Wild ride - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Problem Solving | Owners helping each other
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 10-18-2017, 06:51 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Mucram's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: boise, Idaho
Trailer: 2018 19'
Posts: 521
Wild ride

Coming back from the Oregon coast decided to explore southern Oregon. Left Bullard beach sp & drove to Hart Mt refuge. Wow, what a road as well as wondrous scenery. Camped at hot springs which settled my nerves after miles of wash board road. Then headed to French Glenn & Page springs. Wowza! More bumpy slow miles. Once ensconced in this beautiful Cg found things amiss. Fridge door difficult to open & screen door seems to catch on frame now. Tighten as many screws as I could find. May have to live with this. Warning, our escapes do not like 100’s of miles of washboardy roads! On a happier note, was able to winterize easily w winterizing t valve. Now concerned about that city water inlet everyone’s chatting about. Sorry for the ramble. Julie
Mucram is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2017, 07:04 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,728
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mucram View Post
.
Warning, our escapes do not like 100’s of miles of washboardy roads! Julie
That's not been my experience. I've done a lot of washboard in Alaska, Baja and across the U.S. and Canada. The only things that have loosened up on my trailer have been some cabinet door hinge screws and the microwave bracket screws. In that case, I mean, really, holding the microwave by surface mounting the front and leaving the entire weight cantilevered into the opening. A spacer at the rear improved that situation.

But the bottom line is that small items that may loosen are no biggie when you consider the major factor is that the shell is "one piece" and can take a huge amount of washboard and still not develop leaks etc.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2017, 07:19 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
How fast do you drive wash board if you want the rig to survive.

We have pot holes, not wash board.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
padlin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2017, 07:27 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Mucram's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: boise, Idaho
Trailer: 2018 19'
Posts: 521
I drove very slow no more than 20 mph
Mucram is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2017, 07:59 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Devil Dog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Steveston B.C., British Columbia
Trailer: 2012- 17'B.... 2016 Tacoma SR5 TRD
Posts: 504
Glad to hear I'm not the one actually using there trailer and tightening a few screws from time to time . My fridge door has fallen off twice .. so far ....
Like they say enjoy the ride ... it's one way .
__________________
I've almost been everywhere man.
Almost been everywhere.....
Devil Dog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2017, 08:11 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: West Coast, Florida
Trailer: None now
Posts: 1,266
Our microwave did the same thing. I'll cut a couple pieces of foam and wedge it to prevent it from happening again. Thanks for the idea. I had put wood glue in the screw holes to see if that would help.

It may never happen but to prevent the fridge door from opening I take a small piece of low residue duct tape and use it to hold the door closed.
wetzk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2017, 08:40 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin View Post
How fast do you drive wash board if you want the rig to survive.

We have pot holes, not wash board.
Depends.
I drive as fast as necessary to smooth out the ride, but not so fast that the tow and trailer start sliding sideways in the corners.
It's kinda like speed bumps. I don't slow down for most of them either.
Pot holes are an entirely different animal.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2017, 09:36 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,728
Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin View Post
How fast do you drive wash board if you want the rig to survive.

We have pot holes, not wash board.
On the worst 20 mile section of Mex 5 it takes me 1 1/2 hours.
But it's the potholes that slow me down. As Glen says, on washboard speed is mostly determined by finding the sweet spot. Going uphill on the Moki Dugway it's almost all washboard and you definitely have to make sure the trailer doesn't start drifting sideways on the hairpins.


Quote:
Originally Posted by wetzk View Post
Our microwave did the same thing. I'll cut a couple pieces of foam and wedge it to prevent it from happening again. Thanks for the idea. I had put wood glue in the screw holes to see if that would help.

The problem on ours was that the "floor" of the microwave compartment wasn't square to the face. The back of the microwave may have sat on the floor before the face screws were tightened but as they tightened up pulling the brackets into position it lifted the rear of the microwave. That left the microwave cantilevered into the opening. A lot of strain on the face mounted screws even from small bounces.


Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2017, 09:56 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
float5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Denison, Texas
Trailer: 2015 21'; 2011 19' sold; 4Runner; ph ninezero3 327-27ninefour
Posts: 5,136
You would not want to go through our area because there are big dips in the road all over town. Also common in New Mexico and don't know where else. Not something we see up north. Guess it is for flash floods but don't know. All of a sudden, Whoa!! You can really hit.
__________________
Cathy. Floating Cloud
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.... "
Emerson
float5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2017, 10:34 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,728
Quote:
Originally Posted by float5 View Post
You would not want to go through our area because there are big dips in the road all over town. Also common in New Mexico and don't know where else. Not something we see up north. Guess it is for flash floods but don't know. All of a sudden, Whoa!! You can really hit.
Very common in Baja. It saves installing a culvert or a bridge. The road dips down into a wash and back up again. Saves money and heck, most of the time there's no water in it anyway. Another good reason not to travel at night.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 12:25 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: New Westminster, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B
Posts: 218
We take a similar approach to washboard as others have noted. Drove over 50 kms of gravel roads over the summer - fast enough to smooth out the washboard but slow enough to stop for the potholes and maintain control in the loose gravel. The only problem we have had is a cracked black water dump valve from some flying rock.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
msweet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 07:35 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
If it ain't paved, it ain't be used.....!
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 07:46 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
NW Cat Owner's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Seatac, Washington
Trailer: "The Trailer", 2nd Gen 21' & a 2017 Tundra CrewMax in Blazing Blue Pearl
Posts: 2,888
Quote:
Originally Posted by wetzk View Post
It may never happen but to prevent the fridge door from opening I take a small piece of low residue duct tape and use it to hold the door closed.
Hey, I went high tech and cat-themed for my cabinet door and 2 flip-up counters.

I've not done the frig, but that's on my list of stuff to do.

Now, isn't this classier than duct tape?
Attached Thumbnails
DSC00195.jpg   DSC00196.jpg   DSC00197.jpg   DSC00198.jpg   DSC00201.jpg  

DSC00199.jpg   DSC00200.jpg  
__________________
Laura, Dirk and Sam & Jasper (the cats)
www.UnderKittySupervision.com
2017 21' trailer, new mold, rec'd 11/25/16
NW Cat Owner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 08:14 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
I have seen a flip up table flip up when not being used or is this part of the cat glamping?
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 08:37 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Danville, Kentucky
Trailer: 1988 Bigfoot TF20 DLX Fifth Wheel
Posts: 100
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
If it ain't paved, it ain't be used.....!
I'm with you. If I can avoid those kinds of "torture tests" for my trailer, I'm going to pick another road, when available.

I understand that camping is an adventure and I grew up on gravel roads while learning to drive a manual transmission: 3-on-the-tree. However, as much fun as it was learning to drift in those turns, I like may trailer waaaaay too much to subject it to the pounding that some of the cars I was allowed to drive were put through.

Not condemning anyone else's choice of roads or sense of adventure, but I'm just sayin' that I worked hard to be able to afford an Escape and I won't be bouncing it around if I can avoid it. If unavoidable, y'all will think I'm towing with a farmer's combine because I'll be coasting along between 5-10 mph and making everyone late.
TheWanderers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 08:42 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,528
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
If it ain't paved, it ain't be used.....!
That would eliminate 90% of our trailer camping. One of the reasons I like Escape, and other moulded FG trailers, is that they can easily handle this type road.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 09:07 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Danville, Kentucky
Trailer: 1988 Bigfoot TF20 DLX Fifth Wheel
Posts: 100
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
That would eliminate 90% of our trailer camping. One of the reasons I like Escape, and other moulded FG trailers, is that they can easily handle this type road.
Jim,

I have a county map that I've used to search for "gravel" roads.

I've found ONE road that was about a mile of unpaved road and another that was about 1/4 mile that seemed more like a driveway. I was able to drive into the National Forest and find several Forest Service Roads that would be considered "two track" and most were unimproved without any surface improvements or limited gravel patches.

My search was limited to the immediate county but I abandoned my search since it seem incredibly unproductive. I can only assume that the surrounding counties are in a similar condition. You'd have to wander far and wide in Kentucky to find an old dirt road these days.

I figure these conditions vary widely, but that's what makes it an adventure. If'n I find gravel, I'll jus' slow down and carry on.
TheWanderers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 11:15 AM   #18
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
Perhaps in Canada things are different but in Pennsylvania it is hard to find unpaved paths and if you did there certainly no campsites located there. Seems like it is most elsewhere, old native american paths that become trails then become roads then become interstates.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 11:15 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: West Coast, Florida
Trailer: None now
Posts: 1,266
One thing that can make a difference is how loaded your trailer is. Our 19 lightly loaded weighs around 3700 Lbs with all tanks empty with the hitch taking about 480 off of that so the axle weight is around 3220. We have 2 3500 Lb axles on ours instead of the 2500 Lb specified on the spec sheet. So we have a little bit of extra suspension and have noticed if you put something on the bed and hit a bump it gets launched.
wetzk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 11:19 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: West Coast, Florida
Trailer: None now
Posts: 1,266
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Perhaps in Canada things are different but in Pennsylvania it is hard to find unpaved paths and if you did there certainly no campsites located there. Seems like it is most elsewhere, old native american paths that become trails then become roads then become interstates.
There are quite a few gravel roads around my area and some of them can be very interesting to travel on. And a few you wonder if you really belong there.
wetzk is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:29 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.