Door Jamb Step for Reaching Roof

[KingTaco]

I recently sold my hatch mounted ladder because I didn't think I used it often enough to keep carrying it around. I guess it didn't spark joy. Plus I'm 6'-6" and can reach my rack without it in most scenarios.

Fast forward to yesterday when I made an offer on a RTT that I didn't think would be accepted, but it was. Seems like I can probably open and close it myself from the ground, but it may be useful to have some help when putting the cover back on. I just happened to come across this step that sits in the door jamb. My first thought was that it is a stupid idea, it will bend the latch receiver and crumple the door jamb. After digging some more, it seems like they are pretty popular. Is my assumption wrong? Are they trash? Has anyone used them in their 5th Gen?

As always, thanks for any useful input.

EDIT: A link to the product page:
Rightline Gear 100660 - Rightline Gear Moki Door Step - FREE SHIPPING!

 

[16RedRunner]

I wouldn't trust that.

 

[MossJenks]

I've never tried one, but the latch and jamb are plenty strong enough.

I wouldn't trust that.

Why in the world not?

 

[JAXJeremy]

I've never tried one, but the latch and jamb are plenty strong enough.



Why in the world not?

agree. I don't see it causing a problem..pretty slick.

 

[rihavens]

I've never tried one, but the latch and jamb are plenty strong enough.



Why in the world not?

My math is shaky at best, but the step is twice as long as the arm holding it. That means it doubles the load force on the other side of the fulcrum. That means if I put my fat boy 270 pounds of force on the step, the top of that arm is holding back 540 pounds. That's assuming dead weight. Stepping down on it would create more force. I am sure someone will correct me. But that shitty piece of plastic does not look like it's going to support that.

 

[16RedRunner]

My math is shaky at best, but the step is twice as long as the arm holding it. That means it doubles the load force on the other side of the fulcrum. That means if I put my fat boy 270 pounds of force on the step, the top of that arm is holding back 540 pounds. That's assuming dead weight. Stepping down on it would create more force. I am sure someone will correct me. But that shitty piece of plastic does not look like it's going to support that.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[1jzgte]

the only damage i can predict is when you forget to remove it while your instincts tell you small the door shut... door plastic and paint damage

 

[plink-182]

I have seen some metal versions of these on Amazon. They usually give a weight limit for them. That said, I still have been too afraid to try one.

Little bit of a fat boy myself.

 

[unik5]

My math is shaky at best, but the step is twice as long as the arm holding it. That means it doubles the load force on the other side of the fulcrum. That means if I put my fat boy 270 pounds of force on the step, the top of that arm is holding back 540 pounds. That's assuming dead weight. Stepping down on it would create more force. I am sure someone will correct me. But that shitty piece of plastic does not look like it's going to support that.

The concept is there but this is a good point also. Aaand I know its bright orange but personally, it seems easy to shut the door with it in there more often than not :shrug:

 

[unik5]

the only damage i can predict is when you forget to remove it while your instincts tell you small the door shut... door plastic and paint damage

lol beat me to it

 

[KingTaco]

My math is shaky at best, but the step is twice as long as the arm holding it. That means it doubles the load force on the other side of the fulcrum. That means if I put my fat boy 270 pounds of force on the step, the top of that arm is holding back 540 pounds. That's assuming dead weight. Stepping down on it would create more force. I am sure someone will correct me. But that shitty piece of plastic does not look like it's going to support that.

I am in similar FB territory. FWIW it is made out of "aircraft grade" aluminum. Says it is designed to support a 400 pounder. I assume that incorporates the force a 400 pounder can apply. I just added a link in my original post.

 

[STX4Runner]

I've wondered about those too. I'm sure the striker and hardware are really strong. This would put me way too high to do anything on the roof rack. I just stand on the tire and have plenty of reach.

 

[mcarey86]

I'd be concerned about possibly misaligning the door latch.

I could be wrong, but I'd imagine the latch is just bolted to the sheet metal. Wouldn't that be pretty easy to flex out of place a bit? Surely they weren't engineered to take flex like this would put on it.

Also, what happened to using the tires like a normal person?

 

[mteolus]

I used this for my Escape and it worked good but haven't yet needed to use it on my 4Runner. Only gives you access to part of the roof though, but I don't think any solution would do that except a ladder and a roof rack you can walk on.

Thule Step Up Wheel Step | Thule | USA

YouTube

 

[Furagwa]

When I looked at how high my striker was from the ground it didn't look like it would be too easy to even get up onto the step. And then it would put me up too high

 

[jhguth]

I am in similar FB territory. FWIW it is made out of "aircraft grade" aluminum. Says it is designed to support a 400 pounder. I assume that incorporates the force a 400 pounder can apply. I just added a link in my original post.

That's not an actual grade of aluminum, it's a marketing buzzword

 

[KingTaco]

That's not an actual grade of aluminum, it's a marketing buzzword

That's why I put it in quotation marks. Thought it was funny.

 

[KingTaco]

I'd be concerned about possibly misaligning the door latch.

I could be wrong, but I'd imagine the latch is just bolted to the sheet metal. Wouldn't that be pretty easy to flex out of place a bit? Surely they weren't engineered to take flex like this would put on it.

Also, what happened to using the tires like a normal person?

The tire may still be fine. I haven't mounted the tent yet, so I just don't have a feel for how much more (if any) reach I will need. It will obviously be higher, so I assumed I would want more.

 

[svana]

I bought one off of Amazon a few months ago that had a hinge to fold flat and only came with a sticky backed tape to protect the body from damage of the step. I returned it because it was advertised to come with a more robust rubber boot, so I never got to try it. In that situation the hinge would've been the obvious weak point. Here it looks like it eliminates that problem (of course at the cost of portability) - I might consider trying one out (I'm 240 for reference). If it's one solid piece of aluminum, I think it should be able to hold (I'm not an engineer, I only hire them lol). The door latches are bolted into much more than sheet metal - if I understand correctly, they're required to hold a door in place for up to 4,500N (~1,000lb of force). Of course that's lateral force versus vertical force, but still. Wife was actually the one who brought it up since she's clocking in at 5'3 and cant reach the rack all that easily.

 

[El Dusty]

My math is shaky at best, but the step is twice as long as the arm holding it. That means it doubles the load force on the other side of the fulcrum. That means if I put my fat boy 270 pounds of force on the step, the top of that arm is holding back 540 pounds. That's assuming dead weight. Stepping down on it would create more force. I am sure someone will correct me. But that shitty piece of plastic does not look like it's going to support that.

You nailed it for the worst case scenario. The dynamic loading of stepping up onto it would cause more lateral and vertical force on the latch than I would be comfortable with.