Automatic steps are one of the most luxurious and useful features you could have on your truck. If your truck doesn’t already come with automatic steps, you can add them. Here are three different ways to do it:
1. Install A Set Of Automatic Running Boards And Then Wire Them To Your Doors
There are some aftermarket automatic running boards available on the market. You can buy a high quality set and then install them on your truck. Next, wire them up to your truck. If done correctly, the running boards will drop when you open the door. They’ll also pull back up when you shut the door.
This is a practical solution, but it comes with one drawback. When you open the door, you have to wait for the running board to lower. This can be frustrating when you’re in a hurry. Or if you have a guest who’s not familiar with them, and you forget to warn them, they can get injured by the running board when it lowers. If you want more control over when your running boards raise and lower, consider the next two solutions.
2. Install A Set Of Automatic Running Boards With A Remote Controller
Some automatic running boards come with a wireless remote control. First, install the running boards on your truck. Next, wire the running boards to your truck to keep them powered. When everything’s all set up. you can use a wireless remote control to raise and lower the running boards. This solution comes with a major advantage and a major disadvantage:
- You’ll have full control over when you want the running boards to raise and lower.
- This solution is somewhat “manual”. It can be inconvenient to dig out the remote control every time you want to control the running boards.
3. Add SEER To Your Truck
SEER is an advanced keyless entry system. When we say advanced, we mean advanced. It automates many more things than the door locks. It activates and deactivates built-in and aftermarket features on your truck based on your proximity. For example:
- SEER can turn on the interior and/or exterior lights as you approach the truck
- SEER can turn off the interior and/or exterior lights as you leave the truck
- SEER can unlock a toolbox as you approach the truck
- SEER can lock a toolbox as you leave the truck
You only need a couple pieces of hardware make this possible:
- An electronic controller to be installed in your truck
- A SEER key tag on to be kept on your keychain
The electronic controller senses your proximity and even your movements as long as you have the key tag on you. You can program the electronic controller to trigger certain features in any order and duration. For example, you can program it to drop the steps as you approach the truck. This way, you won’t have to wait for the steps to drop when you open the door.
To install automatic steps with SEER:
- Install a set of automatic running boards and then wire them to your truck.
- Install SEER on your truck.
- Program SEER to automate the steps however you wish. A few examples:
- Program SEER to lower the steps as you approach the truck
- Program SEER to lower the steps when you turn off the engine
This is a much more streamlined version of solution #1 on this list. Plus, you can do so many other things with SEER. For example, if you want an automatic cargo light, you can achieve this with SEER. Having SEER installed on your truck means you can automate many other features, too.
Categories: Car Accessories