Olive - Our new 5.0

[jphil23462]

Hello all,
My wife and I got to see two Escapes in December (a 19 and 5.0) and settled on the 5.0. We took delivery first part of June and are in the middle of some serious upgrades. I ordered without A/C to put in a mini-split once in our possession. I'm in the middle of that upgrade and will document all pics once finished. Indoor unit is mounted and bumper modification to mount outdoor unit is being welded this coming Tuesday (7/7). We are changing the dinette configuration at the same time and working to put on 975 watts of solar. I've learned a lot in my desire to personalize by reading the forum. This will help "Olive" transform into the Escape she always wanted to be. Lol.

BTW, it takes me about 8 minutes to go from a completely empty bed ready to haul cargo to tow ready with the Andersen system, and 2 minutes to take everything out. Can't ask for anything else.

Joel

[camp4528]

Very nice!!

Is that a 5'5" box on your truck?

Was the A/C mod for noise, or to reduce the height, or something else.

Like kevm, I am at the very early stages and all youse experts are very enlightening to read about.

Thanks!!!

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by jphil23462

Hello all,
My wife and I got to see two Escapes in December (a 19 and 5.0) and settled on the 5.0. We took delivery first part of June and are in the middle of some serious upgrades. I ordered without A/C to put in a mini-split once in our possession. I'm in the middle of that upgrade and will document all pics once finished. Indoor unit is mounted and bumper modification to mount outdoor unit is being welded this coming Tuesday (7/7). We are changing the dinette configuration at the same time and working to put on 975 watts of solar. I've learned a lot in my desire to personalize by reading the forum. This will help "Olive" transform into the Escape she always wanted to be. Lol.

BTW, it takes me about 8 minutes to go from a completely empty bed ready to haul cargo to tow ready with the Andersen system, and 2 minutes to take everything out. Can't ask for anything else.

Joel

How many and what type of batteries do you intend on using considering 975 watts of solar . We looked at lithium batteries but could not justify the cost for our style of camping
I would presume you plan on doing some long time off grid camping
We have the factory mounted dual rooftop solar panels , a 100 watt portable solar panel and dual 6V batteries
So far it has fulfilled our needs

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by camp4528

Very nice!!

Is that a 5'5" box on your truck?

Was the A/C mod for noise, or to reduce the height, or something else.

Like kevm, I am at the very early stages and all youse experts are very enlightening to read about.

Thanks!!!

Hi: camp4528... Looks like a 6' 5" box to me. We have a Ram 1500 V6 Eco Diesel w/ a 5' 7" box. We'll be heading up to the Ottawa area mid July to driveway camp at our sons. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[jphil23462]

I have a 2500 cummins with a 6.5' box. A little overkill for towing vehicle, but I already had the truck and don't feel much difference in towing. I retired after 25 years as a Navy SEAL. Most of my deployments were in remote areas using mini-splits in small CHU's (contained housing units). Think Escape 5.0, but the Escape is way bigger and nicer. I now have one in my house and wanted the efficiency so could possibly use with solar. Time will tell. Plan to install four lithium batteries for 24v 200ah setup. I have a whole career of camping on the ground in middle of nowhere in crappy conditions. Ready for a bed with quiet A/C.

[camp4528]

Alf, you obviously have a much keener eye than I. Thank you for your box thotx.

We actually live in Brockville on the St Lawrence, and can see America across the river and between the houses. Pretty hazy view today with the heat. That's close to Ottawa, right?

My mother was born and raised in Aylmer next to you in St Thomas. Lovely rolling, green countryside.

Sorry to drag the thread off topic, but all the wonderful members of this forum should know there's lots of great exploring in southwest Ontario west of wine county. And I'll stop with the preaching there. Go 2021!!

[camp4528]

Thanks jphil - very useful. It's all part of my learning/dreaming experience.

[Ops]

Thank you for your service jphil23462.

Also looking forward to your updates. Enjoy the toy.

[kavm]

jphil23462 - Very nice!

Really appreciated the pictures. I have been reading about and learning about the hitches. But, a good picture goes a long long way to understanding how it might work. So, really enjoyed your second picture! Really clean setup!

All the best! And, look forward to the updates!

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by camp4528

Alf, you obviously have a much keener eye than I. Thank you for your box thotx.

We actually live in Brockville on the St Lawrence, and can see America across the river and between the houses. Pretty hazy view today with the heat. That's close to Ottawa, right?

My mother was born and raised in Aylmer next to you in St Thomas. Lovely rolling, green countryside.

Sorry to drag the thread off topic, but all the wonderful members of this forum should know there's lots of great exploring in southwest Ontario west of wine county. And I'll stop with the preaching there. Go 2021!!

Hi: camp4528... When you're ready to view I know a very nice couple with a new gen. 5.0TA that live in Manotick On., on the banks of the Rideau river. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Carmel Clown]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: camp4528... Looks like a 6' 5" box to me. We have a Ram 1500 V6 Eco Diesel w/ a 5' 7" box. We'll be heading up to the Ottawa area mid July to driveway camp at our sons. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Similar to me. I have a Ford 250 with a 6.5 box and a 5.0A with the Anderson gooseneck adaptor.

[jphil23462]

Just finished the wiring diagram that shows the components I plan to use. The MPPT is 150V 60A.