this year without the kids we might use it more.

[Mr. M]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

Since adding the capability, it is a 100% of the time thing...causes quite a response from the neighbors, wanting to come-by for a look.

Of course we have yet to be in a campsite that had an obstruction to using the ramp as a patio.

We do not leave the ramp down when not there or while sleeping for security concerns (just keeping honest people, honest) but our interior door is set-up with a locking knob to secure the interior if desired.

Also we added an Xtend-a-room, making the patio almost an any-weather option (having no OEM awning). It folds-up inside the garage doorway when not in use:
Xtend-a-Rooms - Dometic Corp

Safe travels

Thanks,
very helpful. The Xtend a room sounds interesting!

[Mr. M]

Originally Posted by neegirll

We love ours and have it open as long as the weather will allow us. The rig is 43 ft long and we always list our rig as 53 ft when making reservations to ensure a site can accommodate this feature.

Thanks neegirll,
the tip on reservations is interesting.
James

[Bob ackert]

When wintering in Florida we use ours almost ever morning for coffee and some afternoons, it's great!

[Menendez]

We use it everytime we go out, that's why we bought a toy hauler, we don't haul any motorbikes or ATVs or such. No, we bought the trailer for the deck and the open, airy feeling one gets inside with the ramp down.

[firehawg]

2014 Heartland Road Warrior 390 and we use our party deck all the time. We actually use the garage area more than we ever thought we would. I do haul a motorcycle but we use the garage dining area all the time. If any of our kids join in us they sleep in the beds in the garage. We love the deck. Love to sit out there and drink our morning coffee or watch the stars at night.

[C130]

We don't get to use it as much as we want but sure do enjoy it when we do. The time we get to camp the most, summer, it's so hot here in Texas but when the weather's right it's awesome. I definitely recommend it, personally I wouldn't buy one without it.

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by Menendez

We use it everytime we go out, that's why we bought a toy hauler, we don't haul any motorbikes or ATVs or such. No, we bought the trailer for the deck and the open, airy feeling one gets inside with the ramp down.

thanks for the idea with the adjustable jack stands.... I was gonna weld a chain to the sides

[Gordon Dewald]

We have never used ours. We camp under ficus trees and they are constanly dropping berries and leaves. We use the garage for storage after the motorcycles are out. Our patio is the place we spend our outside time on.

[Big-Foot]

Interesting thread.. I had already purchase the adjustable jacks to do a similar thing with the ramp door on our TH. What I would really like is to find the railing system that I can retrofit to my ramp door.. Any tips?

[Mr. M]

The door mechanisms are counterweighted to make it easy for a person to raise the ramp. Since the ramp wasn't designed with the fence in mind, I would be worried about adding too much weight to the ramp and throwing off the balance. This would then be dead weight you would have to lift to raise or lower the ramp.

You would need to come up with a system that comes off the ramp before you raise the door.