Orientation

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by KarenB

Thank you so much for this....We are prepared to be totally overwhelmed....maybe we should hire a videographer to come with!!

Ask Gbaglo. He lives close to Escape Industries, is a very experienced cameraman, and I heard that he works for beer.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Ron,
Go to the training video. I've had to look at awning operation myself.
If you drag the little disc at the bottom of the pic, you can skip other stuff and find the awning portion. It's just past 16 min.

Made sure to watch the ETI training video the night before picking up our 21 and made careful note of Tammy's instruction to be sure and lock as awning's are very expensive to replace. Despite that we had a scare with ours so now one more thing on our checklist is to pull on that black strap before departing to be sure it is locked.

[C&G in FL]

In the discussion on torque for lug nuts, it was not mentioned but EVERY TIME a wheel is removed it should be torqued in stages to get to the final value. And using anti-seize on any nut results in a situation where the actual torque value is anybody's guess. Torque values are based upon "dry" fasteners. My preference to prevent lug nuts from rusting to wheel studs is to torque them dry to the specified value and then spray the threads with a penetrating fluid like PB Blaster. A quick shot to each nut where the threads meet every 6 months or so has always kept my lug nuts rust free and easy to remove when necessary.

[Grant & Kathy]

Originally Posted by Rossue

For all you new owners-to-be, a few tips for your Orientation.
snip ... Then, Rhonda or someone else is going to take you back for your first look at your new trailer. It is similar to going to the doctor as in you can get the standard eval or you can go prepared and ask a lot of questions. It's up to you.

Maybe this pre-devilery checklist can give some ideas on things to check and test and how to test them when picking up your new trailer.

http://www.angelfire.com/trek/buenav...PDI_V113_2.pdf

Grant

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

.....Their responsibility is to provide a roadworthy unit with all systems operable and to demonstrate how the systems operate. The rest comes from experience or education and I don't think that it's reasonable to expect ETI to do much more than they already do.

I think Ron is on to something. During Orientation pay attention to the items you need for operation/safety. There's a TON of information to be had here from the members and the videos posted.

For instance, when I got ready to winterize Ten Forward and needed to pull the anode from the water heater and couldn't get it out... thought I'd need to get a stick of dynamite... I asked a neighbor (who owns a BMW Class B) for help. OMG, he didn't know he was supposed to drain the water from his gazillion dollar RV. I educated him, he helped me.

Just saying, you will get help for issues here, if you run into problems. Don't sweat it.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by Grant & Kathy

Maybe this pre-devilery checklist can give some ideas on things to check and test and how to test them when picking up your new trailer.

http://www.angelfire.com/trek/buenav...PDI_V113_2.pdf

Grant

This is an excellent resource and would highly recommend everyone print it and take it with you.

The reason I started this thread is because there seems to be a big crop of newbies out there who might benefit from a reminder that pre-delivery is the best time to get questions answered, familiarize themselves with all the nuances associated with a TT and to make sure all is OK.


The Orientation does not have a standard protocol or checklist they go through with you, so for anyone showing up expecting otherwise might overlook something.

[chris valenta]

How did you get your plates before you received your trailer? Which DMV would be a good one for that? I live in Poulsbo Wa. thanks newbee Chris

[RickM]

ditto what Chris asked. I had to get a 3 day temporary Washington permit twice, once for the 19 and once for the 21. Christ, I got my permits at the agent in Silverdale, there's an agent on Lindvig Way.

[OneOleMan]

Originally Posted by chris valenta

How did you get your plates before you received your trailer? Which DMV would be a good one for that? I live in Poulsbo Wa. thanks newbee Chris

I took all the final paper work ETI sent me to the Ballard DMV agent shortly after they opened in the morning and within perhaps 15 minutes I had the plate in hand. One question they asked was if the trailer was financed. Mine wasn't but if it were perhaps I would have needed paper work from the lien holder.

The worst part was paying the sales tax

[DonF]

Originally Posted by Rossue

This is an excellent resource and would highly recommend everyone print it and take it with you.

The reason I started this thread is because there seems to be a big crop of newbies out there who might benefit from a reminder that pre-delivery is the best time to get questions answered, familiarize themselves with all the nuances associated with a TT and to make sure all is OK.


The Orientation does not have a standard protocol or checklist they go through with you, so for anyone showing up expecting otherwise might overlook something.

Based on experience, if you added 12v drops in your cabinets as an option, add to your check list to verify they are connected to power before you leave ETI. I checked that they were there, but didn't verify they were "live" until several months later and found out I had wires, but no power.
Don

[chris valenta]

thanks Rick and ONeOleMan. We will be leaving on a trip with the 19 right after orientation, so any advice or tips or things to do would be greatly appreciated.

[EDarby]

I am now officially terrified.

Follow up: that was an over-reaction after a glass of wine. Am sure it will be fine!

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by EDarby

I am now officially terrified.

Follow up: that was an over-reaction after a glass of wine. Am sure it will be fine!

It really will be OK . We didn't hear half of what we were told . We were just so overwhelmed with the trailer . The excitement is so hard to contain . You will figure it out . You always can ask for help here on the Forum . Also we made many phone calls to Escape and they were very patient with us . You have new adventures to look toward too . Pat

[MacMan]

Thank you for taking the time to post the PDF file of orientation info. Soooo helpful.

[56reader]

Originally Posted by EDarby

I am now officially terrified.

Follow up: that was an over-reaction after a glass of wine. Am sure it will be fine!

I am right there with you! Terrified! Lots to learn, but glad to have the forum and ETI to help!

[BCnomad]

and youtube too.

[EDarby]

Thanks Pat!!! Yes--so many new adventures--cannot WAIT to get started!!! Have never RV'd before so it's all totally new but am sure it will sink in eventually and certainly glad to have the support of everyone on this Forum!

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

It really will be OK . We didn't hear half of what we were told . We were just so overwhelmed with the trailer . The excitement is so hard to contain . You will figure it out . You always can ask for help here on the Forum . Also we made many phone calls to Escape and they were very patient with us . You have new adventures to look toward too . Pat

[bdornbush]

I just got my paperwork from ETI and went to the CA DMV. They told me that they must inspect the trailer before they will register and issue plates. They offered a One Trip Permit which allows us to bring it home. It cost $20.

[Linda]

Originally Posted by bdornbush

I just got my paperwork from ETI and went to the CA DMV. They told me that they must inspect the trailer before they will register and issue plates. They offered a One Trip Permit which allows us to bring it home. It cost $20.

We had to do the same in Washington State, even though some have said that they were able to get the license prior to pick-up in WA. We were told that the stamped document you receive from customs at the border is necessary before a title and license plate can be issued.

[santacruzer]

I've now registered two Escape trailers in California. When I did the 17 it was at a small DMV in Northern California, and the whole process took 20 minutes maximum, with me leaving with the plates. When I registered the 19 here in Santa Cruz County it was an absolute dose of hell. They had to photocopy every single document and send them off to Sacramento for verification. I got a temporary permit, and the plates came in the mail about a month later. And, I had to explain, and explain again, the conversion from Canadian dollars to US dollars. My advice Californians is to make copies of everything in advance, and have a perfectly clear receipt showing US equivalent of purchase price. And, go to a small town DMV.