extras for new 5.0

[Fox hunt]

on the build sheet they list 5th wheel slick disk whats that/for?
also sand pads for?
also tandem wheel chocks and X chocks are these similar same purpose? which is better?

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

on the build sheet they list 5th wheel slick disk whats that/for?
also sand pads for?
also tandem wheel chocks and X chocks are these similar same purpose? which is better?

Hi: Fox hunt... #1 is for the pin box... no grease required
#2 are feet for the rear stabilizers.
#3 I just use the regular tire chock's to prevent the trailer moving for/aft.
X chocks are to much trouble putting them in taking them out. I do easy well!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Jim Bennett]

X-Chocks are actually very easy to install, I would highly recommend them. It takes but seconds to install, and makes a HUGE difference over the wedge type chocks for keeping the trailer stable. It was like night and day when I bought them for our 19. Could be the landing gear on the 5.0TA helps with fore/aft stability, but then it is not likely all that good on them either.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

also tandem wheel chocks and X chocks are these similar same purpose? which is better?

BAL brand chocks include the X-Chock, which jams between the adjacent tires of a tandem-axle trailer to keep the trailer from moving by preventing the wheels from turning, because like most trailers these don't have parking brakes. Normal chocks are wedges placed against the tire for the same purpose by providing an obstacle too steep to roll over, and BAL has some which clamp around or between the tires so they stay in place; the chocks in Escape's Accessories list are just wedged in beside the tire, and although I have some of those I'm not confident that they will stay in place, especially hard plastic chocks on a hard surface.

A chock wedged against the ground could dig in and provide better grip, but I doubt that most chocks have anything close to as much grip as the tire, so preventing the tire from rotating is a better plan. The X-Chocks attempt to do that, apparently generally with success if they are set properly.


I haven't had issues with the trailer moving when just using scraps of wood for chocks so I haven't gone to a more sophisticated solution; more frequently I'm dealing with motor vehicles which have parking brakes.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

on the build sheet they list 5th wheel slick disk whats that/for?

In case this is hard to picture, it's just a disk of slippery plastic that you place around the trailer's pin; it gets clamped between the pin box and hitch plate instead of grease.
Lube plates at eTrailer

This is not specific to the trailer or to the hitch, but if you want to use this system rather than grease you might as well start with one from the beginning (so you never have the mess of grease), whether you get it from Escape or anyone else.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

also sand pads for?

They spread the load of the stabilizing jacks so that they don't sink into soft surfaces (such as sand, but also gravel and turf) so much. That's just the rear jacks on a 5.0TA because the front jacks have different foot pads, but all four jacks on other models. They're shown on the Accessories page.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

X-Chocks are actually very easy to install, I would highly recommend them. It takes but seconds to install, and makes a HUGE difference over the wedge type chocks for keeping the trailer stable. It was like night and day when I bought them for our 19. Could be the landing gear on the 5.0TA helps with fore/aft stability, but then it is not likely all that good on them either.

I wholeheartedly agree with Jim; the landing gear on the 5.0TA does provide a high degree of stability. However, the addition of X type chocks further improves stability. I use RotoChoks which I acquired after the company closed up shop. I absolutely "love" them. They are extremely well manufactured and function superbly. It is really a shame the company went out of business, but in the end it was being run by the inventor's daughter-in-law and she told me she could not continue to do the RotoChoks and keep up with her main source of income, farming chickens for egg production. At the time, she was negotiating sale of the company to a Canadian gentleman, but that deal apparently fell through. We chatted for quite a while, and she told me that if she still had enough parts she would assemble a set for me. About a week later a package arrived in the big brown delivery truck. Highly probable they were the last set ever assembled.

[Kent]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

on the build sheet they list 5th wheel slick disk whats that/for?
also sand pads for?
also tandem wheel chocks and X chocks are these similar same purpose? which is better?

Fox hunt, the slick disk can be used on standard 5th wheel hitch. If you plan to use Anderson hitch it would not be used or needed.

Cannot add much else to what has already been stated, but here are some pictures to visualize. Regarding the fifth wheel hitch do a search on You tube for regular fifth wheel hitch and Anderson hitch. Anderson claim to fame is the weight savings over standard fifth wheel hitch.

[Iowa Dave]

Your coach won't rock
If you use the X chock
And you won't have to buy the bumper sticker but you may have visitors at an inopportune time.
Dave

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Normal chocks are wedges placed against the tire for the same purpose by providing an obstacle too steep to roll over, and BAL has some which clamp around or between the tires so they stay in place; the chocks in Escape's Accessories list are just wedged in beside the tire, and although I have some of those I'm not confident that they will stay in place, especially hard plastic chocks on a hard surface.

The ETI website does have X-Chocks listed too. They are at the very bottom of the Accessories page.

[rbryan4]

That's a different kind of "x-chock" than what I've seen Ken. Mine are branded "X-Chocks", made by BAL, with the threaded rods through the center and a nut on top that uses a ratchet, but I suppose any chock that forms an "X" between the wheels could be considered an X-Chock.

[Terry H]

As an extra where does the Hitch wheel go on a 5.0TA?

[Fox hunt]

I am going with the Anderson too so I guess I don't need the slippery thing. Just need to decide on x chocks and leveling and stabilizing pads.

[padlin]

I believe these are the pads/feet they are talking about, I've not heard of them called sand pads before. I know my trailer came without them.


There is are no hitch wheels on a 5.0TA.

[Zardoz]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

I am going with the Anderson too so I guess I don't need the slippery thing. Just need to decide on x chocks and leveling and stabilizing pads.

Good move Kate. I've installed and reinstalled our Andersen hitch a couple of times since we brought our 5.0 home. Takes all of 3 or 4 minutes and it's a manageable weight.

[Terry H]

Escape shows a hitch wheel on their extras page with the 5.0TA just don't know why it's there?

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Terry H

Escape shows a hitch wheel on their extras page with the 5.0TA just don't know why it's there?

A hitch wheel is for a bumper pull trailer, not the 5th Wheel. It goes on the bottom of the tongue jack and allows you to move the trailer around on hard surfaces, if you are muscular enough. They use the same "extras" page for all the trailers.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

The ETI website does have X-Chocks listed too. They are at the very bottom of the Accessories page.

Yes, I just meant that the regular (wedged between tire and ground) chocks in the Escape list are just plastic wedges, rather than the type that clamp around or between the tires like these:

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Terry H

As an extra where does the Hitch wheel go on a 5.0TA?

The same list of accessories appear to be shown for all models, regardless of whether they are suitable for that model or not... so all sizes show a 17' trailer cover, and the X-chocks which are usable only with tandem axles are shown for the single-axle 17'.

You can use the jack wheels (two of them) on the jacks of the 5.0TA, if you want to try to push it around, although that's generally not recommended. The 5.0TA uses ordinary jacks as usually used on the tongue, not landing gear as used with typical fifth-wheel trailers.