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boarding steps

hotrod180

FRIEND
Port Townsend, WA
A buddy of mine needs to replace the LH boarding step on his 56 C180.
Been welded (at least) once, this time he just wants to replace with new.
I researched parts for him-- both Atlee Doge & McFarlane offer them.
McF has separate LH & RH p/n's, like my IPC shows--
Dodge shows just one p/n which works on either side.
Any comments / thoughts / experience with either?
 
Just went through this. The McFarlane step, while very well made, is much larger than the OEM. I wound up sending it back. The AD step looks like a beast and not the look I was going for. I suggest having tailwheel Tom repair his original step.
 
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Make certain there is corrosion proofing material placed inside prior to installing. Those steps like to rust from the inside out, letting you down when you don't need to be let down. EDO called them "Ball Rippers". Use your imagination. The unsupported tube when rusted becomes very weak at the lower welded end, collapsing with your weight. With a person's weight there is a lot of force trying to bend/break the tube off the clamping plate. Adding a triangular reinforcement underneath strengthens the whole step. Making one with stainless steel eliminates the corrosion problem.
 
I have never seen a CRES step. Photo? Wonder where they found the same teardrop shape tubing in the same size.
 
Per their websites, I believe the McFarlane step is epoxy primed steel, internally oiled.
And the Atlee Dodge step is powder-coated stainless steel.
 
All of the many new ones I've installed since 1970 have been round. I can't vouch for any produced prior to then.
 
"Round" to me implies circular. So, no. The earlier C180/185 with the OEM p/n 0711006-1/-2 had a teardrop shaped cross section. The later style step, OEM p/n 0711710-5/-6 had a wider, more oval-ish cross section, but no round tubes.
 
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We are talking about different steps. I assumed they were float steps as I noted in post #3. The Cessna steps are oval. The EDO steps are round.
 
FWIW as OP I was referring to the original factory cabin boarding steps-- not float steps.
And the ones on my 53 model C180 are streamline tubing, as are all the ones I've ever seen.
 
A few years ago, I took my 56 to an fbo to rivet in a frame for an extended baggage I was putting in. I was being lazy. It came back with the pilots step broken off at the weld. That's what i get for being lazy. I sent the step to tailwheel Tom and he repaired it. I've been happy with the results. I'm pretty sure it is stronger than it ever was. I don't know if he still does that but you could check.

Wayne
 
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