“Stepping” Up To The Problem

Don’tcha just hate it when you fix something and it doesn’t stay fixed?  What this time, you may ask?  Well, yesterday afternoon, as I was going out the door, I felt the bottom step, of our new steps, give way.  What now?  We bought and installed new steps so we would have that bouncy feeling as we were departing (or entering) the house.

This time it wasn’t the steps, it was another “cheap assed” construction technique by Forest River.  Instead of using a piece of 3/16 or 1/4 inch steel for a mounting bracket, they used gaged material which just “folded” under the pressure.  The new steps are heavier than the old, but the real problem is that bottom step.  It is so far away from the attachment point to the coach that when it is stepped upon a great amount of pressure is exerted on the mounting bracket – more than the thickness of the bracket could withstand.

As I crawled underneath to conjure up a fix, I realized that the manufacturer of the steps had put a bolting tab on the vertical portion of the back of the steps, however, there is nothing on our coach for that to bolt to.  Just out of curiosity I got out my handy dandy hydraulic bottle jack and jacked up the steps until they were level and then inserted a piece of five quarter decking material between the steps and the frame of the coach.  Then I released the pressure on the jack and, viola, the back of the steps now have an additional support area and a “heavier duty” place that can withstand all the pressure applied to the steps as we exit (or enter) the coach.

Right now the fix “ain’t pretty”, but later this week I’ll make a quick trip to Home Depot to fetch the needed material and some bolts to “pretty up” the job.  When I get finished, it will look like should have all along.  The step manufacturers knew what it takes to properly support the steps – why, oh why, couldn’t Forest River figure it out?  Probably because there’s a fence around their plant and they don’t care!!!  Oh well, it’s a good thing I’m a genius and can “Step Up To The Problem”.

Today is moving day.  This will be the shortest move that we’ve made in seven years of fulltiming.  We’re moving across the street.  July will be filled with a series of moves since Magnus Park didn’t have just one site available for the whole month.  Come August we will have moved five times within the boundaries of the park. 

It’s a bad news / good news kind of move.  We won’t have sewer, but we will have TV.  Next Sunday we get to do it all over again only with that move we’ll have sewer, but no TV.  Ya can’t have it all, ya know?

Well, it’s Sunday and almost time for us to get ready to go to COTES ACC (that is, Church On The Eastern Shore Arm Chair Church – that’s sort of like the Department of Redundancy Department).  That means that we’ll be joining via the internet this morning.  We miss our home church and even though we aren’t there in body, we’ll be there in spirit.

Praise The Lord and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -