Solid Step opinion

[Scott in Michigan]

Would anyone want to share their experience with the one piece Solid Step?

I'm thinking of retrofitting our Cougar with them.

How do you handle dirt that falls off & enters the camper when they are stowed?

Our German Shepherd is a little leery of the OEM fold out steps we have now. Are there any pet owners who have experience with these?

Thanks, Scott.

[chuckster57]

The one downfall that you can’t overcome is they need about 3feet of clearance to deploy. People either love them or hate them. I personally would look into glow steps. Not cheap but no holes in the floor, and the door still closes easily. Picture for reference only


https://www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Camp...ntent=Torklift

[fatcatzzz]

We love ours. Added the optional handrail and it is very stable. As for dirt, we brush off the steps before we close. We also keep a small rug inside to catch any dirt we missed. Just shake the rug and all is good.
Some may say that opening the steps takes more room, but we have traveled the country and not had a problem. I guess if you had the trailer in a narrow storage yard it may be a problem, but for us it has not been.
As for pets, some put carpet on the treads and some don't. We have a small dog so we carry her up and down. She is getting old, like me.

[Laredo Tugger]

After looking at both the solid and Glow Step designs, I went with the retractable Glow Steps. Granted, there will not be many situations where you will be parked so close to another camper, tree ect...that solid steps will not work, but for us the extendable steps are perfect.
I went form the factory installed 3 step configuration (which was starting to cause pain in DWs bad hip joint) to a 4 step design with less incline. We are very happy with this change. As for the dog, the reduced incline and added material to the steps (carpet?) should help. I have no pets,but can not see where this should be a problem with a German Shepherd size dog.
RMc

[Tbos]

I have the Lippert solid steps and do as noted earlier. The Lippert top step is deeper and provides a nicer platform than the other brand. We just wish off the dirt and if they are wet we put a towel down too. We love how solid they are.

[dutchmensport]

We've had the old style folding steps on all of our previous campers. But our current 5er came factory installed with the Moryde steps.

Personally, I really like the solid steps. They are extremely stable and can hold an enormous amount of weight. My last 3 TT steps all had shake, and one set of steps even separated at a weld on the frame.

About dirt: Simply sweep them off before folding up. No problem. Sometimes dirt will get caught under the threshold that folds up with the steps (between that flat metal part and the actual floor. A small paint brush works well to sweep anything under there out into the main floor area. No problem. When you lift the steps up, most of the dirt slides off anyway.

About that 3 foot space needed to extend them. Yes, you need that 3 foot space to extend them. If you park your camper under cover, in a narrow garage or a narrow RV port, or park it in storage facility, in tight beside the camper beside you, the Moryde steps are NOT for you. If the distance between the camper and the next adjacent object is no problem, then you'll do fine!

The other down-side to these steps is if you are parked on a hill, or a slope and your camper is long. The steps come with an insert sliding foot that is notched every inch. If the camper is parked in such a situation, it's possible the steps might not be long enough to reach the ground, even with the foot extended to it's max. But even the Glow Steps could have this same problem if the camper is parked on uneven ground enough.

The bigger problem is if the steps are too long. Parked on dirt, gravel, grass, or sand, it's not too big of a problem. You simply dig a hold in the ground for the feet to rest in. But if you are on asphalt or concrete, you won't be able to dig a hole.

We have both a front door and a back door and we've never been in a position where at least one of the door did not work OK. If you have 2 doors in your camper and either situation above applies to one door, (too long or too short), then you simply keep the steps in the up position and use the other door. If you have only 1 door and the steps are too long or too short, you'll need to find other ways to adjust.

Indiana State Parks offers some interesting campsites. You can almost guarantee you'll get a site that is not level front to back, which makes the distance from the ground to the bottom of the trailer door different every where you go. But, we've always figured a way to use the steps.

These are the pros and cons. Personally, we really like the solid steps!

[xrated]

My trailer came with the Lippert Solid Step and I removed it early on and replaced it with the TorkLift Glow steps. One big reason is that when our trailer is backed into the RV Carport there simply wasn't enough room to deploy the solid steps....zero issues with the Glow steps. I've got mine for sale if anyone is interested. It's the 4 step version and is like new.

[goducks]

If you have a two door TT then it won't matter where you're parked.
Once setup at a CG spot the Solid Step is far superior to any fold out except the TorkGlow. But at roughly $300 more than the Solid Steps they better be as good.

[flybouy]

Our camper came equipped with Lippert manual pull out steps. We've always used the carpet tread covers for several reasons. Trap dirt, cooler on the dogs paws than the black painted metal, and it covers the drain holes. If a dog get's their nail stuck in one of those holes it can be very painful and even rip off the nail.

Installed a self storing step stabilizer on the bottom of each step. Fold them down, adjust the stabilizer so it's "firm" on the ground and it's very solid. Never had a dog (small, large, young or old)refuse to climb the steps. This works for us, YMMV.

We carry 2 folding steps (1 for each door) that's adjustable from about 4" legs folded to 8" legs down. Some "Lego" blocks can level the steps on uneven ground.

[K_N_L]

Ours came with the Morryde unit and once we're at a campground its great. Travel stops are tricky as you need over 3 foot from other vehicles for them swing them out, then about 3 foot of side clearance. We can enter via the rear garage door but when our steps are up they block access to the in-command panel, which you have to access first to disable the travel lock out (then you can use the phone app). They will dump some dirt / water inside the entry way. But the dogs loves them , and I not not bounced off them and twisted anything like I have done on the fold out units.

[LHaven]

Our Cougar came with the Solid Steps on one door, which was a surprise to us. We had been planning to have our dealer add them anyway, because I'm a heavy guy, and DW needs the stability.

Yeah, they dump sand into the rig when stowed, most of it from on top of the footpads at the bottom of the leg. When I'm stowing, I'll lift them halfway, then give them a couple shakes up and down, which makes almost all the sand fall through the footpads. The rest we just live with. We did Command-hook a classic whisk broom to the wall right beside them, where we can reach it when the stairs are in the way.

We've camped in a number of places where the legs, fully extended, just don't reach, and have had to both block up the legs and add a stepstool as a new bottom step for the DW. I'm always worried she'll trip on it on the way down.

We do appreciate being able to extend both legs differently when there's any sort of uneven ground under the door area.

I'd love to try out the Glow Steps if I could find some at an RV show, to see if we would have liked them better. (Of course, there's always the other door!)

[Mikendebbie]

Our unit came with moryde steps and we like them - but I wish we had the Lippert steps with the wide top step. We tried the assist rail accessory but the rail hits the corner of the coffee bar base cabinet across from the entry door. Took it back for a refund.

[Steve's 70-5]

As soon as I can measure the door in the camper I will be purchasing new steps and replacing the Morryde steps

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Steve's 70-5

As soon as I can measure the door in the camper I will be purchasing new steps and replacing the Morryde steps

Replacing with different solid steps or ?? Did you have a particular issue with the Morryde? I'm trying to assess a yet unknown situation.

[bobbecky]

We don't have any pets, but a couple months ago installed the Torklift GlowStep Revolution Steps on our rig, along with the removable GlowGuide Handrail, which is a great upgrade. They also have available a product called SafeStep, which helps animals negotiate Rv steps, whether they are the TorkLift steps or other brands. This might help with your German Shepherd. If the springboard effect of the foldout steps is the problem, these GlowStep Revolution steps are rock solid with a 375 lb rating and don't have to be stored inside the trailer.

https://www.torklift.com/rv/safestep

[rodgebone]

fatcatzzz:

for dirt, we brush off the steps before we close. We also keep a small rug inside to catch any dirt we missed. Just shake the rug and all is good.
Some may say that opening the steps takes more room, but we have traveled the country and not had a problem.

ive had the same experience. my TT came with the MORryde solid steps. ive never not had enough room to deploy and out of hundreds of deployments only once have i not been able to extend the legs long enough to reach the ground but was a quick fix with some leveling pads. took me a while to remember to fully open the door when deploying and retracting and therefore i do have a few scratches as a result but no real damage. i use carpet on the steps to cut down on dirt coming into the TT. my dog navigates the steps okay but like with most dogs having an open space on the backside between steps screws up their depth perception but it didnt take him long to get accustomed. guess my only complaint is the need to fine tune the adjustable legs so the bottom of the door will fully clear the hinge plate but it only takes seconds to get it right. all in all im happy with these steps

[Nitehawk]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

The one downfall that you can’t overcome is they need about 3feet of clearance to deploy. People either love them or hate them. I personally would look into glow steps. Not cheap but no holes in the floor, and the door still closes easily. Picture for reference only


https://www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Camp...ntent=Torklift

This is what I installed for a few reasons.
1 no dirt inside trailer
2 requires less space to use.
3 very solid
4 simple to install
5. Has a few option available including hand rails and kick plates.
6 made of aluminum
7 can add or remove step if I decide to buy another trailer

I bought mine direct from torx and they matched the lowest online price I could find with free shipping

[Fuzion 369]

Our Fuzion came with the solid step in the main door and the fold out in the garage. We love it. The dogs have no problem with and prefer it the fold out in the garage. There is just enough room in between 5th wheel and fence on our side yard to open it and our slides. Lucky I guess. As far as glamping with them we have never had an issue with clearance or not being able to adjust to level.

[Philipclopez]

I am using Camco step rugs. These are great for keeping dirt and sand out of the camper.

[Kidsmakeyoucrazy]

They came on my trailer. I love how solid they are and so does my dog...but I think I would go with something different if I were retrofitting. I recently ran into an issue with a very tight campsite with a deck....I had to remove both legs to deploy the steps.