I have been asked by a few customers to add a "tube/step". The issue for me is function.
I am sure there are certain trails in a certain situations which maybe common for some with a tree/rock that you could use the tube to pivot around preventing body/door damage. There are way more situations when the tube will catch and prevent you from moving forward, you can not drag what is not there. It also creates leverage and if/when you slam down hard enough on the tube other things start tweaking. The main number one issue I have is none of the above mentioned sliders can be used as a functional step by the vast majority of people with a size 5 or larger shoe.
They simply are not a step. Please go to your TJ/LJ and look at the floor board height, then look at your rocker. The OE step is barely usable for most and it hangs down 4 ish" below the rocker edge.
Any tube that is placed at or higher than the floor board does not function as a step. Even a tube placed at the floor board level does not work well. You will find it in the way when getting in, you will stop using it as a step to get in placing your foot over the sill and onto the floor board because its lower, your heel will slip off the tube when exiting catching your belt loop on the door striker ripping your belt loop once, then you will add grip tape and now you have effectively designed a anti "Rock Slider". This is my sticking point. I want to avoid making parts that don't work well just because people want them. I mean no offense in this to those that want them, I understand that there are different strokes for different folks.
Imagine you have a deck off the back of your house and you hired me to build you a step and the step I built was simply a extension of the deck or worse it was higher. Even though I built you what you the "step" you wanted and you love it, anyone that sees my work goes wait what??
Test it, clamp a 2x4 to the side of your jeeps rocker, try and use it as a step and report back.
I have this design for those wanting a "tube". It does function as a replaceable rub rail helping to keep the body out of harms way, its close to the body minimizing leverage, its mechanically attached so it can give a small amount before retaining a bend or damaging what's behind it, so I'm into these things. I will never say this is a functioning step. It is a replaceable 6061 Solid stock rub rail. The outside most surface of the round stock is 2" away from the body. If you compare the visuals it sits in a similar place to that other manufacturers claimed tube steps reside.
Well placed Grab handles function as a better step than anything mentioned above.
