21C Bed Support Structure

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

So, what else has he got wrong?

I don't know.. you tell us.... Your on point,right?

[7Gentex]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

The hinges secure the hatch to the other side of plywood, and on mine there's 3 or 4 posts supporting the center stringer behind the water heater and pump.

You can just see the edges of them here,

On newer units from the factory, does the plywood topping rest on the top of the outboard stringer on the left of the above pic with the wiring running on the side of the stringer? Hopefully...........

[WillyB]

I not shur f et duz butt I tink soe. Kan sumbodi chec dat.

[cpaharley2008]

I'm glad now we skipped the large queen bed in our new E19 and went for the smaller double bed in front and rear "U" dinette. Pictures will be posted for comparison once received.

[7Gentex]

Originally Posted by WillyB

I not shur f et duz butt I tink soe. Kan sumbodi chec dat.

Guess that is a "Yes"............

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post410289

Per Escape:

"Thank you for reaching out to Escape Trailer! Yes, that looks scary indeed. However, the bed get’s support from the plywood which rests on that piece of wood attached tp the driver’s side wall. In the picture, that plywood has been removed. I just verified the construction with our 21C showroom unit and Dave, our Parts and Service Manager confirmed that we have not had any reported incidences where the bed collapsed. The individual wood bars that you see there in the picture, centred, are to prevent the plywood from bending."

[Dcboyd]

Originally Posted by WillyB

TDF,

Great job on the bed support.

I'll let you know ETI's response to my question about the foam. I seriously doubt that they care.

After pointing this out to Samuel I hope the owner of the unit from the pictures gets something better than what ETI has shown.

Pay attention to what tdf-texas recommends about the framing. He knows what he is talking about. Just because ETI does something does not make it right. Look at all the plumbing failures that have occurred. Escape has made efforts to correct the problems, but it has not been because of their own desires. Complaints from individuals and knowledgeable people on the forum. My 2021 appears to have most plumbing issues addressed. My electrical is dressed and loomed, looks nice and neat.

Having an older trailer built by the original founding family and the new big corporate owners are two completely different critters.
Look at the age of the trailers of those defending ETI on their every word. If they have older trailers, you may want to not give a lot of credence to that advice, as a lot of systems are upgraded, from the older designs.

Now there are many here that are knowledgeable about building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fiberglass systems, others not so much. It’s easy to tell who is who.

[WillyB]

I am really thankful to everyone's advice and knowledge. I've been amazed by some of the crazy cools stuff you all have done.

I'm not expecting a custom hand-built polished gem but I am expecting a certain level of quality for $40,000+. I mean, it's 40,000 Dollars and I can spend that money wherever I choose.

I have a few months for Escape Trailer to either hear and understand my concerns or lose me as a customer. My hope is that they listen.

New AND Improved is easier said than done but it's entirely possible.

Psssssst!
Hey Karl and the Escape Trailer Team, since you're reading this, hopefully you're picking up what I'm putting down.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by WillyB

I am really thankful to everyone's advice and knowledge. I've been amazed by some of the crazy cools stuff you all have done.

I'm not expecting a custom hand-built polished gem but I am expecting a certain level of quality for $40,000+. I mean, it's 40,000 Dollars and I can spend that money wherever I choose.

I have a few months for Escape Trailer to either hear and understand my concerns or lose me as a customer. My hope is that they listen.

New AND Improved is easier said than done but it's entirely possible.

Psssssst!
Hey Karl and the Escape Trailer Team, since you're reading this, hopefully you're picking up what I'm putting down.

The hazard with pointing out stuff on our trailers that could be improved is disenchanting future customers with our discussions. Read my sig. I (and a lot of others here) am not happy to leave things as they are as anything can be improved.

Keep the following items in mind if you are considering buying an Escape trailer.

No one that I have seen makes a better fiberglass trailer shell than Escape and the cabinet work (granted, Escape hires it done) is very well done. The appliances are installed per the manufacturers requirements. That's a big deal as Casita, and others, has screwed up their fridge installs since day one and that is something hard to fix afterwards.

Yes, Escape could use some training on plumbing, electrical, and any carpentry they do themselves. But seriously, those are items that are easy to fix and not costly to do. Oh, and very few trailer manufacturers do these any better - the whole industry is fairly bad at this.

Now back to the appliances. The appliances in our trailers are used throughout the RV industry. If we are experiencing problems with voltages, etc. so is the rest of the RV world.

Trust me - I have never regretted buying my Escape as it is still be best trailer for the money around.

[WillyB]

TDF,

I'm not meaning to be a negative Nancy. As I see things that make me wonder I look into it and ask questions.

We all know Escape looks at this site so hopefully they fix some things like the weak point on the 21C bed structure. It's a very very simple fix and something that I could do in minutes with a scrap piece of 1x2. Outside of this structural concern the only other things I've heard questioned is some basic electrical and pvc connections.

As I said , I'm not thinking I'm getting a piece of jewelry. I'm just hoping to get our Escape with at least of few of these oddities fixed before I drop $40,000.

Trust me, we are stoked to be getting our Escape in October. It's a nearly daily conversation.

[WillyB]

Just so you know, Escape looks at this forum.

Here is a portion of the response I received this evening from Samuel at Escape.

"PS: I looked through the current thread on the RV live Forum and I do like what “tdf-texas” did to the bed structure. I will forward this to our engineering team for review."

It's really great to see a company that listens to its customers concerns!

You just don't find that every day!

[Civilguy]

Although it probably looks like something is missing, the factory design concept here is sound. The stringers handle the moment, while the plywood bearing on the perimeter support handles the shear load. The plywood serves as a diaphragm tying the elements together. This video illustrates some of the associated forces and how they are analyzed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-FEVzI8oe8