Steps and Storage

Our Avion came without steps. My goals were to make entry and exit easy, to increase storage, and to maintain the fibreglass ‘bustle’. As described in an earlier post, I had already raised the camper 4″ to create a basement for grey water tanks and to make it better fit the dimensions of the truck. That frame of 2″ x 4″ rectangular aluminum tube provided the perfect place to mount the new step. I’m hesitating to call it a step bumper because I hope that it never gets bumped! The step hangs from four webs made of 1/8″ aluminum sheet. These are attached to the frame with 1/4″ stainless steel bolts.

The photo shows the webs during construction without the cutouts and reshaping that would follow.

A big consideration was what material to use for the surfaces. Coincidentally, as I was planning the project, a friend who sells plastics showed me King StarBoard, and it seemed like a good choice. It’s used a lot in boats and outdoor furniture. It’s fairly heavy, having about the same density as water and it’s not cheap, but it’s very easy to work with with standard metal and woodworking tools. I chose a light grey. It will show the dirt a little more, but I didn’t want a darker colour that might get too hot in the sun.

As I was building the fold-down step we had friends visiting with a large overland vehicle. The steps on it were rather springy and had been repaired by welding several times. The owner was even thinking he might need to put a weight limit sticker on them. With that in mind I was determined to have a step that was rock solid, and that’s the result we got. There is no flex or give whatsoever.

For storage, there is a door at each end and two drawers that are accessible when the step is down. The compartment on the street side has the grey tank dump valve and room to store a hose and other related items. A portion of the compartment floor folds down to make it easier to connect the hose, and the rest of the floor has holes drilled in it for ventilation. Since its directly below the propane tanks, this compartment will also provide access to a quick-connect propane hose. The total added storage is about 10 cubic feet for lighter items, and the step will provide a convenient outdoor surface for sitting, cooking, etc.

The back of the draws are shaped to fit around the drain from the grey water tanks. The tail lights are the same as the ones on the camper body. The fold-down step is about 50″ long and rock solid. It’s made with StarBoard over aluminum tubing.

Everything is put together with rivets and stainless steel fasteners. Stainless steel screws were used to attach aluminum to Starboard. The drawers are aluminum with stainless steel drawer slides. The steps have a keyed lock on each side. The side compartments close with a combination cam lock.