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Old 02-22-2020, 09:53 PM   #1
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Axle upgrade

Has anyone upgraded their axles on their escape to a heavier axle?
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Old 02-22-2020, 10:01 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by dattoll2 View Post
Has anyone upgraded their axles on their escape to a heavier axle?

Why would one do that? The axle is sized appropriately for the GVWR.
I wouldn't call that an 'upgrade'.
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Old 02-23-2020, 01:48 AM   #3
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Why would one do that? The axle is sized appropriately for the GVWR.
I wouldn't call that an 'upgrade'.
I agree. If anything, the suspensions are excessively stiff on some models, because even at GVWR the axles are nowhere near their rated capacity.

If the concern is spindle strength or brake capacity, it might be possible to swap to the next level of Torflex but with the rubber de-rated to as low as possible.
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Old 02-23-2020, 11:40 AM   #4
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I agree. If anything, the suspensions are excessively stiff on some models, because even at GVWR the axles are nowhere near their rated capacity.
Are they still derating axles? Our early 19 has “3500#” Torflex #10’s derated to 2300# each. That is 4600# for a 4000# GVWR. Seems appropriate.
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Old 02-23-2020, 02:50 PM   #5
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A 3500# axle has a bolt pattern for 5 lug wheels and has 10" brakes. If you wanted 6 lug wheels and 12 inch brakes, an upgrade would be appropriate. Also, If you wanted to go to 16 inch wheels you need 6 lugs.
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Old 02-23-2020, 02:54 PM   #6
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Why, it's appropriate to the load.

If anything needs upgrading, TWIN TURBOS V8.
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Old 02-23-2020, 08:19 PM   #7
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My axles had to be replaced under warranty on my 2016 19' two years ago. ETI recommended I upgrade from 2500lb to 3500lb axles, which Dexter agreed to do at no extra charge. ETI switched to 3500 lb axles on the 19 in 2017.
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Old 02-23-2020, 08:49 PM   #8
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Thx. We are seriously considering the Escape 21 . We currently have non-escape trailer. We upgraded our axles for several reasons. With all the tanks filled, etc. It can make s difference and put a lot of wear on tires., etc We had a broke spindle and was stranded. Hood to know Dexter came through
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Old 02-23-2020, 09:26 PM   #9
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The axle is sized for the GVWR. If you make it stiffer, you put more stress on all the components. Even changing from load range C to load range D tires results in a harsher ride ( I know, cause I did ).
Your assumption seems to be that because your current trailer had inadequate axles ( if it did ), that Escape would also under-engineer their trailer.
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Old 02-23-2020, 09:34 PM   #10
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The axle is sized for the GVWR. If you make it stiffer, you put more stress on all the components. Even changing from load range C to load range D tires results in a harsher ride ( I know, cause I did ).
Your assumption seems to be that because your current trailer had inadequate axles ( if it did ), that Escape would also under-engineer their trailer.
Thanks excellent points. It was an awful experience. A lot for us to think about and consider.
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Old 02-23-2020, 09:46 PM   #11
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Thanks excellent points. It was an awful experience. A lot for us to think about and consider.

Let me guess. Nash?
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Old 02-23-2020, 09:52 PM   #12
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No, Keystone Laredo fifth wheel. We upgraded the axles without having to change the wheel size. Did make a huge difference for the rig.
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Old 02-24-2020, 12:03 PM   #13
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Are they still derating axles? Our early 19 has “3500#” Torflex #10’s derated to 2300# each. That is 4600# for a 4000# GVWR. Seems appropriate.
I don't think Escape is doing this anymore. At some point GVWR's were raised and it seems like all models went to 3500 pound rated Torflex at about the same time. 7000 pounds of axle capacity seems pretty stiff for a trailer with a 5000 pound GVWR (and typically 12% of that on the coupler, not the axles).
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Old 02-24-2020, 12:05 PM   #14
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My axles had to be replaced under warranty on my 2016 19' two years ago. ETI recommended I upgrade from 2500lb to 3500lb axles, which Dexter agreed to do at no extra charge. ETI switched to 3500 lb axles on the 19 in 2017.
Everything about a 2500 pound rated Torflex #10 and a 3500 pound rated Torflex #10 is identical, other than the length of rubber rods inside. Did the rubber fail?
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Old 02-24-2020, 04:45 PM   #15
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Not sure what exactly failed. Symptom was uneven wear and cupping of the tires.
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Old 03-11-2020, 10:50 AM   #16
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imho you should definitely consider upgrading your axle. I was wearing out the onboard sides of the tires on my 17b. contacted Dexter and they sent me a new axle which installed ( incidentally the replacement axle they sent me didn't have inside bearings and seal on one side but that's a story for another day.)
the replacement axle had the same problem with tires. Dexter told me their engineers concluded the axle was overloaded.

I unloaded the trailer to just about nothing and the close to dry weight was a few hundred lbs shy of the gross vehicle weight.
which would leave me about 200 lbs for my stuff if I didn't carry full water. The trailer appears to be heavier than stated. Dexter told me they would sell me a heavier axle for $400. American.
I didn't upgrade the axle. I sold the 17b and got an Airstream
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Old 03-11-2020, 06:47 PM   #17
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I unloaded the trailer to just about nothing and the close to dry weight was a few hundred lbs shy of the gross vehicle weight.
which would leave me about 200 lbs for my stuff if I didn't carry full water. The trailer appears to be heavier than stated.
What weight was stated? Are you comparing to a dry and empty weight for your specific trailer provided by Escape, or to the dry and empty weight of a base (no options) trailer of the same model?

The 17' has the highest axle load of any current Escape model, because it is the only single-axle model and none of the tandem-axle models are even close to twice the weight of a 17'. Due to this loading, all 17's have Torflex axles/suspensions rated at the full 3500 pound capacity of the Torflex #10; the only capacity increase possibility would be to go to the Torflex #10F version, which uses different spindle and brake parts.
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Old 03-11-2020, 09:01 PM   #18
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I just went by what was printed on the sticker that was on the trailer. By the time I got done installing the. replacement axle, discovering that it didn't fix the problem, going back and forth with Dexter, unloading the trailer, weighing it empty, letting ETI know and not really getting a satisfactory answer I had fooled around enough and just bought another trailer. I was pulling it with a one ton diesel pickup and it still fishtailed and porpoiseed. my new airstream weighs twice as much and pulls like a dream with my ram 1500, admittedly I do have a weight distribution hitch with the airstream.
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Old 03-12-2020, 12:37 AM   #19
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I just went by what was printed on the sticker that was on the trailer.
So that was likely the as-equipped weight, but without numbers it's really hard to tell what was really going on.

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By the time I got done installing the. replacement axle, discovering that it didn't fix the problem, going back and forth with Dexter, unloading the trailer, weighing it empty, letting ETI know and not really getting a satisfactory answer I had fooled around enough and just bought another trailer. I was pulling it with a one ton diesel pickup and it still fishtailed and porpoiseed.
That's not an axle capacity problem (although the trailer may have had a capacity problem as well). A properly loaded Escape with a correctly aligned axle won't sway ("fishtail") - that's generally an issue with mass distribution, rather than total mass.
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Old 03-12-2020, 01:20 AM   #20
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After a decade with my 17B, I think you'd have to really screw up loading to get it to sway.
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