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David Scott, Mesquite, Nevada
Mod the Steps Mod
2019 Ram 2500
2024 Bigfoot 15C8.2SB
My new Bigfoot 15C8.2SB truck camper has a rear deck that when in the bed of my 2019 Ram 2500, is 34-inches off the ground. The need for long stairs is compounded by the 6×10 foot cargo trailer towed behind that carries our dual sport motorcycles. Due to the proximity of the tongue and tongue jack of the trailer, scissor stairs would not allow the truck and trailer to turn without contact.
Credit and thanks go to Charlie Coushaine for coming up with adapting the Little Giant Safety Steps for use as stairs on his truck camper. I took his excellent design and modified it for the rear truck camper deck of my Bigfoot 15C8.2SB. Please see the article, “Entry Step Solutions For Truck Campers” for a detailed description of how Mr. Coushaine modified a Little Giant Safety Step for his camper.
My mod duplicates his work up to the mounting method. I opted to use a 200-pound rated French Cleat and to upgrade the mounting hardware to stainless steel 6mm bolts. The French Cleat is designed to hang mirrors and the weight rating is based on wood screws and hollow wall anchors.
It is my opinion that the size and quantity of the hardware I used boost the weight rating high enough to trust that the French Cleat will not fail in this application.
This is based on the strictest of scientific testing that involved my six-foot 190-pound body jumping up and down on the mounted stairs!
I cut the 18-inch cleat down to 13.125 inches and offset the bolt heads by 0.5 inch. Hex head bolts were used to mount one half of the bracket to the camper deck and button head Allen socket bolts were used on the half mounted to the ladder step. The button head bolts were required for clearance when the two halves were joined. My stairs are mounted to the far left of my deck to clear the trailer tongue and match the door swing. One could mount the stairs anywhere along a similar rear deck.
There have been no complaints so far. It’s sturdy and adjustable for uneven terrain.
Update: After our first trip with the new Little Giant Safety Step Mod I added a Toggle Clamp with J-Hook to the underside of the rear deck. It connects to a trailer hitch safety chain spring clip with a few chain links attached which in turn is clipped to a crossbar on the underside of the steps.
One could also use a metal carabiner and a few quick links in place of the safety chain spring clip and chain links. Due to the flex of the truck’s suspension while the camper is occupied and as persons go in and out of the camper, the French Cleat mounts flex and could disengage allowing the stairs to fall off.
Though this did not happen, I felt an addition to the mount was needed to mitigate the potential for failure. I attached the Toggle Clamp with stainless steel self-tapping hex head screws and put Loctite on the nuts holding the J-hook to the Toggle Clamp.
Materials needed:
Little Giant Safety 4-Step, $260.27
Torklift A8000 All Terrain Landing Gear, $186.18
French Cleat, $14.39
Toggle Clamp with J-Hook, $8.56
Assorted Stainless Steel Hardware, approximately $35.00 from Ace Hardware
It took me eight hours to complete this modification and it cost me $495.84.
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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