Home Sweet Home

[Greg A]

Sweet trailer. Glad you made it up n back safely.

[Chris & Patricia]

Originally Posted by TinKnocker

Well we made it home to So Cal and are absolutely thrilled with are new 5.0 TA. The trip up to Chilliwack started off a little shaky at Siskiyou Summit as chains were required. So there I am crawling around on the snow putting the chains on, just as I finish a kind police officer announces chains are no longer required Errr!!. Everything after that went smooth and the weather was perfect going to Chilliwack.
The Orientation: went well and all was good until Dennis (Dad) hooked up the 7 pin inside the bed and for some reason the left blinker did not work. Dennis thought it might be a fuse or rely on the truck but to no avail, I slid under the truck disconnected the 7 pin adaptor going to the inside bed of the truck and reconnected the original 7 pin under the bumper and bingo! left blinker working. Not sure what went wrong with the inside the bed 7 pin, maybe a wire came loose or a connection it worked fine when I installed and tested it. Will take a closer look at it this week and replace if needed. (Thanks Dennis)
Homeward Bound: We took are time on the way home with over nights @ Lake Pleasant RV park WA., Roamers RV park OR. , Seven Feathers Casino RV park OR., and Rolling Hills Casino RV park CA.
The 5.0 TA: Everything in the Trailer worked flawlessly ( Thank You ETI ) and the trailer tows like a charm, it feels as if it's part of the truck. No sway, No tail wagging, No porpoising just smooth as can be. I also love how narrow (4" wider per side ) and arrow dynamic the trailer is, it just slices through the air. I just can't say enough about its towing characteristics, excellent!
The Patroit 16k is one hell of a hitch it worked great! No chucking, No rattling, NO noise, easy to hitch and unhitch and when you back in to the king pin those two massive jaws just lock on, there is no guessing you can hear it and feel it, solid. Love it!
Thanks You Tammy and Reace and all of the ETI team for designing and building such a wonderful fifth wheel trailer.

I see that you just made the trip from Chilliwack to Southern California and we are heading in that direction from Vancouver shortly. Did you make reservations at the stops you made along the way, or did you show up and hope they had space?

Thanks much.

[Patandlinda]

Your trailer is beautiful ! What you did in the interior , really like ! Your flooring is the nicest I have seen . Also noticed you like 7 Feathers . That is always our stop on our way to Washington . We love it , very clean and not expensive. Bet your stoked right now . Pat

[Tin]

Originally Posted by gmchamplin

Thanks for the floor info. Were you able to get a sample before you selected it?
The Armstrong web site does not appear to offer samples of this one.

Also, in your picture with the table lowered, is that as low as it goes? It looks like it stops at the height of the top of the cushions.

Third question, do you have a standard bed or a short bed on your F150?

Thanks!

gmchamplin, My wife took care of picking and ordering the flooring, Formica and upholstering. She had said "dont need a sample of the flooring that's the one" strange she had tons of Formica and upholstering samples

The table goes all the way down.

My F-150 is a short bed 5'-6"

[NW Cat Owner]

Lovely flooring. Goes very well with the cabinets.

[Tin]

Originally Posted by Chris & Patricia

I see that you just made the trip from Chilliwack to Southern California and we are heading in that direction from Vancouver shortly. Did you make reservations at the stops you made along the way, or did you show up and hope they had space?

Thanks much.

Chris & Patricia,
Originally We had every thing booked well in advance, but with the weather and not knowing for sure if the trailer would be ready (ETI had some vendor delivery issues due to weather) We cancelled most of are reservations. We made same day reservations for Lake Pleasant RV park WA.(We got lucky this place was full) it a really nice park,clean restrooms and hot showers. The rest we just showed up they had plenty of spots this time of year. Roamers RV park in OR. is also a nice park clean and well maitained plenty of spots. Seven Feathers is a must, nice clean beautiful plus I won $300 on the crap table . Rolling Hills Casino RV park CA. is nice and well maintained but the location is perfect after crossing the Siskiyou all I wanted was a cold beer and a fatty.

[Tin]

Again, thanks for the wonderful complements.

[gmchamplin]

Thanks for all of the answers,and for posting all of those pictures. Your trailer is beautiful.

We just ordered a 5.0, and are working on our build sheet. We thought we had it pretty well figured out, but then saw your pictures and have to think some more. Fortunately, we still have lots of time.

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by gmchamplin

We just ordered a 5.0, and are working on our build sheet. We thought we had it pretty well figured out, but then saw your pictures and have to think some more. Fortunately, we still have lots of time.

Another option that's not shown on this particular trailer, but I know a few others have: Getting the cabinet next to the door extended so you have more cabinet space, instead of the flat countertop there. It all depends on how you want to use that area, though.

[Ginger]

Beautiful trailer! Question, the inside of the bathroom door, is that standard or did you add a covering? Looks good, just never noticed it before.

[Tin]

Originally Posted by Ginger

Beautiful trailer! Question, the inside of the bathroom door, is that standard or did you add a covering? Looks good, just never noticed it before.

It is standard.

[Tin]

Originally Posted by NW Cat Owner

Another option that's not shown on this particular trailer, but I know a few others have: Getting the cabinet next to the door extended so you have more cabinet space, instead of the flat countertop there. It all depends on how you want to use that area, though.

Hi NW Cat Owner,
I can not speak about other trailers, but on the 5.0TA there is plenty of cabinet storage, what there is not is counter space. This small counter space is priceless rel estate for us, especially when you are outside the trailer and just want to put something on the counter with out going inside.

[gmchamplin]

Originally Posted by NW Cat Owner

Another option that's not shown on this particular trailer, but I know a few others have: Getting the cabinet next to the door extended so you have more cabinet space, instead of the flat countertop there. It all depends on how you want to use that area, though.

ETI actually offered this option on our first build sheet, and we did select it. On the build sheet, it is called "Full Height Cabinet to right of Entry Door".

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by gmchamplin

ETI actually offered this option on our first build sheet, and we did select it. On the build sheet, it is called "Full Height Cabinet to right of Entry Door".

It can also be done on the 21 for $300.00 (last check on $) & they throw in the drop table.

During the build before the door Unfortunately, not my trailer!

[Chris & Patricia]

Originally Posted by TinKnocker

Chris & Patricia,
Originally We had every thing booked well in advance, but with the weather and not knowing for sure if the trailer would be ready (ETI had some vendor delivery issues due to weather) We cancelled most of are reservations. We made same day reservations for Lake Pleasant RV park WA.(We got lucky this place was full) it a really nice park,clean restrooms and hot showers. The rest we just showed up they had plenty of spots this time of year. Roamers RV park in OR. is also a nice park clean and well maitained plenty of spots. Seven Feathers is a must, nice clean beautiful plus I won $300 on the crap table . Rolling Hills Casino RV park CA. is nice and well maintained but the location is perfect after crossing the Siskiyou all I wanted was a cold beer and a fatty.

Thanks much. A couple of those stops look perfect for us on our way down to SoCal. What's the Siskiyou like to drive with a Trailer?

[Tin]

Originally Posted by Chris & Patricia

Thanks much. A couple of those stops look perfect for us on our way down to SoCal. What's the Siskiyou like to drive with a Trailer?

As long as the weathers is good it is not a problem, two lanes going north and two lanes going south. Several 6% grades but its the long windy down parts that can get you in trouble if you do not have tow/haul mode on your vehicle its hard on the brakes that and all the semi trucks.
Siskiyou Summit

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

It can also be done on the 21 for $300.00 (last check on $) & they throw in the drop table.

During the build before the door Unfortunately, not my trailer!

Yep, we got it on ours. I love it! Here's it is with the door on - well, it's been opened. (Ignore the stuff I just crammed on the one shelf. Top shelf has the laundry tote.)

[RicVic]

Thanks for the PM Steve.

Did you have your hitch installed by ETI's vender or done before you went to pick up your trailer?

Hope you decide to make it to Quartzside.

[Tin]

Hi Rick,
I had called Trade masters (Chilliwack) and asked if I could speak with someone who could answer questions specific to the installation of a patroit 16k (I had already bought the hitch and the universal rail kit). I was told I would need to purchase the B&W custom bracket and they would install them on my truck $460.
I explained my concern regarding the 5'6" bed and turn clearance on the 5.0TA, and asked how far from the back of cab to center of hitch they would be able to achieve (as was hoping to achieve at least 30" but was hoping for 32" to 34" their response was " we no longer do that we will install the brackets per the manufacturer instructions" I was surprised at this answer as I was under the impression that this was commonly done ? I asked if they would make custom brackets in order to achieve this, she said no they no longer install behind axle.
You could try calling them and see if you have better luck.

I must admit I was disappointed with this answer but like anything else decided to make lemon aid out of lemons. I went to several local hitch shops and their first reaction with installing brackets and hitch behind the axle was very negative, but once I showed them the 5.0ta specs (weight and width) they understood my situation and where less concerned about the install. It seemed like for the most part there solutions where custom brackets consisting of 3/8" A-36 steel angle. I went home crawled under the truck and studied the situation for hours, pondering different brackets. After many hours and sketches I figured How I was going to make and install my brackets @ 34" center of hitch with hitch arms in the center position, which would give the option of 32", 34" and 36"
Tin
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...haul-9156.html

[SpokanEscape]

We were the unlucky guinea pigs for this situation when we picked up our 5.0 in September. Trademasters installed our Patriot 16K further forward in the Ford F150 5.5 foot bed than they had previously done and Reace had to install a slider hitch to accommodate. This put me (Jan) in a bit of a panic as the last thing we wanted to deal with was the pain in the donkey's bottom process of changing the slider hitch position every time we wanted to back up. As a testament to the wonderful customer service at ETI, when I left a message with Tammy about installing an automatic slider Reace called us right back and explained we could just leave the slider in the rear position all the time. A friend of ours who is a long haul trucker looked at our setup and confirmed that Reace indeed knew what he was talking about when he evaluated this as being safe.
I would always encourage someone thinking about a 5.0 to discuss the hitch setup with Reace before proceeding just to make sure it will all work out.