Slee Slider Pricing (1 Viewer)

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marcfj60

marcfj60

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Sandia Park, NM
I'm working on a project for a manufacturing class where I come up with a new product and then go through all the steps of getting the product ready for production. One of the requirements for the project is to do some market research that includes looking at competing or similar products and comparing my new product to what's out there. My product idea is a functional slider that has steps that fold down when you step on them and then return to the full up position when you remove the weight. So, logically, I'm looking at existing slider products, what features they have and how much they cost. Does anyone that has purchased or is considering sliders from Slee know if the pricing on their website is per slider or per pair. For example, part# SOF1021 , which is a slider for a 3rd-gen 4 runner is $595. Is that for one or for 2 sliders?

I know there are sliders that Slee makes that offer a small area to step on but I'm looking to design something that has a little more of a secure footing. Most of the tubes on the outriggers are still very close to the body. You can put grip tape on them and use them as steps, but, again, it's not a very sure footing. My idea would provide for a little more secure footing as well as drop down a few inches to make it a little easier to get into and out of the vehicle. I'm not sure I want to show pictures yet just in case this turns out to be a feasible product. I might want to sell the design to somebody like Slee.

Marc
 
Marc,
Pricing is for the pair!
Sounds like a good idea if you can secure them up for the trail.

Daisy
 
Daisy, thanks for the encouragement.

There are two torsion springs that keep the step in the 'up' position. I'm thinking that the spring rate will need to be designed so that a 50 lb or heavier person can deploy the step. That should make them strong enough to keep the steps up and prevent them from rattling/bouncing while going down the road but still allow most kids big enough to get into the truck by themselves to be able to use them. I'm still in the conceptual design phase and the project requires a lot more research than just figuring out the technical details.
 
Just a quick question. With the spring-loaded steps, how do you keep the door from hitting them when a person tries to exit? Access seems less of a problem as you could use your foot to keep the step out of the way as the door closed. I don't have my truck in front of me to check, but it seems like any correctly positioned slider bar would not allow anything but a sliver of a step that could fold up without interfering with the door. Just my .02.
 
I'm actually thinking of sort of the same thing, but with a cam-spring that holds it either up or down, so when the door opens it pushes the step down to automatically drop, then when the door closes it pulls against a tab and flips the step back up. You can use that for 5% of the gross...
 
When I say folded up, I don't mean that the step is pointing vertically up and blocking the door. All the sliders with outrigger tubes/hoops I've seen are either horizontal or angle up a little bit, but don't interfere with the door's ability to open or close. These steps would be integrated into this same outrigger envelope. They would not interfere with the door opening/closing. There would be some minimal clearance between the top of the step when it is folded up and the bottom of the door as it passes by when it's opened/closed.

Steve, my early design included an electrically operated step that would deploy when the door opened and retract when it was closed. But this idea was too complicated and I found other ideas like this already in existence. My idea is purely mechanical, nothing electrical, and I could figure out how to design and build it by myself. I also wanted something that was fairly inexpensive to build and thus not too expensive to the consumer, making it easier to inflate my potential annual sales volumes and have a shorter ROI.

You'll have to draw me a sketch of the cam-spring arrangement so I can steal it and then we can negotiate the 5% of gross later.
 
Will your design still allow the sliders to "slide" over obstacles?
 
alia176 said:
Will your design still allow the sliders to "slide" over obstacles?
Click to expand...
Yep. The steps will be nested into the outrigger tubes with very small gaps between the fixed hoops and the steps.
 
Sounds sweet Marc. I need to something similar so that the runt can climb inside the 80's on her own when she gets taller. Looking forward to your solution.
 
alia176 said:
Sounds sweet Marc. I need to something similar so that the runt can climb inside the 80's on her own when she gets taller. Looking forward to your solution.
Click to expand...

Trampoline. Seriously.
:grinpimp:

Dan
 
Marc,
Sliders (all suppliers) are sold as a pair. Here is a picture of the Slee Step Sliders (the new design)
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One or two guys in the 80-Section have already built some sliders that sound similar to what you are describing. I'll find the thread(s) and post some pics.
Guy's nym is Walking Eagle.

Plans
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Up
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Down
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-Mike-
 
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Very cool. Thanks for posting those up. My idea is similar to those but I don't have the entire outrigger folding up or down, just a section of it in front of the door. Also, my design does not require any sort of manual locking pin removal or installation. You put weight on it to fold it down and then the torsion springs make them return to the stowed position when the weight is removed. However, those full folding sliders provide for more surface area to step onto than my design does. Once I get the design and class finished, I'll probably pass the details on to Ali so he can build a set for himself.
 
One thing to think about depending on how/where you wheel is that a non locking portion of the slider has a higher probability of hanging up on something if you got really close to a rock or tree. The rig could be moving upward and the slider would just flex down instead of sliding past. You could mitigate this by using your spring design for normal operations and simply installing a lockout pin for wheeling.
 
Good point. That didn't even occur to me. I just imagined things coming up from below or directly sideways.
 
My lift ed rig volunteers to be a test unit.... :p

Kinda sounds like that rear step on the back of Land Rovers.
 
sirenmoses said:
My lift ed rig volunteers to be a test unit.... :p

Kinda sounds like that rear step on the back of Land Rovers.
Click to expand...

that is a neat design I've always thought. The LRs uses a small gas strut to retract the folding step back to the home position after the weight has been removed. In the past, I thought about sourcing one of these steps as my slider steps to allow the passengers to get in/out of my 80. When wheeling, I'd simply remove the step completely. Marc's idea is a little more elegant and more permanent. I think it'll do quite well.
 
I agree with Ali, sounds like a great idea with lots of practical use. Christi would appreciate a hand getting in my 80, especially if I get a bigger lift!

Daisy
 
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