Hinge steps worth it?

[Whaler27]

I’m considering hinge steps as a decent way to get access to the roof rack (and provide bottle openers all around the Jeep!).

My brother declined to get them on his Jeep, because he heard they “are too high up to be useful, and make too much noise the wind.”

Anybody have relevant experience to share?

Sponsored

 

[Heimkehr]

Following.

My concern is the off-label use of the hinges, with respect to the steps forcing the hinges to bear weight that they weren't expressly designed to accommodate.

 

[Rubycon50]

I have had mine on our JL for nearly a year and I/we use them frequently. If you have a look at the hinges that hold them they are plenty beefy plus the load is spread over two hinges. Not that I have specifically looked but I have not read of any issues associated with the load on the hinges.

If you have a roof rack and you use it then you will probably appreciate the hinges. My son is 21 so I normally send him up there to fetch things and he uses them most of the time. Of course anybody can get by without them but they give you more options. Being 51, I never look forward to contorting myself to reach on top of the roof but being a jeep owner who goes offroad fairly frequently I would struggle without the roof storage as the cabin space inside is so limited.

Wind noise, I have not noticed any however I already have a roof rack and permanently store my recovery gear on the roof so it's quite possible any noise from the steps is drowned out by the other items I have hanging off the roof including the road noise from the MT tires I run.

Would I buy them again? Absolutely. The ones I have are manufactured by metalcloak. The jeep is parked outside in the weather all the time and I have had no issues with corrosion or function.

The step hinges are also fairly inexpensive compared to most jeep upgrades so if you decide they are not for you then maybe it's not such a hard hit in the pocket.

In the end it really depends on how much you use the roof for storage. Good luck!

 

[Whaler27]

Thanks for the information. I see you only installed one set, which makes sense given how far back the front of the roof rack is. I was thinking of installing four of them, in part to distribute my weight over more hinges, but I can see that wouldn’t work well because you’d be centered over the freedom panels, not the roof rack. Set up as you have it, only one foot is supported — kind of a stretch and grab arrangement, as opposed to a stable position to work from.

Is that the Rhino Rack Backbone and Pioneer Platform?

 

[Rubycon50]

Thanks for the information. I see you only installed one set, which makes sense given how far back the front of the roof rack is. I was thinking of installing four of them, in part to distribute my weight over more hinges, but I can see that wouldn’t work well because you’d be centered over the freedom panels, not the roof rack. Set up as you have it, only one foot is supported — kind of a stretch and grab arrangement, as opposed to a stable position to work from.

Is that the Rhino Rack Backbone and Pioneer Platform?

You are correct. I have one foot on the step and I place the other on top of the tire. Not the most comfortable working position but it gets it done.
Yes, that is the Rhino Rack. I do like it and I have no complaints. I liked the Gobi and also the ARB as well. I think I would be happy with any of them.

 

[LittleDog]

Short guy here. I have Smittybilt Atlas Steps on the rear doors of my four-door; one of the first things I put on. Have had them for about two years. No corrosion. They have a very aggressive tread pattern, I've never felt like I would slip. FYI, new stock come with conical washers to perfectly fit the hinges, but the rubber gaskets suck. Plan on sealing the hinges. I have an extra pair for the fronts, but they seem to interfere with some other aftermarket bits, so they haven't been attached.

I love them. I use them all the time. Just today, in fact. Twice to access the cargo box and twice to open bottles.

I have a roof box semi-permanently attached on the passenger-side, and an awning on the other. Great for both.

Straddling hinge step and tire akimbo, or one foot on top of another on the hinge has worked for me. If you move things around on the roof often, I highly recommend them. I'm able to reach into the far corners of the roof box with the hinge step.

They are also great for hanging mistletoe in the winter!


Edit: forgot to add that I have not noticed any undue additional noise at highway speeds.

Sponsored