How many miles on your trailer?

[bikezest]

I did a little searching but came up blank. I wondered how many miles people have racked up on their trailers, what kind of running gear issues have been dealt with, and the service intervals followed generally.

Our new Escape is due in April, and we plan to run this trailer for 7-10 years. We are thoughtful with our things but will be dragging this trailer down many forest service roads that aren't typically "technical" but can get very washboarded and dusty. Living in far western Colorado, we will constantly be camping in the high country and deserts around our home and SE Utah. We also are planning to take on Alaska in the next several years.

We are meticulous with maintenance but will be subjecting the trailer to more than paved roads and campground loops, and we want to stay ahead of issues.

[John in Santa Cruz]

i have no idea how many miles on my 8 year old 2014... it doesn't have an odometer. its been all over the western states, from the Pacific Coast to Utah.

[Nindy]

My 17B is now 8 years old and I've averaged around 10,000 miles per year. I moved recently and have no idea where the paperwork is where I've actually added up the miles but I do have a little notebook in my truck where I keep the miles recorded. I have needed new tires every 20-25,000 miles and am on my third set and probably need new tires again soon. I get the wheel bearings serviced every other year.

My older model furnace doesn't have sail switch problems. I've mostly had refrigerator problems and am on my second absorption fridge. I've also had the inverter replaced. Little things... the cabinet hinges started breaking in the past two years and I had an entry door hinge break on a trip and had a new one overnighted.

I'm on my second set of two 6V batteries, well, actually third set since one was stolen recently.

[George Johnson]

I faithfully record the mileage, fuel consumption and pit stop locations on my TV, and keep a separate "diary" for the Lark, but whenever I start to tally up the miles the Lark has traveled I get to daydreaming where I've been and where I want to go--trying to inventory the miles traveled is a waste of my time. My wife is no help 'cause she has the same problem.

[brroberts]

I have a new trailer - Oct ‘21 E19, but for what it’s worth, one wheel bearing service, and no other chassis work. Approximately 110 nights and 9800 miles of towing. Around 16,000 miles total in the 3 trips.

[pstyer]

We received our 21C on September 6th, 2016. Since then we have travelled 54,000 miles and camped in all of the lower 48 states, including nine Canadian provinces.

We needed to replace the Carlisle tires at 24,000 miles because wheel bearings were loose and the tires were cupping. Goodyear Endurance tires are holding up well after another 30,000 miles. Tip - Have your wheel bearings checked after the initial 100 miles!

We could not keep our refrigerator working at elevations over 7,000 feet, during our first trip to Colorado. The propane pressure was too high, 12.5 inches. Iowa Dave has a manometer and we adjusted the pressure back to 11.5 inches of water and fixed that problem.

Changed our Lead Acid batteries over to Lithium after six years. One of the cells on the six volt battery died.

Most of our problems have been with the Dometic stove. The burners were rattling off and the spark ignition failed. These problems were fixed with locktite and adding a plastic hose around the ignition wires to provide extra insulation.

The water pump would not shut off initially and was replaced by Reace during the warranty period.

The faucet would leak on rough roads, we replaced it with a high rise faucet without the spray hose.

It looks like a lot of problems when you list them in a forum like this, but all of these happened over a period of six years and none of them were structural except for the wheel bearing problems. Most of the problems were associated with appliances.

We are currently in Florida for the winter months, returning to western New York to prep the trailer & pickup for our travels to Alaska this summer.
Happy Travels!
Peter & Nancy Styer
Frewsburg, NY

[kstock11]

My 2014 19 has a little over 50,000 miles on it. The first set of tires changed out a little after 20,000 miles more for age than wear. Second set of Goodyear Endurance changed out last week after 30,000 miles. (Including spare) Could have gone a little more, but “why push it?” I’m more amazed with what doesn’t break than what does. Propane heater is one example- not used for a couple years & then fires right up when needed! Fridge has worked effectively (basic smaller Dometic) with maintaining the propane supply, keeping it clean and not obsessing over how cold it is. An ice tray showing ice tells me if it is or isn’t working. Travel with the fridge mostly empty. Just changed out the “invisible screen.” Changed out multiple shade strings. Keep on top of wheel bearings & seals around openings. Always run max fan on low with bathroom window cracked to prevent moisture issues. Hope this helps others!

[cpaharley2008]

My prior 4 Escapes were lightly used as I have yet to have to refill my propane tanks on any of the 4 prior Escapes I have owned......

[Iowa Dave]

We sometimes keep close track of milage and sometimes not. My wonderful child bride Rita bought the 21 used in July of 2017. It already had 4 years of travel on it and had made several trips from Tucson to Chilliwack and Osoyoos. Maintenance and care had been impeccable.

It did not come with a solar panel so after we pulled it about 2000 miles home on a non direct trip from Tucson we took it to Chilliwack and got solar installed; 5000 miles. Then to a few rallies that fall including Niagara Falls. Miles add up. In 2018 and 2019 we traveled 17,000 miles each year.

The trailer is now on its third set of Goodyear Endurance tires the last set went 32,000 miles per tire.
Actual problems have been very minimal. One new water pump, a new propane regulator, and a few other minor fixes. I am probably excessive on my attention to running gear maintenance, tire pressures, judicious loading, electric brake adjustment, tongue weight and Anderson hitch adjustment but that’s the way I was raised. I hide in the 3 garages to get out of work and then end up working while I’m hiding.

I believe that attention to detail and attention to performance and when driving serious concentration focused on the task at hand has largely eliminated many potential problems. I disassemble clean and grease the bearings every spring. Adjust the brakes and rotate the tires every 8000 miles with the spare in rotation.
We are fortunate to have built a 24 by 32 metal building where we store the Escape. I have jack stands, several jacks, a good floor fan, and 18v Impact wrench, impact sockets and a lifetime of hand and power tools.

My youngest brother lives about 15 miles from me. He has forgotten more about maintenance than I ever knew. He helps me when need a hand. He has worked as a certified welder, electrician, HVAC person and had oversight for building maintenance in 116 eastern iowa post offices before retiring. He wired the Escape garage with a 30amp RV receptacle so the Escape stays plugged in all the time. I do not worry about the electrical use as we have a 7.6 kWh solar array that takes care of all of our electrical needs.

I recently had the brakes on the 2018 Highlander redone. At 112,000 miles on the original brakes there was still 30% wear left on the front pads and 50% left on the rears. There was a rust ridge I didn’t like on the front rotors. I could have taken it back out of the shop and probably made rhe summer on those brakes. But that’s not me. I had the original pads replaced with a premium product, and the front rotors also. I am easy on brakes because I drive way out in front of where I am and I use the hell out of the shiftable transmission in the mountains. I tow in 6th gear and her transmission don’t hunt much.

Tools I use frequently
1) Tire tread depth gauge and tire pressure tester.
2) thermal heat gun to check hub temps each time I stop
3) Manometer (mostly to help other campers)
4) 12 volt tire inflator and tire repair kit
5) Multimeter for electrical checks
6) Not a tool but grease and lubricants to fit the task
7) I carry a battery booster pack, 4 ton bottle jack, about 25 lbs of tools dedicated to just the Escape (specific sockets etc)
8) Ice pick to flip sharp rocks (mostly flint in the west) out of the tire treads.
9) Proto high polish 30 to 150 ft/lbs 1/2 inch calibrated torque wrench.
10) Genuine fairly current Rand McNally road map book.
11.) and finally, yes a small MF Ball Pien hammer.

Rita polishes the Escape once a year with Rejex and uses her
Little Giant ladder.
Hey! I hold it steady for her and move it around. And I even pull the tires and wheels so she can do a nice job on the wheel wells, so don’t judge me. Whoops. She just reminded me, she moves her own ladder. I inspect the job and say “You missed a spot!” And duck. Approaching 53 years of bliss and ducking.

I drive between about 58 and 63 miles an hour most of the time and like to drive about 350 miles a day when we are on a trip.

We haul 10 gallons of fresh water and a full hot water heater but nothing in the grey and black tanks if I don’t have to.

We use two water filters, one at the connection and one under the sink.

We have easy lube axles but I’ve never used the grease gun on them. From the words of the bank robber in the opening scenes of “Dirty Harry” “I gots to know man, I gots to know”

I realize that some people consider me “a little off” but I was raised by a WWII tanker (3 rd Armored). Gasoline, grease and sweat put me through college and I live by the Latin phrase:
Salis Populi Suprema Lex. The people’s safety is the highest law.

I don’t have any tattoos but if I did one would say “Grease is cheap insurance” and the other would say “ Make her Tan” referring to my excessive (according to my cheap bosses) use of grass seed when I was establishing new turf grass in my 32 year parks and recreation career.

Have a great day and wrap your sandwiches in a piece of roadmap. Eat the sandwich and study the map, it’s better than social media. In my not so humble opinion.
Iowa Dave

[cpaharley2008]

Always glad to read one of Iowa Dave's witticisms....even before 9 am.....

[Vermilye]

For my 2011 17B (sold in 2017) 1090 nights in the trailer & 86,726.2 miles.

For my 2017 21C 978 nights in the trailer & 43,123.35 miles as of today.

[Iowa Dave]

Jon:
You’re the king of the road in my book.
Hope our paths cross again at least once or twice this year.
Hope all is well
Iowa Dave

[Nindy]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Always glad to read one of Iowa Dave's witticisms....even before 9 am.....

For sure!!

[Radar1]

I only have 23,000 miles on our Escape so far due to health issues last year. No running gear issues, other than someone at Dexter must have been heavy handed on the grease gun at the factory. My first bearing maintenance I discovered grease had been forced past the inner seal and brakes were covered in grease.

My previous camper was a single axle Scamp 16, which had a similar axle system, and I put 124,000 miles on it with no running gear issues other than routine bearing maintenance and tire replacement. I did install self adjusting brakes, backing plates, and new bearings on that one as a precaution after the riverside site we had one year flooded and the water came up to just below the frame.

[SRS]

Originally Posted by bikezest

I did a little searching but came up blank. I wondered how many miles people have racked up on their trailers, what kind of running gear issues have been dealt with, and the service intervals followed generally.

Our new Escape is due in April, and we plan to run this trailer for 7-10 years. We are thoughtful with our things but will be dragging this trailer down many forest service roads that aren't typically "technical" but can get very washboarded and dusty. Living in far western Colorado, we will constantly be camping in the high country and deserts around our home and SE Utah. We also are planning to take on Alaska in the next several years.

We are meticulous with maintenance but will be subjecting the trailer to more than paved roads and campground loops, and we want to stay ahead of issues.

We're in Grand Junction, welcome to the club. I've not experienced any problems but our trailer is pretty new. Like you, we often end up on forest service and even two-track roads. We prefer to boondock. Bent spindles seem to be a frequent issue. My neighbor had that happen on his relatively new 19 ft Lance with the same 3500 lb axle. Even on paved roads it seems people hit potholes they didn't see and bend a spindle. My understanding is that the spindles are made in China and possibly the steel is softer? But I don't know if the entire axle is made in china. As others have said, good wheel bearing maintenance should give your trailer a long and useful life.

[aekholm]

Have 2013 17B with 63,000 km since we live in the Yukon lots KM are on the way out south and back. One major incident was the fridge door falling off, that was on the Dempster Highway the road to Inuvik. To say its rough can be an under statement. With frost heaves, pot holes etc the tires take a beating.
We traveled across to Nova Scotia once but our main area was west coast and Alaska.
Also the camping season is a little shorter in the North, late May to early Sept. Then the cold starts and Alaska Highway can have snow.

[Mike Lewis]

2014 E21, picked up in April 2014. I have 65,546 miles on the trailer and have spent 804 nights in it so far.


Maintenance:
- I replaced the original tires in 2018 and will replace the current set at the end of my current trip.
- I have the wheel bearings serviced about every two years
- I am going to start having the furnace serviced every year to avoid failure while on the road. Before I had it done when needed.
- I replaced the original lead-acid batteries when they failed in 2018, and removed the second set to install Lithium-ion batteries in 2020, I think.


Problems:
- The only running gear type-problem I had was an original Carlyle tire disintegrating on a trip to the Midwest in 2018. That tire showed an odd wear pattern that I haven't seen since on the second set of tires. It must have been a defect.


Currently in Death Valley, CA.

[Viajante]

Originally Posted by bikezest

Meticulous with maintenance but will be subjecting the trailer to more than paved roads and campground loops, and we want to stay ahead of issues.

There has been discussion on the ruggedness of an Escape. Overall, your plan for 7-10 years of use is reasonable, or even on the short side of the trailers expected life.

The trailers are built for light weight, not off roading. They are not up to the backcountry standard of an overland or expedition type trailer. Some things to consider are:

Some owners have removed the stock coupler and replaced it with a welded on Bulldog Coupler. They are pleased with the results,

There is a history of frame problems, most of which were corrected with a couple of recalls and increasing the tube size on larger models. But beefing up the joint where the diagonals meet the under body frame would be worth considering for anyone going off road.

The torsion axle suspension is not heavy duty. Some owners have looked into replacing the suspension with springs of some type but there haven't been any examples that I have seen. Along this line, there has been discussion of using larger tires. Something to think about.

Owners have also strengthened the rear bumper/receiver for greater or more secure carrying capacity.

[tractors1]

I have to salute those conscientious folks who track trailer mileage, since I'm too lazy to do that without a mounted odometer on a hub. I do periodic maintenance instead as we probably travel less than most - bearing every 2 years, check battery water once a year, polish once a season, etc. Ours lives indoors when not on the road so planning on replacing the tires at 10 years, same as we did with our Casita (I do run a TPMS system.)

[SageRpod]

Originally Posted by tractors1

I have to salute those conscientious folks who track trailer mileage, since I'm too lazy to do that without a mounted odometer on a hub. I do periodic maintenance instead as we probably travel less than most - bearing every 2 years, check battery water once a year, polish once a season, etc. Ours lives indoors when not on the road so planning on replacing the tires at 10 years, same as we did with our Casita (I do run a TPMS system.)

I can't speak for Escape longevity yet, we've only had our 5.0 for a month. I can tell you that we covered 50,000+ miles with our 2017 Rpod without any major issues, but we were meticulous with preventative maintenance. This included repacking wheel bearings every 10K miles and replacing bearings and races at 30K miles. Touching up and resealing all seams as needed and of course battery care. We fully expect the Escape to perform at least as well, if not better because of its fiberglass build and much better build quality.

I kept a log book for the Rpod and have one already started for the Escape. We simply note mileage of the trip, maintenance, issues, campsites, etc. I believe our new F150 has trailer info that will keep track of trailer mileage when it is hooked up. I set it up but haven't been back into trailer mode to see if it actually works.