How does the spray foam insulation LOOK? Pics?

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Well.......the foam may be fugly, but it’s definitely not as fugly as a sensor wire ripped apart, a damaged pipe, or a hole in one of the holding tanks cause by kicked up road debris at 62 mph/100 kph. And unless you fix the damage yourself, the repair bill can be even more fugly. I have the foam (it’s painted black so the must have been listening to the Stones that day) and In 5 years no non-Escape owners have asked me what the fugly stuff on the underside of my trailer is. Nor have I heard armadillos running around underneath it in the middle of the night as I did in my previous SOB. Beauty is finite. Function is more important to me so if the foam is fugly, far be it from me to find fault for its failure to be fabulously fine looking!

Foam may offer some protection from road hazards but there is a downside to it. If you need to do repairs, it can be daunting to deal with the foam.

I would prefer the Ron in BC method. Gives approximately the same level of protection but can be more easily removed if needed. Adding foam over the tanks and piping would complete the job.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tion-7046.html

Also, not fugly like the spray foam.

[cpaharley2008]

Dave,
Thanks for the suggestion, I have a set of plastic I carry for the stabilizers, in fact 2 sets. These wooden things are outside at home and exposed to weather, nothing invested, nothing to lose.

[arniesea]

Originally Posted by arniesea

So as a counterpoint with a caveat: on my last trip I drove 45 miles on fresh gravel. Just before the the trip, I got new AT tires on my truck. I did not realize that the new tires kicked up more gravel than the road tires I had on the truck before. End result: I drove too fast (45mph) for conditions and equipment. The gravel beat the crap out of the foam on the front. It looks terrible. I will need to spray some fresh foam and paint it again for it to look “good” again.

The up side? The foam protected the tanks. So in my mind sacrificial foam is worth it. It is dark now so I will post Picts tomorrow.

As Promised, here are some pictures. Boy I sure learned my lesson! Slow down on fresh gravel. The ride was so smooth I didn't think much of it at the time.

You will notice damage to the paint on the frame as well. Also a rock or something broke half the handle off my black tank valve. But I didn't notice that until a few days later so that could have been a different road hazard. Repairs are on my list.

[MarkBC]

Originally Posted by arniesea

As Promised, here are some pictures....

Thanks, arniesea! Pics are what I was most looking for by starting this thread.

[cpaharley2008]

Do you have rear mud flaps on the truck, may want to look into those. I guess with the 5.0 there is a lot of open space from your truck tires to the sewer hookup. With the lower conventional trailer the rocks may not do as much damage due to the lower clearance in front of the tires.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Dave,
Thanks for the suggestion, I have a set of plastic I carry for the stabilizers, in fact 2 sets. These wooden things are outside at home and exposed to weather, nothing invested, nothing to lose.

I figured that....I used separate blocks previously but I just got tired of always having to put them down so I screwed these in place and now almost never have to add any blocks.

[cpaharley2008]

I may invest in a set for the rear as they are always the ones that are extended the most with the front being closer to the ground they are least extended.

[padlin]

I have mud flaps, the front frame member, the forward side of the step, and the forward tips of the back bumper get sand blasted.


As far as the foam helping in freezing temps, I've not had the tanks freeze when it gets below freezing at night, I've not tried longer then that. Common sense would say that the foam helps insulate both the tanks and the floor, but someone, better yet a pair of someones, would have to do an experiment to find out positively.

[MarkBC]

Originally Posted by padlin

...
As far as the foam helping in freezing temps, I've not had the tanks freeze when it gets below freezing at night, I've not tried longer then that. Common sense would say that the foam helps insulate both the tanks and the floor, but someone, better yet a pair of someones, would have to do an experiment to find out positively.

Gotcha. I've read the threads here (and talked to an owner in person) that make it clear that Escape is not a cold-winter trailer, and the spray foam insulation won't convert it into one. I understand and believe that. But the foam has gotta be better than nothing towards weathering a mild freeze -- overnight at least.
It's like, maybe I should be wearing a down parka outside in January... but wearing a sweater is still gonna be better than wearing just a T-shirt.

[cpaharley2008]

We have camped down to single digits in our Escape, with the heat on, with out the fresh tank freezing for two nights. We also have a heated water supply hose if water is available.

[felix2]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Just crawled up underneath my truck and took a look....turns out it is fugly too and I never realized it!

A cabinetmaker I once worked with told me "if they're looking at it that closely, they're in a perfect position for a swift kick in the a**"!

[arniesea]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Do you have rear mud flaps on the truck, may want to look into those. I guess with the 5.0 there is a lot of open space from your truck tires to the sewer hookup. With the lower conventional trailer the rocks may not do as much damage due to the lower clearance in front of the tires.

Hi Jim,

yes, I have mud flaps. I think it was the perfect storm of new tires, fresh gravel and wanting to get to the remote hot springs at the end of the drive!

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Honestly. I've never crawled under any trailer that had the foam but I've sure glanced over at some and thought, FUGLY.

If you're looking for reasons to justify it, yes, you could say that it offers some protection to some items. But I've done the Alcan Hwy. and nasty roads in Baja and a lot of other crappy roads and never had any damage to anything. Then, of course, there's the issue of a problem in a propane line or wiring etc. that's hidden by the foam.

As I said, the photos posted don't do it justice. In person it's visible and FUGLY.

Ron

Like beauty, fugly is in the eye of the beholder.

Some people find any number of things beautiful while others find the same things fugly. Some people think motor homes are wonderful, others feel molded fiberglass trailers are wonderful. Some people think microwaves are worthless, others wouldn’t be without one. Some people think whatever they name their trailer is so clever; others may think the name is pretty stupid. To the OP, it doesn’t really matter if Ron in BC thinks spray insulation is fugly or if C&G in FL thinks it is worthwhile. What truly matters is what will best suit the OP’s needs. However, I’m not sure about photos not doing it justice. Or perhaps I am mistaken, but when I see another Escape, my first action is not to look at its underside to judge whether it is fugly or not. But now, after 5 years I can look at one of the first photos I took on my way home from pickup and I never realized how fugly the spray foam makes my 5.0TA look.

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Like beauty, fugly is in the eye of the beholder.

Some people find any number of things beautiful while others find the same things fugly. Some people think motor homes are wonderful, others feel molded fiberglass trailers are wonderful. Some people think microwaves are worthless, others wouldn’t be without one. Some people think whatever they name their trailer is so clever; others may think the name is pretty stupid. To the OP, it doesn’t really matter if Ron in BC thinks spray insulation is fugly or if C&G in FL thinks it is worthwhile. What truly matters is what will best suit the OP’s needs. However, I’m not sure about photos not doing it justice. Or perhaps I am mistaken, but when I see another Escape, my first action is not to look at its underside to judge whether it is fugly or not. But now, after 5 years I can look at one of the first photos I took on my way home from pickup and I never realized how fugly the spray foam makes my 5.0TA look.

Very well put Carl.

I like the varied opinions, the reasons people make for their choices, and their results.

My mods are function based and while my workmanship isn't poor my results are more on the order of stock ETI work. While I am not willing to go the extra mile I am quite impressed and appreciate the beauty when I see the workmanship of those same mods when done by the craftsmen amongst here.

[Dave Walter]

My experience is that the vast majority of owners with an option/feature will rave about how great it is and how they would do it again in a heartbeat, while the majority of those without that feature/option will say it was not worth the cost, not needed, f-en ugly, or whatever. I personally like the look of the foam on my Escapes, kind of marshmallowy and cushiony. I have been cold in my Escapes, but never due to the cold coming up from the floor. I don't worry a whole lot about it though.

[gsbfree]

We’re having spray foam insulation installed on our 19 which we’re scheduled for pickup on June 4th. Today I inquired if it will be painted black and the answer was the visible sides will be painted black but the center areas which aren’t visible will not be painted. We chose to have foam installed for protection since we can travel extended distances on gravel roads.

I like the fact that ETI allows the buyer to customize their trailer for their specific need, there’s very few manufacturers out there who offer anything even close to the unique approach.

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by arniesea

Boy I sure learned my lesson! Slow down on fresh gravel. The ride was so smooth I didn't think much of it at the time.

Hi Arnie, I installed my Roadmaster Active Suspension a week or so ago. I didn't notice much difference when not towing. But I definitely did yesterday when I picked up my trailer from storage to do some cleaning, etc.

I was almost home with the trailer when I realized how great the ride was. I have about 12 miles on a rough road and before RAS I hated that road for shaking everything up. I would drive under the 50 mph limit. But yesterday I was driving a hair over 50 and never gave it a thought.

Today I took the trailer back and was mindful of the ride, ah, much, much improvement on that rough road. I purposely took some rough areas that before I would have avoided. Maybe you can lay the blame for your speed on the Roadmaster Active Suspension. I am sold on it.

[cpaharley2008]

Does the RAS impact the trailer or just the tow vehicle? In other words the more rough the roads, the better you feel in the tow but the harder it is on the trailer contents?

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Does the RAS impact the trailer or just the tow vehicle? In other words the more rough the roads, the better you feel in the tow but the harder it is on the trailer contents?

I would venture to agree that it is the tow that gets the main improvement. Also, if you'd drive the same speed on marginal roads it wouldn't impact the trailer, but if you end up driving faster it would.

BUT I would also say if you are feeling impacts in the truck some of that bouncing is going to end up affecting the trailer as well. So the smoother truck ride probably does somewhat affect the trailer.

[arniesea]

Originally Posted by Ronn

Hi Arnie, I installed my Roadmaster Active Suspension a week or so ago. I didn't notice much difference when not towing. But I definitely did yesterday when I picked up my trailer from storage to do some cleaning, etc.

I was almost home with the trailer when I realized how great the ride was. I have about 12 miles on a rough road and before RAS I hated that road for shaking everything up. I would drive under the 50 mph limit. But yesterday I was driving a hair over 50 and never gave it a thought.

Today I took the trailer back and was mindful of the ride, ah, much, much improvement on that rough road. I purposely took some rough areas that before I would have avoided. Maybe you can lay the blame for your speed on the Roadmaster Active Suspension. I am sold on it.

Thanks Ronn, Fair point!

The ride is so nice now, perhaps I take it for granted and need to be more mindful. Glad you like the mod! Once things open up, you will really notice it on long travel days. I’m not nearly as tired at the end of a long drive day as before.

Cheers!