Let’s talk about the Solid Step from Lippert…

These RV entry steps are full of features. Most importantly, the patent pending design makes sure the Solid Step stays parallel to the ground, which reduces the chances of slipping or falling. Plus, the recessed feet prevent tripping and maximize clearance at your camping spot.

They are folding steps that keep out road debris and corrosion by stowing right inside the entry door. And, the optional Lift Assist Kit removes virtually all of the weight for the easiest and safest deployment and storage available in a manual RV step.

Available in double, triple and quad step variations, we could keep going, but instead, please watch and/or read below to review the full benefits of the Solid Step, how to measure for installation, and information on the Lift Assist Kit.

Lippert Techs Review Solid Step Features & More…

(click image above to play video)

Introduction

Kim: Good afternoon, and welcome to Tech Tuesday. My name is Kim. I’m super excited to be here. I’m your new “Ask-a-Tech” host. And today we’re here at the Technical Institute. Lippert offers this technical institute to our dealers, and also to our associates where we bring dealers and associates in here and we do technical training here. Today though, we’re talking about the SolidStep. And I’m really excited about that. And today we’re here with Justin and Brandon from the Axle and Chassis Department. Justin, can you tell me what you do for Lippert?

Justin: Absolutely. Thank you for introducing me, Kim. My name is Justin Sebesta [PH]. I work in our Axle/Chassis and Steps Department. I’m actually a parts specialist, so I’m the one behind the scenes, getting breakdowns and things like that. Some assembly breakdowns of components. Letting everybody know what you can get, and unfortunately sometimes what you cannot get for some of our components. And with that said, I’ll introduce Brandon Armstrong.

Brandon: Thank you, Justin. My name is Brandon Armstrong. I work with the Axle/Chassis/Steps Tech Department. Basically, what I do is I help assist with warranty claims, warranty questions, as well as technical assistance and diagnosing issues with axles and chassis and steps.

Kim: Great. Thanks, you guys. Like I said, today we’re talking about the SolidStep, which we’re really excited about. Justin, can you tell me what makes our SolidStep so awesome for our customers?

Solid Step Stability Features

Justin: Absolutely. Kim, I would love to. There are several components that set ours aside from anybody else’s; and a few items in particular – why our steps are so wonderful. We’re going to start out with our new, adjustable bracket here. This is going to be good for 26-29.9 inches and 30-36 inches with this new adjustability.

The next feature that I’m going to highlight coming down here and holding the step is going to be our adjustable legs on here. As Brandon and I demonstrate, we can pop these pins here. Real simple process, they pop right out. We can extend these. These will extend all the way out to 14 inches, so depending on what campsite you’re on. Let’s be honest with you, there’s no complete, ideal campsite, unless it’s a complete concrete slab. So sometimes you can adjust these out to eight inches, sometimes you might leave that at 4 inches, depends on what campsite you’re on, specifically. And when you put these pins back in here, it’s a super simple process. You put these back in, just line the holes up, push them down. And with that said, I’m going to lower this step here.

The next feature I’m going to highlight is going to be our first step, our entry step. When you come out of this unit and come down, that’s going to be 13 inches of good, solid depth to walk on. As I’ll demonstrate here, going up these steps. I’m not a small person by any means. I’m about 200 pounds. So when I come out on these, there’s no wiggle, there’s no anything. I’m moving this whole unit here, not the steps themselves.

As I come out here, the next feature I’m going to highlight is going to be the lift assist on the left-hand side here. We’re going to have two different numbers for that, and we’ll get to that a little later in the video.

How to Measure for Solid Step

Kim: OK, great. Thanks so much. So, if I want to buy this step after market, Brandon, can you tell me how I measure my door opening to determine which Solid Step I need?

Brandon: I sure can. Let me get my tape measure here. So, the first – when you’re actually measuring for the SolidStep, you’re always going to measure the widest portion of the inside of the doorframe. All the way to the other side, the widest portion. You’re going to want to stay away from measuring the flanges. Always the widest portion. So, Justin, go ahead and push that over. See, he’s at the widest point here, and I’m going to come all the way over to the widest point of this side of the door. And it looks like we have a 30-inch step here, a 30-inch doorway. Now the second measurement that we’re going to want to do to figure out if we’re going to go with the triple step or the quad step. You’re going to measure from the threshold, or the floor here, to the ground. So, as we measure here, this one shows 38 inches. Now for the triple step, basically the measurement from here to here, that’s the way you’re going to know if you want to go with the triple or the quad. The triple step has a clearance of 27 to 35 inches. The quad will have anywhere from 35 to 44 inches. If you’re getting that measurement on the in-between, say on the 35 inches where they both hit that point, we always recommend you go with the larger step. Just in case you have some uneven ground. These adjustable legs can come down and have full clearance to the base of the ground.

What is Lift Assist for Solid Step

Kim: Great. Thanks, Brandon. And then Justin made a reference to the lift assist. What is the purpose of the lift assist?

Brandon: The lift assist is actually going to help assist with the raising and the lowering of the step. The original step didn’t have this lift assist here, so as you were lowering it, it basically didn’t have that slower feature to lower the step down. That way it doesn’t just fall out of the doorway.

Will Lift Assist Work with My Solid Step

Kim: Okay. Great. So can the lift assist be added to any of our steps, any of our SolidSteps?

Justin: Unfortunately, not. The lift assist can only be successfully added to the newer Generation Threes, with this adjustable latch mechanism. It will not be compatible with the Generation Twos.

Kim: So, if I want to add this lift assist, how do I know if I have a Generation Two step, or a Generation Three step? Is there a way to tell?

Justin: Great question, Kim. Yeah, we can definitely assist you with that, letting you know how to identify that. There are quite a few of those still out there. The Generation Two steps: these complete side pieces will have notches out, knocked out notches. So that’s going to be the indicator that you have a Generation Two step. The Generation Three steps: all of them have a complete solid piece on the sides.

Kim: That’s pretty easy for our customers to be able to tell, just by looking at the sides of the steps?

Justin: Yeah, that’s the best indication of knowing which one you have.

How to Measure for Lift Assist

Kim: Then how do I know, Brandon, which lift assist to get? Is there a way to measure?

Brandon: There is a way to measure. So, for the lift assist portion here, what we’re going to do, it’s basically going to be based on the doorframe itself. The width of the actual door. So, there’s going to be what’s known as the narrow lift assist for doors that are 26 inches to 29.9, and then you will also have the wide lift assist that’s going to be from 30 to 36 inches wide.

Lift Assist Orientation & Adjustable Latch

Kim: And then with the lift assist: which side of my door is that going to be oriented on?

Brandon: The lift assist is always oriented on the left-hand side of the door, as you’re looking towards the unit. There are different types of units such as fifth-wheels, travel trailers, that will have steps on this righthand side. If you try to install this lift assist on the righthand side, you wouldn’t be able to, because those steps actually come down here. So that’s why we orient it always on the left-hand side, so that way it’s easier installation.

Kim: Great. Thank you. And now, Justin had also referenced the adjustable latch. Justin, does the adjustable latch come on all of our SolidSteps?

Justin: It does not, Kim. And thank you very much for asking. This adjustable latch is going to be specific to the newer Generation Three steps. It is not sold separately, or individually. So, if you have an older Generation Two, or the first Generation 3.0, that have just the regular latching mechanism, you would not be able to get this one. So, you would have to buy a whole new step assembly to get that adjustable latch.

Kim: Thank you for clarifying. I was going to ask that: Can I get that adjustable latch separately, and your answer was “no, that cannot be ordered separately.”  So, let’s say I install the SolidStep, I’ve removed a step that was underneath, and now I’ve got this big empty space. Does Lippert offer something that I can put down there in that big, empty space, Justin?

Replacing Manual RV Steps with a Lippert Storage Box

Kim: Does Lippert offer something that I can put down there in that big, empty space, Justin?

Justin: Oh, absolutely, Kim. Yeah, we do cover all bases here. We’ve got a storage box that will fit right in here for you. Some customers will keep their manual steps on there. Other customers will definitely take those off. And if you think that empty clearance in here [PH]. And that storage box we’ll actually measure. I can give everybody the measurements here. It’s going to have a length, from side to side, measurement of about 27.27 inches. It’s going to have a depth, going inside, of 13.75 inches, and then the height of it is going to be 11.31 inches. So, if you’ve got the clearance for that, it’ll definitely fit in there. And again, it’s just a storage box. Not to be used as a lock box or anything like that, just for odds and ends.

Contact Lippert if You Need More Help

Kim: So, thanks, you guys. Thanks so much, for telling us about the SolidStep today. And thank you everybody for tuning in today. We appreciate your viewership. If you have any questions or comments, please comment below. You can always reach us at Customer Service at 574-537-8900. You can also email us at customerservice@LCI1.com. You can also live chat with us, right from our website, at LCI1.com. Thanks again. Look forward to seeing you. Bye everyone.

Spare & Replacement Parts for Solid Step

Voice of man: Thank you for still sticking with us. There are a few components that you can get for the SolidSteps, specifically. We can get the round hole plug. We can get the clevis pin, that goes into the aluminum leg extensions. We can get those aluminum leg extensions, the 14-inch ones. We can also get the foot pads that are attached to the aluminum leg extension. And we can also get the vinyl cap. And moving forward, if you do look at the diagram that does show the old non-adjustable part numbers, with the new adjustable part numbers, we’ve consolidated those part numbers into the new ones, as well as the new measurements for those new part numbers. Thank you and have a wonderful day.