What Do Designations 'C', 'NE', and 'TA' Stand For?

[MrLynn]

Idle question:

In Escape 21C, 21NE, 5.0 TA,

what do the letters 'C', 'NE', and 'TA' mean?

They don't seem to be using 'TA' any more. Did the 5.0 change?

I think I've heard Karl in a video referring to the '21 Classic', so maybe that's the 'C'.

[kathytony1985]

I believe C is Classic, NE is New Edition, and TA is Tandem Axle. If I'm not correct, someone else will let me know.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

They don't seem to be using 'TA' any more. Did the 5.0 change?

The trailer didn't change. When the original 5.0 was replaced a larger model (2014?) the new one was distinguished by the name 5.0 TA, denoting the tandem axles. The single-axle and tandem-axle models were never sold at the same time, and eventually ETI management seems to have decided that the "TA" part was superfluous.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by kathytony1985

I believe C is Classic, NE is New Edition...

... and the difference is the floor plan.

[Doug2000]

The C for Classic and the NE for New Edition make absolutely no sense knowing the history of Escape. Many owners refer to the Classic as the first generation prior to 2017.

TA means tandem axle which is important as the original 5.0 was a single axle.

[Iowa Dave]

Like Doug says, “add on nomenclature “ sometimes doesn’t make a lot of sense. If you’re seriously getting into cars, motorcycles, bicycles etc, most all of them have distinguishing names and or numbers. What’s a 2+2 or a 305CB or a Cherry Bomb? Well, unless you lived the era or think you ought to have one now for your collection, names are often lost to history.
Among Escapes you’ll also see 15A or 15B and a few C’s and others Refer to the early Fifth wheels as SA (single axle). Your best bet if inquiring about a trailer is to have your list of wants in front of you and then ask away. Most Escape owners will answer yes or no when asked about a feature. And some might say “they all had that” but when you don’t know, you’re in the learning mode and when you get the “all have that” answer, now you know. And there are instances where someone has, say, removed the awning and didn’t replace it, so even though the trailer started out with an awning, it might not have it now.
It’s always a “caveat emptor” situation, so many questions are your best bet to understanding.
Good luck in your Escape quest.
Iowa Dave

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Doug2000

The C for Classic and the NE for New Edition make absolutely no sense knowing the history of Escape. Many owners refer to the Classic as the first generation prior to 2017.

True, but the current management knew nothing about Escapes in 2016.

And some of us said from the first time that naming was used that it would be confusing in the future...

[gbaglo]

I still have to think twice. NE is northeast to me.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I still have to think twice. NE is northeast to me.

Hi: gbaglo... Thinking twice is odd to me!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[kathytony1985]

IMHO: It isn't necessary for ETI to use these designations in the current lineup if trailers. However, it is VERY helpful for these designations to be used on this forum and the Fiberglass RV forum in order to know what trailer members are discussing.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by kathytony1985

IMHO: It isn't necessary for ETI to use these designations in the current lineup if trailers. However, it is VERY helpful for these designations to be used on this forum and the Fiberglass RV forum in order to know what trailer members are discussing.

I said for years that I'd be happy if I could buy a 21 shell and put a 19 floor plan in it. However the limiting factor for me would have been the door location in the 21 doesn't work effectively for doing that and gaining some interior layout benefits.

Funny that ETI actually did ending up putting a 19 layout in a 21 shell. 21NE? I don't know, just doesn't seem like a logical name, I don't see how it relates to a 19 in a 21 shell. But they had to call it something.

Ron

[Brian B-P]

The letters stuck on the end of Escape names have never made any sense. The "A", "B", and even "C" for alternate equipment and resulting floorplans in the small models (basically bathroom alternatives) are arbitrary labels. The "TA" for the 5.0TA was superfluous, as there was never a single versus tandem axle choice. The 21C and 21NE letters suggest an old-versus-new distinction, yet both are in production and for anyone who doesn't happen to know the history neither is logically newer.

Most companies use sensible letters. For instance, Bigfoot has FB = Front Bed, and RB = Rear Bed; the same thing would have worked for the 21' models from Escape.

[Donna D.]

One thing about NOT following industry standards (or any other manufacturing nomenclature) is if someone is really interested in the brand, they might check out every model because there are no preconceived ideas of what the naming means.

[gbaglo]

Well, with the 17, it's 17B for bathroom and 17A for AAAAARRRRHHHH, I have to go.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Well, with the 17, it's 17B for bathroom and 17A for AAAAARRRRHHHH, I have to go.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

One thing about NOT following industry standards (or any other manufacturing nomenclature) is if someone is really interested in the brand, they might check out every model because there are no preconceived ideas of what the naming means.

Sure, and when they find out that the 21C and the 21NE mean "21 foot classic" and "21 foot new edition", what will they do? I think they might say "what moron picked those names, and why don't they use something meaningful" ... but maybe that's just me and a few million other people.

Perhaps Ford should rename their pickup trucks with the F-150 becoming the Q30, the F-250 becoming the X15, and the F-350 becoming the M22... with the numbers having no relationship to relative load capacity and the letters meaning nothing at all, because that would make people look into them further.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Sure, and when they find out that the 21C and the 21NE mean "21 foot classic" and "21 foot new edition", what will they do? I think they might say "what moron picked those names, and why don't they use something meaningful" ... but maybe that's just me and a few million other people.

Perhaps Ford should rename their pickup trucks with the F-150 becoming the Q30, the F-250 becoming the X15, and the F-350 becoming the M22... with the numbers having no relationship to relative load capacity and the letters meaning nothing at all, because that would make people look into them further.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion and maybe mine matches the millions of other people you are referencing rather than your own? I own a Ford F-100 and a Ford F-150, those are meaningless too, but they followed the F-1. Q30 would work just as well. Although I'd really like to have a Ford FR-100, but Ford Racing only built two of those in 2003 and there hasn't been a FR-1 pickup, nor has there been a FR-150 pickup. Just to show large manufacturing nomenclature can be meaningless.

[Brian B-P]

Of course it's all just opinion.

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I own a Ford F-100 and a Ford F-150, those are meaningless too, but they followed the F-1. Q30 would work just as well. Although I'd really like to have a Ford FR-100, but Ford Racing only built two of those in 2003 and there hasn't been a FR-1 pickup, nor has there been a FR-150 pickup. Just to show large manufacturing nomenclature can be meaningless.

I didn't choose pickup names randomly. Ford, GM, and Chrysler all name their pickup trucks in a scheme that started with truck weight classification: the digit "1", "2", or "3" corresponds to the class by weight, although they have drifted off those class lines in recent generations. More importantly to immediate understanding, the higher that digit, the heavier the truck. So, they are reasonably meaningful; Escape didn't even try for anything understandable in "C" and "NE", which was my point.

[Donna D.]

I've yet to see any all-molded towable manufacturer that has sensible model identifiers. Layout 1, layout 2, layout 3... and on an on for Scamp and they use Deluxe for wood interiors. Where as Casita uses Liberty, Independence, Freedom, etc. and Deluxe means it has a bathroom.

Fortunately, none are hard to remember. At least I don't find it a problem. Guess we can be glad none of us were asked to make the final decision, who knows what they may have ended up with....

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I've yet to see any all-molded towable manufacturer that has sensible model identifiers. Layout 1, layout 2, layout 3... and on an on for Scamp and they use Deluxe for wood interiors. Where as Casita uses Liberty, Independence, Freedom, etc. and Deluxe means it has a bathroom.

Fortunately, none are hard to remember. At least I don't find it a problem. Guess we can be glad none of us were asked to make the final decision, who knows what they may have ended up with....

Coming from the idiosyncratic MFG world, it took me a while to realize the most mainline (stickbuilt) RV makers use fairly standard abbreviations for length and floorplan, e.g. 21FB (Front Bedroom), 25RQ (Rear Queen), 19RT (Rear Twin), etc. Bigfoot uses them; wouldn't hurt Escape to do so as well: always better to convey more information than less.

'Length' BTW is confusing, as the MFG makers define it as total length, including hitch, while the stickies use the length of the body alone. I am never sure about some, though. I was just looking at ads for used Airstream 'Sport 16' models. But are they really 16' feet long, or (by our MFG standards) 19'?