If you’re like us, then you probably unbolted those ugly, plastic running boards that came on your new ride and threw them in the trash a long time ago. You bought a truck to be rugged, not something that looks like it’s spreading its wings to fly away. So it makes sense that when you lift your vehicle either with a full suspension or a simple leveling kit, that some sort of heavy-duty step may actually be useful in making entering and exiting your vehicle easy. Of course some extra rocker protection doesn’t hurt either.

But for us, not any step will do. There are plenty of tube steps and nerf bars available, but most of us don’t want something with fancy chrome, lights or other gizmos that make our truck look “pretty.” So when we heard about the new ProSteps from OR Fab, we were anxious to see if they were rugged enough to withstand some abuse while adding to the rugged looks of our truck as well.

OR Fab is a division of the Performance Automotive Group, who also own Trail Master Suspension and Performance Accessories body lift kits. OR Fab products have an excellent reputation with hardcore Jeep rock crawlers, who have used and abused the company’s products to keep their vehicles in one piece. In the same manner OR Fab approaches making its Jeep products, the company decided to make a heavy-duty tube step that looks good and that can withstand lots of abuse.

We discovered that the OR Fab ProSteps are manufactured in the US and are made from 2.5 x .083-inch wall tubing, making them strong enough to use as rock rails if you needed to. The steps extend to both the driver and passenger doors and feature a simple urethane step pad. What’s unique about the ProSteps is that they can be adjusted to accommodate your personal comfort level of entering and exiting the vehicle. The first position allows the ProStep to lay flat and mount closer to your truck’s cab. While this works great for stock height trucks or for those using a leveling kit, a second mounting position angles the ProStep downward, away from the cab. This eliminates banging your ankles on the bars if your truck is lifted or if you simply have longer legs.  

The ProSteps are easy to install. We watched them being bolted onto a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado HD that was equipped with a Trail Master 6-inch suspension lift and noted  the process only took about 30 minutes to attach both sides. Two black powder coated mounting brackets are used on each side of the vehicle to support the ProSteps. These mounting brackets bolt onto existing factory holes and braces. The only exception (on the 07 Silverado), is one hole that needs to be drilled on the passenger side to secure the top mounting bolt to the frame.

The ProSteps then mount to the brackets and are secured with heavy duty hardware. Because you can adjust the steps, OR Fab doesn’t mount the urethane step pads to the bars. To do this, they recommend installing the steps first in the position that is most comfortable for you. Then place the pad in the position that looks level and use a punch to mark and then drill the bolt holes to mount the pads. If you decide to change the position of the ProSteps, you can reposition the pads by drilling new holes.

It was very evident that the steps offered a rugged construction and considering they are available in either a black or silver powder coat finish, they also add an aggressive off road appearance to any truck. Currently, the ProSteps are available for 4-door model 2004-’08 Ford F-150, ’07 Tundra, ’07 Chevy Silverado, and 2004-’08 Nissan Titans and retail around $630.

Source
OR Fab
3651 N. Hwy 89
Chino Valley, AZ 86323
(928) 636-7080
www.p-a-g.net

The OR Fab ProStep is an adjustable truck step with aggressive looks and rugged construction.	The factory parking brake cable runs through the ProStep brackets. It has to be pulled, and clamped with a vice grip. The slack allows it to be unhooked until the bracket is installed.

The front bracket bolts to the existing holes in the frame and to the cross member of the Chevy’s transfer case skit plate.	At the rear, the mounting brackets attach to existing frame brackets.

The rear also uses one of the body mount bolts for a solid connection to the frame.	On the passenger side, the mount was bolted to the frame using existing frame holes and bolts, but the top bolt must be drilled.

Using the mounting bracket as a guide, the hole is drilled and a nut and bolt is attached.	The ProSteps are lifted into position and bolts are placed through the bracket holes

OR Fab provides heavy duty hardware to attach the steps to the mounting brackets. Here you can see the second mounting position that angles the steps further away from the vehicle.	Once the steps are mounted, the parking brake cable is routed through the brackets and reattached.

With the steps in the position you desire, the pads are placed so they are level. Then a punch is used to mark the bolt positions.	The punch should aid in drilling the holes for the mounting pad bolts.

Both the front and rear step pads are then bolted into place. You can re-drill the pad bolt holes if you change the position of the steps.	The ProSteps on this Chevy HD look great and are rugged enough to handle the trail