The high clearance you get when you purchase a truck lift kit is a good feature when you are trying to navigate a rough section of a mountain road, but when you are trying to help your aging mother into the cab or secure a load in the bed, then your truck's clearance can present a challenge. If you are looking for a way to make your truck easier to use but not compromise the clearance, then you should consider installing automatic running boards and a bed step.

Why an Automatic Running Board?

Some running boards or steps can hang down below the cab of your truck. This is great when you need a little extra help getting into the cab of your truck, but these hanging steps can snag on obstacles when you are off-roading, which can damage both the step and your truck. An automatic truck step or running board, on the other hand, connects to the wiring for the light that comes on when you open the door. Thus, every time you open your door, the step deploys, and you—or your aging mother—can easily access the cab of your truck. Then, when you close your door, the step retracts and folds up under the bed of your truck so that there is nothing to snag on obstacles. 

Why a Folding Bed Step?

What is true of a step to get into your cab is also true of a step to get into your bed—only more so. A step hanging down from your bumper is even more prone to scrape on road obstacles then a step hanging from your cab. However, you don't need a bed step that deploys every time you open your door, nor should you have to open your door every time you need to use your bed step. Thus, the best option for a bed step is to have one that will easily fold up under the frame of your truck but is still easy to deploy when you need it. 

A lift kit is a great idea if you plan to do a lot of off-roading, but if you are short, have a wife that is short, have small children, or aging parents who will need to get into your truck, then the lift kit can make life problematic. To make your truck more user friendly without undermining its ability to go off road, make sure whatever bed or cab steps you use will help you to get the best of convenience and clearance. Contact a professional service for more information on how to purchase these and other custom truck parts.

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