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06-25-2018, 05:29 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington
Trailer: Escape 19'
Posts: 105
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BAL Levelers for 19' Escape?
I recently saw an older post from CPAHarley in he which showed a photo of the two BAL Levelers he used on his former 19' Escape.
CPAHarley, could you describe how you managed to get both wheels to the same height and whether you had any challenges in getting the BALs under the wheels, side by side?
We had a BAL Leveler for our 17' Casita and would love to use the same process on our soon-to-arrive Escape 19' --- but I've read, elsewhere in RV Forums as well as on the BAL website that the BAL is suitable only for single axle trailers. And I think I recall someone on this forum stating that the BAL they'd used with their Casita did not work on their Escape double-axle.
As always, I am grateful for your responses!
E.
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06-25-2018, 06:06 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19', 1974 Boler
Posts: 470
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I use the BAL wheel levellers on our 19' Escape and they work great, you need 2 levellers, just slide the leveller under both tires on the low side, alternately raise each one, you can feel the resistance so try to have roughly equal height and resistance on each leveller.
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06-25-2018, 06:12 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: O town, British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 "Lightning"
Posts: 1,467
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I usually did about 5-10 turns then moved to the other one. Rinse repeat.
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06-25-2018, 06:25 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington
Trailer: Escape 19'
Posts: 105
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Thank you!
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06-25-2018, 06:26 PM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 11,023
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I LOVE my BAL levelers. Park where I want (solo traveler) and level up. Both levelers go under each tire. And then I 'ratchet' both at the same time. Kinda like being on canoe/double kayack.. stroke, stroke. One in each hand, both go up the same distance. Does this make sense?
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward
2014 Escape 5.0TA
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06-25-2018, 06:30 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington
Trailer: Escape 19'
Posts: 105
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Thank you all!
One more question: I had read a warning that raising only one wheel at a time would put excessive stress on that axle, but isn't that exactly what one does when changing a flat trailer tire, using the Rapid Jack (or Trailer AId)?
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06-25-2018, 06:36 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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I stopped using the B@L levelers, sold them to single axle owners and went with B@L-X chocks and Ramble plastic ramps, saves me about 30 lbs of carrying weight, or about one leveler.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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06-25-2018, 07:49 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: O town, British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 "Lightning"
Posts: 1,467
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Graham, I suggest not worrying if you only go up maybe 1/2” at a time. Now, cranking one to the moon and leaving the other on the ground....
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06-25-2018, 07:54 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Seatac, Washington
Trailer: "The Trailer", 2nd Gen 21' & a 2017 Tundra CrewMax in Blazing Blue Pearl
Posts: 2,888
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Kojack Levelers
I use the Kojack Levelers from Purple Line on our 21 as the BALs didn't fit (not wide enough). A friend with a 5.0TA had the same situation that I did. We both tried the BALs. So, if they don't work for you, do an immediate return and get the Kojacks. Since I use the trailer mostly on my own, I wasn't interested in running it up on ramps or blocks, so these work great for me. To each their own though.
Kojack| Support |Purple Line
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06-25-2018, 07:55 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Seatac, Washington
Trailer: "The Trailer", 2nd Gen 21' & a 2017 Tundra CrewMax in Blazing Blue Pearl
Posts: 2,888
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Ooops, been too long since I've uploaded a photo.
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06-26-2018, 10:41 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington
Trailer: Escape 19'
Posts: 105
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I understand completely now how to raise the BALs either one stroke at a time or as Donna does, concurrently. BUT... I still have a question about FITTING the two BALs to the tires on the 19'.
I see that some of the owners who have responded have 21's, others have 5.0 TAs, and still others have 19's. Yet, for some 21' owners (NW Cat Owner), the BALs did not fit but for others (BCNomad), they did fit. And at least one owner, (IanG), uses them on his 19' successfully while another owner got rid of his.
I am sorry to belabour this, but we won't have the opportunity to try the BALs on our own 19' until we've picked it up and driven off to E.C. Manning Park. By which time it will be too late to choose a different leveling option.
(Sound of help yelp).
E.
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06-26-2018, 11:14 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: O town, British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 "Lightning"
Posts: 1,467
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They fit my 21’ but the “cups” were not at the absolutely proper angle when engaging the rubber tire. I didn’t care. I could have two levellers on one side as there was room. This is with a classic, no idea on the next gen stuff.
Honestly you’re over thinking this. Get some kind of leveling system - I use lego bricks mostly these days - and enjoy camping. Your garage will fill up with “been there done that stuff” soon enough.
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06-26-2018, 11:19 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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There is a Canadian Tire just off Highway #1 in Chilliwack. O'Connor RV ( about a mile from ETI ) has parts. Fraserway RV is about 20 minutes away in Abbottsford. ETI has an expanding parts department.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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06-26-2018, 12:33 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Seatac, Washington
Trailer: "The Trailer", 2nd Gen 21' & a 2017 Tundra CrewMax in Blazing Blue Pearl
Posts: 2,888
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Quote:
Originally Posted by egraham
... I still have a question about FITTING the two BALs to the tires on the 19'.
(snip)
I am sorry to belabour this, but we won't have the opportunity to try the BALs on our own 19' until we've picked it up and driven off to E.C. Manning Park. By which time it will be too late to choose a different leveling option.
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Hey Elizabeth (need to change your city location in your profile!),
Come on over and I can show you how they work and you guys can practice moving it up and down with my Kojacks. Where I park the trailer it's not level so they get used all the time here.
I suspect the difference might be because of tire size. Both the 21 and 5.0 were new (2nd Gen) so maybe they were slightly different from the Classic styles.
And not everyone likes to use that type of leveler. Some prefer to drive up on ramps/blocks. We set our trailer up so I can use it on my own and I felt using ramps/blocks would have been trickier on my own, compared to the Kojacks.
Also, most of the campgrounds I was at in the past 2 months (11 different states) I never used them at all. And that included when I stayed in front of friends' places. I had to dig them out at a place in the southern Redwoods - never did get completely level there, but other folks at that place didn't either from what I heard. At my friend's in Spokane I ran it up on boards that she had due to the drainage on the street. So, if you don't have anything for your first few camping places, you'll probably be okay.
(I know, I was pretty freaked out by all this when we first got ours, so no worries there if you're freaked out as well. Been there, done that, know what you're feeling/thinking. )
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06-27-2018, 08:11 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by egraham
I see that some of the owners who have responded have 21's, others have 5.0 TAs, and still others have 19's. Yet, for some 21' owners (NW Cat Owner), the BALs did not fit but for others (BCNomad), they did fit. And at least one owner, (IanG), uses them on his 19' successfully while another owner got rid of his.
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Unless the two levellers hit each other, fit does not depend on trailer model - just tire size. All current Escape models use the same size of tire (ST205/75R15), but other sizes have been used in the past and as replacements by owners, so if they work for some and not for others it might be worth asking about the tire size.
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06-27-2018, 10:46 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington
Trailer: Escape 19'
Posts: 105
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P
Unless the two levellers hit each other, fit does not depend on trailer model - just tire size. All current Escape models use the same size of tire (ST205/75R15), but other sizes have been used in the past and as replacements by owners, so if they work for some and not for others it might be worth asking about the tire size.
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Good suggestion. So, does anyone who owns an Escape 19' with the new 15" tires use two Bal levelers ?
Note: I phoned the Kojack leveler people and found the person I spoke too surprisingly UNhelpful. Plus, they require you to buy an electric screwdriver, unlike the BALs, which come eith a ratchet.
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06-27-2018, 01:55 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Seatac, Washington
Trailer: "The Trailer", 2nd Gen 21' & a 2017 Tundra CrewMax in Blazing Blue Pearl
Posts: 2,888
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Quote:
Originally Posted by egraham
Note: I phoned the Kojack leveler people and found the person I spoke too surprisingly UNhelpful. Plus, they require you to buy an electric screwdriver, unlike the BALs, which come with a ratchet.
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Paul is the guy I dealt with and he knew what was what and ours didn't require that. Nor do I want to use an electric driver - too noisy and I don't have enough strength to hold on to it anyway (tried it and almost took out a body part when it flung wildly around). I camped next to some folks using them - a tad bit on the noisy side me thinks. I use the hand crank that also works on the trailer's stabilizers. It came with the trailer, I believe.
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08-15-2018, 12:17 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 259
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Leveling my 19 Escape
Quote:
Originally Posted by NW Cat Owner
Paul is the guy I dealt with and he knew what was what and ours didn't require that. Nor do I want to use an electric driver - too noisy and I don't have enough strength to hold on to it anyway (tried it and almost took out a body part when it flung wildly around). I camped next to some folks using them - a tad bit on the noisy side me thinks. I use the hand crank that also works on the trailer's stabilizers. It came with the trailer, I believe.
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I installed scissors jacks.
To level I use a ridgid hammer dril.
Leveling 5 minutes tops
Doug
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08-15-2018, 12:21 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yukon Escape
I installed scissors jacks.
To level I use a ridgid hammer dril.
Leveling 5 minutes tops
Doug
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You're not worried about damaging the frame?
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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08-15-2018, 12:48 PM
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#20
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Trailer: 2017 19 Escape
Posts: 200
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I use good ole fashion 2x8’s. Just drive up on them. I angled both ends. I like the Kojacks, but my boards fit in my front storage. Not sure if the K’s will. No doubt the K’s would be easier...but hey I don’t want to make it too easy.
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