2016 17B: license plate vs. battery box

[hrewer]

We picked up our 17B last Halloween. We didn't get it to the CA DMV until the first week in December. We only just now got the license plate. When I went to mount it in the license plate holder I find that the driver's side 6V battery box covers the last number on the plate. Has anyone got a "work-around" for this?

[cpaharley2008]

Get a duplicate plate and mount on the battery box?

[Brian B-P]

Some potential work-arounds:

1. If there is room on the flat part of the body, remount the holder further left. The edge of the plate can even protrude past the edge of the body, but if it goes past the bumper it risks getting bent on something.
2. An adapter plate could be bolted (or riveted) to the stock plate holder, to shift the plate left... same potential protrusion issue.
3. The plate could be mounted higher on the body, above the battery box; however, that would require running the wire for the light up there, and making new holes (for mounting screws and the wire) in the fiberglass. If that goes above the dinette seat cabinet (which is likely) only the interior lining would cover the wiring and hardware.
4. The plate holder (and wiring) could be moved to the battery box or bumper (not duplicated - displaying two plates seems both unnecessary and likely illegal to me).
5. The battery support structure could be modified to move the battery to the right. The spare might need to be shifted as well (and it is attached to a bracket which is welded to the bumper), and the amount of shift will be limited by the spare running into the other battery box.

I have two suggestions which are not work-arounds, but might lead to a solution:

• Compare the situation for this trailer with a single-battery new-style 17', to see if they both have this issue, or if any of the differences might suggest a solution. Photos taken straight-on from the rear would help. (Only the 17' has a battery or batteries mounted on the back.)
• Contact Escape and explain your concern.

[gbaglo]

Here you go, but I don't think it's of much use.
My plate has to bend over top of the slinky holder.

[Brian B-P]

That helps, baglo. Your plate is (just) entirely outboard of the frame rail, and still appears to be well short of protruding past either body or bumper.

The battery box is immediately inboard of the frame rail... in both sloped-sided and now vertical-sided body styles. So, either there is enough space for Howard and Kim to move the holder outboard (my potential work-around #1) and the holder is just not placed appropriately, or the design change has reduced the available space - it should be possible to tell by looking at the new body.

The new body is wider at the bottom, but the frame rails are spaced wider (and thus the batteries further apart) to go with this change... the net effect is the question.

[gbaglo]

Yah, but, OP says they have a 2016 picked up in Oct. so I don't know that it is a new body style.
And, how big is a California trailer plate?

[Brian B-P]

The Escape Trailer web site shows a picture of the rear of a current-style 17' with dual batteries, but the driver's side (with the license plate) is not visible, and the photo isn't from directly behind, so it's hard to judge the space available.

[War Eagle]

Some photos of 17's on ETI's website show the same problem, but it appears they didn't care! Suggest: 1) an adapter that allows you to slide the plate a couple inches further to the left, 2) mount the plate onto the battery box or 3) mount the plate to the bumper using machine screws through the bottom holes of the plate into the bumper.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Yah, but, OP says they have a 2016 picked up in Oct. so I don't know that it is a new body style.

The profile says:

Trailer: Escape 17 B second generation 2016

I assume that means the new body style.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Some photos of 17's on ETI's website show the same problem...

Where did you find the photo? I didn't see any of the second-generation (vertical sided, current style) 17' that show the plate, and the other models don't have a battery box to interfere with it.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Where did you find the photo? I didn't see any of the second-generation (vertical sided, current style) 17' that show the plate, and the other models don't have a battery box to interfere with it.

You're right - first gen. One of the photos is on the Escape 17 webpage - being pulled by a small white SUV. Photo is at an angle, but you can see the problem (or that's what it looks like to me, anyway).

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Where did you find the photo? I didn't see any of the second-generation (vertical sided, current style) 17' that show the plate, and the other models don't have a battery box to interfere with it.

Maybe this photo from the It's Friday thread will help?

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/at...1&d=1485392728

[War Eagle]

Here's another relevant photo (#4/4) courtesy of Laura:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f2...tml#post143881
You'd think ETI wouldn't have allowed a design that hid part of the license plate.
Actually, it looks like the bracket is a couple inches further to the left in Dave's photo above than in Laura's. Maybe they realized the problem and tried to fix it as much as the curvature of the wall would allow.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Here's another relevant photo (#4/4) courtesy of Laura:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f2...tml#post143881
You'd think ETI wouldn't have allowed a design that hid part of the license plate.

The photo I reference clearly has the bracket further outboard than the photo you referenced. It appears ETI caught the problem. If I was the owner having the problem I would find a way to mount the plate further outboard with a modification to the plate on the existing bracket or just bolt it on and not worry about it. Unless you were doing something else wrong the cop would probably just be admiring the trailer.

[Greg A]

I always request a motorcycle plate which they'll give you in AZ if you ask. It doesn't get blocked and looks more in scale.

[Brian B-P]

Thanks for the photos.

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Maybe this photo from the It's Friday thread will help?

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/at...1&d=1485392728

Escape with blue graphics
This looks like the right-hand edge of the bracket lines up with the battery box, which I think would leave the plate partially hidden, but perhaps not as much as the original post describes.

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Here's another relevant photo (#4/4) courtesy of Laura:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f2...tml#post143881
You'd think ETI wouldn't have allowed a design that hid part of the license plate.
Actually, it looks like the bracket is a couple inches further to the left in Dave's photo above than in Laura's. Maybe they realized the problem and tried to fix it as much as the curvature of the wall would allow.

Escape with red graphics
I agree that the it is further left in the photo which Dave linked, by at least a couple of inches - compare the plate bracket to the tail lamp. Whether this is a systematic design change, or a variation between trailers, I have no idea. Perhaps the bracket was installed before the battery box, and the installer just didn't notice the incorrect position.

Either way, the photo of the trailer with blue graphics does show the bracket mounted as far left as the tail lamp, so I agree that they are likely both as far left as they can go before the body curves... which is the desired position.

Originally Posted by rubicon327

If I was the owner having the problem I would find a way to mount the plate further outboard with a modification to the plate on the existing bracket or just bolt it on and not worry about it.

I wouldn't modify the license plate, but an adapter plate (my work-around #2) would be easy... just a metal strip with two holes drilled for bolts to the original bracket, and two more offset to the left for the license plate.


Okay, Howard and Kim... which situation do you have?

• If yours is placed like the trailer with red graphics, you can move the plate bracket over (my work-around #1)
• If yours is placed like the trailer with blue graphics, you can't move the plate bracket over (my work-around #1), but if there is still a problem any of the other work-arounds are still available.

I would still suggest contacting Escape, especially before making any holes in the fiberglass.

[War Eagle]

I believe Laura infers at the start of her gen-2 17' thread that the camper she took photos of (the red graphics one) was one of the first new generation 17's to roll off the line and that Sarah then took it to a rally to show it. So it's likely it was an original design "oops" that was corrected as much as possible as soon afterward as possible (such as the blue graphics one).

[Brian B-P]

Also, since both of the (excellent) examples pictured have dual batteries, we don't know if the single-battery current-generation 17' has the battery further inboard (or on the other side), fixing the conflict with the license plate.

Maybe everybody has taken the dual-battery option?

[hrewer]

Here is a photo of the trailer. I think that ETI located the holder based upon the small Canadian trailer plate.

[cpaharley2008]

Perhaps a different style battery box without the lips would help? https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-HM426-Co...ds=battery+box