RV Toy Hauler Patio Kits: How To Turn A Ramp into a Deck

Converting a Toy Hauler Ramp Into a Patio or Deck

Walk through any campground or boondocking spot these days and you’ll spot them everywhere. Toy haulers with that big ramp out back. Doesn’t matter if it’s a 5th-wheel or a travel trailer, they’ve all got that one feature in common. Somewhere along the line, somebody figured out that once you’ve unloaded the dirt bikes and ATVs, the ramp itself makes a pretty sweet patio. That kind of changed everything.

Now toy haulers aren’t just for the OHV crowd. Plenty of regular campers want one purely for that enclosed patio setup you can rig up off the back. It’s basically extra outdoor living space that folds up and rolls down the highway with you.

Most new campers come from the factory with a patio kit and built-in hardware for turning the ramp into a deck. But a lot of older toy haulers don’t have any of that. The feature just didn’t exist yet when they were built. Or maybe the dealer skipped the patio kit when they ordered your unit. Either way, you’ve got options. There are a couple of straightforward ways to convert your RV ramp into a patio without spending a fortune.

There’s just one catch worth knowing up front. Some of these mods, particularly the cable-and-bracket route, can void your RV warranty. So anything you do to turn that ramp into a deck is at your own risk. I’ll flag the riskier stuff as we go.

The Cable Method

This is what most factory-installed toy hauler patio kits use. A pair of steel cables runs from anchor points up by the door opening down to brackets on the ramp, holding it level once it’s lowered. Here’s the catch with DIY-ing this on an older trailer: the toy haulers that come with the cable system from the factory have reinforced frames at those anchor points. They’re built to take the load. Yours probably isn’t.

If you’re going to bolt cables to your ramp, you need to find solid framing. Not just sheet metal or the ramp’s outer trim. The bracket has to anchor into something that can actually carry the weight of the ramp plus whoever’s hanging out on it. Same goes for the upper anchor at the door frame.

This is also the method most likely to void your warranty if you’ve still got one. Worth a phone call to your dealer before you start drilling. You can source cables and brackets piece by piece at any hardware store, or grab a conversion kit and skip the guesswork.

Toy Hauler RV Patio Conversion Kit

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This RV patio kit is simple but works well, assuming your ramp has solid mounting points on both ends.

A few things to check before you use this method:

The anchor point on the door frame needs to make a secure connection. If the framing is flimsy there, the cables won’t matter. On some ramps the brackets stick out enough to keep the ramp from closing flush, so eyeball the gap before you drill. And pre-drill your holes. The screws will struggle to bite through aluminum tubing otherwise.

The kit comes with brackets, screws, and steel cables with built-in adjusters. This version is sized for door openings between 6’6″ and 7’4″ tall. If your camper’s outside that range there are other lengths available.

The cables themselves are rated to 1,800 lbs. That number is reassuring, but don’t confuse it with what your ramp and frame can actually handle. The cable will hold long after your trim starts to bend.

Once the brackets are mounted, setup at the campsite is fast. Clip the cables, drop the ramp, you’re done. Initial install is where the real work is.

The Jack Stand Method

If you’d rather not drill into your trailer (and not poke the warranty bear), jack stands are the safer play. You set them under the ramp once it’s lowered, and they carry the load instead of the cables.

It’s a little more fiddly to set up at the campsite, and you’ll probably need to do some light modification to the stands themselves. But it’s much easier on the ramp and the frame, and it kills most of the bounce. Way less shake inside the trailer when people are walking around out there.

Camco EAZ LIFT Heavy Duty Slide Out Support

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Toy haulers usually sit pretty high off the ground, so whatever you use as a jack needs to stretch up there. The Camco slide-out supports are by far the most common pick I see at campsites. They adjust from 19 inches up to 47 inches, the top is flat (which is exactly what you want, no point loads digging into your ramp), and each one is rated for 5,000 lbs. Plenty of capacity.

You will need to do one small mod: trim off one of the edges on the top plate so it sits flush under the ramp. A hacksaw or angle grinder makes quick work of it.

A couple of other tips from people who’ve done this:

Put something soft between the jack and the ramp. A square cut from a rubber mat works great and keeps the metal from chewing up your ramp. Some ramps have rubber bumpers on the underside already, so position the jack right under those if you can. And clamp the top of the jack to the ramp. If the trailer rocks at all, you don’t want the jack tipping over while someone’s standing up there. A pair of simple bar clamps does the trick.

Place the jacks where the ramp is actually strong. Most RV ramps have a thin aluminum trim running around the perimeter that’ll bend over time if you keep loading it. The front edge of the ramp, the part designed to rest on the ground when you’re loading toys, is usually a solid bet.

Toy Hauler Patio Door Kits

Got the deck part sorted? The next thing you’ll want is a way to keep bugs (and weather) out of the back of your trailer while the ramp is open. That’s where a patio door kit comes in.

Classic Accessories Over Drive Toy Hauler Screen

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This one comes the closest to matching what newer toy haulers ship with from the factory. It’s two big flexible screen panels that zip together down the middle.

Fits rear openings up to 90.5″ tall and 98.5″ wide. Two versions to pick from:

• Magnet version for steel-frame campers. The magnets hold the edges in place.
• Hook-and-loop version for fiberglass or aluminum frames. You screw the strips around the frame and the screen attaches with rip-and-grip.

That’s the main complaint people have is usually with the magnet version. They don’t hold up in wind, and the panels pull loose. Go with the hook-and-loop version if you’ve got a compatible frame.

The screen material is coated, tear-resistant, and shades the inside of the trailer without blocking airflow. There’s also a privacy panel included that attaches over the screen with rip-and-grip. Handy for evenings when you want the patio open but the trailer closed off.

The biggest pro to an RV patio door is you can leave the ramp down overnight without inviting every mosquito in the campground inside. Anyone who’s camped near water knows what a difference that makes.