flatrock2

flatrock2 · 10-23-2016, 02:09 PM

New member just joined today. In the process of working on my build sheet and today while looking at various post I was alarmed when I read they are not adding front windows to 21 footers. Was this right?

**rbryan4** · 10-23-2016, 03:10 PM

Welcome aboard Ralph and congrats on your purchase.

It's a $300 option according to Escape's website, options list for the 21. Here's a snip:

KarenH · 10-23-2016, 03:40 PM

Welcome to the Escape Club!

The reason the front window is no longer standard is that the bathroom is at the front of the trailer in the 21' now so a window spanning the entire front is not possible. The optional window that can be ordered is offset to the side over the bed. If you look through the "It's Friday" pictures of the new 21s, you'll see a few with the added optional window.

flatrock2 · 10-23-2016, 03:43 PM

Thanks

float5 · 10-23-2016, 03:50 PM

We don't have a front window and don't want one because we sit with our backs against the front wall, no window to contend. We don't want more light there because it is the bedroom. They also have a shelf across for items above the bed, however, we had it deleted to be able to sit up straight when reading. No worry of water getting in the window there onto the bed, and there is a side window there anyway and door on the other side. Some people do get the optional front window and they like it.

cpaharley2008 · 10-23-2016, 04:07 PM

Also the front optional window is off center, it is about 1/3 from the street side and 2/3 from the curb side.

**rbryan4** · 10-23-2016, 05:05 PM

Here are some photos Ralph. Obviously this isn't the 2017 model, but the front window location will be similar -- right above the head of the bed.

Brian B-P · 10-23-2016, 05:53 PM

Just to clarify for anyone considering a used 21'... the off-centre front window location, which is caused by the bathroom location, has always been off-centre in this model because the bathroom has always been in this location in the 21'.

KarenH · 10-23-2016, 06:17 PM

Good clarification, Brian. It never was a standard item in the 21 and I should have caught that in my earlier post.

Bobbito · 10-24-2016, 09:51 AM

I thought we would miss the front window when we ordered our 21, but we don't. We love the shelf above our heads and we prop ourselves up to read using the Captains lights. When we back our trailer into campsites the dinette, with windows on 3 sides, generally faces the lake (we fish a lot) and the front of the trailer faces the campground road.
Bob K

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cpaharley2008 · 10-24-2016, 11:17 AM

also the 21 Escape without the front window is more quiet than with.....

EAT PRAY TRAVEL · 10-24-2016, 02:29 PM

Hello everybody:

Just joined today - thought I'd say HI

I do not have a trailer yet, but very serious about putting in an order for an Escape 19 SOON. Still trying to figure out if I would be able to tow it ... no experience whatsoever!! Towing with a 2016 Pilot - will be getting a hitch installed first ... then I'll go from there. Contacted a driving school about the possibility of trying out how it feels to tow a trailer, but they do not have a trailer for me to practice on ... might go rent a uhaul and see. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

gbaglo · 10-24-2016, 02:38 PM

You'll want to check if your Pilot is equipped for towing or not. An automatic transmission fluid cooler is apparently not standard. You also need wiring for brake controller and a hitch receiver rated for a weight distribution hitch.
Suggest you spend some time in this forum: http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f10/

EAT PRAY TRAVEL · 10-24-2016, 02:48 PM

Thanks for the information - I checked with Honda, and I do need to install a transmission cooler. The hitch I am getting is a class 3 and will have brake control installed as well. I will certainly go in and immerse myself in that link that you have kindly provided. Lots of learning still.

rubicon327 · 10-24-2016, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EAT PRAY TRAVEL

Contacted a driving school about the possibility of trying out how it feels to tow a trailer, but they do not have a trailer for me to practice on ... might go rent a uhaul and see. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Looks like a couple of places in your vicinity rent travel trailers:

RV motorhome campers rentals weekly, daily. Trailers too! Vancouver Island, BC
These guys install hitches and appear to have a couple of 14' Trilliums for rent which might be a good start to get the feel of a trailer.

K-Jack RV Rentals- Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island B.C.

**rbryan4** · 10-24-2016, 03:08 PM

Dory, Valley Driving School is located very close to Escape's factory. You can schedule lessons with them and use your own trailer for the class. They've got good reviews and several forum members have taken classes there.

http://www.valleydrivingschool.com/o...vehicle-towing

EAT PRAY TRAVEL · 10-24-2016, 05:55 PM

Thanks for the suggestions: I contacted Valley Driving School, actually the office gave me their business card last Saturday when we were there ... I need my own trailer, and that is one deciding factor if I am going to order the Escape 19 - how comfortable I am towing it.

The RV rental companies are all on the island, and I am in Richmond .... I'll get the hitch installed first, then I will rent a U-Haul and tow it around town, to just get a feel of towing something .... I think it is not that scary, but I would still want to try it before ordering a new trailer ... after all, it is not cheap ha ha ha.

Escape owners are indeed very warm and friendly

padlin · 10-24-2016, 06:10 PM

It takes a while to gain the experience that makes towing "comfortable". First time you drive into a gas station, comfort goes out the window. Backing into sites and driveways takes a while to get used to. You might see what its like being a rookie with a Uhaul but I don't know if it'll make you comfortable.

If you do go this route, the Escape 19's have 2 axles, single axle and double axles are quite different animals. See if Uhaul has a double axle.

Think I'd just order the trailer, then setup for some lessons once you get it. You'll get the hang of it. It's not hard, just different.

Brian B-P · 10-24-2016, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by padlin

If you do go this route, the Escape 19's have 2 axles, single axle and double axles are quite different animals. See if Uhaul has a double axle..

I don't find single and tandem axles all that different on the highway (although tandems "buck" more over bumps and should be more stable), but in practice any U-Haul trailer of a useful size for this purpose will have tandem axles anyway. U-Haul designs all of their trailers with a GVWR over 3000 pounds with tandem axles and hydraulic surge brakes. Tandems are more difficult to position precisely because the tires of the two axles fight each other and so the path of travel in tight turns is not as predictable as with a single axle.

The biggest U-Haul enclosed cargo trailer (6x12 cargo) only has a 6-foot-wide and 12-foot-long box, so it is about the length of an Escape 15', and narrower than any Escape. I think it's worthwhile for a one-day trial just to get some initial confidence, but if a local company has larger cargo trailers that would be more realistic for practice. A cargo trailer with a 7-foot-wide and about 16-foot-long box would be very close to an Escape 19' in size, would be almost as heavy as the Escape (empty), and would almost certainly come with tandem axles. Very few rental trailers will have electric brakes (they usually have surge brakes), but that's okay for learning to maneouvre a trailer.

gbaglo · 10-24-2016, 06:36 PM

I second the driving school route. Much more valuable than dragging a U-Haul around. For one thing, you have an instructor to help you correct mistakes. If you do go the U-Haul route, I'd ask relatives and friends if anyone needs to move.

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