Durability of Escape if towing on gravel & dirt.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Dave Walter

There was a fellow on this forum who posted pictures a few years back of fairly extensive damage his new Escape incurred to the fiberglass on the front of his trailer from driving too fast on gravel roads. I personally try to avoid towing much on gravel and when I do, I keep the speed sufficiently low to minimize rocks being thrown onto the trailer from my tow vehicle.

This with where the factory storage box is so important. It protects the front of the trailer from stone dings. The box itself has a rubberized coating for its own protection.

[Escape_19]

Originally Posted by TTMartin

This with where the factory storage box is so important. It protects the front of the trailer from stone dings. The box itself has a rubberized coating for its own protection.

I thought about taping off the wheel wells and applying some of this
https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-8183...08&sr=8-6&th=1

[Selkirk]

I wonder how feasible it would be to retrofit a more off-road capable axle assembly, like the new Curt/Lippert independent trailing arm system that's beginning to crop up on brands like Ember and other "adventure" oriented trailers. I believe a tandem version now exists as well.

https://support.lci1.com/curt-independent-suspension

[Ron in BC]

I think that there're be more involved than that to make an "Aussie type" brute of an off road trailer.

First of all, I haven't seen the need expressed from the general Escape ownership. Many of us have done lot's of less than pristine roads in Alaska, Baja and lot's of other places without much happening except for cabinet door hinges breaking etc.

There are existing brackets for mounting the existing axle and it'd be fairly easy to adapt them to carry a sub-frame with heavy duty springs and shocks. Probably a bit costly.

But there's other factors involved. The trailer stands up pretty well to gravel and some rough roads. But if a person wants to make it into the Aussie type offroad trailer then I'd wonder about the suitability of the whole interior. The trailer interior is primarily screwed and stapled together and is fine for its' intended function. But turning it into a trailer for brutal offroad conditions could have some unintended consequences.

Ron

[NCBill]

It was never designed for such use and the factory heavily discourages it.

To most of us, these are expensive trailers and I would not base any decision on comments from others on the internet.

Myself, we took our E19 to AK, no problems but the road was pretty nice. And we have the optional front box. But I did not seek out gravel. We traveled up the main Alcan and back via the Cassiar.

[Mike Lewis]

After leaving Minnesota's Northwest Angle in August 2018 I took Manitoba PR-308 all the way to the Trans-Canada Highway. This turned out to be a major route and a gravel road. It wasn't rough but I passed plenty of semis flinging rocks. I arrived at the Boler 50 rally in Winnipeg and parked next to the shined-up Escapes with no damage except to my ego. I have the front toolbox, which must have helped. I looked like something the cat dragged in.

[Mike G]

I just arrived home with my 19 and am wondering if we should start a thread about Escape's durability if towing on today's poorly maintained US and Interstate highways! New Mexico's in particular were teeth-rattling rough. I was dodging potholes (and excessively filled former potholes) most of the way through that state on US-550 and I-40. Too many of them were impossible to miss, though, when there were companion divots across the entire pavement.

[Mike Lewis]

I-10 from Phoenix west to the California border is pretty bad.