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| The wifey has given me the death stare one too many times while trying to get herself up into the truck:) I am looking to put steps on my 05 Dodge. I like the looks of the bright aluminum treadplate running boards. I like that they keep a lot of dirt off the truck. I am concerned about how sturdy they are. This is a farm truck and from time to time finds itself being driven across corn stalks and through the mud. What have you guys found to be the best either the running boards or step tubes and what brands seem to be the good ones. Thanks in advance for the help. |
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Saronville NE | I personally would go with the tube steps, I have them on a 06 dodge, and had them on al old 93 chevy work pu, dont have it anymore. They hold up good and wont get torn off like running brds if you use a pickup hard, wont bend if going thru a light ditch or something like running brds will. Heres a quick one to tell you how they will hold up, few yrs ago we were messin with a new (used pivot) we had put on a farm and were gettin it going for the first time with water, well we were havin promblems but finally got it going, and it was sittin pretty much on the driveway, well with water runnin we needed to get outa there before the pivot was on the driveway so headed out in a hurry in the new slick stuff hit the underground waterline track and it slid me right into a pivot tire, well it hit the tubestep and it bounnced me right away from the tire, no sheetmetal damage what so ever, and only left a black smudge on the tubestep. So that is one of the reasons Im sold on them. Good luck |
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| We have the tube type on our Dodge and the old farm truck has running boards. I like the tubes better, we refer to them as bars. |
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South Texas | Dear Farmerrob,
I have both. Got the mesh (expanded metal) steps first for the Z-71 figuring the mud would nicely drop through the openings. Wrong. Just builds up.
For the dually, got extended tubes all the way back to the rear fender bulges. Work fine, especially with the grab handle.
Hope this helps. Stetts |
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NE Iowa | OK - I'll be the contrarian on here - my vote would be for running boards. Main reason is that I have heard of a couple of stories about folks having their foot slip off the tube and get caught between the tube and the side of the truck and they end up breaking their ankle or leg. Might be isolated cases, but that is something you really can't have happen with running boards. The non-metallic running boards seem to pretty durable (though I don't think they would take a shot from an irrigating tower) and they don't rust. I do think the tubes look better, but I think the boards are more practical and safer.
Chris |
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| Dad has aluminum running boards on his 95 Ford and I have tubes on my Chevrolet. After we junked the stock brackets for the running boards and put in some heavy angle iron they have been O.K. The tubes I got go back past the rear of the cab, so if you need something out of the bed you can step up on them, I really like that. I think the truck would be a mess either way. |
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Northeast Indiana (Auburn) | I have had both. The running boards help keep stones from hitting the body and do provide a sturdy wide area to step on. They also collect mud, ice and snow which make for a slipery surface. The tubes (or nerf bars) shed mud, ice and snow but do require a well placed foot getting in or out. I put the bars on my 2006 extended cab truck . I went with stainless steel. You can get them on eBay for around $200. |
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central - east central Minnesota - | These are my reason's for Tubes vs. running boards. Here in Mn, we are the worlds largest user of salt on our roads to melt snow/ice and car and truck bodies. Running boards tend to hide / hold more salt build up where they attach to a vehicles body. They also hold more dirt / mud to hold moisture on the vehicle body, resulting in corrosion. Tubes are open between the cab - resulting in easyer cleaning, less build up. I think they both would hold up from getting "knocked off" if installed properly - and add some reinforcement if it looks too weak. Personally I'd go with the wider tubes (oblonged). Didn't know they offered them when I bought my last set for the "06. |
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High Springs, Florida | Had tubes for 4 years and love them. Wife does too. No "accidents" to report. |
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Iowa | I'd go with frame-mounted, stainless steel tubes. If you were not interested in stainless, I'd recommend buying a set of black tubes and then having them sprayed with Line-X. |
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Orange County NY | I have the aluminum treadplate. Biggest reason I got them over bars is because they match the bed on the truck. They have braces that go to the truck frame that really make them stiff. I also live on a gravel raod and they protect my doors from stones.
I have no experience with the bars.
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Denhoff,ND right in the center of the State | I have the Luverne Mega steps on my 06 Dodge quad cab. They offer cab length and wheel to wheel , I went with the wheel to wheel then you can step on them to grab things out of the box. These steps are like a running board and a tube step in one they have a nice wide area to step on and it is rubber so you wont slip. |
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| Westin Platinum series step bars are the way to go. Lifetime warranty against corrosion. I like the looks of the step bars and molded mud flaps the best.
INDY |
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Ontario Canada | I agree 100%!! Salt and anything that it can cling to is not a good idea. Go Tubes. |
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Kansas | ........and never look back. They don't hold the mud and snow like running boards and if my fat butt can climb on them and not break them, yours won't either.
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East Central Arkansas | These Delta boards have held up good on this 96 F 250. The extra section on back is handy for getting stuff out of the back of the truck or out of the bottom on the tool box. These are mounted strong enough to really stand on them. I like them for a work truck .
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Central Kansas | I'd like to get rid of the tubes on mine and put the running boards on. Drive through a little mud and it lands right on top of the tube. You step on the tube to get in and you're dragging mud in your truck. It also seems like kids might miss that narrow tube and get their leg between there. I know they look cool, but don't seem very practical.
Has anyone added metal to the top to make them wider and fill the gap to the cab? |
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Shaftsbury, Vermont (SW VT) | I like the Dee-Zee running boards, the diamond tread type. They are not too expensive, and rugged if you use all the braces in the kit. I've got them on my '94 Chevy since new, and put a set on the '02 Super Duty new also. They save the stones from hitting the lower part of the doors, and haven't seemed to collect too much mud. I've also rubbed up against stumps and such, and sure, they got wrinkled a little, but they're still serviceable. The trucks are used for work, and like the old guy says "I don't sell Avon". Oliver Durand
p.s. I'll post a couple of pictures tomorrow, if I can get it to work. |
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Pickup Truck Running Boards or Step Tubes?
