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As we go higher and higher with body lifts / shackle lifts / SPOA / bigger tyres / etc, it gets progressively difficult to get into the jeep / 4x4 as well.

Thus, the need for a step.

Yes, jeep macho-ists will say, "be a man" and "climb aboard!". However, in my personal experience it becomes a pain after a while. Getting in and out to walk the obstacle, help others etc and specially after a long day of offroading and the annoyance of getting into the jeep does become an issue (atleast for me). Getting out is ok, just jump out.

So how do you solve it? Simple, add a step. Well, unfortunately it's not that simple. A step below the body will ruin the break over angle and get severely damaged by rocks.

So what is needed is a step that can be retracted or removed or is flexible.

A basic jeep step if you are not into hardcore offroading as seen on our stock jeeps:



Or aftermarket addition:



Another option is a stirrup step which you can clip on to the body:







Hydraulic foot steps are also available for the Range Rovers (expensive option). As you put a foot on them, they lower down and once you're in, they self retract:



Telescopic boat ladders can also be adapted to the jeeps (expensive since they need to be shipped from abroad). However they are not self retracting and one needs to manually close them:



Slide Step:



Step on nerf bar:



More powered step options:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QOCsnrlicc

http://www.etrailer.com/Tube-Steps--.../B7513715.html

Ofcourse these cost more than $500!!!

As you can see in my jeep pic below, i have been using my rock sliders as the first step. Now these are approximately 30” from the ground and it does become a chore to get in and when it’s covered with muck, it becomes slippery as well. We are securing a checkered plate to the top of the slider to minimize this though.



I also needed to make the jeep wife friendly and she’s only 5’3” tall.

Thus, we started brainstorming.

Pre-requisites:

Should be flexible
Easy to get in
Should not break easily
Should not snag
Should not affect the ramp-over angle
Ideally should be self retracting

First option we thought was inspired by the stirrup step. Go to the racecourse and ask the local horse riding club where we could buy a stirrup step. Shouldn’t be expensive. Use the same leather used for saddles and bolt it under the jeep body or sling it around the rock sliders.

But rejected it cause as soon as you take the first step, it has a tendency to move towards the center under the vehicle and your shin would land up banging against the rock slider. Also thought it would look a bit tacky (although some people thought it was a very cool thing).

Then thought about just tying a rope or cable to the rock slider as a sling. But again, very crude, possible to slip from it and it may also snag the undergrowth.

Next option that came to mind was using a soft ladder / rope ladder with a single or double rung. Again this could be secured below the jeep or tied to the sliders. Yes, it’s a possible option but again tacky. Since it’s wider than the stirrup, it’s easy to take your first step however care should be taken to not bang your shin as it moves backwards.
The rope could also fray over time and snap. Here’s a representation of a rope ladder:



A wee bit more googling gave us the next option of using a “Doozy” ladder. It’s similar to a rope ladder, but it’s made of wire cable and used for getting into your small boat after a swim. The wire is much thinner than a rope of comparable strength and won’t fray over time. Securing it is the same way to the body or the slider.
This is also simple to fabricate locally as a DIY.





Another option is to take 2 long U bolts and sling them over the rock slider. At the base secure a metal plate. Thus, the U bolt will let it move up and down, swing sideways and they can slide back and forth on the slider bar as well. Again was an option but i wasn’t to happy with it and wold rattle a lot as well.

I thought of experimenting with hydraulics but rejected the idea. We have hydraulic hinges in some furnishings at home and they are quite delicate and i don’t know how much they would last in muck and high pressure washings.

We then thought about the ladders used by tourist bus operators or RV owners. They are attached to the body and folder over and lower themselves. However, after climbing aboard the jeep, it would be a pain to lean out to pull the ladder up and secure it.

By fluke, i came across this under platform self retracting dive ladder. Its a two hinged contraption that completely folds flat and has internal springs to retract it.Step on it and it lowers down. I liked this idea very much since it is a stable step and retracts nicely and safely. Thus, the idea to do a DIY to adapt it.

Come Sunday, time to experiment.

Loved the dive platform ladder idea and tried to replicated it.

It's a bare basic option using a few electric pipes:

















As seen in the pic below, what i need is a good spring either at the back as shown in red or front as shown in blue or possibly both:



Here's a video of the step in motion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvgRGr6Gnlg


I will discuss this contraption with allan and see the feasibility of it. Will need to extend the lower part of the step a bit, i.e. make it longer so as you step on it, it comes down making it easier to get in and then the springs will retract it once the weight is off. Will probably use springs from the brake pedal for this.

Any other ideas / modifications will be much appreciated.

To make the jeep wife/family friendly, this is indeed a small but very important requirement. I had to lower the mounting of the rock sliders a bit to keep this provision. But it doesn't have a SPOA set up and also agreed this is not a good choice for the offroad specific jeeps. There is this standard foldable step which comes in the rear of Scorpio i guess, but it will not help to reduce the height.

Tejas sir,have you looked at the step for the AL stallion. It consists of a 2 Thick metal ropes with a wooden block as a step.Check the Picture

Thanks. That's the similar idea to the rope ladder i had mentioned earlier.

That's my backup incase this step idea doesn't materialise.

PS: don't call me sir! :)

Tejas, Thanks for starting this thread. Great timing for me. I have been in the receiving end from my wife for removing the side board and never fixing it back. Like you and many others, I am in search of a solution which does not interfere when we take the vehicle off-road. I have some photos in another computer. Will post them over the weekend. Subscribed.

:thumbs up Great thread just in time. My family members have been avoiding my Jeep as they're having trouble getting in and out. Your idea looks great.

Had even checked out the Bimbra's here in Gurgaon, but they dint have any solutions outside of their library. Once your solution works, am hoping to be able to infringe on your IPR :)

Great Idea Tejas. I think a couple of things can be done to make it more robust

1. Only relying on the springs to hold it up when retracted might lead to issues of it swinging to and fro there is a violent movement and when the spring grows older. It might be good - if you can look at some kind of notch or something in the body where the upper part or both parts of the step can fix when retracted.

2. If possible look at fabricating some kind of indentation in the floor so that it does not protrude out when retracted. You can think of creating some kind of channels in the body to hold the rods and infact they can be outfitted with these notches that i was talking earlier.

Just my 2 cents.

The Bajaj scooters had this foldable foot rest for pillion riders, wondering if this could be adapted to use on a JEEP !

Saw a interesting driver step on a new TATA or a AL Tipper (twin rear axle) it is made of collapsible hinges, sorry dont have a pic. Keep a eye out for it...

How is This ? Very Simple Cheap & Will do the job.

Why not use something like this,tubular rock slider with a flattened center with some rubber or checkered plate, still does not help, then only options is to trim up and loose some weight and use the appropriate vehicle with the wife.

Basic fitness like strong hand grip, strong legs and back helps a ton in offroad.

Hi Frankestein, This seems quiet good! :thumbs up
Is this available in JC road/Bangalore? what is it called ?

Thanks
Sreeni

Absolutely true , my 82 yr old Dad routinely 'climbs ' in to the 24+inch high Land Rover 'platform ' ( which has NO steps ) with ease , why cant we do a foot more ? a good handle on the B & A pillar & there you go !

apart from the health debate , if anyone still needs steps , the Army truck ( stallion ) type wire rope ladder is 'A' solution according to me .

Sudarshan