We have an eleven year-old Lab and a Golden Retriever who is almost as old. The Lab bounds up and down the motorhome steps with ease. The Golden has hip problems and we use a pet ramp to get her in and out of a Honda Pilot.
The Pilot is 25" off the ground but the motorhome floor is between 48" and 51" off the ground so the ramp would not work (because the angle went from 23 degrees to double that).
We'd read a post about the Pet Loader steps (
www.petloader.com) and talked to them. They have a 30-day return policy, they will provide velcro-attached vertical "step risers" for free if the dog freaks out because they can see between the steps, and you can get small wheels on it.
Because our pet ramp width is 12", we purchased the 6-step 14.5" Pet Loader Ultra Light steps with wheels.
https://www.petloader.com/Pet-Loader...atform-6-Step/
The Ultra Light supports up to 150 lbs., weighs 31 lbs., and the total step width is about 16" (including the side arm mechanism). This lets us place the Pet Loader steps up against the motorhome door and we still have about 6" of steps on the left of the Pet Loader steps where a person can walk up into the motorhome on the other side, while hanging on to the grab bar for dear life.
The Golden bounded up and down the Pet Loader steps when we first got it. But on the first trip she would stick her snout between the steps where she could see there was nothing but air and begin shaking. It took a lot of manual assistance and holding her head up with the leash to get her up and down one step at a time.
I called Pet Loader and they sent the velcro-attached panels for free. The panels actually are just a piece of the carpeting they use on the steps themselves. They come with a small piece of velcro in each corner so I added a large strip so the entire width of the panel has velcro on it. Once I did that, I can leave the "riser" panels in place and just collapse the steps in the normal way for transport. She was still hesitant at first but now uses the steps with ease.
Sometimes we do have to put the top of the Pet Loader one step down from the RV floor because the angle is too steep due to an unlevel spot.
Because it is light-weight, placing your foot on the bottom and/or top platform makes the Pet Loader significantly more stable. The Golden once started shaking as she got scared coming down and the Pet Loader started shaking as well. She tried to jump off but fortunately we were holding her harness to guide her.
Although the steps are advertised at 14.5", the actual width of the entire assembly is 21". It has a locking arm on each side for support with a large knob to tighten the arm. The knob-to-knob width is the 21". Where this came into play was when I went to set the Pet Loader steps in the closest basement compartment. If I had gotten wider steps I would not have been able to set the Pet Loader flat in the compartment.
Because we want to keep the screen door closed to keep bugs out, we simply pick up the extended Pet Loader Ultra Light steps and drop the top step so it rests on a step below the screen door. We then slide it over several inches so a human (or Lab) can easily walk up and down the regular steps. Or we'll just pick it up and move it off the steps entirely.
Since there is no anti-theft mechanism, we just fold the steps up for the night and carry it inside the motorhome where it rests on its wheels. If we have an "emergency" during the night, this keeps us from having to go outside and unlock a compartment before setting up the steps. They are lightweight enough to make carrying them up and down the steps a semi-easy task for this old man.
Our three-section pet ramp for the Honda Pilot has a movable "arm" on one side that slips onto a bolt to secure the top section to the bottom section when collapsed, which makes the ramp easy to move around.
But since the Pet Loader steps do not lock together in any way when collapsed, they sometimes will "accordion" out several inches when carrying it or placing it in the storage compartment.
While it has handles they are only on one end and are intended for carrying it vertically. A handle on the other end would help but it may be a trip hazard. Some, but not all, of this unintended movement can be reduced by tightening the locking knobs while collapsed. Some kind of positive locking mechanism would be a nice addition but I just use a 36-inch bungee cord instead.
Are we a Pet Loader fan? Very much so. We have no idea how we could bring the Golden along otherwise unless we fabricated a 12' ramp. Even the Lab occasionally waits for us to set it up. This thing just works.
Ray
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