Step-n-Tow is a small manufacturing and marketing company located in northeastern Connecticut referred to as the “Quiet Corner”. The Step-n-Tow was developed like most “niche” products, out of necessity. It was the idea of John Lipski that eventually evolved into the Step-n-Tow. John, being vertically challenged, (short), always found it difficult climbing in and out of the bed of his pickup truck with the tailgate down. He finally broke down and spent $89 and bought a step that fit into the receiver of his truck. This made it easy to mount the bed but had to be removed when not in use because it stuck out so far from the bumper and had to be replaced by the ball mount. If the step wasn’t used for a period of time the ball mount would rust in place. In 2005, after years of fumbling from the ball mount to the step the idea of the Step-n-Tow began to take shape. First a ball mount had to be found that would accept the addition of the yoke for the step arm. This brought the length to 12”. Since 5/16” bolt holes were needed to mount the yoke to the ball mount, testing was required to certify the strength of the shaft in order to receive the V5 certification. The next step in development was the step it’s self. The length of the arm was researched to ensure that it was the proper length to extend beyond most tailgates in the open position. The foot pad had to be durable and non-skid. We found a hard rubber like tread that we could vulcanize to the step plate that meets both needs.

We found thru use on various vehicles that the step came in handy in the stowed position also. It was convenient to use it to unload roof racks of trucks and SUV’s. It was this position that necessitated a positive locking system with the use of a lock pin for the arm in both positions.

Throughout the entire development and testing process there was still one problem that stayed in the shadows. Once the Step-n-Tow was inserted into the receiver there was little reason to take it out. What would happen when the time came to take it out? Like all other ball mounts it would probably require a large hammer or a little heat to extract it. This is when we decided to have the Step-n-Tow first galvanized and then powder coated inside and out. This would put it in the category of “Life Time use”. Because of the length of the ball from the bumper it was decided that in an attempt to eliminate the “Banged shin syndrome”, the entire unit should be painted bright red.

Now we figured we had the most unique after market addition to your pickup or SUV. Or so we thought. We found that by making a small adjustment to the bolt pattern on the yoke, the Step-n-Tow became a portable platform for many of the electric sport winches.

In 2008, John met Jason Stanton of “Superwinch”. Jason has been associated with the four-wheel and truck aftermarket for sixteen years. The combination of his experience and contacts was just the catalyst that was needed to move Step-n-Tow into the national market.