"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood... And sorry I could not travel both. I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference." --Robert Frost

Sunday, July 8, 2018

New Step Debacle, Mama Osprey & Cute Towns

Lyons, Oregon
John Neal Memorial County Park

While we were home in Placerville at Easter, our local RV shop, Idle Wheels, had a party celebrating their 40th year in business.  Steve and my brother went over for the festivities and received a ticket for a raffle drawing.  Steve won the Grand Prize of $150 towards any purchase.  We had talked about the new step systems going on the newer rigs we saw at a recent RV Show.  We really thought they were cool.  They are more of a "ladder" that connects to the doorway and sits on the ground.  Very sturdy compared to the "hanging" steps that can have a lot of play and bounce.  Ours have gotten very saggy and we thought how nice it would be to have these.  They are pricey though.  About $400 for a 4-step system.  Since we could use the $150 towards the steps we ordered some.
We chose the Lippert steps because they have a larger landing step at the top which is nice.
Our original steps
The step on the bottom had too much bounce and became unsafe. The original steps and the metal box that holds them in place are very heavy.  The new steps are much lighter and us RVers are always looking at ways to lighten our load.  They do make a box you can add in the original opening for added storage as well.  Of course not sure that saves you any weight but additional storage is always a plus too. Steve spent quite a bit of time measuring several openings to get the correct size.  The RV store seemed a little unsure about the measuring process and part number so Steve called Lippert directly to discuss the process and verify.  The narrowest opening in our door frame is 28 inches and that is what Lippert told him to order.  Makes perfect sense, right?
There was a long backorder and we had to leave in April without the steps. They'd be sent to my brothers house and since my niece would be coming up to a wedding in Portland, she would bring them up to us. The date kept getting pushed back due to such high interest (according to Lippert) and this is where things started to go downhill.  The steps finally did come in and we picked them up from my niece in Portland in July.  We were so excited for Steve to install them.
i
We do love the larger top landing.
Once we started to install them we were very disappointed to see that the step treads were only 20 inches wide, which is narrower than our 24 inch original steps. That's quite a bit.  They certainly don't fill up the original space like we expected. We talked to others with them and they should be wider.
The next thing we noticed was that the latch assembly didn't reach the 28 inch door opening as the latch was only 26 inches wide (see above picture). So Steve called Lippert to ask about this as we assumed we received the wrong steps? They do make a 26 inch set as well. We were shocked when Lippert confirmed that we did get the correct 28 inch model, and that the latch on that model is only 26 inches wide, WTH! They agreed it was very confusing, and causing them issues with Customer Satisfaction. They told us that if we had a 28 inch opening we should have ordered the 30 inch model(another WTH came to mind) Lippert said to return them via a freight company (at our expense) as they are too large to ship UPS. They noted that once they received them it would be close to 8 weeks for them to ship us the correct 30 inch set (as they are also in high and backordered).  Steve asked what the differences were in the 30 inch vs the 28. They noted only the latch assembly was wider, and that the steps were all the same with 20 inch treads. So we asked them to ship us a new latch plate and we'd install it instead of returning the whole step assembly. They thought that was a great idea and shipped us the latch plate free. The part came in within a week, and Steve went to install it. The old latch was held in with 12 rivets and removing them on the road was a royal pain! Luckily we were with Lee and Trace and they had some files we could use.  We got them out and bought screws and nuts to replace them. When Steve went to install the new latch plate he found the mounting holes were too far apart to fit on our steps. Again, WTH! So another call to Lippert and they confirmed the 30 inch model was a wider step assembly with 24 inch treads. They couldn't understand why a tech rep in their company wouldn't know that and assume the steps were all the same? So Steve decided to just drill new holes in the latch assembly and mount the new latch assembly. Now our steps are installed and working fine. We are annoyed that our treads are only 20 inches wide, instead of the 24 inches they should be, but we were just sick of dealing with all the BS and delays and decided to suck it up and make due.  You can't help be annoyed though after purchasing a $400 product.
 
 
We knew there was a Frank Lloyd Wright house was in nearby Silverton so we decided to take a look.  They also had some outdoor gardens we thought we'd take a look at it.  Of course we missed the last tour.  I'd have to say after seeing other homes he's designed, this one was somewhat disappointing.

The gardens were very expensive and it was still pretty hot out so we drove on to see some other sights nearby.  The Marion Gallon House Covered Bridge had some interesting history.



We enjoyed driving around the and saw some hop fields and more wheat.

There was an Osprey nest in one of the fields and we took a couple of pictures and a short video.
An osprey landing in the nest.
We didn't want to bother Momma so we drove on to the cutest German town called Mt. Angel.   Founded in the late 1800s by German settlers, this town has many Bavarian style storefronts and the beautiful Benedictine Abbey. They celebrate their German heritage each year during the Oktoberfest.
St. Mary's Catholic Church


I love to see the craftsmanship in the old churches and the beautiful stained glass.

I wish we had more time to spend in this adorable town.  It was late on Sunday so most shops were closed.
 
We'll be moving back to the coast tomorrow with cooler temperatures.
 
 

17 comments:

  1. Companies should not be allowed to sell an item that they don't know anything about. So frustrating. The church is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve kept trying to work with what we had and redesign so it would fit. Frustrating that they gave us incorrect info every step of the way!

      Delete
  2. What a circus with the steps. It's too bad, because they really are a much more solid setup.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We do love them. They don’t quite fit perfectly but we’ll mske due. Steve had to do so much work to tetrofit.

      Delete
  3. Sure sounds like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing at Lippert! Safe travels!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just frustrating that we couldn’t return them . Both patties said if was the others fault leaving us and our RV shop in the middle with no answer.

      Delete
  4. Those steps seem like a big hassle especially sending the wrong ones. Not sure how you removed the rivets with a file but to do it easily, use a drill bit the size of the hole. Go from the flat side and they will come right out. An Air Force trick.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also as far as getting the measurements wrong. I blame this modern math they teach. 6+6=15 because today I want it to be.

      Delete
    2. He did drill them. I think the file was for the latch assembly.

      Delete
  5. Unbelievable that they could turn something as simple as measuring into such a debacle! I see those steps on lots of
    rigs now and they look so much better than the free-hanging ones. Glad you were able to make it work for you! That FLW house is definitely "less" than the ones I've seen. Aren't Hops so weird?? :-) Stunning ceilings in that old church.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It took the excitement out of the steps. They ate very nice.

      Delete
  6. OMG!! You'd think that Lippert would get their S**T together. I can totally understand your frustration. Unfortunately for you guys you're dealing with their incompetence. What happened to customer service? As a business owner, I go out of my way to make sure my customers are satisfied with their product.
    The town sounds cute. The detail and craftsmanship of the church is amazing! Cooler temps are always a bonus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was surprised about the customer service too (guess we shouldn’t be anymore) too. I figured they say we’ll send you our new ones with a return shipping label that we’d just swap the steps and drop it off!

      Delete
  7. Nice bird video.. Good luck on the step thing. I'll be they are much improved. Wonder if they make extended hand rails like the MorRyde version? They bolt on and fold up into the trailer with the stairs.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bummer about the steps, especially after how easy our MorRyde's went on. Glad you were able to make it work. Love the old architect, always interesting to see. We've not been too impressed with Frank Lloyd Wrights homes, maybe one day we'll find one we like.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We love them but it's like a little thorn in the side when we know the wider steps would have been even better. There's only been 1 or 2 of the FLW houses we liked. One was a waterfall house. Maybe in PA or NY?

      Delete

I’d love to hear from you! It’s more fun when you leave a comment!