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Old 04-20-2019, 10:50 AM   #41
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Originally Posted by davidmurphy02 View Post
Mary is loving the kitchen - she's already baked cookies in the oven twice, and this morning made pancakes on the canyon rim at the Goosenecks in Utah.
David, absolutely awesome.

Would you please provide specific information about where you were camping _ how to get there and so on? This is really the type of camping I'd be interested in doing. Thanks.
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Old 04-20-2019, 08:00 PM   #42
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David, absolutely awesome.

Would you please provide specific information about where you were camping _ how to get there and so on? This is really the type of camping I'd be interested in doing. Thanks.
This is Goosenecks State Park in southern Utah near Mexican Hat. It's technically a state park, but has pit toilets and no other services of any kind so it's much more like a BLM site. There's a park attendant at the gate taking admission fees during the day - $10 to camp overnight. Technically they have 5 designated campsites, but there is a dirt road along the rim that extends for a long way with a lot of campsites, many of which have stone fire rings people have built. You can park right on the edge and sit and watch the stars come out and look down into the canyon at the river.

One note - if you use Google Maps or other similar service it will often route you up or down highway 261 between highways 95 and 163. Halfway up highway 261 is the infamous Moki Dugway, a steep winding dirt road up the cliffs that is not recommended for towing your trailer unless you are very adventurous. We've driven it uphill in just our truck and once was enough, not that far out of the way to go around via paved roads.

Tons of other wonderful places to explore in this area. The Needles section of Canyonlands National Park, not far north on highway 191, is a favorite of ours, primitive and remote.
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Old 04-21-2019, 05:43 AM   #43
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Originally Posted by Perryb67 View Post
Great write up.

Picked up our 5.0 last October and have 17 weeks of camping in it so far. In February the lock for the storage over the LP tanks wouldn't accept the key and had to be replaced. Took forever to get it open! Now the lock on the rear passenger side hatch is having issues and needs replacement. What scares me is if the hatch for the landing gear decides not to work. I'm going to remove the locks and put in standard non-locking openers, and drill a hole for the locks in those doors for when they absolutely need to be locked.

Enjoy,

Perry
Perry, I will probably replace our hatch locks with this type: https://smile.amazon.com/Prime-Produ...omotive&sr=1-4 I did that on our old trailer and in 20 years never had a problem with them, they are pretty bulletproof. I wouldn't want no locks as we store our trailer at a commercial storage yard. I'll just need to check on the size before ordering to get ones that will fit - also replaced the lock on my truck toolbox and it was handy to have the truck box and trailer hatch locks all keyed alike with a good secure lock.
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Old 04-21-2019, 06:01 AM   #44
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We are almost home now, will get back to Austin after a short drive today. With one stop along the way to show our 5.0TA to someone who lives along the way and asked to see it...we are already getting used to our Escape attracting a lot of attention!

After spending a week in the trailer, it has really sunk in to us just how well made the Escape is. Our 20 year old fifth wheel was almost three feet longer but somehow the 5.0TA feels larger inside...and immensely more solid. The design is efficient and very livable in so many little ways, and the exterior is beautiful and stylish in a class by itself. And, like everyone else has reported, it tows like a dream.

We got almost every option and so far have no regrets about any of them. I am very happy with the solar, inverter and EMS. The control panels for them make all the info I need easily available and it is really neat to us to watch the solar panels top the batteries off daily. Stopping for lunch at a rest area on a sunny day, it seems like the height of luxury to be able to run the electric awning out a couple of feet to shade the windows, and turn on the inverter to run the microwave a short time to warm up a hot drink. We are looking forward to many boondocking adventures with this trailer.

There have been only a couple of little minor glitches so far. The range hood fan failed the first day - ETI already has a new one in the mail to us. And the black dump valve is not sealing completely - every time I remove the sewer hose connection cap to dump I am greeted with a cup or so of black water. I dread what it may take to remedy that - ETI did a terrific job with the foam insulation underneath - the tanks and black/gray lines right up to the dump valves are very well protected. It will be heartbreaking if some of that brand new foam has to be cut away to access the black dump valve for replacement - have an email in to ETI about that, hoping that they have some magic easy fix to suggest before it becomes necessary to resort to that.

Our experience is no doubt similar to almost every other new Escape owner as far as being thrilled with our trailer. We spent over a year researching, selecting options, and following the forum and felt very comfortable in outfitting the trailer with features that would work well for us. We also were certain that the quality of the Escape would be terrific. With those high expectations, I have to admit that our 5.0TA has exceeded our expectations in every way - we knew it would be nice, but we didn't fully appreciate just how nice it would be. Looking forward to many adventures ahead!
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Old 04-21-2019, 06:22 AM   #45
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Originally Posted by davidmurphy02 View Post
And the black dump valve is not sealing completely - every time I remove the sewer hose connection cap to dump I am greeted with a cup or so of black water. I dread what it may take to remedy that - ETI did a terrific job with the foam insulation underneath - the tanks and black/gray lines right up to the dump valves are very well protected. It will be heartbreaking if some of that brand new foam has to be cut away to access the black dump valve for replacement - have an email in to ETI about that, hoping that they have some magic easy fix to suggest before it becomes necessary to resort to that.
David: Glad to hear the trailer is exceeding expectations. I can just imagine how well it tows. Wishing you the best on your future adventures.

For the dump valve...if it fits this twist on valve might be a (temporary?) solution.
https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Sewer/Va...RoCPUIQAvD_BwE
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Old 04-21-2019, 06:32 AM   #46
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon327;287808
For the dump valve...if it fits this twist on valve might be a (temporary?) solution.
[url
https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Sewer/Valterra/T58.html?feed=npn&gclid=CjwKCAjwqfDlBRBDEiwAigXUaN wPztbGLVysc9NKKq-jWC2IIy-sC3OdGPjg4bloGp2reuXZKvCrrRoCPUIQAvD_BwE[/url]
Wow, thanks - I had not seen a valve like this before and will have to take a look at that, if it would fit I would consider trying that before cutting away foam to replace the black valve.
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Old 04-21-2019, 06:54 AM   #47
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Wow, thanks - I had not seen a valve like this before and will have to take a look at that, if it would fit I would consider trying that before cutting away foam to replace the black valve.
My concern is that there might not be room to twist it on given the tight arrangement of valves.
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Old 04-21-2019, 07:01 AM   #48
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My concern is that there might not be room to twist it on given the tight arrangement of valves.
Would be tight for sure - probably won't know unless I get one and try it, but if it works would be a terrific solution. I've also been wondering that if I do have to replace the black valve, might it be possible to remove the bolts holding the valve in place without cutting away the foam....I'm thinking the foam might hold the nuts in place and it could be possible to remove just the bolts, put a new valve in (or possibly just new rubber seals, I suspect that will be the problem) and insert the bolts back. If the foam holds the nuts in place that could work....or maybe just wishful thinking.
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Old 04-21-2019, 07:14 AM   #49
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Before making any drastic changes I'd use the trailer awhile, mine first dribbled before emptying and after awhile the discharge was minimal. Perhaps it is just taking some time to seat the valves properly, but some leak is normal. That is why there is such a big apron around those dump areas....it is normal.
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Old 04-21-2019, 07:41 AM   #50
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Could be something as simple as a piece of TP stuck in the slide and that's keeping the slide from sealing properly.
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Old 04-21-2019, 07:46 AM   #51
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And the black dump valve is not sealing completely - every time I remove the sewer hose connection cap to dump I am greeted with a cup or so of black water.
Try spraying the valve seals with silicone lubricant (not regular WD-40) though the Valterra ell while working the valve open and close. Of course, the black tank will have to be completely empty to do this!

The attached video shows how to drill a lube hole in the valves - probably don't have to do this yet but near the end of the video, he discusses spraying lube up through the dump fitting. That is the one you might try.

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Old 04-21-2019, 08:41 AM   #52
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A little late, but you can get an excellent steak dinner (and not much else is on the menu) at the Swingin' Steak Restaurant at the Mexican Lodge in Mexican Hat. Fun to watch your steak & garlic bread cooking on the swing.
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Old 04-21-2019, 01:49 PM   #53
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A little late, but you can get an excellent steak dinner (and not much else is on the menu) at the Swingin' Steak Restaurant at the Mexican Lodge in Mexican Hat. Fun to watch your steak & garlic bread cooking on the swing.
Thanks Jon. I plan to spend about 4 days at least in the Mexican Hat area. That would provide a good break from camper food. Also, back in '69 I was at "Eagle".

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Old 04-21-2019, 02:52 PM   #54
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Could be something as simple as a piece of TP stuck in the slide and that's keeping the slide from sealing properly.
Probably not that since it leaked before I had ever opened and closed the valve the first time. Unless they do really thorough quality testing at ETI....
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Old 04-21-2019, 03:54 PM   #55
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Unless they do really thorough quality testing at ETI....
A conundrum. How can one test the three tanks and valves yet turn over a new trailer with pristine tanks? This is actually the first time I have heard of a dump valve leaking right out of the factory. But I have only been on these forums 2 1/2 years so I'm still a youngster in forum years..
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Old 04-21-2019, 04:24 PM   #56
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Well, we made it home, and more importantly we made it into our driveway! I had previously mentioned getting the high lift axle because we have to go over a hump into our downhill sloping driveway and wound up with 8-7/8" of clearance above the tailgate. We made it with an inch to spare! This is such a relief.....Plan B would have been a pretty big PITA.

One advantage of the fifth wheel in our sloping driveway is that it has plenty of room to have the front end kneel down almost to the ground in order to be level. That has a side benefit of making the nose closer to the ground, which will come in handy tomorrow when I have to get up there to scrub off the approximately two million bugs plastered on it. Sadly we can't keep it in our driveway thanks to HOA rules, it will live at a storage facility 30 minutes away.
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Old 04-21-2019, 04:30 PM   #57
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If that's the long-term parking location, and you intend to park it level like that (rather than parallel to the ground), I suggest that you put ramps under the rear tires so that all tires are sitting on about the same level - that way the suspensions of the two axles will be equally compressed. Sitting with most of the load on the leading axle will eventually prematurely kill the rubber in the front suspension. Yes, there is substantial surplus axle capacity and this would take a long time to be an issue, but I am assuming that anyone buying an Escape is planning to own it for many years.
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Old 04-21-2019, 04:30 PM   #58
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Originally Posted by tdf-texas View Post
Try spraying the valve seals with silicone lubricant (not regular WD-40) though the Valterra ell while working the valve open and close. Of course, the black tank will have to be completely empty to do this!

The attached video shows how to drill a lube hole in the valves - probably don't have to do this yet but near the end of the video, he discusses spraying lube up through the dump fitting. That is the one you might try.

Wow, that is a really neat tip - I would never have thought of that but it sure looks like a winner. Now that we are home with empty tanks I plan to try rinsing out the black valve with the valve open and spraying some lubricant in there, then adding some water to the black tank and checking in a day or two to see what's happening.

As always, forum members are a fount of wisdom - I now have several things to try and am much more hopeful that replacing the valve will not be necessary.
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Old 04-21-2019, 04:31 PM   #59
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If that's the long-term parking location, and you intend to park it level like that (rather than parallel to the ground), I suggest that you put ramps under the rear tires so that all tires are sitting on about the same level - that way the suspensions of the two axles will be equally compressed. Sitting with most of the load on the leading axle will eventually prematurely kill the rubber in the front suspension. Yes, there is substantial surplus axle capacity and this would take a long time to be an issue, but I am assuming that anyone buying an Escape is planning to own it for many years.
If we were able to park it at home I would definitely do that, but sadly our neighborhood association does not allow that. It just comes home temporarily for loading and unloading and lives at a storage facility 30 minutes away.
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Old 04-21-2019, 05:06 PM   #60
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Hatch locks

... I'll just need to check on the size before ordering to get ones that will fit - also replaced the lock on my truck toolbox and it was handy to have the truck box and trailer hatch locks all keyed alike with a good secure lock.[/QUOTE]

Hi Dave,
I installed these locks as soon as I got the trailer, and it is an easy swap.
From Amazon; Prime Products 18-3325 7/8 ACE Camlock- Pack of 4
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Prime+Pro...ref=nb_sb_noss
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