Passenger side A-pillar grab handle

I searched and found several other subforums with this topic, but no real answers. It does seem to be a fairly frequent complaint/question.

My wife is struggling to get in and out of the Sprinter due to her short stature. It would appear Mercedes assumed anyone needing a grab handle would be over 6' based on the location of the existing one over the door openings.

I would like to put a handle at the base of the A-pillar but have not found anything made for this or really anything that looks like it might easily work. There is a fairly large space between the A-pillar cover and A-pillar structure that would need to be spanned to attach a handle to the surface of the cover.

Has anyone come up with a solution they would like to share?
 

220629

Well-known member
It is a rather inconvenient placement of a handle. I don't have the OEM handle in my van. I once looked at installing a handle lower down, found the same lack of structure which you indicate and didn't pursue it.

It just occurred to me that maybe a strap or rope extension could be added to that OEM handle to give some purchase. I threw this example together with stuff I had on hand. I used a steel pipe nipple. A plastic 1/2" or 3/4" pipe piece is a better choice as it could hit the door window. I included the Harbor Freight 99 cent on sale large carabiner clip so the handle unit can be removed when not in use. I think it would rattle around and maybe distract the driver if left in place while moving. An adjustable strap would make it more professional looking. Maybe a web belt would work?

I didn't test it as I don't have the OEM handle. Stability could be a problem, but a piece of rope and any type of temporary handle would allow you to let your wife give it a try before investing any real time and money. Have fun. vic

HandleExtension.jpg

I searched and found several other subforums with this topic, but no real answers. It does seem to be a fairly frequent complaint/question.

My wife is struggling to get in and out of the Sprinter due to her short stature. It would appear Mercedes assumed anyone needing a grab handle would be over 6' based on the location of the existing one over the door openings.

I would like to put a handle at the base of the A-pillar but have not found anything made for this or really anything that looks like it might easily work. There is a fairly large space between the A-pillar cover and A-pillar structure that would need to be spanned to attach a handle to the surface of the cover.

Has anyone come up with a solution they would like to share?
 
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jdcaples

Not Suitable w/220v Gen
My 5' 6" girlfriend manages to scamble into the cab but I don't recall the details of the actual gymnastic move.

Before she figured out that trick, I seriously thought about draping a semi-permanent, leather (or other tough fabric) strap from the grab handle designed exclusively for German giants.

My mother's 4' 10" and born in 1929. For her, I drag a step ladder from the house and toss it behind the cargo partition.

To get mom in the van, I pop the slider, grab the step ladder, open the passenger door, set the step ladder down, let her get good grip on my shoulder and she just sorta side-steps into the van, kinda like, um, Ginger Rogers? scaling a stage prop stair case, feet nearly parallel to the long stair edge.

-Jon
 

220629

Well-known member
...
My mother's 4' 10" and born in 1929. For her, I drag a step ladder from the house and toss it behind the cargo partition.

...-Jon
Good description about your ladder use.

My 96 year old mother-in-law is similar sized. We use a single step. We've learned that proper positioning is critical during use. The position shown here keeps the steel step loop out of the way and allows her to use the door for stability while entering/leaving. Someone always holds the door stable while she uses it.

StepInPosition.jpg


Stowing the step was a pain until I learned to stow it just inside the side door held with a bungee. The step is now quickly available and quick to stow again. FWIW. vic

StepStowed.jpg
 
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Graphite Dave

Dave Orton
Not an easy solution but it works for NCV3. Bought 80/20 medium handle part # 2061. Drilled a hole in the bottom of the cup holder and installed a PEM 1/4-20NC prebulbed insert. Made 1 3/4" thick wood spacer. Bought a short length of 1/8" x 3" aluminum angle to bolt on top of the wood spacer. Bolted a 1 1/2" x 3/16" angle to the first angle to get a flat surface to bolt on the black handle. No drawings just made it up as I built it.
 

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I have one of those steps. I use it when parked for the weekend where entry to the side or rear is a BIG step because of a grade and one end of the van sitting on a stack of 2x10s. Trouble is my wife isnt disabled, just short. She isnt keen on my setting up the step and putting it away each time she wants to get in or out of the van.

I will try the strap idea. If it works for her it is easy to do and I should be able to bungee it out of the way to keep it from swinging about.

I am still on the hunt for a handle that will fit at the bottom of the A-pillar, even if I have to come up with something to span the area between the cover and structure underneath. This looks interesting to me:



I see them on ebay for cheap.
 

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