My wife needs a hip replacement and also has other issues with her lower back and right leg, so climbing up and down steps is very painful. I saw this idea on a van in Victoria last year and decided to do it for her. We have also acquired a Gopher for her so she can get around at free camps and caravan parks.

I bought 2 alloy folding bike ramps, 2 x 20mm threaded flanges, 2 x 20mm threaded elbows 2 x 900mm threaded pipe for the uprights. 1 x 900mm, 1x 500mm threaded pipe for handrail plus a end cap. Bought 4 x 20mm joiners which have a OD of 25mm. 2 x 25 mm cyclone fencing tees which are clamps. The joiners go on the ends of the 2 x 900mm uprights and the other two go on the handrail which also fits into the tees. I also got a piece of 4mm x 50mm flat steel folded to size which is screwed underneath the bottom step, the ramps slide into the space and sit on the plate.

I drilled and bolted the flanges to the side of the ramps and everything else is screwed together. When pulling apart you undo the tees, undo the two verticals and put it all back in the ute or van.

I drilled 4 holes in the sides of the ramps closet to each other and put 4 bolts through these to tie the two ramps together, this made it lot more stable. Wife loves it now, just one step up and down.

When we pack up I just take handrail off and then lift the ramps to top step and drive Gopher straight in and tie it down to the floor tie down I put in. Most of it's weight is over the dual axles.

A bit more effort required to pack up and unpack but with this little bit more my wife can continue to travel around Australia which is our dream.

Wow!! Well done Dave.. 

Aussie Paul.