Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Ridiculously pleased with myself (Annie)

Our electric steps are crap (I typed "carp" first, which is almost as good).  They don't extend when they should, like when someone opens the door and steps out onto nothing.  I've spent tons of time working on them, removing the cotter pin to free the steps manually then greasing the holy hell out of them and pushing them in and out and in and out and in and out, ad nauseum.  Still carp.  I give up.  It's either replace the electric steps - did I mention they're expensive? - or do something different.

This idea came from someone on the rv.net forum, I just altered dimensions to fit our needs.  Today, I made steps!  I used 1 X 8 pressure treated board for the boxes, 1 X 6 decking board for the treads.

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I made them in the living room of the Duck because it was raining and I'm delicate.

See the clasp?  They're two separate boxes, easier to store when not in use.  

Here they are apart:
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And another:
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Heck, let's just keep 'em coming.

Here's the back
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Fini!
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Next, I'm going to attach a couple of eyebolts so we can chain them to the Duck.  Don't want our pretty steps to grow legs and wander off.

In other news, I replaced a leaking bypass hose (for the water heater) yesterday and fixed a drippy bathroom faucet.

13 comments:

¡Vizcacha! said...

*calp calp calp!* They are NICE!

Four Windows with a View said...

Aren't you the clever one. Shouldn't they have been fixed by the dealer where you bought the motorhome? I thought all parts needed to be in working order before selling a vehicle. Having said that, you did a great job fixing the problem. I love coming up with clever solutions so I understand the pride you're feeling.

Jeana

¡Vizcacha! said...

She is so clever! She did math, and everything!

We bought from an individual about four hours from here. The darn things were working when we left his place, but aren't now.

If you get a reputable dealer, they would absolutely want everything to be working when you bought it. Are you looking for a new setup, or used?

dirtyduck said...

are those...routed edges i see???

"still carp" HAHAHAAHA that ot me:) lol wow these steps are relly nice looking!! who taught you woodworking?? great job, i can see somebody really appreciating these once they had stepped out onto..nothing a few times!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jeana! I'm feeling pretty clever tonight but tomorrow I'll probably try to open the mail with a cat and balance will be restored.

The dealer prices seemed really inflated so we went the private sale route and got an excellent deal. There were a few things wrong but even after fixing them I think we came out ahead of the dealer.

Hi dirtyduck! Fortunately, the deck boards came rounded. Thanks for the compliment. I didn't know I knew woodworking! I just stared at that guy's photos until I figured out how it would work for us. It was actually really easy to put together, but don't tell anyone.

Annie

Marianne Arcangeli said...

Nice job Annie! I'm truly impressed. :)

The Good Luck Duck said...

It's an impressive thing. Each time we leave or return, we say "I'll take the steps."

Andy said...

Nice work on the new steps. They look very nice. On Gypsy, the door switch went bad so the steps worked occasionally. On my new ride, the step fuse was just dirty & cleaning the fuse on the fuseblock under the hood did the trick. If they are still failing, the electric motor can be repaired or replaced for less than whole new steps. Just a few ideas.
Andy

cruzin2some said...

Nicely Done!
Those step look like they were made by a real professional woman carpenter.

Travel Safe

dirtyduck said...

wow, they seriously do look like you knew what you were doing! nice!

if anybody read this and didnt read my earlier comment id sound like a real tool....

¡Vizcacha! said...

... a POWER tool ... ! :oD

Anonymous said...

somebody is pretty butch today...
'Use those power tools like you stole them!'

btw, i'd be interested in buying that foam board off you when you get outta Podunk.
~annie k

Anonymous said...

Annie K, No need to look in your garage because there are no tools missing. None. Really. You're welcome to any foam board that survives the winter.

Thanks Marianne and Cruzin2some!

Andy, thanks. I know that the step motor can be replaced but the weirdness with our steps is they won't freely move even with the cotter pin removed. It takes about everything I've got to move them even after many applications of lubrication. I know there are motor issues, too, but they are probably a result of this other problem.

Annie