Welcome to the seventh entry in January’s Medium Mod Contest. One Medium Mod will be published in every Email Alert in January. At the end of the month, we’ll hold a reader vote to determine January’s winner. Click here for information about the 2023 Mod Contest, including how to enter.
Timothy Peterson, South Ogden, Utah
Folding Step Stool Ladder For Cabover Bed
2015 Ford F-350
2001 Lance 1010
I am 71 years old and wasn’t sure how much longer I could continue to climb the three-foot wall up into the cabover bed in my 2001 Lance 1010. I had started looking at selling/trading my truck camper for a small travel trailer, but I have it modified for boondocking. It has 450 watts of solar, five AGM 105-Ah batteries, and a 3000-watt inverter, so I didn’t want to get rid of it.
The problem has been the tall wall that I have to climb to get up into the forward bed compartment. It’s not so much climbing up, but it’s the getting down part.
I researched the different step mods in Truck Camper Magazine, Pinterest, etc. Then I found a four-step aluminum folding step stool on Amazon for $95 that looked like it could be modified to fit in the space below the foot end of the bed.
I measured the height of the bench on the front of the wall and cut off the back legs of the step stool at the same height. I put the step stool in place. I could get it so the steps were level, but the front legs were too short. I added the bottom six inches of the legs I had cut off to the front legs to get the steps level and to stabilize the step stool on the bench.
It has worked out better than planned. The step stool fits rock solid on the bench. There is no wobble or movement. The weight is 11.1-pounds, so it’s very easy to lift. It folds flat and I store it up on top of the bed when it’s not in use. When I swing my legs over the end of the bed to get out, my feet land right on the top step, so I’m not reaching down in the dark.
I used the XinSunho four step ladder, retractable handgrip folding step stool with anti-slip wide pedal, aluminum stool for up to 330-pounds from Amazon. It was $95.90 plus shipping. I also needed six 1/4” x 2 1/2” bolts with lock nuts. I got those from Lowes for $4.92 (to bolt on leg extensions to the front legs).
It took me two hours to complete this modification and cost me approximately $110. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is easy.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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