Service from Afar?

[Schuhouse]

Hi, I am new to this forum and am considering an Escape 19/21. I have a couple of questions, please forgive me in advance if this has been asked before.
First a little background and introductions. My wife and I bought a brand new 2014 28' Airstream flying cloud and traveled with it for two years. We had some great trips with it, but did find it over-sized for our needs. At the time I was still working, thinking we would use our trailer in retirement. We ended up moving from Illinois to the beaches of Delaware, as a result the trailer ended up sitting more than being used. That wasn't the only determining fact in selling it back to an airstream dealer (for a considerable financial hit) but some of the warranty issues that seemed to plaque our trailer. The biggest and final issue was it had a leak that seemed never to be fixed and over the winter of '16 only worsened.
I have recently retired and am getting the itch to once again travel to national and state parks, but we both have some hesitation after our first experience.
I like the idea of a fiberglass, light weight trailer that is also water tight. Having had to frequent airstream dealers and factory I would have concerns about access to service. So my big question is, even with a two year warranty how does one get service from 3000 miles away with no local dealers? I read great experiences from Escape owners (as I had from airstream owners) but would like to know what your experience is like when something does go wrong. Thank you for your help and insight.

[cpaharley2008]

Welcome Rick,
Having owned 3 Escapes I can safely say your warranty issues will be minimal. Any component can be serviced at any rv dealer and any issue with the fiberglass can be done at a boat place, which I am sure there are a few near you. Contact Escape and ask for owners near you to view and BTW, welcome.

[Schuhouse]

Thank you Jim for the quick response.

[padlin]

The only issues I've had are on non Escape parts, such as the fridge. These are warranted by the manufacturer, such as Dometic, so repair shops are easy to find. As Jim mentions, boat shops, which you must have there are the coast, would be your best bet for fiberglass repairs. Any such items you's have to coordinate with ETI so you could be reimbursed or they would pay for the repair direct.

I've used a local mobile repair tech with good results.

FWIW, Escapes aren't exactly light weight when comparing them to similar square footage conventional RV's. Mine weighs more then the same sized trailer I had before.

[Schuhouse]

Originally Posted by padlin

...

FWIW, Escapes aren't exactly light weight when comparing them to similar square footage conventional RV's. Mine weighs more then the same sized trailer I had before.

We wanted to lighten up our load, our '28 airstream had a 976 lbs tongue weight. When I compare the Escape with a similar size airstream it appears to be some 1000 lbs lighter. IF I am comparing this correctly it appears a 19 foot flying cloud had a unit based weight of 3842 vs 2950 for an Escape and a 20' FC 4271 lbs vs 3210 for the 21' Escape. That will give us more flexibility when we replace our Chevy Silverado.

Off topic, but does anyone know where there is a video of the 21' Escape? I can only find limited videos of the '19.
Thank you all for the help.

[cpaharley2008]

In addition the 19' Airstream is single axle, the 19 is dual axle so part of the weight is the second axle which gives you better towing experience. Typically the 19 has around 450# tongue weight and 3500-4,000# loaded weight with options and personal items. The 21' will be a little higher, mine was 4300# loaded with 500# tongue weight.

[Schuhouse]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

In addition the 19' Airstream is single axle, the 19 is dual axle so part of the weight is the second axle which gives you better towing experience.

I agree, I suspect backing up a single axle at night could have some challenges, at least that was my experience with a single axle boat trailer.

Typically the 19 has around 450# tongue weight and 3500-4,000# loaded weight with options and personal items. The 21' will be a little higher, mine was 4300# loaded with 500# tongue weight.

I am surprised the little weight difference between the 19 and 21. If we do this we want small, but I see a lot of advantages to the 21 with only one disadvantage (bed size) as already discussed in other threads.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Schuhouse

[
I agree, I suspect backing up a single axle at night could have some challenges, at least that was my experience with a single axle boat trailer.

[

We all have different experiences and react to them differently. For me, my boat trailer, with it's single axle and long tongue, was a breeze to back up. My short little m/c trailer,

Although I love my tandem axle, I wouldn't want anyone thinking that a single axle is more difficult to back up. At least that's not been my experience.

Ron

[Schuhouse]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

We all have different experiences and react to them differently. For me, my boat trailer, with it's single axle and long tongue, was a breeze to back up. My short little m/c trailer,

Although I love my tandem axle, I wouldn't want anyone thinking that a single axle is more difficult to back up. At least that's not been my experience.

Ron

Good Point Ron, It was most likely the operator, it was my first trailer experience many many years ago.

[cpaharley2008]

I am surprised the little weight difference between the 19 and 21. If we do this we want small, but I see a lot of advantages to the 21 with only one disadvantage (bed size) as already discussed in other threads.

It maybe a little more, I had a 1s G 21 and a 2nd G 19, so the weight could be a little more but not that much. The 21 is wider and heavier so I opted to return to the 19 for better gas and also the queen in back with opening back windows. The 1st G rear did not open.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Schuhouse

I agree, I suspect backing up a single axle at night could have some challenges, at least that was my experience with a single axle boat trailer.

I agree with Ron - a single axle is not a concern for backing up. In fact, tandem axles make the trailer a little more difficult to back up, for two reasons:

1. the scrubbing of tires (because the two axles fight each other turns) adds resistance to motion, making it more difficult to manoeuver smoothly (and much more difficult to turn when pushing by hand)
2. the scrubbing also makes the path taken by the trailer a little less predictable, because the tires of the two axles don't always scrub evenly.

I'm not suggesting that backing up a tandem is a problem, only that tandem axles don't have an advantage in backing, or conversely that a single axle is not a problem at all.

What does matter is length: short trailers can be harder to back up because they are more sensitive to steering action. That makes them more manoeuverable, but sometimes frustrating to control.

[Schuhouse]

Back to the original question I just read the online owners manual and see that Escape's policy is as follows:
"Warranty service requests must be made within the warranty period and should ordinarily be initiated by Escape Trailer Industries.
1. Inspect your travel trailer thoroughly to determine exactly what service is required.
2. Contact Escape Trailer Industries by phone or email with this information.
3. If Escape Trailer Industries is not within a reasonable proximity for service, Escape Trailer Industries
will work with a reputable service center near the customer."

This appears to be very reassuring!

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by Schuhouse

Back to the original question I just read the online owners manual and see that Escape's policy is as follows:

"Warranty service requests must be made within the warranty period and should ordinarily be initiated by Escape Trailer Industries.

1. Inspect your travel trailer thoroughly to determine exactly what service is required.

2. Contact Escape Trailer Industries by phone or email with this information.

3. If Escape Trailer Industries is not within a reasonable proximity for service, Escape Trailer Industries

will work with a reputable service center near the customer."



This appears to be very reassuring!

Recently had small issue with a window leak. Sent an email at around 5pm, at around 10 the next am I got a call from ETI. The owner of the company talked me through an easy fix and I had the necessary gasket in my mailbox within 2 days. The leak had nothing to do with the window installation, the gasket was installed by manufacturer incorrectly. I think ETI will work with anyone to get a problem solved.


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