Wanted: someone to do extensive mods

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Lorraine,
I got your list and it is far too complicated as well beyond my simple tools. Sorry...

Appreciate you considering it. Be well!

[hitectoys]

A bit far from you but Apex Conversions in Snowhill, NC (Raleigh Durham area). They will take any hauling trailer (uhaul type) and build it out for glamping. They actually strip a trailer down to the inside metal framework and start from there. They do it all. Insulation, solar, cabinets, and even split AC units. Looked at them closely but came across a 2020 5.0 at the same price for doing a custom.

[Ginger]

I saw that you posted your design on another page,but I'm just really curious about what you are going to do.

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by hitectoys

A bit far from you but Apex Conversions in Snowhill, NC (Raleigh Durham area). They will take any hauling trailer (uhaul type) and build it out for glamping. They actually strip a trailer down to the inside metal framework and start from there. They do it all. Insulation, solar, cabinets, and even split AC units. Looked at them closely but came across a 2020 5.0 at the same price for doing a custom.

Hi hitectoys,

These folks sound perfect! Will look around a bit more closer to home, but will definitely consider this as well. Since I have cousins near Raleigh & some business on the Outer Banks in the fall, this could actually be pretty convenient.

Thanks so much for the recommendation!

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by Ginger

I saw that you posted your design on another page,but I'm just really curious about what you are going to do.

Hi Ginger,

I'm away from home right now, so can't attach my sketches, but here's a bit of a description. First, as background, I'll be a solo traveller, so I'll be using a twin bed mattress, & I've asked ETI not to install the dinette.

In lieu of the dinette, I'm wanting an office-type work station. Where the 2 benches would be on the sides for a standard dinette would be counter-height cabinets. These cabinets would be 2 tiers each, with the bottom tiers being access to the utilities, & the top tiers being additional storage. Across the top of these cabinets & across the rear wall, forming a "U", will be a formica countertop. The bottom of the "U" across the rear wall will be open below, & I'll use an office chair here to complete the work/dining space.

In the sleeping loft, I'll remove the penguin cabinets (ETI won't delete them). On both sides, I'm wanting similar banks of cabinets, with a wardrobe by the stairs, a low hamper-type cabinet under the window, & larger penguin cabinets with doors on them at the front.

In addition to these unique-to-me cabinets, I'd like to incorporate many of the ideas borrowed from this forum like opening up the top step for storage, & such.

I'm happy to share this project as others have done, if it is of interest to you. Hoping to be under construction in November & December.

[Ron in BC]

Interesting and it'll be unique.

How much of the dinette is ETI willing to delete?

Ron

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Interesting and it'll be unique.

How much of the dinette is ETI willing to delete?

Ron

Well, they are claiming that the benches are structural, so they are putting those in, but deleting the table & cushions. Would love to hear if you or others think that the benches are structural. In any event, I'm planning to replace them with something taller.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Lorraine Pittsburgh

Well, they are claiming that the benches are structural, so they are putting those in, but deleting the table & cushions. Would love to hear if you or others think that the benches are structural. In any event, I'm planning to replace them with something taller.

I tried to convince Reace to not put in the rear benches in my trailer. He told me they were structural and without the back end would get 'floppy.' Whatever that means. Besides, there's a lot of trailer stuff in those benches. Water heater, batteries, other electrics.... where would those things go if there's no benches/cabinets? THAT's what he asked me. DOH! I realize you're going to replace with something else, but keep what Reace said in mind.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Lorraine Pittsburgh

Well, they are claiming that the benches are structural, so they are putting those in, but deleting the table & cushions. Would love to hear if you or others think that the benches are structural. In any event, I'm planning to replace them with something taller.

On my 21classic at least, the rear dinette benches support the vertical panel by the kitchen, and the cabinetry that starts with the fridge. plus the rear benches have the batteries, furnace, power center, solar controller (if any), propane detector mounted on/in them.

[cpaharley2008]

"Do not mess with Mother Nature or your Escape factory structural components...."

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Lorraine Pittsburgh

Well, they are claiming that the benches are structural, so they are putting those in, but deleting the table & cushions. Would love to hear if you or others think that the benches are structural. In any event, I'm planning to replace them with something taller.

Oh well, easy come easy go.

There's not much to the benches and mine came out easily when I was doing mods to my 19. A few minutes with a screw gun.

I think that your 5 setup is pretty similar to the 19, but even simpler because you don't have any plumbing or wiring side-to-side in the location where the 19 has.

Ron

[brroberts]

They are structural, but if you replace them with a suitable structure, you will be fine. It’s up to you to engineer a suitable structural replacement.

[Chasing Trials]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I tried to convince Reace to not put in the rear benches in my trailer. He told me they were structural and without the back end would get 'floppy.' Whatever that means. s

I think what he's talking about is the Escapes are a single thin walled trailer. A lot of what & where they place cabinets, are very much structural, in either to support the roof(the odd "oversized " sides of upper cabinets to bang your head on, are really "Angle braces" for the sidewalls to ceiling. Stripper pole, as there is no full height roof support on sink/stove side E17=21s, My 2014 does not have one, I can see a big drop in roof outside, one side roof holds water! I am adding one, someday Also will be lifting slooowly. (haven't really looked at a 5.0) have bath & heater walls on driver's side. So also need sideways bracing for twisting. Floor plywood starts it, Large tight fitting plywood for bed does that for the rear sideways wag tail "Floppy", higher up. The uppers about the bed probably do some too. Taking out some cabinets & replacing with something right away is OK. As long as it is thought out what WAS that cabinet wall doing? & will the new ones do the same.

Can't leave out for travel/delivery, to where you want to remodel. shouldn't start(demo) one place & move somewhere else either, without some kind of bracing put in.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by Lorraine Pittsburgh

Well, they are claiming that the benches are structural, so they are putting those in, but deleting the table & cushions. Would love to hear if you or others think that the benches are structural. In any event, I'm planning to replace them with something taller.

With traditional stick-and-tin trailers there is a wood framework in the walls that is the main structure of the trailer, with siding on the outside and wallboard on the inside that hold everything together and hopefully stable. A fiberglass trailer is a relatively thin shell that, although it is one piece when the two halves are mated, would be pretty floppy completely on its own. The cabinetry in an Escape is much more than just a place to store stuff like in traditional trailers - it also serves as the skeleton that braces and adds structural strength to the shell. If you look around the interior of a 5.0 you will find that the cabinetry extends pretty much completely all the way around the interior of the trailer.

When they build the trailer, they fiberglass in small wood supports to the inside of the shell in all the places where cabinets will be attached. When the cabinets are installed they are well screwed into these supports and it makes for a very tight and solid structure, I find that the cabinets in our 5.0 are much more solid than those in our previous stick-and-tin trailer. If you replace some cabinets with something else, you'll need to make sure to be aware of where those wood braces are in the walls so you can plan to use those same attachment points for your new cabinets - having them all secured firmly to the walls is definitely an important part of the structural integrity of the trailer.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

When they build the trailer, they fiberglass in small wood supports to the inside of the shell in all the places where cabinets will be attached. If you replace some cabinets with something else, you'll need to make sure to be aware of where those wood braces are in the walls so you can plan to use those same attachment points for your new cabinets -

Personally, having transported huge f.g. objects like bare, right out of the mold boat hulls, I wouldn't worry about transporting an Escape with a missing dinette. Like a bare hull a few tempory cross pieces of wood or plywood would hold things in place. The existing bulkheads of the kitchen and fridge wall go a long ways in holding things firm. But that's all a moot point as it would be very disruptive to the manufacturing process. And as I pointed out previously, it takes very little time to dismantle the factory installed items.

That's what I would have done years ago if ETI would have sold me a bare rolling 21 shell so that I could have put a 19 interior in it.

There's no need to be limited by the existing blocks of wood already in place. The earlier 19s incredibly didn't come with a ceiling mounted dinette light. A two bulb light over the bed but no light over the dinette.

Some of us retro-fitted ceiling dinette lights by using epoxy to attach a wood block to the f.g. and this can be done to create attachment points for any new structure that you want to add.

Ron

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Donna D, John in Santa Cruz, Jim, Ron, Randy, Chasing Trials, David, & Ron again,

Thank you all for your thoughts & great info. All of this input is so helpful. I'd never have been able to put together a sensible plan for this trailer without all of the wisdom & experience from you all & the others who contribute to this forum.

Hope that you are all well & having great camping adventures!