If you could do it again, what would be different?

[Bobbito]

Originally Posted by Brookfielder

Glad to see your take on a few things, particularly the high lift axle. I am wondering if the change in center of gravity will be worth the slight extra clearance. Will be looking for opinions on this.

If you have the spray on foam insulation you have almost 3 inches less clearance. I think I might have gone with the high lift anyway because we go down some roads that are really rough. We saw trailer plumbing on the side of the road on our trip this fall and wouldn't want that to be us. There are rough roads and then there are ROUGH roads. Where I fish the dips and ridges can be exceptionally deep.

We added the high lift to our Escape 21 after 1 year and found that it made no difference to its stability. I couldn't tell the difference.

Bob K

[blhvet]

Hmmm...that's interesting. I specifically asked ETI if the spray foam affected the clearance, and they said no, because it wasn't on the frame. So, I didn't go with the high lift axle. Now I'm wondering...

[Bobbito]

The foam covers some areas of the frame and covers other hardware on the underside. It appears to protect the frame from rusting. From what I see it decreases the clearance by about 3 inches, about the same height that the lift kit raises the trailer. Doing the lift kit during construction will save $200 over having it done later. It wasn't available when ours was built in 2015.


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[Little Richie]

[QUOTE=tractors1;154758]

Originally Posted by Little Richie

TADI Brothers is the ETI supplier; works great. You get what you pay for. I found the RVS system performed poorly myself and returned it.

Thank you for your note. In one of my conversations over the last few months with Escape, I believe that they noted that the new supplier is Rear View Safety (RVS)i. This being said, I could not find a note or an email. If this is important to anyone they may want to check with Escape. In any case. I hope to use a FORD camera that is integrated with the front console.

On a related note, I do not know how the camera is powered when installed by Escape. Mine is connected to the marker lights, which means that I have a rear view whenever I turn on my vehicle lights. Some cameras like the FORD are only powered up the backing up or moving less that 10mph.

I have no experience with other cameras. The camera I currently use is about two years old and they are changing rapidly. My experience with both a 2014 F150 and a 2013 Honda Pilot is that my camera can, without notice, interfere with the TPMS systems, which is WIFII. This may no longer be an issue with newer models.

Thank you again for following up.

LR

[Brookfielder]

Reading a number of conversations about the foam under the unit, it doesn't really seem necessary unless you are spending time below freezing on a regular basis. I'm thinking the extra isulation and thermal windows should cover most of our usage.
As for the high lift, I will keep an open mind about it, but generally the places that meet the deep rutted description are places I would range out to with the truck, leaving the trailer in a more easily accessible site. We have done that up in Sayward with my Dad's Cougar trailer at the Fisherboy campsite as a base camp. I think I would be a bit more adventurous with the Escape though...

[gbaglo]

I have the high lift, but in reality, my RAV4 is going to bottom out way before the trailer could. And, crossing ditches that the Forest Service dug across a road, it was my hitch that bottomed out first ( wasn't towing at the time ).

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Brookfielder

Reading a number of conversations about the foam under the unit, it doesn't really seem necessary unless you are spending time below freezing on a regular basis. I'm thinking the extra isulation and thermal windows should cover most of our usage.
As for the high lift, I will keep an open mind about it, but generally the places that meet the deep rutted description are places I would range out to with the truck, leaving the trailer in a more easily accessible site. We have done that up in Sayward with my Dad's Cougar trailer at the Fisherboy campsite as a base camp. I think I would be a bit more adventurous with the Escape though...

Why insulate a house with better windows and wall insulation and leave the basement open to the outside?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Why insulate a house with better windows and wall insulation and leave the basement open to the outside?

Because I can live in my house 365 days a the year, in all seasons... but my trailer I don't... besides, it has tires so it can move to different climates and I haven't figured out a way to put a hitch on my house.

[Little Richie]

I am working on my specifications for a 5.0. Regarding the lift, some trucks may need it to get the necesssry bed clearance - a possible issue for fifth wheels only; in addition I have wacked the bottom of my current camper on a high curb while exiting a parking lot.

Regarding the insulation, I am concerned about having to remove the insulation if I wack my pipes. This last point, however, is not likely to be an issue for most - we just like to go to in town quilt shops and coffee shops while traveling. These urban environments have all sorts of clearance issues.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Little Richie

I am working on my specifications for a 5.0. Regarding the lift, some trucks may need it to get the necesssry bed clearance - a possible issue for fifth wheels only; in addition I have wacked the bottom of my current camper on a high curb while exiting a parking lot.

Regarding the insulation, I am concerned about having to remove the insulation if I wack my pipes. This last point, however, is not likely to be an issue for most - we just like to go to in town quilt shops and coffee shops while traveling. These urban environments have all sorts of clearance issues.

If anything, the foam will protect your pipes from obstructions as well as temperature differential.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

... besides, it has tires so it moves and I haven't figured out a way to put a hitch on my house.

House movers will do it for you, but just one move will cost as much as your trailer did. Oh wait, you wouldn't be insulated underneath anymore either. Okay, back to the planning stage........

I do realize that there can be a wee bit of benefit, but am not certain I am going to do it. If I do, I will likely just do it myself with 2" rigid something like Ron did. This is one of the few things I have not decided on, on my build sheet.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Because I can live in my house 365 days a the year, in all seasons... but my trailer I don't... besides, it has tires so it can move to different climates and I haven't figured out a way to put a hitch on my house.

You just need a different house:

[Greg A]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Because I can live in my house 365 days a the year, in all seasons... but my trailer I don't... besides, it has tires so it can move to different climates and I haven't figured out a way to put a hitch on my house.

I'm with Donna on that one. I don't want to camp in anything that the foam would make any noticeable difference and would pull further South. As far as the heat, we're in Az and never have had any issue with a "hot or warm floor" where the foam would make any difference in that situation. Someone needs to do validated testing on internal floor temps in the same model side by side, one with foam and one without, in different temp scenarios, then you might have something more concrete.

[Jake930]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

If anything, the foam will protect your pipes from obstructions as well as temperature differential.

I can attest to that. When I got the trailer home there was a chunk out of the under foam spray. Bottom front passenger side. Where we evidently was hit by something or other from the road. Could have been my tank.

[advenas]

With respect to the foam....it has been said it protects the tanks from the cold and insulates the tanks/floor from the heat. If you are parked on asphalt in the summer it gets hot...and the heat then radiates to the underside of the camper. How much this affects the inside temperature I don't know. But I thought it was worth the extra expense if it keeps the cold and heat out as well as protecting the tanks.

As for the high lift axle....better safe than sorry. My 17B will be for the back country. And with my driving I'm sure the extra clearance will come in handy.

[David H]

Originally Posted by advenas

With respect to the foam....it has been said it protects the tanks from the cold and insulates the tanks/floor from the heat. If you are parked on asphalt in the summer it gets hot...and the heat then radiates to the underside of the camper. How much this affects the inside temperature I don't know. But I thought it was worth the extra expense if it keeps the cold and heat out as well as protecting the tanks.

As for the high lift axle....better safe than sorry. My 17B will be for the back country. And with my driving I'm sure the extra clearance will come in handy.

I had the spray foam applied to my 17B for a warmer floor in the spring and fall and cooler in the summer (same with the extra insulation and dual pane windows). Also while towing in hotter climates the hot road surface radiates heat to the underside of the trailer increasing the internal temperature, spray foam should also help reduce the affect, by how much I don't know.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Little Richie

... These urban environments have all sorts of clearance issues.

Entering one of our local gas stations from the South, you have to go down into a storm drainage depression then sharply up an incline. It's hard enough to get any vehicle in and out without scraping bottom somewhere, let alone when towing. And the entry/exits are grooved where hitches have dug in and scraped out the asphalt. Pretty obvious there's a problem. Not sure how much a 2.5" lift kit would help, but it couldn't hurt. Similar problem entering from the North, but less dramatic and a bit easier to negotiate. You'd think the owner and town engineer could work out a solution, but I guess not.

[Bobbito]

Right on, War Eagle. I know I encounter these situations on forest service roads, but your comment brought to mind gas stations where I scraped my hitch, which BTW I would much rather do than the tanks and plumbing that hang down from the trailer.

On the foam insulation question, David H brought up a good point. The floor can let in a lot of cold when you camp in the cold, so why just insulate the walls and ceiling. And I'm not even talking freezing. I was surprised how cold it got as we camped in New Mexico in September. We camped at high elevation where it was refrigerator cold just 15 minutes from the old historic Santa Fe. I can only imagine how cold the floor would have been at night without it.

[andraycho]

[QUOTE=Losangeles;170130]

Originally Posted by tractors1

ETI has recently switched to a RVS (newer design, maybe?) model now.

ETI now uses the RVS-2CAM - at least they are now, while our 21' is being built.

They said they did this as the RVS-2CAM performs the best, from their findings.

The RVS-2CAM performs very poorly with a metal trailer, like an Airstream, from what I have read....

FYI,

I picked up 5.0TA last week and got "no signal" quite often with RVS-2CAM backup camera. I'm pulling my trailer with 2016 Ford F150. I'm looking into installing included wired antenna for better reception. The screen quality is OK.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Bobbito

The floor can let in a lot of cold when you camp in the cold......

Actually it is the other way around, it is the cold outside drawing the heat from the floor.

I know this has been mentioned before, but the words of my thermodynamics instructor still stick in my mind "There is no such thing as cold, just an absence of heat." While this may seem trivial, knowing this really does help understand how heat transfers. Ever wonder why there are units of heat, but none for cold?

Once again I must blame this pickiness on my mother and how she raised me. LOL