Extra Accessory Steps (Bolt-On Step Mounts) for Off-Road Ladders, including the Gobi Ladder
As time goes on with your build, you may start running out of space to mount your gear and accessories.
Recently, we mounted the Hi-Lift jack on our rack using the 4XRAC mounting brackets. Next to that will go a handful of storage boxes and recovery boards, and ultimately we needed a spot for fuel cans. RotopaX or Jerry Cans are a couple choices and for now, we are going RotopaX.
We can mount our RotopaX cans on the top of our rack as well but I would like to preserve as much rack space as possible for future storage boxes.
Seeing how we have a Gobi ladder on the back, mounting the RotopaX is pretty damn simple thanks to the Overland Equipped RotopaX bracket.
Why Extra Steps on a Ladder?
The Overland Equipped RotopaX bracket with storage containers mounted is going to take up some ladder real estate. Because the containers will be covering our ladder steps, we needed to add additional steps.
Thankfully, Overland Equipped also has this covered.
Eventually, we may have more accessories mounted to the Gobi so adding Overland Equipped (OE) steps will help us make room for accessories while still being able to climb up and access our roof rack accessories.
Installing a set of ladder steps on the outside of the ladder will allow us to access our rack while mounting more accessories like recovery boards, fuel cans, shovels/recovery gear, some type of trash carrier, and much more.
Overland Equipped Ladder Steps
Features & Highlights
- Made in the USA
- Laser-cut 1/4″ steel step plates
- Hole for 1/2″ bolt on end to mount Hi-Lift jack or other accessories
- Hole for 1/4″ bolt for Quick Fist mounting
- Black textured powder coat
- Fits up to 1″ round or square tube – GOBI or other straight ladder applications only
- All-weather stainless steel bolts
- Easy bolt-on installation, no drilling
- Reversible, mount on either side of your ladder
- Money back guarantee
- Limited lifetime warranty
Where to buy?
- Amazon: Check Today’s Price
- Overland Equipped: Check Price
- Aftermarket Liftgate Struts: Check Price
- Anti Seize Lubricant (very important): Check Price
Easy Install
The bolt-on ladder step from OE bolts directly onto any straight off-road ladder, like the Gobi pictured here. If you have a BajaRack, you may need to look at another option.
Affordable
This ladder step is about 50% less than the competition.
Incredibly Strong
Featuring a two-plate design, the Overland Equipped bolt-on ladder steps are incredibly strong. Sitting at 5’9″ and 165lbs, the ladder steps didn’t budge when climbing up and down. I am not sure of the exact weight rating but they are stout. Their design includes improved footing and a side-grip which is useful when climbing in less-than-ideal weather.
Flexible and Universal
If you want to use your actual ladder steps to step on, you can also use the OE steps to mount accessories. The OE steps have multiple holes for mounting tools and accessories. For example, you can use the 1/2″ hole on the end of the steps to mount a Hi-Lift Jack or the 1/4″ hole to mount off-road shovels/tools with quick fist mounts.
The OE steps can be used for a wide variety of applications, not just steps. They are incredibly universal.
Overview and Installation
Installing and adding the ladder steps is about as basic as it gets but with something important to note. These bolts are stainless steel with corrosion fighting capabilities. Those corrosion fighting capabilities come at a cost though, they can seize up on you if you don’t prepare accordingly. I know this because it happened to me.
In the Overland Equipped directions, it called for an application of anti-seize lubricant on the bolts, and even though I added the lubricant, it was not enough. A few bolts seized on me.
I actually installed the bracket with the OE logo reversed so I needed to remove the steps in order to reverse them. When doing this, a couple bolts seized and I had to break a few bolts off.
For the second installation, I put a healthy helping of anti-seize lubricant on the bolts for good measure.
Anti Seize Lubricant
Again, this is pretty important. You want to apply a healthy amount of anti-seize lubricant in order for easy removal, just in case.
Line up brackets and bolts
Line up your brackets, nuts, and bolts. Prepare your washers and lock washers accordingly.
Note: Add the lock washer on the outside of the washer to not scratch the powder coat.
Washers, Lock Washers, and Nuts
Thread Down Nuts
Tighten everything down and you are good to go!
For steps that are 50% less than the competition, I think these are a great option for anyone out there with a ladder.
Whether you are keeping your ladder free and clear of accessories or adding to it, the Overland Equipped ladder steps are a good option to consider.
I just mounted these and they look great. But have to say they seriously mess (would have preferred another 4 letter word that starts with f) up your ladder. To get them to stop shifting when under your weight you have to crank them down which pinches the round tubing of your ladder and I’m also seeing bubbles in the paint on the ladder around the contact points. I’m guessing if I want to move the steps I’m going to end up with a mess of a ladder. Something to be prepared for when buying. They should really have an indention in the plates in the middle that wraps around the bars slightly. The plates are completely flat. Guess we’ll see if the paint comes off the ladder and it starts to rust in the next few months… another idea would be to market these as jack brackets vs steps. Seems that’s how they will be the most useful.
Hey Dustin, I think I responded to your similar comment on your IG post. To share with the group, we stand behind our product 100% and will gladly take back the steps and refund your money if you aren’t happy with how they mount up. We haven’t had any complaints in the more than two years the steps have been on the market so disappointed to hear they are giving you trouble! I’ve seen guys use that quick fix radiator friction tape to help with powder coat protection. Hope that helps, let me know if I can help with anything else! Cheers.
Thanks. Yeah. That was me on Instagram. I commented here because this post is what persuaded me to buy the steps. And now that I look, I see the ladder in these pics looks like it’s being squeezed /flattened a bit as well. I think people should know that while these steps look great, and likely function well, when they’re installed correctly they damage what they’re attached to especially if you want them tight enough to use as legit steps. I really appreciate you standing behind your product. But once they’ve squeezed the ladder tubes, returning the steps for a refund doesn’t fix the problem. You’ve got a ladder that’s damaged and the damage is very visible once you remove the steps. Maybe others put them on and don’t care that this is the case. But, again, people buying them and installing them should know what the pros as well as the cons. Personally, I’d pay more for a set of your steps if they had some sort of curvature at the contact point with the ladder. That would help them not slip sideways under pressure and would likely result in less flattening/squeezing of the ladder. And maybe even have a rubber lining inside the curved area. But just my 2 cents. You’re the pros.
I do appreciate the feedback. I’ve installed these on a lot of ladders where they are tight enough that there is no movement at all when stepping on them and the ladder tubes are not damaged. Perhaps I need to include torque specs to prevent over-tightening and any resulting damage. Thanks again for sharing your experience and identifying an opportunity to make the installation process better.
What are the torque specs?
We haven’t had a chance to measure the specifications, but here is how we’ve installed on many other rigs with no trouble. You’ll want to have the two inboard bolts “straddle” the ladder cross bar/rung as that’s how the steps were designed to have the most rigidity. You slowly tighten each nut/bolt with hand tools (no impact driver) alternating a few rotations on each (not tightening one nut/bolt all the way down, then moving to the next). Just keep a close eye on the ladder tube and the step plate and stop at any signs of bending or pinching. With the upper inboard bolt resting on the ladder cross tube the bolts won’t have to be super-humanly tightened down to get no movement out of the step, thus preventing any damage to the ladder tube or step plate. Really hope that helps! Thanks much.
What’s keeping the steps from spinning on the round tuber of the Gobi ladder ?
The four bolts on each step hold them in place pretty damn well!
Too bad those are pre-drilled for 3/8th, over kill. You could use 5/16th or even 1/4in would work fine and half the weight.
All the bolts are rusted after 1.5 months in our Canadian winter…will need to replace them when Spring comes around.
The steps are still very functional though.
Are you saying that your bolts from Overland Equipped are rusting or bolts and steps from another company?
Simple solution for the rust issue is stainless hardware. Anytime nuts and bolts are added, you should always use stainless.
I agree with you on that one.
last two image- quality of the powder coating is not too confidence inspiring. Oh well, at least its stainless steel which is always a good thing
GYG, oh yeah that’s my bad man. Maybe I should have said something there, all those silver marks are from the anti-seize lubricant. It washes off. The steps are high-quality, and so is the powder-coating.
Got it, thanks for the clarification!