One of the big design decisions was when I decided to lower the floor at the door to minimise the height the steps, and the two automatic steps fold out. Whilst it does take up floor space, we use the drop section as a shower, and out "wet room" for muddy and sandy feet.
The steps are are pretty agricultural by comparison to the stainless steps. There are no bearings, just bolts which I put some lithium grease on now and again. The linear actuator is a decent bit of kit, IP67 rated and good for 100,000 cycles, so using it twice a day, it will last for 130 years
They are over centre locked - so are pretty solid, both up and down, which is important to stop rattles and that is what would wear out the bolts, cycling a couple of times a day with metal on metal is not the problem. It took me a long time to figure out the best way for us, as with all things on a truck, everything is a compromise. I looked at a lot of options, but we needed automatic steps as we can carry passengers in the rear, and had the grey water tank under the drop floor for the shower, so I came up with this idea . It is similar to the OEM Unimog radio box style, but without the complicated pneumatics and springs.
The important thing for me was to have something to hold onto. There are two handles, solidly attached to give you something to grab onto. You can have both hands grabbing the handles before you even put a foot on the steps, something that some of the concertina ones can't do, as they are too far away until you get to the last coupe of steps. I carry things up and down the steps sometimes, but it is easier to just put them down onto the floor, climb down and then pick them up again. I think it is better to think of them as a ladder, not stairs. I don't expect to be able to walk down them like a house. You can also see the top stair when you are in the standing camper, so you don't try step off when the stairs are up, and can see where to put your feet.
The steps are the same height as the cab steps, and the same spacing and size, so we get used to doing the same motion. Getting into the cab is a lot harder than the camper. I've fallen out the cab when I missed a step, but not out the camper. I looked at a lot of commercial options, went to all the caravan and camping shows, but none of those we tested felt as stable as ours. They do rock the truck a bit, enough so that when I am on the roof, I tell Trish to warn me if she wants to climb down the stairs.
This is how mine work, and Trish demonstrates how easy it is to get in and out. She always climbs out backward like that, whilst I walk down forwards, using only the big long handle on the door.
If anyone want more photos or measurement, let me know.
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