How to Build a Cargo Trailer Camper Part 14 - Fold away Solid Steps

Welcome to Ways Out Back!
Follow along as I convert my old 6x10 Construction Cargo trailer into an off road camper. My goal is to build a comfortable trailer that can follow my Ford Ranger into some great lakes and campsites.
It has a 12v Fridge, 460Ah of Battery, Diesel heater, Shower, 2 Burner stove, on demand hot water, electric brakes, and lots more.
Check out the past videos of Building a Rack for the front, Insulating the trailer, Putting in the RV Windows, installing the water tank, Framing in the cabinets, Running the Electrical, Installing the plumbing, Lifting it and adding brakes to the existing axle.
In this Video I Explain how I solved the problem of having steps that don't limit ground clearance!
If your interested in Converting a Cargo trailer or your Rebuilding one, Please Subscribe and follow along.
More interesting content on www.waysoutback! Plus a 90 Page How to Guide!

[@williamolliges2622]

There are pluses and minuses to everything. These stairs are great once you arrive, and provide the ground clearance you mentioned. They are a PITA if the trailer needs to be accessed for bathroom breaks or snacks along the travel route. Stopping along the way involves constant adjustment of the feet until you get where you’re going. On edit, really great install of an item I really wanted to like.

[@waysoutback]

Yeah I can definitely see that being true, mostly if your pulling off to the side of the road. Always some compromises. Thanks for watching 👍

[@rs1961]

I enjoyed watching you work and how you figure things out as you go. I look forward to watching your next episode!

[@waysoutback]

Glad you liked it! This little project turned out a bit better then I thought, but they don't always work that way. Lol

[@clintstinytrailerconversio5560]

I considered these steps for my new conversion, but realized the shape at the floor was a problem. I didn't think about having a metal shop break to a different profile. Plus, they weren't on sale and were kinda pricey. Nice work.

[@waysoutback]

Yeah I’m not sure I would have even bothered for full price, they are definitely not cheap. But after having seen them in person they are pretty solid it would have taken me a lot of work to rig up something comparable. Thanks for watching.

[@romanmartynenko3575]

Great videos! So detailed, technical and informative. Would be great to also hear sometimes dimensions of your constructs ( e.g. benches, cabinets, etc.) you provide it sometimes, but for those who build similar trailers - numbers, names and links will help a lot. Maybe you could have a whole dedicated video with just a measuring tape. Also, when showing things like batteries or shocks would be nice to focus on labels, packaging boxes to learn their characteristics and make. Thank you for sharing!

[@waysoutback]

Thanks for watching! Really good suggestions, I'll see what I can do. Appreciate the feedback

[@RJ-fd1uo]

I tried to get the breaks reworked on set of stairs I purchased but the shop in my area couldn’t grasp the concept😡. Nice job on yours

[@waysoutback]

Oh that stinks! It was kind of the same for me…. Young guy in the shop said it was impossible then the older shop foreman came over and said I’ll do it… and he just did it. Took him 20min…. You need to find someone with experience that can think outside the box!🤷🏻 If you are desperate maybe try welder. They could probably cut it and weld it… so they fit nice and tight! That was going to be my next step.

[@celticbart]

Nice job,

[@waysoutback]

Thanks appreciate it!

[@MrJoey1570]

Man that turned out nice!

[@waysoutback]

Thanks, yeah I’m really happy with them! Thanks for watching.

[@mega-hb4re]

Pretty cool

[@waysoutback]

Thanks!

[@d-arts7139]

great stair system! im searching for stairs/steps. dont want to lose grtound clearance either. ran over my step stool last year lol. ill check them out, maybe consider building something similar as well. great channel. im on my second cargo build as well

[@waysoutback]

I always would rather build my own… let me know if you figure out a good system. Maybe for my next one 😁👍

[@d-arts7139]

@@waysoutback if i could only weld aluminum! i think my wire welder will. ill have to check on that. have you any experience with those aluminum "brazing" type rods that have been advertized the last several years?

[@waysoutback]

@@d-arts7139 yeah I hear you… aluminum is definitely where it’s at… I’ve just got a mig welder so definitely limited. I think one of those mig/tig welders would be very handy for that…. Then you could tig it up. I really don’t have any experience though.

[@cetifoxproductions]

While that's a really excellent application, you lose the stealth capability if you want to keep everything closed up and need to use your sink area. But, if maintaining any stealth is not a concern, I think this is a top-notch way to deal with access.

[@waysoutback]

Thanks for the comment! Yeah unfortunately I think I’m beyond stealth camping with my double propane tanks etc. Maybe a small fold up footstool might work it’s tough it’s so high.

[@cetifoxproductions]

@@waysoutback Your solution is definitely great looking AND really supportive. Since our 6x10 only has the rear barn doors, I had to come up with a solution that could retract underneath the trailer. So we went with a single step that we could slide up and back and secure it with two cotter/clevis pin combos. Not elegant, but it's still better than climbing up into the trailer (we flipped the axle to get more ground clearance).

[@garyconley69]

Hi thank you for the video. How much did the custom bends from the machine shop cost you?

[@waysoutback]

50$ it was a bit of a complicated bend. But an older experienced gentleman did it perfectly!

[@Aleoop57]

What’s the distance between the ground and the bottom of your trailer

[@waysoutback]

Roughly 21”

[@SS-kz7ug]

👍👍👍

[@waysoutback]

Thanks

[@MrJoey1570]

Noticed the screws on your camper are rusting swap them all out with stainless before your camper is rust stained

[@waysoutback]

It was my construction trailer for years. Used a lot in the salt so a little worse for wear. I’ll look into those stainless screws. Thanks for the tip.

[@Rexster2022]

Hi good video. How do they close if you are inside for the evening?

[@waysoutback]

No unfortunately when your inside the stairs stay outside…. It wouldn’t really work for stealth camping.