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Sliders with drop step?

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AirborneEScouter

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Hi all - I will be picking up my new PW in the next few weeks and part of talking my wife into the purchase included getting the AMP power steps or another step that made getting in easier. I would love sliders but the WK sliders being mounted so close to the body do not appear to get me what I need for her to get in easy, and I plan to swap the stock tires out for 35s so the truck is going to get taller. Has anyone found a solution to add a drop step/stirrup to real sliders that can be removed? I won’t off-road a lot in the rocks as I live in Kansas and only get to the mountains for an elk hunt once a year or less so sliders are not a must have, but the cost is comparable to the AMPs installed so I’m considering it.
 
What about a slider with a step that comes out from it rather than down so you don't have to remove it. This is my 3rd Gen with Mopar PW sliders and a welded on step.

Excuse the surface rust, I need to pull them off to refinish them again.
 

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A slider with a drop step would no longer be a slider, it could protect from body damage though.
Nobody makes a true slider that feature drops. Sometimes, folks will fab steps of welded chain that will give if dragged and would be about impossible to wreck. The links are welded at the “step” and left loose above it.
I removed the Amps and went WK after thrashing the former a bit. The Amps were better steps, of course. The WKs work but stock tires here. They work better at getting in than out.
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It wouldn’t be impossible to have a local fabber make something like this added to the WKs but as you can see, I had beaten the step itself up a bit. These are ADD sliders and imagine what would have happened to that Raptor without them, they took some serious shots and almost always in elk fields vs all others…something about elk country is especially hard on trucks IME..514E6D7C-48FE-4A17-8D4C-74B71A5BDBCA.png
 
Nfab makes a slider that does not attach to the frame but rather the body that has detachable steps. 2 bolts per step. My wife who has had 2 hips replaced has no trouble getting intot he PW using them. They are not a true rock slider but do offer some protection.IMG_7096.JPG
 
Frame mounted sliders are too heavy and annoying to install to be something you take on and off, so if that is even a consideration, I'd give up on that right now. Additionally, anything that would make them easier to install/remove is likely going to limit their strength, and thus probably not something easily made. You could probably find someone to make or modify a "sleeve" version, where the sliders slide into the frame mounts similar to a hitch mount, but again, they are heavy and wide so it would be a bit of a process getting them on/off, and I'm not sure about interference with the AMP steps while installed, so you may need to make them low enough to clear even while the AMP steps are retracted.

Randy Ellis Designs has some body mounted sliders that work well with the AMPs, and they are very strong, but the downside is that it's a pretty permanent install requiring you to drill dozens of rivnuts into the body to mount it. If you live in an area with rust, you should take care to make sure everything is painted and sealed as well as it can be or you're risking fighting rust.

There is a company that makes sliders that have a retractable drop down step similar to the AMPs, but to my knowledge it's only for Jeeps and a few toyotas. There was a company that made them for Rams, but they either no longer do or went out of business as I've not found them.

Functionally, I think something like a frame mounted "slider" with an internal step that drops down would be a great option, but they would be complex to manufacture on a 1 off basis I think, and with the cost, I'm not sure how well they would sell as a business. I've been thinking about doing this for my truck for quite some time. I think it would be possible to weld together metal plate into a triangle, and then cut out one of the sides and building a step, so that it looked semi-flush while retracted, then then operates by "scissoring out" rather than dropping straight down. Basically something like Rock Slide Engineering but frame mounted. Is it possible? Probably, but not very cost effective.
 
Thanks for the input so far everyone.

To clarify, I don’t need the AMP steps. Ideally, an added step to a true slider is a temp solution that I can bolt on when I’m driving around the suburbs and bolt off when I head off road. I was told by the WK folks that “someone” manufactures a bolt on product that could clamp to the steel slider tube as a possible solution. I have dug up a couple options on summit racings website but they appear to use a rivet and I don’t want to jeopardize the structural integrity of the slider by drilling a hole and opening the tube up to rust. It also looks like you can purchase the nfab steps by themselves, and that might work with a little fabrication to the WKs.

Certainly open to more ideas
 

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Do the WK and Maple sliders mount to the pinch weld and body or the frame? Do the mopar rock rails mount to the pinch seam and body like the Jeeps? I had the mopar rock sliders on my Wrangler and they did NOT work when push came to shove. They mounted to the pinch weld and some body welded nuts in the tub. After years they bent into the body and ripped the nut clear from the body leaving a giant hole in the bottom of the tub. I switched to frame mounted LOD units and you could blow an IED under those things and they would laugh. They are heavy as hell though.

I have the mopar steps on the PW now, but if we go to Moab next year like I'm hoping to, I want something frame mounted that will not allow anything to bend or break sheet metal. Those mopar tube steps I have now are metal and work great for getting in and out, but I would not trust the weight of the truck on them.
 
Kauffmj1 said:
Do the WK and Maple sliders mount to the pinch weld and body or the frame? Do the mopar rock rails mount to the pinch seam and body like the Jeeps? I had the mopar rock sliders on my Wrangler and they did NOT work when push came to shove. They mounted to the pinch weld and some body welded nuts in the tub. After years they bent into the body and ripped the nut clear from the body leaving a giant hole in the bottom of the tub. I switched to frame mounted LOD units and you could blow an IED under those things and they would laugh. They are heavy as hell though.

I have the mopar steps on the PW now, but if we go to Moab next year like I'm hoping to, I want something frame mounted that will not allow anything to bend or break sheet metal. Those mopar tube steps I have now are metal and work great for getting in and out, but I would not trust the weight of the truck on them.
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WK and Maple both mount to the frame using huge and heavy brackets/hardware…they are for using, unlike any on the pinch weld.

 
I'm curious as I have the 75th Anniversary "sliders", and am looking for a similar solution (hoop step, or some other simple add-on).
On my '22 Bronco, I had the factory rock rails and found a manufacturer that made a compatible add-on step, and other than their shi**y powder coat, it was a pretty great solution.

EDIT: the only bummer was, the step didn't really have any "drop" to it, and was the same height as the rail. On my PW with the 37's and lift, I'd prefer a more pronounced drop, as the sliders have a little bit of a step, but if I'm adding something, it may as well be lower to aid in entry for wife/ kiddos.

IMG_4925.jpeg
 
At least for the 3rd Gen, the PW sliders were frame mounted. I can lift my truck with the hi lift with very little deflection.
 
Poolmonkey said:
WK and Maple both mount to the frame using huge and heavy brackets/hardware…they are for using, unlike any on the pinch weld.

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Awesome. Good to know. I always thought the pinch weld seam ones were ok until my Jeep banged one into the body and ripped the tub. Frame mounted only from here on out!
 
I've got the NFab step system on mine. Yes, they are not 'real' sliders but they do offer a reasonable degree of protection.

Took the truck to Moab a couple of weeks back, and they held up well. Didn't drop onto them from any height, but touch and slide down a couple of ledges, and ran out of clearance going up a couple of steps.
Wouldn't deliberately slide on them, but no significant damage to them (or the body) from the experience, just witness marks.

I did knock the harmonic resonator off the prop-shaft going up one step, and lost a reverse sensor and plastic on the rear bumper. Need 37s for more clearance.
 
Soapy said:
Nfab makes a slider that does not attach to the frame but rather the body that has detachable steps. 2 bolts per step. My wife who has had 2 hips replaced has no trouble getting intot he PW using them. They are not a true rock slider but do offer some protection.View attachment 55599
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@Soapy I was starting to install these same N-Fab RKR steps today. Of course there were no installation instructions in the packaging and N-Fab’s website video is for a RAM 1500 which has entirely different mounts. One thing they did state was the N-Fab logo should be rearward of the centre mount and that’s how you determine left from right. But when I tried that the rearmost mount ran afoul of the sheet metal where it turns inward at the rear of the cab. It looks like if I reverse sides from that “instruction” the rails will fit without interference and also see the rail slots properly line up with one of the holes in the pinch weld. From your photo above seems perhaps you too have mounted it that way. Is that so? And are all three of the barrel brackets angled forward to their respective forward (vs rear) holes? Thanks
 
It has been a couple of years since I mounted them but as I recall the mounts all lined up with existing holes in the body. I would say your on the right track,
 
I just measured mine and on the drivers side the front step is about 13 inches back from the front and the rear step is about 18 inches from the back. Easyies way to tell I think.
 
Soapy said:
I just measured mine and on the drivers side the front step is about 13 inches back from the front and the rear step is about 18 inches from the back. Easyies way to tell I think.
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Thanks, that orientation worked for me too. I contacted N-Fab and they sent me the attached installation guide. Not sure why they wouldn’t include it in the packaging or have it on the Realtruck website but here it is… hope it helps someone in the future. Steps go on quick once you know which way to angle the brackets and which step is right vs left.
 

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