I received this question from member Artclymer

Electric Steps

quote:

How do I go about finding out about the doorstep i,m looking for? Thanks Art

Art's Data Tag is 8812 0109 38RDG C

That looks like a Kwikee #39 step, available through most RV dealers/stores. There are two versions - one with the magnetic door switch and automatic operation, the other with a simple switch.

I just replaced mine several days ago.

Is his broken or is it not mounted correctly to the base?

Do you have a link to this stuff Rusty?

I didn't want to answer this in a email because only one person would be helped. I want to try and make this a resource answer.

From what I can tell it looks like a manual step.

I'd guess it's an electric step, and it appears to extend and retract normally. Kwikees, the way they're mounted on the Barths I've seen, don't fully retract. The standard bolt holes aren't used; I had to mark and drill mine. His looks to be mounted OK, but oddly - the upper (mounting) plate on mine was and is flush with the coach's sides.

The control boxes for older steps are obsolete and unavailable. The new motors are permag, so require a different controller. The connectors for both the motor (factory-installed) and controller (supplied w/pigtail) are also different. The new step requires a NO magnetic switch while the old ones are NC. The magnetic switch on mine goes to ground through the wall step switch (marked "ES").

I haven't yet traced down why the ignition-to-step connection doesn't work. It's supposed to park the step extended when the door is first opened and the ignition is off, and to retract the step automatically when the ignition is on. The included owners manual has the pin outputs, so eventually I'll get to it.

The Kwikee website is down (it's pretty useless anyway), but there's this pplmotorhomes link.

quote:

I'd guess it's an electric step, and it appears to extend and retract normally. Kwikees, the way they're mounted on the Barths I've seen, don't fully retract. The standard bolt holes aren't used; I had to mark and drill mine.

Step on our coach doesn't retract any further than the picture indicates.

Nick

From what I can tell, it's the method Barth used to anchor the steps - far better than the typical SOB, but not necessarily ideal.

The typical retractable step is mounted on an SOB by carriage bolts through holes drilled in the coach's first step, then covered in pads and carpet. Thus the mounting plate location has some flexibility.

However, at least on my Breakaway, the retractable isn't secured to the interior step, but rather there are two pieces of 2"x1" rectangular tubing with bolts welded through, and the mounting plate attaches to that. Because the outer tube is very close to the plane of the coach's skin, there's little room to move the mounting plate back to allow complete retraction. I was able to move mine back a miserly 1/8", but the mounting plate flange (allowing room for a wrench) prevented any further relocation.

Thread Drift----today is 2/5/2009 and the pictures haven't been taken for another 3 months. Yet we can see them. Time Travel

Nick

Most likely the camera was set up in DD/MM/YYYY format...or we HAVE hit a time-warp.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
Most likely the camera was set up in DD/MM/YYYY format...or we HAVE hit a time-warp.

thought about that but last picture is 01/14/2006. No 14th month on my calendar

That's Rustuary! Any more questions?

That solves it. No more questions.

Art Clymer must be shy. Here's another question

quote:

Yes, Appreciate the info. The step is controlled by a light switch inside the bus. Is that manually are automatic?.The step should have a cover when the step is put up, shouldn,t it?

Art Clymer

The switch on mine shuts off the retraction cycle (when in the "on" position), but the door switch operates the retraction/extension if the switch is off.

The surest way to determine if the step is manual or auto is to crawl under it. If there's a plastic control box at the rear of the mounting plate, connected by a four-wire plug, it's auto. If the motor is connected to the coach wiring directly instead of a control box, it's manual.