5.ota

[Lorry & Rich]

Rich and I ordered ours. Those of u who have one-- what made u decide on the 5?
Do u think towing and maneurability are improved?

[cpaharley2008]

Welcome Lorry and Rich,
Although not a 5.0 owner, I have heard that they tow better and can turn tighter than conventional pull trailers. But you can not go wrong with any Escape model.

[kvermeulen]

Originally Posted by Lorry & Rich

Rich and I ordered ours. Those of u who have one-- what made u decide on the 5?
Do u think towing and maneurability are improved?

Towing is better as the sway chance is removed.
ken

[Jim Bennett]

Welcome, Lorry and Rich.

I don't have my 5.0 yet, but will have next spring. There are some advantages to the 5.0 TA, for sure. Included is the better towing characteristics of a 5th wheel, however all the bumper pull models are a breeze to tow too.

[Chapitre]

We had a 17 and now have the 5, although the 17 towed really well, I find this one better - it really feels like it is part of the truck as opposed to the pull type. It is a lot easier to hook up for sure, and I do find it a little easier to level.
Inside we chose it for the separate areas - the bed in the loft makes it feel like it is completely separate from the living space.
We stayed in it for 4 months in a row and have no regrets, the added width is a blessing...we love it.

[D&R_SC]

Originally Posted by Lorry & Rich

Rich and I ordered ours. Those of u who have one-- what made u decide on the 5?
Do u think towing and maneurability are improved?

It seems generally accepted that 5th wheels tow better than trailers and that was a major factor in our first choosing a Scamp 19 and then upgrading to 5.0TA. We have no experience pulling travel trailers, but found both of our 5th wheels quite smooth, no sway or bounce.
The biggest negative of a 5th wheel is the reduction in the use of the pickup bed. The hitch takes up quite a bit of space and whatever is in the bed must be low enough for the trailer's overhang to clear.
Whatever camping method you choose, there will be some compromise. If you drove a Prius and slept in a nylon tent, you'd get better gas mileage and driving maneuverability. All in all, we are happy with having chosen the Escape 5.0TA.

[BCnomad]

Can someone chip in on the off road ability of the 5er?

All things being equal, it seems like the bumper pulls have an advantage there? Yes-no-maybe?

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by BCnomad

Can someone chip in on the off road ability of the 5er?

All things being equal, it seems like the bumper pulls have an advantage there? Yes-no-maybe?

Hi: BCnomad... While not off road... it wasn't much of a road. Our GPS said turn at the next T intersection so I did That's when I noticed the sign "Road unimproved in winter"!!! It wasn't winter but we were climbing up the Bruce Escarpment on a washed out gravel road at about a 45* angle. I was too busy with my hands to reach down for 4wd hi!!! No place to stop and take a pic either.
I'm not fussy about dragging my trailer through that, but what else was a guy to do? Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[PGDriver]

Having owned a 19 and a 5.0TA I can honestly say that depending on your definition of off road they are equal. I would not take them places I took my old 4X4 truck with a winch and camper.
Both units would be susceptible to bottoming out, catching the axle on rocks and things. The biggest issue with off-roading your unit whatever it maybe is when you stop and open the door and find the fridge and cupboards opened and everything is al over the floor (this will not impress your wife as I found out more then once).

Cheers
Doug

[cpaharley2008]

I think some stretches of our turnpike here qualify as "off road" as I seem to find things more in disarray than normal.

[Scuba55]

Originally Posted by Lorry & Rich

Rich and I ordered ours. Those of u who have one-- what made u decide on the 5?
Do u think towing and maneurability are improved?

Probably the biggest factor for us was the full size queen bed, and you don't have to climb over each other to get in and out. Also, very much appreciate the extra room on each side of the bed...I am not an expert at towing, but have noticed that 5th wheels are more stable in bad weather, especially cross winds.

[padlin]

Originally Posted by Lorry & Rich

Rich and I ordered ours. Those of u who have one-- what made u decide on the 5?
Do u think towing and maneurability are improved?

In choosing an Escape... All fiberglass and quality for the price. In selecting a TA over the 21, the full queen size bed and the dedicated bedroom.

I do find towing nicer then my like sized last trailer, maneuverability not so much. My old trailer was a single axle, it turned on a dime.

[frank_a]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I think some stretches of our turnpike here qualify as "off road" as I seem to find things more in disarray than normal.

We find the same thing in PA Jim!

Frank

[kvermeulen]

Originally Posted by Scuba55

Probably the biggest factor for us was the full size queen bed, and you don't have to climb over each other to get in and out. Also, very much appreciate the extra room on each side of the bed...I am not an expert at towing, but have noticed that 5th wheels are more stable in bad weather, especially cross winds.

Agreed.
ken

[C&G in FL]

I also agree, but the tandem axles also played a role in addition to the queen bed without having to crawl over someone. I was always somewhat nervous when I was towing my Scamp 19 that if I had a blowout on one wheel, both the trailer and the truck could contact and both would be damaged, even though Scamp provided the best unknown named trailer tires made in all of China. I switched them out for Maxxis tires at the first possible opportunity. Coming in a distant third was I really disliked the coupler and ball arrangement Scamp uses on its 5er. To hook up, you have to be dead center over the ball in all directions. With a real 5th wheel hitch you only have to be aligned in one direction, and then you tweak the height of the trailer/kingpin for coupling.

[float5]

The 21' has six inches less of a bed width than a queen but there is no crawl over also.

On the tandem axle, we see that our tires have 1820 lbs. on them. The 21' has a max of 4600. Don't know what the 5.0TA has. If a tire blows, how is 1820 sufficient? Even with 4200 lbs. loaded, that would be 2100 for one side.

[cpaharley2008]

Perhaps the 4200 is spread over 3 tires or 1400 each? I know I recently had a flat, which I did not know and rode on for about an hour, there was no noticeable change in handling and the one tire handled the load. That said, I replaced the remaining 3 tires in case there had been damage inside to the single one and the opposite pair in order to match all tire treads. Expensive flat.....

[float5]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Perhaps the 4200 is spread over 3 tires or 1400 each? I know I recently had a flat, which I did not know and rode on for about an hour, there was no noticeable change in handling and the one tire handled the load. That said, I replaced the remaining 3 tires in case there had been damage inside to the single one and the opposite pair in order to match all tire treads. Expensive flat.....

I thought about the three tire spread but I think of the weight as on each side, two sides, not three, so it seems insufficient. Glad you had no problem though as I would expect to get down the road a few miles.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Floating Cloud

I thought about the three tire spread but I think of the weight as on each side, two sides, not three, so it seems insufficient. Glad you had no problem though as I would expect to get down the road a few miles.

Bottom line is that if one tire blows out and the other tire on that side is slightly overloaded it is unlikely to also blow in the time it takes to find a safe place to pull off the road. Technically, if you use a Trailer Aid to change a flat on a tandem axle you are supporting approximately half of the trailer's weight on that single tire. Furthermore, tire load weights are very conservatively rated.

[cpaharley2008]

I did use the trailer aid to remove my flat and install the spare, carry it in the front box.