Step disaster!

R

Robster100

Joined
Jan 21, 2020
Posts
257
Likes collected
164
Funster No
68,224
MH
Burstner
Exp
Newbie
We went out last week in our motorhome, this was the very first time we have been in a motorhome and our first trip since bringing the van home 5 days before lockdown!

Trip was almost a disaster! :cry:

The bedroom has a lovely big island bed but the step on my wife's side of the bed is odd shaped and getting up in the middle of the first night she missed her step and slammed into the shower and then the floor!

She is battered, bruised and now VERY nervous about using the van again.

I am wondering the the step could be extended, to give a bigger area to get down from the bed onto and to bring it inline with the bedroom door, which can be just seen in the first low level picture, but have no idea how to do this or if there are companies that could do this for me?

Has anyone done something similar or could recommend someone/some company that could do it for me?

Pictures below to show the step and the problem,
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2536.jpg
    IMG_2536.jpg
    126.2 KB · Views: 369
  • IMG_2537.jpg
    IMG_2537.jpg
    113 KB · Views: 369
Luckily we did stay 2 more nights, really thought we would be coming home after that first night!

However, while she was careful, she is quite short and it is not that easy for her to drop down onto the step, she almost missed it a second time!

If the step was bigger and maybe a little higher I think it would make all the difference.
 
Sorting a step extension wouldn’t be a problem
 
If you can use a saw and battery drill/driver that could be made quite a bit longer and a little higher. Chipboard covered in suitable fabric or carpet.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Sounds like you are saying the step on the other side of the bed is better so why not just swap sides.
 
Robster100 said:
We went out last week in our motorhome, this was the very first time we have been in a motorhome and our first trip since bringing the van home 5 days before lockdown!

Trip was almost a disaster! :cry:

The bedroom has a lovely big island bed but the step on my wife's side of the bed is odd shaped and getting up in the middle of the first night she missed her step and slammed into the shower and then the floor!

She is battered, bruised and now VERY nervous about using the van again.

I am wondering the the step could be extended, to give a bigger area to get down from the bed onto and to bring it inline with the bedroom door, which can be just seen in the first low level picture, but have no idea how to do this or if there are companies that could do this for me?

Has anyone done something similar or could recommend someone/some company that could do it for me?

Pictures below to show the step and the problem,
Click to expand...
On the HymerCar we have low level blue lighting admittedly this is in the dining area but it does mark the boundary of the step, maybe you could get low level blue lighting in this area LED strip or lights. Blue also does not make you wake up so much.

Hope your Wife recovers quickly

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Where in the country are you located? Our son in law is a carpenter and does bespoke work, that would be 10 minute job for him, probably take longer to measure up!
He also has off cuts from previous jobs I would image could fit that gap.
 
Many thanks for all the responses.

To cover off some of the suggestions:-

1. A small motion sensor light was fitted before we left home!
2. The otherwise is in may ways worse, while it is longer it is actually very much narrower and is the only side our dogs can get up onto the bed, so swapping sides is not an option.
3. Nope, she never saw the tripwire!!!!!!! :LOL:
4. I live outside of Andover in Hampshire.

Robin
 
One of my "must haves" when we where looking for our replacement was a flat floor from front to rear of the van!. When you have mobility issues and osteoporosis, falls are not what is needed. Little steps to access beds etc; are an absolute no no.
 
When we first got our current van, Brenda was scared of the step up into her side of the bed being too high and located half way down the bed. A piece of cardboard to make a template to fit. Then cut a plywood extension to the current step and a lower one to halve the height. These are held in place by a timber frame, which is a tight contact fit. The treads of the step are also fitted to the shape of the space they take so can't move. I drilled finger holes to be able to lift the treads so we can store stuff underneath. A couple of years on and I still haven't got round to fitting lining carpet to cover the woodwork, but the result is working perfectly. Despite Brenda having a couple of small strokes, she manages the steps with ease, as they are big enough to put both feet on each tread

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
It's hard to see a step in a van going in a downwards direction as you can't see the step especially when the floor surfaces are the same material.
I fell down a step in an unfamiliar Hymer S820 van and put a thin strip of Hi-viz tape along the top edge of the step to stop anyone else doing the same.
 
It’s nothing a good diy-er couldn’t sort with some wood and have it covered, less then £50 I would have thought...
 
Lenny HB said:
Sounds like you are saying the step on the other side of the bed is better so why not just swap sides.
Click to expand...
yes so simple as are the other suggestions, swap sides or as others said or activate.
Hope wifey has recovered
 
As I replied earlier, swapping sides is not an option, it has a double step my side, which is worse, plus it is the Only side the dogs can reach the bed!

wife is bruised but recovering thanks to all that asked.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
If you can do a template as below in cardboard (I'm making a sweeping assumption that you're not up to graph paper to scale etc but by all means prove me wrong!)and give me the height of the step I'll get SIL to cut it and I'll either post it or drop it off to you. I'd then suggest getting a piece of carpet and covering the surface area(brownie points with SWMBO!
 

Attachments

  • InkedIMG_2537_LI.jpg
    InkedIMG_2537_LI.jpg
    205.3 KB · Views: 85
I tripped on the shallowest of steps coming out of the bathroom and in broad daylight. Nearly put my skull through the freezer door. I never did it again.
Incontinence pants may be the answer for your wife. (Only joking).
 
Robster100 said:
We went out last week in our motorhome, this was the very first time we have been in a motorhome and our first trip since bringing the van home 5 days before lockdown!

Trip was almost a disaster! :cry:

The bedroom has a lovely big island bed but the step on my wife's side of the bed is odd shaped and getting up in the middle of the first night she missed her step and slammed into the shower and then the floor!

She is battered, bruised and now VERY nervous about using the van again.

I am wondering the the step could be extended, to give a bigger area to get down from the bed onto and to bring it inline with the bedroom door, which can be just seen in the first low level picture, but have no idea how to do this or if there are companies that could do this for me?

Has anyone done something similar or could recommend someone/some company that could do it for me?

Pictures below to show the step and the problem,
Click to expand...
Thats was one of the reasons we got rid of out Carthago, stupid design, but looks good on the forecourt..
 
Techno did a very good mod to his MH's rear bed steps, you can see images of the gubbings post #15 onwards.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Rapido 7090F bedroom improvement

I saw this in a similar vein on a French forum. The wheel arch covers are a pain in the Arris to get around the bed so in the bin and a new full floor either side Storage Plenty of headroom
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk
 
Build a middle step at the bottom wide enough to get a full foot onto it or build in some soft lights by putting an overhang on the existing step down and the strip of lights under

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
So there are some good ideas here, BUT, don't ever come down a step forwards. Learnt that sailing 60+ years ago, going down below on the boat always go down backwards and use the hand hold..... that might be another solution, a hand hold.
 
Going down backwards makes sense, however in this case she had no initial intention of going down the step, she was just readjusting the bed and stepped slightly sideways, except there was no step there!

Thanks to a very kind offer from someone on MotorhomeFun, a step extension is being made which hopefully will make the step a lot safer!
 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top