Truck Power Step Install - Step-By-Step
| Each kit includes left- and right-side running board assemblies, mounting hardware, OEM quality wiring harness, control module and detailed installation guide. (Professional installation is recommended.)
If you've lifted a full-size truck, then you know exactly how useful running boards are, especially if you are older or have children. The problem is that running boards and fixed-steps often look like a total afterthought. Fortunately, after a visit with Bestop in Broomfield, Colorado, we've got a whole new appreciation for the concept.
Like many other truck owners, we believed that most running boards on the market don't keep with the original design of the vehicle and are often visually distracting. They tend to stick out way too far and are an obstruction off-road. But that just wasn't the case with the Power Step from Bestop, as we discovered.
| There's lots of hardware, so Steve checked the inventory list before getting started on the Dodge. Typically, it takes about three hours for the installation; however, 4 Wheel Parts was able to do it in under an hour from start to finish.
AMP Research was aware of the many drawbacks associated with typical running boards and came up with an innovative new design: a wide, stable, fully powered step that unfolds only when needed. It works off of the opening of any door individually and sits about midway between the floorboard and the road. It can handle up to 600 pounds and disappears when the doors are fully closed.
To test-fit the kit on our Dodge Ram, we drove down the road from Bestop headquarters to 4 Wheel Parts in nearby Westminster and met up with store manager Jason Gilmore. We knew the installation could've been handled at home, but in our case it would have required a lot of extra time and some dash disassembly that we didn't want to attempt. Just removing the factory dashboard would be a nightmare, and with that in mind, we didn't want to wait.
As it turned out, our guys from 4 Wheel Parts (Gilmore, Steve Husmann and John Saracino) could not have been more pleasant to be around. And surprisingly, Husmann is the number one invoicing installer in the country for the company, so we were in good hands.
As a result of the crew's efforts, the Power Steps performed flawlessly as 4 Wheel Parts wrapped up the installation in about an hour. You could go as far as to say that the new Power Steps were the best investment in comfort and convenience we've ever made. Here's a quick overview of the installation.
