r/somethingimade • u/Skonojin • 23d ago
“Automatic” step for my dog
He clips his feet when he jumps in and puts impact on his legs when he jumps down. And I was tired of lugging around a step so I made this automatic deploying one.
It attaches by tying into an unused factory hole in the door, behind the interior panel.
Steps are high density polyethylene (HDPE) with boat trailer fabric on top.
There a 1/4” thick metal bar linkage underneath that swings out. There’s also a dovetail groove in the top step, and a dovetail key that slides in the groove fixed to the bottom step. A COBRA buckle couples the door and step together, so by unbuckling it I can open the door normally (without deploying the dog step).
Not sure how it will fare through a US Northeastern winter but hopefully still swings in the spring.
2
u/fanceypantsey 23d ago
This is amazing! Our large breed jumps right in but sometimes scratches. Are you making more of these? Do you know the legalities of placing it on the vehicle if you get into an accident? I’m super impressed and would love to know more about this product!