5.0 TA Television mounts

[rmitch]

Question for 5.0 TA owners.
When we picked up our trailer in May we had not yet purchased a T.V.,
Escape did not install the T.V. mounts without the T.V.
We have the T.V. ready option in the standard spot ( right side cabinet in bed area ). We also have T.V. ready in the dinette area ( left side upper cabinet ). I bought two arms so I had the mounts to move T.V. back and forth. My question is where are the arms mounted? Are they on the edge of the wall or on the face of the wall? Any pictures would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[padamas]

The mount supplied by Escape attaches on the edge of the wall between the bed and the closet or cupboard next to the door; at least that's where we mounted ours. Same as you, ETI would not attach the TV mount because we didn't bring the TV with us for orientation.
Its easy to attach it to the edge of that wall with the supplied screws and the TV will be viewable from the dinette or the bed. I think ETI says the maximum TV size is 22", but our 24" fits just fine and swings freely around to face forward or back.
Sorry, no picture.

[cpaharley2008]

The edges of the walls cabinets should have studs and that is where ETI normally mounts the tv mount. Unless you had a wall reinforced, I'd stick to the edges.

[davidmurphy02]

Ditto what the others have said - the framing inside the edge of the bulkhead walls is substantial and works well for attaching a tv arm mounting base with large screws. Here's a photo of the TV in the stowed position, mounted on the bulkhead wall between the bedroom and cabinet next to the door. When the arm is pulled out the TV can easily be turned to face either the bed or the dinette.

We didn't get the ETI mount - after trying another one that I didn't like, I found this one that has a couple of very handy features. It has a spring loaded pin that snaps into place when the arm is all the way back against the wall and locks it there securely for travel. There's a chain hanging down that you pull to release the lock so the arm can be swung out. The swivel joints are fairly tight - just enough play that you can easily move the TV, but snug enough that it stays in whatever position you place it in with no wobble - our old bracket required tightening down knobs on the joints which was a pain every time we moved the TV.

Here's the mounting arm: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We have a 22" TV - but that bulkhead wall is strong enough that you could certainly mount a larger TV if desired, as long as whatever arm you use fits that size TV.

We got a 12 volt TV with built in DVD player, and have been pleasantly surprised at the picture quality and audio volume - better than we expected for an inexpensive TV: 22" Skyworth LED 12 Volt TV DVD Combo SLC2221A

[Jim Bennett]

I had Escape install TV hookups in the loft passenger side, and at the front of the dinette upper cabinets near the fridge. I have a 24" Samsung and installed one mounting bracket on the bulkhead to the loft bed side and one on the fridge wall. The one on the fridge wall I wanted just away from the support board so sistered another chunk in when I had the fridge removed, real easy to do.

All that and we have watched the TV once in 2 1/2 years of owning as it is really only used when weather is really crappy and we are stuck inside. I am sure this will hit us in the future, it did one trip before this trailer.

We keep the RV and arm stowed except when viewing.

[LuGreen]

Hello David. So the mount (and the TV when not being viewed) is facing the wardrobe? Is that what I'm seeing in your pic? Are you able open the cabinet to the right of the door? Do you find that watching the TV from the bed in the 5.0 is comfortable? Thank you so much. Your posts have been very helpful as we plan for our 5.0TA.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by LuGreen

Hello David. So the mount (and the TV when not being viewed) is facing the wardrobe? Is that what I'm seeing in your pic? Are you able open the cabinet to the right of the door? Do you find that watching the TV from the bed in the 5.0 is comfortable? Thank you so much. Your posts have been very helpful as we plan for our 5.0TA.

Yes, in the stowed position the TV is pushed back against that cabinet door with the TV facing the wardrobe. It's easy to just release the lock on the mount and pull it out a bit to access that cabinet next to the door, we normally only keep it all the way back in the locked position for travel.

We find it comfortable to watch TV from the bed, usually propped up with pillows. With the TV swung around the other direction you can see it from the dinette.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Yes, in the stowed position the TV is pushed back against that cabinet door with the TV facing the wardrobe. It's easy to just release the lock on the mount and pull it out a bit to access that cabinet next to the door, we normally only keep it all the way back in the locked position for travel.

We find it comfortable to watch TV from the bed, usually propped up with pillows. With the TV swung around the other direction you can see it from the dinette.

I agree with all of David’s comments. Easy to watch from bed or dinette and a slight push on the mount if it is in a position that blocks cabinet access. The only thing I would add is that I believe ETI recommends that the TV not be left in place during travel as it’s weight may put stress on the screws that attach to the stud in the wall. It is key to note that these studs are not 2 x 4s; they are somewhat flimsy. The mount ETI supplies does not lock in place using a pull chain (I did have that mount in my previous SOB trailer an it worked well) but it does separate into two pieces as the half attached to the TV can be slid up and out of the half attached to the cabinet stud. We typically transport our TV in a custom sewed sack made from a bath towel, face down in the space between the mattress and the outer wall. Our TV is a 19-inch Toshiba. A larger TV might not fit into that space but we have also transported it atop the mattress.

[davidmurphy02]

I don't know the dimensions of the framing lumber in the end of that bulkhead panel where the TV mounts, but it is fairly substantial and very solid - I had to predrill holes for the two large mounting screws for the TV wall bracket, and I'd guess it is 1-1/2" thick at least. I was originally dubious about leaving the TV mounted for travel, but TV's are pretty lightweight these days, and since the mount locks securely to the wall I decided to give it a try. A year later, after speed bumps and rough roads, the TV has been fine and it is certainly easier to leave it on the wall mount.

That one big bump in Capitol Reef NP didn't affect the TV, but the entire contents of our pantry dumped out on the floor. A locking latch on the pantry door has corrected that little issue.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

I was originally dubious about leaving the TV mounted for travel, but TV's are pretty lightweight these days, and since the mount locks securely to the wall I decided to give it a try. A year later, after speed bumps and rough roads, the TV has been fine and it is certainly easier to leave it on the wall mount.

That one big bump in Capitol Reef NP didn't affect the TV, but the entire contents of our pantry dumped out on the floor. A locking latch on the pantry door has corrected that little issue.

David, not my intention to contradict you or suggest you that you are going to have problems. I would love to switch to the chain locking bracket and leave the TV in place 24/7/365. As I stated, I installed that same bracket in a previous SOB (Shoddily Constructed And Maintenance Plagued) trailer. That particular company installs veneered plywood walls in their Deluxe models. I was able to mount the bracket with bolts using fender washers on the back side of a cabinet wall.
I am just repeating what I was told by ETI during orientation when they installed the bracket. If ETI has ceased recommending that a TV can be left in place while towing I would change brackets In a heartbeat and leave the TV in place as you do.

Perhaps others who have recently picked up and had the TV bracket installed can comment what ETI now recommends?

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

David, not my intention to contradict you or suggest you that you are going to have problems. I would love to switch to the chain locking bracket and leave the TV in place 24/7/365.

Hey, no worries, I didn't take it that way at all - the more opinions the better - at least here on the forum! Just relating my experience. I also previously had a much more flimsy stick and tin trailer, and have been impressed at how very solid everything is throughout the Escape. At the Pineknot rally last fall I showed David Desjardins a few things in our trailer, including the TV bracket, and he was taking notes for possible product upgrade discussions later...don't know whether anything ever came of that as far as the TV bracket. They are always tweaking and improving things, though, glad to see that they replaced the battery disconnect switch with a more robust switch and also moved it inside the dinette bench where it will never get turned off by mistake.

[LuGreen]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Yes, in the stowed position the TV is pushed back against that cabinet door with the TV facing the wardrobe. It's easy to just release the lock on the mount and pull it out a bit to access that cabinet next to the door, we normally only keep it all the way back in the locked position for travel.

We find it comfortable to watch TV from the bed, usually propped up with pillows. With the TV swung around the other direction you can see it from the dinette.

Thank you for the pics! I understand now....

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Ditto what the others have said - the framing inside the edge of the bulkhead walls is substantial and works well for attaching a tv arm mounting base with large screws. Here's a photo of the TV in the stowed position, mounted on the bulkhead wall between the bedroom and cabinet next to the door. When the arm is pulled out the TV can easily be turned to face either the bed or the dinette.

We didn't get the ETI mount - after trying another one that I didn't like, I found this one that has a couple of very handy features. It has a spring loaded pin that snaps into place when the arm is all the way back against the wall and locks it there securely for travel. There's a chain hanging down that you pull to release the lock so the arm can be swung out. The swivel joints are fairly tight - just enough play that you can easily move the TV, but snug enough that it stays in whatever position you place it in with no wobble - our old bracket required tightening down knobs on the joints which was a pain every time we moved the TV.

Here's the mounting arm: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We originally planned on mounting our television as David did, but we found placing the television on the counter worked well for us and we won't need to move it to get into the cupboards. We don't and likely won't be watching watch television in bed. We store it laying flat above the microwave cabinet along with a laptop and some of Colleen's computer needs. We could just as well set it beside the bed if we wanted that space for something else.

We did add the TV/cable ready with 120V option, but we have been using a MIFI Hotspot from Verizon which works out well for us.

If anyone is interested I have the same mounting arm as David, it is $40.95 on Amazon, I'd sell it for $20 plus shipping. It is unused in it's original box. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Jim Bennett]

I installed a RV mount on the front door side in the loft, and one in the driver front side of the dinette. Easy to do. We actually used the one in the dinette once, but not the one in the loft, in the 3 years of having this setup. TV for us is really not used much as there are other things we prefer to do. Though there was one trip to Oregon that saw storming weather for two weeks straight 4 years back that saw us watch a bit more.

Our TV gets stowed away when not in use or when travelling. This is easy to do, gets it right out of the way, causes no stress on bumpy roads, and looks way better too.