I C a 5.0TA in my future!

[Kent]

Hello all, my name is Kent and use to own a Casita Liberty Deluxe.

Currently have my eye on 5.0TA. I have been lurking around here for sometime now gathering info etc. and decided I should make myself a known member/user.

I currently reside in Bozeman Montana and once ETI has a 2017 5.0TA demo unit ready to look at which is looking like late November or early December at this point I will travel up to take a look.

I pretty much know what I want for options and if history repeats itself many mods are in my future as I could not leave well enough alone when I had my Casita.

I use to go to Casita Rallys and likely have met some of you, such as Donna D, but I have to confess after brain surgeries which put me down for many years and why I no longer have the Casita. My memory is not what it use to be so if I don't recognize you at first I hope you understand. Fast forward to today and I have decided I would like to get another RV and don't think you can beat the Escape.

I'm currently looking at the GMC Canyon with Duramax as the tow vehicle, but that is not a final decision yet. Would appreciate any feedback from any members that currently have this setup?

I know I will have lot's of questions as it goes with the territory of factory direct sales, but I hope I can contribute as well!

Regards,

Kent Foster

[Donna D.]

Hi Kent Glad you joined us!

[padlin]

Welcome Kent, good to hear they are finally working on the new fifth wheel. Got a feeling you'll like it.

[SFDavis50]

Welcome Kent!
I have a 5.0 TA on order and plan to tow it with a 2010 F 150 SCREW Cab with a 5.5' bed and Anderson Rail Mounted Hitch. I bought the truck new and have already put 105K miles on it. Maybe in 2018 or 2019 I will trade for a newer F 150 with the Ecoboost engine and 10 speed transmission. I can't stand the smell of diesel fuel, seems like the smell sticks around for a long time, so I'm only interested in gas engines. In anticipation of lousy gas mileage on the tow vehicle I recently traded in my wife's 2008 Sonata for a 2016 Sonata Hybrid and she's been getting 45 mpg including several trips to the mountains so I can feel better towing the trailer.

Once I decided between the 5.0 TA and the 21, I quickly placed the order because I wanted a summer delivery date so I could spend a lot of time in BC and the PNW as part of the initial pickup trip.

I am anxiously awaiting pictures of the new 5.0 TA and Nov/Dec is kind of depressing as I have been hoping for October.

[Kent]

Originally Posted by SFDavis50

Once I decided between the 5.0 TA and the 21, I quickly placed the order because I wanted a summer delivery date so I could spend a lot of time in BC and the PNW as part of the initial pickup trip.

I am anxiously awaiting pictures of the new 5.0 TA and Nov/Dec is kind of depressing as I have been hoping for October.

That would be the way I would like to do it. Order so I have a Spring summer delivery to spend time in Canada sight seeing.

I have not always been a fan of diesel in the past, but these new diesels are not like the large monster trucks spewing out black smoke everywhere they go. I know a gentleman that has a Colorado with the Duramax and he loves it and does not smell of diesel.

In talking to Tammy, the vendor supplying the new molds was 2 weeks behind when they last checked. Once they get the new molds it will be another couple of weeks or more to prep the molds before they can start producing the new shells for the 5.0TA.

Really looking forward to seeing the new 5.0TA and build pictures as they come in from those that have ordered!

[Marry]

Hi Kent. Welcome to the forum! We are just north of you, picked up a 19 this past summer, and very happy with it. You will love the Escape, whichever model you take! Hope you won't have to wait too long to pick up yours!

[rbryan4]

Welcome aboard Kent. Love your choice of the 5.0TA. We were in Bozeman twice on our trip to this year's rally. Love the area. Thought about living in the Bozeman area many years ago, but my wife can't handle the snow and cold. Truth be told, I'm not so fond of it anymore either.

[D&R_SC]

Originally Posted by Kent

Hello all, my name is Kent and use to own a Casita Liberty Deluxe.

I'm currently looking at the GMC Canyon with Duramax as the tow vehicle, but that is not a final decision yet. Would appreciate any feedback from any members that currently have this setup?

Regards,

Kent Foster

Hi Kent,

We have a 2014 5.0TA Escape, which we pull with a 2007 Nissan Frontier that we previously used to pull a Scamp 5th-wheel. We have never had any problems with this combo, but have frequently been concerned about the Frontier's payload, about 1,400lbs. We now have a 2017 F150 Ford 2.7 Ecoboost on order, which has a 2,100lbs payload.

Payload needs to cover the trailer pin weight (6-700lbs), hitch (2-300lbs), & passengers (3-500lbs), so that doesn't leave much for the truck cabin and bed contents, which must also be included.

We very much like driving the Frontier/Canyon size trucks, but they don't have they hauling power of full-size pickups. When I spoke to Reace at Escape, he strongly recommended the bigger trucks for the 5.0TA.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Kent

I have not always been a fan of diesel in the past, but these new diesels are not like the large monster trucks spewing out black smoke everywhere they go. I know a gentleman that has a Colorado with the Duramax and he loves it and does not smell of diesel.

They're great if they are properly maintained. Now that diesels in pickup trucks have been common for non-commercial use for a few years, I'm seeing more and more which are smoking. I don't see one every day, but it's not uncommon.

Some owners are unwilling to maintain the diesel particulate filter (DPF) - or to pay for the extra fuel used to "burn off" accumulated particulates - so they remove the DPF and disable the engine control system's function to maintain it. Especially when combined with aftermarket control hacks ("tuning" systems"), this leads to trucks spewing smoke again.

Another other modern system which makes diesel emissions acceptable is selective catalytic reduction (SCR). This is the system which includes a catalytic converter section which requires diesel exhaust fluid (DEF, the urea solution) to function. Some owners are unwilling to pay for DEF (typically less than 4% of the cost of fuel over the same period) or unwilling or unable to maintain the DEF system (which can have freezing problems), so they remove the SCR and DEF system. VW, of course, skipped the whole system and just cheated on the EPA tests.

Ideal diesels are great; the reality often falls short.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Kent

In talking to Tammy, the vendor supplying the new molds was 2 weeks behind when they last checked. Once they get the new molds it will be another couple of weeks or more to prep the molds before they can start producing the new shells for the 5.0TA.

Thanks for the update... but two weeks behind what? I've never seen a schedule for the new 5.0TA. Was it supposed to be in production now?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by D&R_MA

We very much like driving the Frontier/Canyon size trucks, but they don't have they hauling power of full-size pickups. When I spoke to Reace at Escape, he strongly recommended the bigger trucks for the 5.0TA.

Maybe this was intended to be about capability, rather than specifically power, but anything you can buy today has more power than typical trucks of the past. The big highway trucks routinely weigh ten times as much as a pickup with an Escape 5.0TA, and have only twice the power of a mid-size truck's V6 engine. At the other extreme, my first car weighed well over a ton and had 68 horsepower (no better than 4 tons of rig with about 300 horsepower)... and its performance was not a problem (I even used it in competition). I think it's important for each of us to understand our expectations of performance.

[Kent]

Based on what I've been told if the vendor making the molds had been on schedule, they should have already had the molds prepped by now and making the demo unit.

They might have the molds by now if so then they will start prepping them to make the demo unit first.

Making the demo unit will give them a chance to make adjustments/corrections if needed before going into full production which is a good thing!

[Brian B-P]

Thanks Kent. I hope that Escape will show us the shape of the new 5.0TA shell as soon as they have one out of the moulds, as they did with the original 5.0TA... but we'll see.

[SFDavis50]

I never heard it from Escape but I had always thought that the molds would be completed in September, first prototype out of the molds in late Sep. early Oct. and pictures of a first model in October sometime. Then, some amount of time building the 2016 and 2017 models at the same time. It really doesn't matter to me as I will get a 2017 model next summer so there is plenty of time. Mostly, I am very anxious to see the body shape and size, especially the front section over the cab. Getting the molds right is more important than quick.

My comments about the smell of diesel is more about the smell when I am filling up and/or standing next to the green diesel hose. Seems like if I get a whiff of it I continue smelling it for awhile, and the smell is much worse than gas.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by SFDavis50

Mostly, I am very anxious to see the body shape and size, especially the front section over the cab. Getting the molds right is more important than quick.

I agree.

Originally Posted by SFDavis50

My comments about the smell of diesel is more about the smell when I am filling up and/or standing next to the green diesel hose. Seems like if I get a whiff of it I continue smelling it for awhile, and the smell is much worse than gas.

I'm not sure if this will get better, but it might. Diesel fuel is inherently different from gasoline - both are distillation cuts of petroleum but diesel is the "heavier" or longer-chain molecules - but I don't think that entirely explains the smell or tenacity of the smell once it's on you. Kerosene is almost as heavy as diesel, but the very pure kerosene used in indoor heaters doesn't smell like diesel. Perhaps as standards for diesel fuel get even tighter, it will get nicer; the sulfur is already nearly gone.