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Old 10-30-2016, 05:54 PM   #1
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one month update

It was one month ago this friday that Prairie Schooner was delivered to us in Chilliwack, BC. Since then we attended a rally held on the Mississippi River 3 days later attended by several members. We left there and headed home due to the impending hurricane which just grazed our area. Over the next 2 weeks I performed some needed modifications and took her out again this weekend to a local cg about 90 miles miles away. All systems are performing as intended, the refrigerator is keeping things cold, this weekend it hit 80 degrees and I had it on #3 where 40/10 remained constant. It has not blown out while on propane the entire trip back east. Solar is 100% by 11 am daily. The digital thermostat operates both the a/c as well as heat as it dropped down to 34 last night. I finally had to empty the Canadian water in my fresh tank in preparation for winterization. The awning retracted twice this weekend due to wind gusts, works like a charm. The awning light is really bright and lights up the campsite. The 45 degree on the sewer is fixed but there is plenty of clearance for dumping. Escape also added some rubber seal along the edges in the front storage box to keep the lid tight and prevent water intrusion.
I love the new windows, they allow plenty of air and when closed seal out the weather and noise. Really sharp exterior due to the windows, gave several tours to SOB's who were there in their behemoth 30 foot 5th wheels and they were surprised by the layout spaciousness. The split rear windows is icing on the cake. I'm averaging 14 mpg towing with my tow vehicle and for some reason there seems to be more accessible bulk storage than I had in the 21 with the "U" dinette. I highly recommend the cabinet door at the dinette end and the larger outside access door allows me to empty my truck bed except for my bike, all put under the bed now thru the outside hatch.
Still to do, install lights under the bed to the factory installed 12v drop there and a step light.
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Old 10-30-2016, 07:04 PM   #2
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New 19

Glad to hear all systems are go and that you are enjoying the new rig.
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Old 10-30-2016, 07:26 PM   #3
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Regarding the 45 degree sewer outlet. Do you have your trailer lifted or is it at the standard height? The lift is the only thing I am still debating upgrading to ( OK I'd like 3000 Lb axles too but I was told that is a no go ). I'd like to keep it low so I have less of it up in the air if possible,
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Old 10-30-2016, 07:40 PM   #4
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Standard height and 2500# axles.
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Old 10-30-2016, 07:54 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
gave several tours to SOB's who were there in their behemoth 30 foot 5th wheels and they were surprised by the layout spaciousness.
AWESOME!!
Keep an eye on the mailbox next year!
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Old 10-30-2016, 07:55 PM   #6
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Regarding the 45 degree sewer outlet. Do you have your trailer lifted or is it at the standard height? The lift is the only thing I am still debating upgrading to ( OK I'd like 3000 Lb axles too but I was told that is a no go ). I'd like to keep it low so I have less of it up in the air if possible,
Only lift it if your planning on going off road. I can crawl around under our trailer if I want to work on something with the standard axles.
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Old 10-30-2016, 07:55 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by wetzk View Post
Regarding the 45 degree sewer outlet. Do you have your trailer lifted or is it at the standard height? The lift is the only thing I am still debating upgrading to ( OK I'd like 3000 Lb axles too but I was told that is a no go ). I'd like to keep it low so I have less of it up in the air if possible,
Can you tell me, why are you thinking of high lift on the axles? We've had no issues with ground clearance.

Also, why 3000# axles? The 19 loaded will be around 4000 lbs, and dual 2500# axles means a total of 5000# capacity, although it may not be exactly evenly distributed. You'll be comfortably under the total axle capacity, because a few hundred lbs of the weight is supported by the hitch.
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Old 10-30-2016, 08:05 PM   #8
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Also, 3,000 lb. axles will stiffen the ride, taking a toll on the trailer and contents over time.
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Old 10-30-2016, 08:05 PM   #9
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Can you tell me, why are you thinking of high lift on the axles?
With the lift kit, there is less likelihood of having to "walk the slinky" to get it to drain when connected to the high sewer connections some parks like to install.
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Old 10-30-2016, 08:17 PM   #10
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With the lift kit, there is less likelihood of having to "walk the slinky" to get it to drain when connected to the high sewer connections some parks like to install.
I don't see that as enough reason to get it. The vast majority of sewer drains are at or near ground level. While there are some advantages to the higher lift, especially if you intend to camp in rougher terrain, a higher lift will also create more wind resistance, and lower gas mileage when towing. With our Rhinoflex hose and the accordion support, we have yet to encounter any campground or dump station where we couldn't create enough slope to drain. Besides, it's only a concern when you're dumping.
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Old 10-30-2016, 08:27 PM   #11
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Tom is basing his dumping experience based on Casita ownership. The valves on the Casita are quite a bit lower than on the Escape.
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Old 10-30-2016, 08:38 PM   #12
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Tom is basing his dumping experience based on Casita ownership. The valves on the Casita are quite a bit lower than on the Escape.
Ah, that would explain it. The Casitas have a drain that pivots down, no?
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Old 10-30-2016, 08:42 PM   #13
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Tom is basing his dumping experience based on Casita ownership. The valves on the Casita are quite a bit lower than on the Escape.
Actually, I'm basing it on the measurements I took on several Escapes. My Casita is higher than any of the Escapes that didn't have a lift kit. (my Casita has the high lift axle and 29" LT tires)

It's not a big deal which is higher - I was just trying to explain that there are reasons for the lift kit other than rough terrain.
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Old 10-30-2016, 08:42 PM   #14
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Ah, that would explain it. The Casitas have a drain that pivots down, no?
Yes, but the consensus on the CasitaForum is to leave it down. It never was really designed to be moved up and down many, many times... it will fail (at the least opportune time).
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Old 10-30-2016, 09:07 PM   #15
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I think the lift is about 2 1/2 inches.
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Old 10-30-2016, 09:14 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by tdf-texas View Post
Actually, I'm basing it on the measurements I took on several Escapes. My Casita is higher than any of the Escapes that didn't have a lift kit. (my Casita has the high lift axle and 29" LT tires)

It's not a big deal which is higher - I was just trying to explain that there are reasons for the lift kit other than rough terrain.
You are right: the dump situation can be a problem. We have come across this several times. In a case or two, we resorted to putting blocks under the other side but usually we do not want to bother.
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Old 10-30-2016, 09:50 PM   #17
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.... (my Casita has the high lift axle and 29" LT tires)
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Old 10-31-2016, 12:45 AM   #18
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I think the lift is about 2 1/2 inches.
Yes, the current lift option is Dexter Axle's kit for the Torflex #10, which is a set of spacers that are 2-5/8" tall (according to Dexter).
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Old 10-31-2016, 03:08 AM   #19
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one month update

The reason I got the lift kit on our Escape 21 was to compensate for the reduced clearance due to the spray on insulation we ordered. We go down rough roads at times and in the past (with previous stick-built trailer ) have had to take great care avoiding rocks and ridges. The trailer looks and handles just as well as before we had the lift kit installed.

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Old 10-31-2016, 07:25 AM   #20
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Actually, I'm basing it on the measurements I took on several Escapes. My Casita is higher than any of the Escapes that didn't have a lift kit. (my Casita has the high lift axle and 29" LT tires)

It's not a big deal which is higher - I was just trying to explain that there are reasons for the lift kit other than rough terrain.
Our 2007 17' Casita was much lower than our 19' Escape because of the way Casita pipes the Gray tank to try to get it to drain. I did have problems draining the Casita a few times but have only had a problem with the Escape one time in Yellowstone (Fishing Bridge). I was finally able to even drain there. Hookups were 12" off the ground.
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