Breaking in the new Escape

[Small but Sweet]

We’ve had the 17A since July and taken it out on five wonderful trips around Oregon. Including the fiberglass gathering last weekend! Two very small issues have shaken down as we’ve been using it and we wondered if anyone has experience or advice with either:

1. Slight, quiet but annoying ticking sound on the Maxx ceiling fan. Happens at any speed so it doesn’t seem to be a critical frequency.

2. We have a standard-issue table and table legs. John has already tightened things up a little to reduce wobble and improve the sliding back and forth and locking into place. Question is, has anyone made their table a bit smaller to make getting in and out easier? At corners or all along the sides? How much is enough or too much to take off? Is there an optimal place to remove a bit of table, retain functionality and have easier in and out? I’m asking this for John because I think we should leave it alone, haha, but he wants to make it a little more convenient.

Thank you,
Harriet and John

[Iowa Dave]

Hello Harriet
We had a 19 with the U shaped dinette and the two post mount. Instead of cutting down the table we bought a sheet of laminate and some plywood and made a second table. If you have a router with a laminate cutter bit and a slot cutter bit to put the Vinyl edge on the side of the table. Then we bought a snap 2 table frame that made our table “mobile”. I.went up and down easily and worked for us as long as we had the trailer. We have a 21 now without the U shaped dinette but still opted for the snap 2 table frame from RV Surplus. It doesn’t work quite as well as it did with the 19 but good enough and with the slider, pretty easy to get in and out but more awkward to put up and down. Just a thought.
Iowa Dave

[Small but Sweet]

Dave, that’s a great solution - make a second table and see how we like it, while keeping the original in case we prefer it. It’s so obvious that we’re clunking ourselves on the head that we didn’t think of it! Especially since we have the marital division of one liking the original and one having perhaps a better idea :-)

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Small but Sweet

1. Slight, quiet but annoying ticking sound on the Maxx ceiling fan. Happens at any speed so it doesn’t seem to be a critical frequency.

2. We have a standard-issue table and table legs. John has already tightened things up a little to reduce wobble and improve the sliding back and forth and locking into place. Question is, has anyone made their table a bit smaller to make getting in and out easier? At corners or all along the sides? How much is enough or too much to take off? Is there an optimal place to remove a bit of table, retain functionality and have easier in and out? I’m asking this for John because I think we should leave it alone, haha, but he wants to make it a little more convenient.

Thank you,
Harriet and John

The noise likely comes from the fan blade just touching the plastic shroud. You can do a bit of wiggle and jiggle and/or unscrew the fan blade and retighten it. It's not a serious problem but it is a bit annoying.

Good suggestion from Dave. I've done that before. Same situation here, one of us didn't want the factory original messed with.

Ron

[Iowa Dave]

Here’s a couple more concepts . You would not have to buy anything but the plywood to start. The laminate, new edge guard could come later. Also if you want to lower the table for a bed be aware that the opening Rails are not necessarily parallel so measure carefully. If you do install new vinyl strip also be aware that one half of the edge is wider than the other so you have to adjust the router slot cutter accordingly or use a very sharp razor knife to “plane” the excess off that sticks up “proud”. For a smaller. shorter table you'll want a couple little “stops”
about 3/4 inch square and around 6 inches long to stop the table from working forward while you are under weigh.
Iowa Dave

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Small but Sweet

Dave, that’s a great solution - make a second table and see how we like it, while keeping the original in case we prefer it. It’s so obvious that we’re clunking ourselves on the head that we didn’t think of it! Especially since we have the marital division of one liking the original and one having perhaps a better idea :-)

Hi: Small but Sweet... You're right... there's at least two sides to almost every table. We have the U shaped dinette and I needed a bit more space to squeeze in on my side. I found that I could move the slides forward by 1 1/2" under the table, which allowed the table to push further back to the rear. Voila... extra room to slide in!!! It was a lot easier than making a new table... or losing the waist line. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[UncleTim]

I wish I had the Lagun system.

In case you did not see this conversation, it might be worth reading.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...gun-18643.html

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

I wish I had the Lagun system.

In case you did not see this conversation, it might be worth reading.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...gun-18643.html

Hi: UncleTim... Yes I want to do that conversion, so I called ETI. to get one. They have no parts as yet. I guess I'll just have to weight. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Want2Go]

Originally Posted by escape artist

We have the U shaped dinette and I needed a bit more space to squeeze in on my side. I found that I could move the slides forward by 1 1/2" under the table, which allowed the table to push further back to the rear. Voila... extra room to slide in!!! It was a lot easier than making a new table... or losing the waist line. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Does your slide move the table forward and to back seat of U?
I hear some were made that way.
Mine moves table side to side... and back seat has no room.
Thinking of switching to forward/back design.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Want2Go

Does your slide move the table forward and to back seat of U?
I hear some were made that way.
Mine moves table side to side... and back seat has no room.
Thinking of switching to forward/back design.

Hi: Want2Go... Ours is a front to back. Our friends 2015 was a side to side... but he changed it since there's no room back there. We used it up to make it easier to get to the table. When it's time to eat... don't stand in my way!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Want2Go]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: Want2Go... Ours is a front to back. Our friends 2015 was a side to side... but he changed it since there's no room back there. We used it up to make it easier to get to the table. When it's time to eat... don't stand in my way!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

We are going to change ours too.
Thanks for the confirmation!
Im with you when it's time to eat, move out of the way! ❤❤❤

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by Small but Sweet

We’ve had the 17A since July and taken it out on five wonderful trips around Oregon. Including the fiberglass gathering last weekend! Two very small issues have shaken down as we’ve been using it and we wondered if anyone has experience or advice with either:

1. Slight, quiet but annoying ticking sound on the Maxx ceiling fan. Happens at any speed so it doesn’t seem to be a critical frequency.

2. We have a standard-issue table and table legs. John has already tightened things up a little to reduce wobble and improve the sliding back and forth and locking into place. Question is, has anyone made their table a bit smaller to make getting in and out easier? At corners or all along the sides? How much is enough or too much to take off? Is there an optimal place to remove a bit of table, retain functionality and have easier in and out? I’m asking this for John because I think we should leave it alone, haha, but he wants to make it a little more convenient.

Thank you,
Harriet and John

Yup. Replaced with solid butcher block 7 inches shorter than the Escape model. Don't need slides anymore.

[Small but Sweet]

That’s so nice! So the 7” is off of the edge nearest to us in the photo?

[Small but Sweet]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

The noise likely comes from the fan blade just touching the plastic shroud. You can do a bit of wiggle and jiggle and/or unscrew the fan blade and retighten it. It's not a serious problem but it is a bit annoying.

Good suggestion from Dave. I've done that before. Same situation here, one of us didn't want the factory original messed with.

Ron

That’s encouraging and sounds like a simple fix. Thanks.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by Small but Sweet

That’s so nice! So the 7” is off of the edge nearest to us in the photo?

Yes. Width is stock, and I put a 7 inch wide footrest all the way across the back between the benches, so if we need to drop the table for a grandkids bed the span is still filled. Put the Escape tabletop in a box for resale down the road.