Our first trip in our new Escape 19

[GregandTeresa]

Only 5 minutes from home, Henry Horton State Park in Chapel Hill TN. Everything checked out well in the driveway yesterday so time to try it out in a real campground. We love our Escape and are so glad we didn't settle.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by GregandTeresa

Only 5 minutes from home, Henry Horton State Park in Chapel Hill TN. Everything checked out well in the driveway yesterday so time to try it out in a real campground. We love our Escape and are so glad we didn't settle.

Love it Greg! Good to see you out there already.

One caution on the awning (seems I've done alot of commenting lately on awnings but bear with me...lol):

Be careful raising the awning past horizontal. It puts stress on the upper mounts. The lower part of the upper mounts can actually pull away from the shell. The upper mount brackets have hardware in the upper part, but the lower part just rests on the shell. They're intended to bear the weight on the bottom of the mounts as well as the top where the hardware is. Keeping the awning at or below horizontal pitch will do that.

[Marry]

And doesn't it sleep good in there...? Very happy for you guys it finally made it all the way. Wishing you many many more enjoyable trips together!!! (Who knows one day we meet)

[GregandTeresa]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Love it Greg! Good to see you out there already.

One caution on the awning (seems I've done alot of commenting lately on awnings but bear with me...lol):

Be careful raising the awning past horizontal. It puts stress on the upper mounts. The lower part of the upper mounts can actually pull away from the shell. The upper mount brackets have hardware in the upper part, but the lower part just rests on the shell. They're intended to bear the weight on the bottom of the mounts as well as the top where the hardware is. Keeping the awning at or below horizontal pitch will do that.

. Thanks a lot Robert, we will take care of that right now

[titanizer]

Looks great guys!!!!! Glad everything went well. Hope you have a fan outside; man, it is hottt out today. AC works well though.

[GregandTeresa]

We ended up having a great first day/night in our camper, only wish it could have been longer. Here are some things we learned in our first trip:

1. The first backing into a campsite is stressful, even if you have a fairly straight back in site. And it doesn't help when the person in the campsite directly ahead comes out to watch you. I really don't understand why folks do that, but that's just me.
2. Having a departure checklist is a must. There are so many things that would be easy to forget, and I'm glad we worked up a list while we were there.
3. I was really worried about how our refrigerator was going to work in mid 90's heat with all of the horror stories that I've read. But the beer and wine stayed very cold, and the eggs and hot dogs seemed just fine. So far, so good.
4. Don't extend your awning to it's maximum height. But if you do, and you post a pic to this forum, someone will let you know (thanks again Robert ).
5. There is a LOT of storage space in the 19. Now to wait for some cooler weather to get out there and start getting things better organized so that we don't have to spend so much time hunting when we need something.
6. Those arms that hold up the rock guard are flimsy and easy to bend/break if you don't pay attention when closing it. Yep, I'll be ordering one replacement.
7. One thing that I had been really dreading was the first dumping of the tanks. Turns out it was truly no big deal, no sights. no smells, no spills. Easy peasy.
8. We had really, really hoped that our camper would fit under our existing carport, but I knew it was going to be close. Turns out we need about another three inches to make it. So now to start looking for an appropriate storage solution. For now it's in our driveway, but Teresa will not put up with that for long.

One thing that I will be taking a closer look at is the window over the sink. I don't think it is closing as tightly as it should, there appears to be a gap on the outside when it's closed. Did not see any daylight from the inside, but the seal does not seem flush when looking up from the outside. So I'm worried about water intrusion when I wash it.

[Mike & Donna]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with the forum. Makes we wish we didn't have such a long wait before our's will be ready. Too bad it doesn't quite fit under your carport. Would have been nice to have it close by. Hope you don't have to wait very long before you get to take it out again.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by GregandTeresa

8. We had really, really hoped that our camper would fit under our existing carport, but I knew it was going to be close. Turns out we need about another three inches to make it. So now to start looking for an appropriate storage solution. For now it's in our driveway, but Teresa will not put up with that for long.

Can you raise the carport? Had to do that at my last house; bought concrete form tubes , dug holes for under the legs, and poured footings to add another 6 inches in height. Bolted old legs to the new forms when dry. Pretty simple.

[gbaglo]

When my 17B wouldn't fit under the carport, I removed 3/4 of the carport. Just enough left to protect the garbage cans and a couple storage boxes.

[cpaharley2008]

Maybe you could install smaller wheels/tires, you could then store your good set inside, away from the elements.

[skyfree]

Can you let 3" of air out of the tires, roll it back, then reinflate?

[Starbrightsteve]

Some folks just take off the wheels and roll the trailer in on the brake drums.

[Richard in Georgia]

Nice to have a shakeout site SO close to home!

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Can you raise the carport? Had to do that at my last house; bought concrete form tubes , dug holes for under the legs, and poured footings to add another 6 inches in height. Bolted old legs to the new forms when dry. Pretty simple.

This sounds like an easy solution, as long as one side is not attached to a building like some are.

[Kountrykamper]

Greg and Teresa

Glad it went good for you. It just keeps getting better. Give a call if you have any questions.

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by Starbrightsteve

Some folks just take off the wheels and roll the trailer in on the brake drums.

You are kidding?

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Kountrykamper

You are kidding?

Nope. It's a viable solution for some folks, like when it's a garage and it won't clear the door. Gives you another 4-5 inches or so. Since the trailer isn't traveling more than a few feet, and that's just rolling it slowly, it does no harm to the axles/drums.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Richard in Georgia]

In 1982 - 1984 I commuted into New Yawk City 2 to 3 days a week. There are two Hudson River tunnels connecting NJ & NYC. The tunnel height in the middle is shorter than on the NJ side and about once a month a tractor trailer would get stuck in the middle. They deflated the trucks tires and pulled the truck out of the tunnel. I'm not really sure why I added that, but I remembered it when it was suggested to deflate your tires a wee bit.

[Iowa Dave]

For not too much money you could get some big box steel tubing and have plates welded on each end that match the bolt pattern on the car port supports and raise it just enough th clear plus a couple safety inches. 1/4 inch thick wall by 2 inches square is only about $ 6.00 a foot.
Dave

[Jubal]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Nope. It's a viable solution for some folks, like when it's a garage and it won't clear the door. Gives you another 4-5 inches or so. Since the trailer isn't traveling more than a few feet, and that's just rolling it slowly, it does no harm to the axles/drums.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

A very bad idea. It would be better to bolt on a set of rims without tires. Cast machined brake drums are not designed for side loading. Have you actually
tried this ?