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Old 05-27-2022, 02:00 PM   #1
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Napoleon TravelQ 285

Well, we have not yet even signed off on our build sheet and we're already more ordering goodies.

Between hoses, filters, regulators, leveling blocks, etc...etc.... this small grill seems like it should work well for us. Reviews seemed positive. Plus it has two burners.

What's next to buy between now an October?
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Old 05-27-2022, 02:36 PM   #2
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You've only just begun

That grill looks nice, but it sure ain't cheap. It should last.
As others have advised, get your rig and then buy stuff to meet your needs. Maybe a folding step to ease entry, water filter, some spare parts, tools to drain the water heater, a lightweight table.......and so on.

You don't need much at the start, and it all depends on your camping style and venues
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Old 05-27-2022, 02:59 PM   #3
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We're fairly proficient campers and our needs are limited. For us, a dry place to sleep and a way to cook some food outside is pretty luxurious. Our 21C will be like a 5-Star resort.

This grill was a choice between having a small Smokey Joe BBQ and a two burner stove. Just too much junk to take in and out of the back of the truck every time we want to cook. We lock everything up we we leave camp.

Yes, pricey but we will use it at home as well to grill steaks or a quick burger rather than firing up our Weber charcoal pit. Plus, with the cost of everything skyrocketing we decided to bite the bit now.
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Old 05-27-2022, 06:12 PM   #4
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Can't argue

Can't argue, although I tend to. I do run with a Smokey Joe, and it works for me. Money ain't the problem; usage is. Gas grill at home, and wood shop scraps for the firepit. $6 for a dinky store bought armload of firewood! Outrageous! And so it goes.

As I noted, best to buy stuff after you "wet your feet".

And as wise Leon on this forum has said, "coffins don't have pockets", so if you got the coin, spend it & enjoy it whilst you can.
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Old 05-27-2022, 07:01 PM   #5
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Can't argue, although I tend to. I do run with a Smokey Joe, and it works for me. Money ain't the problem; usage is. Gas grill at home, and wood shop scraps for the firepit. $6 for a dinky store bought armload of firewood! Outrageous! And so it goes.

As I noted, best to buy stuff after you "wet your feet".

And as wise Leon on this forum has said, "coffins don't have pockets", so if you got the coin, spend it & enjoy it whilst you can.
Funny thing is, we only use charcoal at home. But the misses does not want to cook in the camper and she's a bit of a clean freak and hate the heat.

This grill is probably the only big purchase we will make for our new Escape outside of a hose, regulator, in-line filter and some leveling blocks.

I've been following the direction of our good friend who whittles lead from old paint for his pencils that he makes from fallen tree branches in his yard.

He needs to write a book on extreme frugality. He's a hoot!

What are your thoughts on a manual jack vs. the fancy power jack? We're thinking manual but my frugal friend says go fancy.
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Old 05-27-2022, 07:42 PM   #6
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I don't know JACK!

I run with the Escape provided hydraulic jack package and a back-up jack I already had. They work, and I've needed them. Do as you please, or NEED. A plank of wood or 2, or 4, can be of additional value, when you need them.

I modified my manual crank jack to accept a cordless drill for the jack & stabilizers. No big deal to do so, but it helps to have some store bought fixtures for this modification. I believe it's covered somewhere in the forum.

A couple of years ago, I stopped by in an old time, established RV dealer and asked which is the best electric jack. He said they all go wonky. So my logic is, if I use a cordless drill (Milwaukee 18V brand) to raise stuff, no weather, rain or water worries, and other uses for the drill. I used it this Spring, and I'm happy with my change.
Manual cranking gets old, if it's hot, and you're old.
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Old 05-27-2022, 08:25 PM   #7
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I saw the manual jack conversion process and it looks really simple to do.

I have a 400 watt inverter in my F150 that I can plug into while driving so keeping a cordless drill battery charged is not an issue.

I'm leaning toward the manual jack. If not for being frugal I can definitely offset the cost of my new grill.
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Old 05-27-2022, 08:57 PM   #8
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I modified our stock manual tongue jack recently with the 1/2" diameter bolt as described in this thread:

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post399346

The only issue I encountered was not having a drill bit immediately on hand that would provide a good fit to press the pin into the bolt as it was not one of the common fractional sizes.

I really like using a lithium-battery drill with a 3/4" hex drive because it operates both the tongue jack and also all of the stabilizers, so setup and teardown is really a breeze.

I also like that there's no jack motor out in the weather, and there's no additional tongue weight. This also fits my approach of trying to carry items that serve as many functions as possible.

I even used the drill to help relocate one of our folding shelves upwards about an inch and a half while on the road recently. That provided a better fit for storing two GCI folding rocking chairs at the foot of the bed in our 21.

Top that with a power tongue jack!
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Tongue Jack Mod 01.jpg   Tongue Jack Mod 02.jpg   Tongue Jack Mod 03.jpg  
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Old 05-27-2022, 09:04 PM   #9
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I have that grill and love it. Very well built and the 2 burners are great to have. I’ve done whole chickens with indirect heat & they turn out great. Definitely worth it
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Old 05-27-2022, 09:12 PM   #10
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You likely won't need it.

"I have a 400 watt inverter in my F150 that I can plug into while driving so keeping a cordless drill battery charged is not an issue."

At least for my 18V Milwaukee brand drill, there's no issue. Unless you're building a house or deck that day, recharge is not anywhere near an issue. My advice is get a heavy duty drill, 18V Li-Ion or such. NOT an impact drill, just a cordless. Crank it to drive when raising the tongue and back off to less when raising or lowering stabilizers. And be careful! Those drills have got some torque. My older and less powerful drills couldn't do the job.
Go big, or go home, as they say.

I say, go travelling and camping.

Drill, baby, drill! It's all about the drill.

Civilguy, who posted above, has the mod detailed. A simple V-block drill bit centering jig, available at the big box stores can get you spot-on with the project.
No big thang!
I'm talkin' drills, not grills, now.

On grills, not drills, that indirect heating technique for chicken does indeed produce very, very tasty chicken. My Smokey Joe can't do that, easily.
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Old 05-28-2022, 09:03 AM   #11
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Here's a tool to drill the bolt shaft hole

This jig self-centers and allows accurate hole placement when drilling the locking pin hole on your 1/2" bolt. Well worth the $10, or get a machinist to do the hole. A robust punch and big hammer were needed by me to remove the original expanding lock pin, which was reused.
Clamp the jig to your bolt firmly when you drill.
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Old 05-28-2022, 09:06 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WillyB View Post
Funny thing is, we only use charcoal at home. But the misses does not want to cook in the camper and she's a bit of a clean freak and hate the heat.

This grill is probably the only big purchase we will make for our new Escape outside of a hose, regulator, in-line filter and some leveling blocks.

I've been following the direction of our good friend who whittles lead from old paint for his pencils that he makes from fallen tree branches in his yard.

He needs to write a book on extreme frugality. He's a hoot!

What are your thoughts on a manual jack vs. the fancy power jack? We're thinking manual but my frugal friend says go fancy.
If you are going to use a weight distribution hitch, the power tongue jack is a worthy addition. With the WDH, you will be cranking the tongue up & down during hitching more than you would with a standard hitch and will appreciate the reduced cranking.

I don't use a WDH with my 21 & F150, but still love the ease of a power tongue jack. I even replaced my original (that I destroyed at Big Bend NP) with a Lippert "Smart Jack". While I don't make use of the "Smart" leveling, I do appreciate that my tailgate will no longer "take out" the switches & light on the original, and the auto retracting feature is handy when hooking up.
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