5.0TA option questions

[Loren & Cathy]

You have done right by getting a larger tow vehicle and you won't regret it. I don't think there has been an Escape trailer sold which hasn't ended up in the mountains or up and down some pretty good grades. That's where the good camping is at. Enjoy. Loren

[iamunique127]

Thanks everyone.

Donna, I intend to have the hitch ETI supplies installed in Chilliwack as well. I'll send them the measurements as soon as I take delivery of the truck.

Jim, that's OK about the cap. I was in the same situation with the Tacoma and previous Toyota pickups. I have a system in the garage where I lift the cap off the truck and support it from the rafters. Years ago I complained about how long it took to take the cap off so my brother timed me doing it. 60 seconds later I was done. Since then it's off or on without a second thought. Still debating a roll-up tonneau cover but there is tons of room for secure storage in the back seat. We'll see.

Loren, thanks, that was part of my thinking too.

[emers382]

Hi Lyle

Great looking truck, no doubt you'll be happy with it, and what a great way to take off and support the cap. We nearly bought a Tundra ourselves but so far happy with the Ford.

When do you pick up your 5.0TA? Looking forward to an invite to view once you get it home!

Adrian

[iamunique127]

Thanks Adrian. It's ready mid-January but we don't have definite plans for a pick up date. We're kind of wait-and-see-what-happens kind of ppl.

[iamunique127]

I realize this may be a dumb newb question but I am a newb at this. My Tundra has an existing brake controller and a 7-pin connector but the connector is under the rear bumper where the standard hitch is located. What is the 5.0TA brake & electrical like? Is it long enough to reach the rear of the truck or do I need to get the brake controller connector rewired to the truck bed?

Any enlightenment would be appreicated.

[padlin]

Yes, the existing cord will reach down under the bumper. Or you can put an auxiliary in the bed.

[iamunique127]

Perfect, thanks Bob.

[iamunique127]

I hope keeping all my questions in one thread will work out OK. We're still working away on our build sheet but the finalization date is quickly approaching. I've been reading as much as I can and a few more questions have popped up for me.

First, we've ordered the exterior propane connection and it will come with a 12' hose. Do I need anything else special in order to hook up a Coleman propane stove to the hose? It usually works off the small propane bottles. How about a BBQ? Will a small BBQ just hook up to the hose as well? I've read about low pressure appliances but I don't understand which ones they are.

Second, what about the ETI supplied screen rooms? We have a big dog and need some outdoor space for her. We also want to extend our living space and where we live the mosquitoes and flying bugs are horrendous in the summer so a screen room is a necessity for us. I like the fact that the ETI screen rooms are built specifically for the trailer but I would prefer there to be roll-up window and door coverings for inclement weather. I've looked at a few options but haven't found the right size. What have others done for connected screen rooms. We are not interested in the free-standing type.

Third, I want to instal some extras when I get the trailer home and I'm wondering about accessing 12V power. For instance, LED strips in the cupboards and cubbies. My first thought was to tap into the 12V that is already there in the LED light fixtures, 12V sockets, etc. But then I read here on the Forums about adding 12V drops to different places. Is the 12V accessible from the light fixtures and sockets or do I need 12V drops added for LED strip lights? Other possible additions are a backup camera, a cell phone range extender, and... well you get the idea. I've asked for a conduit to be added along the drivers side of the unit to run from the rear dinette seating to the front closet by the bedroom but ETI tells me it can't be done because of the bathroom. I suppose I could run up the passenger side to the cupboard ahead of the door or in the loft. Is there somewhere to run wiring above the door? I don't see much detail of the doorway on the ETI website.

And lastly for this round of questions, have ppl found the standard gauge wiring for the 12V system to be adequate. I saw someone who upgraded to 14g wires but maybe that was just the 12V jacks, I'm not sure.

Thanks in advance for any input or insights.

[escape artist]

Hi: iamunique127... To answer a few ?'s The propane quick connect is regulated by the trailer supply. Therefore it won't work with a regulator on the appliance. We bought a Dickinson Spitfire 180 http://www.dickinsonmarine.com just for that application. No regulator...just a hi-low flame control.(Extra charge).
With a slight mod the grille fits in the upper forward exterior compartment complete with hose attached. Thanks for reminding me... it needs cleaning B/4 storage!!!
We haven't used the aprox. 12X7' screen room yet but it has no windows just screen!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Dave Walter]

A screen room sounds like a great idea to combat those Manitoba mosquitoes. My recollection is that they are about the size of small birds and are capable of flying away with small children.

I really like the propane quick disconnect and have both a fire bowl and a Dickinson Spitfire BBQ grill that work well with it. I understand that it is more difficult to use a Coleman grill with the propane quick disconnect. There are several previous threads on this forum discussing this issue in great detail, so you may want to do a search to find them.

[emers382]

Originally Posted by ice-breaker

A screen room sounds like a great idea to combat those Manitoba mosquitoes. My recollection is that they are about the size of small birds and are capable of flying away with small children.

I really like the propane quick disconnect and have both a fire bowl and a Dickinson Spitfire BBQ grill that work well with it. I understand that it is more difficult to use a Coleman grill with the propane quick disconnect. There are several previous threads on this forum discussing this issue in great detail, so you may want to do a search to find them.

Dave, now the mosquitos are not THAT bad, our screen room did not even come out of the bag this year, of course it wasn't a bad year for mosquitos in any case But yes, we Manitobans are famous for our bugs, especially the biting kind, just like when we lived in Northern ON where black flies were terrible.

Wish I had the quick disconnect as would love to get that Spitfire grill, meanwhile we'll manage with our little charcoal one.

Lyle, glad to hear your getting excited for the arrival of your 5.0TA! Sorry I don't have any answers for your questions. How are you enjoying the Tundra?

Adrian

[iamunique127]

Thanks for the responses, guys.

Good thing I haven't invested in a small BBQ yet if I have to get a certain type. Too bad about the coleman stove, though. It will be a shame to carry bottles if we have the external hookup. I will search for the previous discussions.

I don't know, Adrian, we almost lost a nephew to some passing mosquitoes this past summer. We do need some sort of screen room for sure but not sure I want to invest in something that's not ideal for us. Anyone use a different screen room?

The Tundra is a great highway vehicle but I've only put 1 tank of gas through it so far.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by iamunique127

Thanks for the responses, guys.

Good thing I haven't invested in a small BBQ yet if I have to get a certain type. Too bad about the coleman stove, though. It will be a shame to carry bottles if we have the external hookup. I will search for the previous discussions.

I don't know, Adrian, we almost lost a nephew to some passing mosquitoes this past summer. We do need some sort of screen room for sure but not sure I want to invest in something that's not ideal for us. Anyone use a different screen room?

The Tundra is a great highway vehicle but I've only put 1 tank of gas through it so far.

Hi: iamunique127... The Spitfire 180 and Low Pressure Control is a great unit to cook on. Dickinson Marine is just 45 min. from ETI. in Surrey BC.
We now use a 20# gas bottle per year and no little green jugs!!!
One of the few times I put up the screen room it was right over top of a ground nest of blue bottle flies. It did a super job of keeping them inside!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[gbaglo]

Pic of screen room on 17B.
Note: it is easier to kill insects inside the screen room 'cause they can't escape.

[Vermilye]

My points are from a 17B, but I believe they use the same construction techniques for the upper cabinets in the 5.0TA. In any case, the wiring for the under cabinet LED fixtures is run between the cabinet "floor" and the under cabinet facing, and is not easy to get to.

While I found 12v wiring in some of the cabinets, I had to add it to others. Not impossible, but if you don't like punching new holes in the interior cabinet walls, you might ask Escape to pre wire each cabinet.

For most of the loads you will likely put on a 12V receptacle, the wiring provided by Escape will be fine. If you plan to use an inverter & drive it at the full capacity of the receptacle, particularly if it is a long way from the converter, you might want to use a heavier wire. I used #12 for the additional receptacles I added to mine.

Rather than paying for individual receptacles for each cell/camera/cell amp/etc, consider a 2 or 3 way splitter. They are light loads, and should be OK wiring a couple of them to one receptacle.

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by iamunique127

First, we've ordered the exterior propane connection and it will come with a 12' hose. Do I need anything else special in order to hook up a Coleman propane stove to the hose? It usually works off the small propane bottles. How about a BBQ? Will a small BBQ just hook up to the hose as well? I've read about low pressure appliances but I don't understand which ones they are.

Here is a photo of the high pressure "T" or "splitter" that we use for our Coleman stove and BBQ grill. Because all of our propane camping appliances were designed for high pressure (have their own regulators) we passed on the ETI low pressure system.

--
Alan

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by iamunique127

First, we've ordered the exterior propane connection and it will come with a 12' hose. Do I need anything else special in order to hook up a Coleman propane stove to the hose?

What you would need is to modify the Coleman stove: it is a high-pressure appliance, and the Escape's exterior propane connection provides low-pressure propane.

Originally Posted by iamunique127

... a Coleman propane stove ... It usually works off the small propane bottles. How about a BBQ? Will a small BBQ just hook up to the hose as well? I've read about low pressure appliances but I don't understand which ones they are.

Anything which runs directly from any size of propane tank (the small bottles, 20-pound "barbecue" tanks, big tanks...) is a high-pressure appliance.
Anything which runs on the propane lines available within the trailer is a low-pressure appliance.

Some appliances (including some small BBQs) are equipped to run on high pressure propane, but can be converted to run on low pressure - that's what much of the previous discussion was about. I suggest a Google search for a suitable keyword such as "low-pressure" or "regulator".

[padlin]

I have yet to add any lighting but I have looked over the existing wiring. I'd opt for prewire of 12v to anywhere you may want lights. After our 5 week trip DW tells me she would like a light in the closet, and 1 in the cabinet between the door and the loft which I added a shelf to to use as our medicine/bathroom cabinet. All the rest seem to be fine as is, for us anyway. I agree on the closet light, it's the only place the overheads do not light up. The only other place I'd like another light is above the dinette table, maybe an LED strip light under the upper center cabinet. Using the side lighting or captains lamps leaves shadows when trying to read. I put a slide out shelf in the big cabinet next to the fridge, might need a light in there as it's deep if you don't go the slide route.
The gas outlet we use for the fire ring, the extension it comes with is sufficient.

[FMLNM]

Having at least some of the cabinets pre-wired with 12v drops can be really helpful if you decide you need to add in additional 12v outlets. We had to do that to provide 12v power to CPAP machines in the bed loft area and it was a royal pain to get to the wiring. (We bought our 5.0 Classic from a previous owner so we didn't have that option...also, we weren't having to use CPAPs when we first purchased the trailer...)

[iamunique127]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

Alf: I'll look into those BBQs. Handy that they are right next door to ETI.

Glen: thanks for the real-life photo of the screen room. We are hoping to find something with roll-up or zip windows/walls so the space is useable in all weather conditions.

Jon: thanks for the insights on the construction of the cabinets. It's exactly what I was hoping for. I don't mind drilling holes between connected cabinets but it sounds like I should get some 12V drops like I've planned. At this point our plan is to limit electric use to LED lights, furnace & recharging computers/phones etc. unless we are connected to shore power so it sounds like we should be OK with standard wiring.

Alan & Brian: thanks for the clarifications on the propane. Although I haven't had time today to search about high & low pressure systems (which I will do but I'm tied up until Sunday) it sounds like I don't need the external propane connection for my existing propane stove and a small BBQ with a regulator. That makes things more simple. Alan, do you use your high pressure splitter on a separate bottle or is it connected to one of your two trailer bottles?

Bob: thanks for the great info on the areas you would consider 12V drops. It's invaluable.

Fran & Dave: thanks. That's the kind of future need info I was hoping for too. I keep telling Mrs. iamunique127 that she may benefit from a CPAP machine but she doesn't believe me.