Check your rivets!

[kmh3212]

I just had a scare with my campers entry steps. My wife pulled out the steps to get in the camper and noticed a couple of washers hitting the ground. As she bent to investigate she noticed the top step was loose where it connected to the metal that holds it up. If she had been exiting the trailer and stepped out onto the top step it could easily have thrown her quite a distance to the ground. Luckily it broke pulling the steps out and she noticed it.
I went to see if I could repair this as we were heading out for the weekend. I saw that a steel rivet head axle where the riveted head broke off. I checked the identical one on the other side and it was broken halfway.
As a temporary fix I went to a hardware store and bought a 3/8" clevis pin to use as the axle and a spring pin to hold the clevis pin in place. I had to drill out the hole in the step to 3/8" as the rivet end had a step down on it. The fix worked great. I did buy an extra clevis pin and spring pin to fix the other side until I got the replacement steps ordered and installed. By the way the steps are Stromberg Carlson and you can order from their website.

Check underneath your top steps and inspect the rivets. I had also been lubing the rivets yearly as the book says.

[exav8tr]

Kevin, Although I spray the stair pivot points with WD40 occasionally, I haven't really checked the rivets. I will now, thanks to your post......This is what the MOC is all about.....

[Longwell]

Great tip that could save many injuries.
Thanks.
Larry

[Exnavydiver]

Kevin, I saw this happen at the Fall Rally, and I don't think they are rivets, what sheared off was a short carriage bolt. We looked at the bolts and they were about 3/4 inch to 1 inch bolts. There should be a square hole by the pivot point. It was an easy fix, we just got new carriage bolts and replaced all of them.. Dave

[8.1al]

The steps on our 04 are riveted, no bolts anywhwere. Evidently there was a design change on the newer units.

[kmh3212]

My steps definitely have a riveted inside head on the axle and flat head on the other end. The riveted head was completely broken off. My wife found all the parts including the rivet head. The rivet head on the opposite side was broken halfway off. I am looking at my extended warranty to cover replacing the steps.
I also looked at a carriage bolt as a replacement axle but this was not possible because the square part of the carriage shank would not fit through the round axle hole. I needed a smooth round axle shaft. The 3/8" clevis pin made a good temporary repair.
The design of the steps put a huge amount of force on that top step inside axle. I can see it as a weak point in the design perhaps that is the reason they replaced the rivets with bolts. Obviously they break as well!

[Dean A Van Peursem]

I've gone to external steps here in the RV resort we stay at for 5 months primarily because the OEM steps are not very stable. I'd have to check but I don't recall our steps being made by Stromberg Carlson.

Post edited. Off topic information was deleted. Please post on topic. If you have additional info you wish to share please start a thread for it.

Thank you, RVWheels

[kmh3212]

***Update***

The rivet on the other side of the top step broke. Luckily I bought parts to repair it. I ordered complete step assembly from Stromberg Carlson's web site. The complete step assembly was $155 plus $26 freight. My extended warranty probably would have covered it but after the $100 deductible and so on... I can have them put on myself in less than 10 minutes. Four bolts and nuts.