Heininger HitchMate Hitch Truck Step

The TruckStep 4045 DOES work for a 2022 RAM 1500 with 6" lift & 37" tires. I was concerned that I needed the XL but felt the XL might be overkill. I was happy to pull the TruckStep 4045 out of the box & within 5 seconds have it installed & three seconds later have the tailgate down checking out the length. Happily the length is perfect in the second hole (see pics) with the entire step being visible when standing on the tailgate. I plan on Bungee'ing the TruckStep in the very rear corner of the bed (I have a tonneau cover) & pulling it out whenever needed since it installs in 3-5 seconds. I needed a solution that would work on the sand since I am on a drive-on beach 3X-4X per week & with my lift & tires it is nearly impossible for me to hop into the bed to pull out chairs, umbrellas, coolers, grills, firewood, etc., without some kind of aid. For folks on solid ground a step stool would work, but for me, a stool would sink into the stand, so I needed something that did not rest on the sand. Since I'll be pulling the TruckStep out of the bed & installing it every time I need a leg-up, it doesn't matter to me if this it in the first or second hole. As mentioned, the second hole allows the step to be fully visible when standing on the tailgate & looking down. (See all pictures to view the TruckStep on my vehicle.) Since I'm on the beach all of the time, I will periodically be coating all metal parts of the TruckStep with CRC 6-56 which is an awesome protectant against corrosion due to the salt air. I was really worried about the TruckStep 4045 not being long enough - but very happy it is & works perfectly in giving me a leg-up to easily climb into my very high truck bed.

My GMC Denali is a lot higher than my Fords very difficult to get in the bed of the truck with this step works great to get in with the tailgate up or the tailgate down my wife can use i it very happy good product well built. Great design

I got this for my 2006 Tundra Double Cab. I'm at the point now that when I try to climb into the bed of my truck, I look like a fat 6 year old trying to get out of a swimming pool by the ledge. And mine is stock height; I assume people with lifted trucks carry step ladders? I had considered getting a small folding step, but didn't really want to carry one around either. I saw another slide out step design before, but that one was bolted to the frame and also happened to cost $200+. Then I stumbled upon this one and it was a lot more within my monetary reach. After looking up videos and reading the reviews here I decided to finally order one.It arrived in 2 days with Prime shipping (yes, some things do actually get delivered in 2 days), and although the box was a little beat up from the inside out, it was no worse for wear. There's not much inside the packaging: A box, an instruction sheet, and the assembled TruckStep shipped in the closed, upright position with the hitch pin in place. I managed to free it from the box and it slid easily into the hitch receiver. There are two 5/8" holes you can use. I first tried the second hole, which puts it all the way in. It fits inside well enough but has a little play, but not bad. The step is kind of tricky to open and close and at first I was having difficulties. To fold the step down, you have to pull it out/back, then up a little, then it folds down and locks into place. That was simple enough to figure out. Folding it back up, not so much. To fold the step back to the upright storing position, you have to lift the very back of the step up, then pull back to disengage it, then push it down and back toward you to flip it up until it locks in place. Sliding it in and out is easy by releasing the spring-loaded T-handle.The main concern I had before ordering was whether or not it would extend far out enough beyond the open tailgate. Well it does...and it doesn't. When it's installed all the way into the hitch receiver, on the second hole, there's about half of the step that is beyond my tailgate. This is still enough for me to get a good footing on and step up onto the tailgate easily. If it were any shorter then I'd definitely be smacking my shin against the tailgate. But when I try to step down from the truck, there's really not enough of the step sticking out to get my foot on. It can be done if I turn sideways some and make the effort, but it's not an easy...step.However, if I move it to the first hole in the receiver to bring it out some, now the whole step is beyond the tailgate and I can easily step down onto it. Doing that though, the whole thing now sticks out a couple of inches when closed too. So if you're not hitting your shin because the step doesn't stick out enough when open, you might hit your shin because it sticks out too far when closed. Also, because it's not as far inside the receiver, there's more play and it rattles around more. This could be addressed with some rubber washers or the like, but if they had made the extending bar just a couple of inches longer the step would come out far enough without having the whole thing sticking out. They also sell the HitchStep XL, that has both a longer extension and a bigger step, but besides just being bigger it's more expensive - about double the price. I felt like the XL would be too big in general for my truck, but it has two holes on the extending bar to come out further. I may take it upon myself to drill another hole a couple of inches past the existing one to replicate the XL's extending bar. While I'm guessing that might void the lifetime warranty, I'd just be hoping it wouldn't mess with the integrity or function of it.Although it doesn't stick out THAT much, I prefer to keep it as far in as it will go. Hence why I'm considering drilling that extra hole. As it is, it works well enough even with only half the step sticking out past the tailgate. Still much, much easier for me to get up onto the bed. If I had to get in and out of the bed a lot, I could just move it to the first hole temporarily to make it easier. Ultimately I think it depends on what truck you have. I imagine with a taller tailgate it would be a bigger issue and you'd probably be better suited with the XL version. So even though it's not perfect and could use some improvement, for the price and convenience, I'm still pretty happy with it.

Simple, took a minute to install, gets the job done without having to drill any holes. It looks to close to the tail gate when down but it's really not hard to get into the bed. If you want it to stick out more to have it more visible when stepping down there's another notch in the part where you mount the step into the tow hitch that you can extend it. It will protrude more but that's you choice. It made a lot of metal on metal scraping noise so I put done oil on a paper towel and lubed it up, so it doesn't make that annoying sound when I extend it. All in all a great addition to my truck without looking like a fat tired hamster 🐹 every time I get in and out of my truck on a job site 🤗

Sweet! Hard to find a step that works with the tailgate down! I paid for expedited shipping and it arrived in two days. This went on in about three minutes (we have a 2004 Tundra & no problems with interfering with the spare tire). Heavy/very sturdy construction.It's a tiny bit tricky to figure out how to get the step to flip up & down, but once you figure that out (you kind of have to tug while turning--there's a spring in there and a little sheet to show you how), it works fine. BARELY extends from the back of the truck (a couple of inches), so didn't cause a problem with our tight garage space. My son has a dirt bike--we were hoping this would help with loading (it does). I also foresee a LOT of use for just getting up & down from the truck for day-to-day use, camping, etc. It will work well with the tailgate up or down. Might even work well to help a dog get in and out of a vehicle if needed (guess it depends on your dog & if they'd use the step, though).Keep this on the list for "what to buy Dad for father's day" or for those crazy Christmas gift swaps--especially the "guy" gifts. Score!

Did not feel secure, rattled too much. Returned