5.0 Dimensions and Making It a Slide-In

[RoadTripper]

I've done some searching, but I can't seem to find precise dimensions on the 5.0.

Specifically:

What is the height of the body of the 5.0 (not height from the road to the top of the trailer, but from the bottom of the trailer to the top of it--so I guess it is the trailer's total height less the space from the road to the trailer's bottom);

What is the length of the trailer from the point where the trailer's bottom starts to turn upward to the rear of the trailer (I suppose the bend-point is where the staircase starts, but I'm really not sure);

What is the length of the part of the trailer's bottom that turns upward (again, I think that this is where the staircase is);

What is the length of the part of the trailer's underside that houses the bed area; and

If the wheels, brakes, suspension, etc were removed, what an estimated weight of the trailer would be.

I ask because I've got this (admittedly still half-thought-out) idea about modifying the 5.0 and using it as a slide-in type camper on a modified truck for an expedition-type vehicle. I figure that if the 5.0's body (being that part of the trailer that is from the rear of the trailer to that point where the trailer's bottom starts to turn upward) isn't too long, it might be able to fit on/in the bed of a long-bed truck and the bed part of the trailer would rest on top of the truck's cab.

It is still just an idea in planning, but I'm wondering if anyone has the above numbers or knows where I could find them without bugging the factory.

Also, if anyone has any thought about the slide-in idea, I'd love to hear about them.

[daveandsandyclink]

Hi Roadtripper,

While I love people who think out of the box and and are creative, your idea of using a 5.0 as a slideout would have overwhelming problems to overcome. I am afraid that you would endup with a laughable rig. And if I owned Escape Industries I would not want my name on your creation!!! Unless you slid it onto a flat bed, you would be unable to open the entrance door and a whole host of the other access doors, plumbing, and awning. I own a 5.0 and I personally would not dream of chopping up a $30K rig to do such a thing. Please go buy your self a slidout and save yourself from this idea.
Sorry to be so cruel but your idea is too over the top for me to send you measurements. I would cut back on the beer.

Best Regards,
David

[gocamp]

"I am afraid that you would endup with a laughable rig"

I'm sure some said the same thing about the guy on the other forum who cut his fiberglass trailer in half and made it longer. In the end, It turned out very nice of course.

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by daveandsandyc

Hi Roadtripper,

While I love people who think out of the box and and are creative, your idea of using a 5.0 as a slideout would have overwhelming problems to overcome. I am afraid that you would endup with a laughable rig. And if I owned Escape Industries I would not want my name on your creation!!! Unless you slid it onto a flat bed, you would be unable to open the entrance door and a whole host of the other access doors, plumbing, and awning. I own a 5.0 and I personally would not dream of chopping up a $30K rig to do such a thing. Please go buy your self a slidout and save yourself from this idea.
Sorry to be so cruel but your idea is too over the top for me to send you measurements. I would cut back on the beer.

Best Regards,
David

There are always skeptics when someone comes up with a new idea that does not quite follow the norm. If every one of those hair-brained ideas were squashed, we would still be living in caves and howling at the moon. I think it is great for people to "think outside the box" and consider new applications for existing things. Maybe Roadtrippers idea will turn out great, and maybe not. But give him a chance to work through it to see what he can come up with. I will await judgement until I see his finished product.

cheers
dave

[BCnomad]

Originally Posted by RoadTripper

I ask because I've got this (admittedly still half-thought-out) idea about modifying the 5.0 and using it as a slide-in type camper on a modified truck for an expedition-type vehicle. I figure that if the 5.0's body (being that part of the trailer that is from the rear of the trailer to that point where the trailer's bottom starts to turn upward) isn't too long, it might be able to fit on/in the bed of a long-bed truck and the bed part of the trailer would rest on top of the truck's cab.


Also, if anyone has any thought about the slide-in idea, I'd love to hear about them.

I would wonder about the engineering of the tie-downs/posts to make sure the 5.0 stayed in place. That would be a Reese question for sure.

Perhaps the OP could elaborate on what vehicle will be used, and what purpose the camper will serve? Why will a 'normal' slide in camper not suffice?


Personally, (and not knowing some of the requirements), I'd be looking at the larger Bigfoot or Northern Lite campers (to name two) -- or asking those factories for modifications. I'd also suggest looking outside the North American 'recreational' camping scene, and into say, mining/geology uses in places like Australia, South Africa or Russia.


Good luck.

[escape artist]

Hi: RoadTripper... Seems like you want to redesign the "EGG". The measurements you're asking for would be the hardest to provide. To slide in a 5.0 would require removing the under carridge and using a set of rails to lift the frame and pontoons off the flat bed surface. Seems a lot of work to take an expensive trailer through.
Why not start with a more plentiful used 5th. wh. like a Scamp 19 or a Big Foot. I know that when Reace started making Escapes he had to sacrifice a trailer or two to make the plug for a mold.
There's always someone willing to take things to another dimention. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[stoney]

The husband and I had a good chuckle when we read this post as one of my husbands friends back in the 80's wanted a getaway trailer but couldn't afford new and didn't like the design of any as they didn't fit his vision . So after hearing a suggestion from my husband built his own "the highrise hacienda" a second hand 2 axle car hauler deck with a used tent trailer turned sideway's at the back on a 3ft raised box for storage underneath and enough room in front of it for 4 dirtbikes , looked a little odd but I can tell you that everybody who camped with them loved it and now this design is built by many manufacturers , just think the 19 we are gonna order was hatched from a 13 , what came first the chicken or the egg lol , cheers

[RoadTripper]

Originally Posted by daveandsandyc

Unless you slid it onto a flat bed ...

***

I would cut back on the beer.

1) The trailer likely would go on a flat bed.

2) I don't drink alcoholic beverages.

[gbaglo]

All I have to say is think about resale. And, that the trailer would long outlast the truck ( which would have only a single-use ).

baglo

[RoadTripper]

Originally Posted by justmeinbc

Perhaps the OP could elaborate on what vehicle will be used, and what purpose the camper will serve? Why will a 'normal' slide in camper not suffice?


Personally, (and not knowing some of the requirements), I'd be looking at the larger Bigfoot or Northern Lite campers (to name two) -- or asking those factories for modifications. I'd also suggest looking outside the North American 'recreational' camping scene, and into say, mining/geology uses in places like Australia, South Africa or Russia.

I'm thinking of a flat-bed truck (something in the F350 to 550 range) or going more farther afield and using a Unimog type truck as a base.

Perhaps "slide in" does not properly convey the idea. The trailer (or, more accurately, I suppose, the camper) would be, more or less, affixed to the truck, so taking the camper on and off wouldn't occur all that often.

Northern Lite and Bigfoot get decent reviews on an expedition forum that I visit, but I think that they have some significant drawbacks that a modified 5.0 might not.

Namely, those trailers look (to me) a bit ungainly and relatively blocky, whereas the 5.0 is pretty sleek and aerodynamic. A 5.0 is (I think) relatively light, the slide-ins aren't so much. The 5.0 has a comfortable floor plan and feels roomy, the others can feel tight (perhaps because their lateral living space is limited to what fits inside the bed of a truck) and I'm not in love with the floor plans that I've seen. The slide-ins are pretty expensive for what you get (I've read that the dollar-per-square foot on slide-ins are on the high end of the range for RV's); the price for a 5.0 isn't terribly expensive. The build quality on a 5.0, from what I've seen, is great. And so on.

So that's why I've got some concerns about a normal slide-in.

As to the purpose of the camper, I suppose it is really just to serve as a useful living and sleeping area on trips that are a bit off the usual path. Going full-on around the world isn't in the picture, but wide-roaming travels in the US and Canada may be, and I'm not sure that taking a trailer would be always practical.

Anyway, it is just an idea. I've seen photos of other builds where, for example, someone has put a Casita on the back of a flat-bed truck, or taken a Bigfoot slide-in and installed it on a heavy duty truck with custom side boxes, and it just got me to thinking about the possibility of taking the 5.0 and affixing it to the back of a truck. I realize that there are some issues that have to be addressed, but I don't really see anyone making well-designed and built fiberglass expedition vehicles at a price that is reasonable to most people. Hence my thought.

[gbaglo]

Which reminds me of the time my buddy hoisted his tent-trailer and planted it on the deck of his 56' converted steel tug to provide accommodation while the tug was being worked on.

baglo

[onetim]

Before I read your post I saw an ad in this month's (Oct 2012) Trailer Life magazine for www.coachhouserv.com. They build a one piece molded fiberglass motorhome. Basically a fiberglass egg set on a Ford E-450 chassis. The site doesn't state any prices except to imply it's expensive.

Seems to me that the Escape 5.0 is a much better set-up.

Tim

[daveandsandyclink]

RoadTripper,

Sorry if I hurt your feelings or perhaps threw a wet blanket on your idea. My 5.0 is setting just outside my house and I have studied the idea with a open mind this afternoon. When you said slide-in, I took that literally as on and off the back of a pickup rig.

Yes I have seen trailer bodies mounted on barges, trucks, up in trees as deer stands and such. I live not far from deep woods. We are not talking about a new concept idea for Escape Industries. This is a retrofit.

That said, as built the molded fiberglass body is too wide to fit inside the wheel wells. The water tanks and piping hang off the frame and would not support any weight. The frame supports the body and adds ridgidness extending under the loft. That would need to be completely rebuilt. These trailers have a lot of engineering and thought put into them before they leave the factory. They are certified to meet all applicable federal motor vehicle standards as a trailer. Cause an accident with a substandard creation and you will pay a big price. I would say they are built for light weight use and pulled by smaller vehicles. We had a post a few days about going off road with lightweight fiberglass trailers in which I expressed my thoughts and concerns about. Perhaps I put my foot in my mouth.

What I am trying to convey is this. Taking the initial cost of a 5.0, and doing a proper safe conversion, I believe is not a
viable,cost effective project. If you must...go for it!

I take back what I said about "cutting back on the beer". Many goofy ideas start with the consumption of alcohol.
The Escape Travel Forum is riddled with beer in the discussion as fun.

David

[Donna D.]

There's a fellow on FiberglassRV that's doing something similar, but with a 13' old Boler. I think it's going to be cool!

[MMarvin]

A few years ago, someone in Texas built the RoadHippo as an expedition vehicle, using a Casita 17. Google it. I never saw it in person but I understand it came out very nice. There are some similar projects over at expeditionportal.com.

RT, if you are still interested, I can take some measurements for you.

Marv

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by onetim

Before I read your post I saw an ad in this month's (Oct 2012) Trailer Life magazine for www.coachhouserv.com. They build a one piece molded fiberglass motorhome. Basically a fiberglass egg set on a Ford E-450 chassis. The site doesn't state any prices except to imply it's expensive.

Seems to me that the Escape 5.0 is a much better set-up.

Tim

The friends we are travelling with right now have the smallest 21' version. A very well built and appointed unit, but with many shortcomings too. Little storage space, quit crowded inside given all they pack into it, bed is quite small, and the water heater is electric only which tends to keep them on-grid for the most part. They plan to upsize to a diesel powered Winnebago in the 25' size. Again, not my cup of wax, but if it is what gets them out........

[RoadTripper]

Originally Posted by MMarvin

A few years ago, someone in Texas built the RoadHippo as an expedition vehicle, using a Casita 17. Google it. I never saw it in person but I understand it came out very nice. There are some similar projects over at expeditionportal.com.

RT, if you are still interested, I can take some measurements for you.

Marv

The RoadHippo, or something quite similar to it, was one of the RVs that got me thinking about modifying the 5.0.

If it isn't too much trouble, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could measure your RV and post the rough dimensions of A to B, B to C, and C to D, where A, B, C, and D are as follows based on the drawing below:

-------\
A B\
\
--------------
C D

I know that the drawing is pretty rough, but A to B is that part of the underside of the 5.0 that houses the bed, B to C is where the staircase (and I think propane tanks) resides, and C to D is the remainder of the 5.0.

Thanks do very much.

[MMarvin]

Okay, sorry this took so long; I just got access to the trailer.

A-B. 67"
B-C. 44"
C-D. 168"
A-D. 238"

Notes:
A represents the most forward surface of the trailer body, ignoring the pin box, which I presume will be removed.

C-D is measured along the bottom surface of the frame rails. Some stuff hangs below the rails (mostly plumbing). If you were going to set the unit on a completely flat surface, you would want to provide raised points about 6" high for the frame rails to sit on. This would increase B-C to around 50". Or, of course you could relocate the plumbing.

C-D includes the rear bumper and spare tire. You could remove them and save about 18".

A-D is max overall length.

Good luck on the project and keep in touch.

Marv

[RoadTripper]

Originally Posted by MMarvin

Okay, sorry this took so long; I just got access to the trailer.

A-B. 67"
B-C. 44"
C-D. 168"
A-D. 238"

Notes:
A represents the most forward surface of the trailer body, ignoring the pin box, which I presume will be removed.

C-D is measured along the bottom surface of the frame rails. Some stuff hangs below the rails (mostly plumbing). If you were going to set the unit on a completely flat surface, you would want to provide raised points about 6" high for the frame rails to sit on. This would increase B-C to around 50". Or, of course you could relocate the plumbing.

C-D includes the rear bumper and spare tire. You could remove them and save about 18".

A-D is max overall length.

Good luck on the project and keep in touch.

Marv

Thank you for taking these measurements and posting them. I really do appreciate it. Thanks again.