My ears wouldn't be able to take the strain (
if you're single you won't understand) of removing the steps.
I try to wheel kinda' cautiously anyway, since this is my daily driver. I tend to bang the skid plate more than anything. Come to think of it, I've never bounced the steps, even when it was stock.
BTW... Those first 3 shots are the cleanest my truck has been in the past year and a half. It was all muddy as hell 3 days later...lol