Towing difference 17 vs 19 - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Problem Solving | Owners helping each other
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-04-2009, 09:56 PM   #1
tao
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 19
Towing difference 17 vs 19

I am trying to decide between a 17B or 19 foot trailer. The deciding factor will be if towing/backing a 19 is markedly different than the 17, and therefore making trips less spontaneous or shorter distance. Has anyone owned a 17 and then moved up to a 19 using the same tow vehicle? If so, did the 19 consume noticably more power to maintain highway speed or climb hills? Did you notice that backing into tight Forest Service sites was more difficult? Any seat of the pants comparison information is greatly appreciated.
__________________
17B
Jeep Liberty CRD
tao is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2009, 10:06 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
PGDriver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Southern Alberta, Alberta
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA
Posts: 1,734
Re: Towing difference 17 vs 19


Hi Tao

The difference between the two trailers is only about 500 - 600 lbs, so
it would all depend on your tow vehicle. I tow with a Toyota Tacoma
truck and don't even notice the 19 behind me. As for maneuvering around
forestry sites, no problem. I doubt anyone would notice any
difference between backing up a 17 or 19.
__________________
Cheers
Doug
PGDriver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2009, 06:21 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Hokie Escape's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Farmville, Virginia
Trailer: 2006 Escape 5.0
Posts: 900
Re: Towing difference 17 vs 19

I remember years ago, upgrading from a single axle to a double axle with a new pop-up. The difference in tracking and less "bumping", "pulling", or whatever you call that constant "feel" of a trailer behind you, decreased dramaticly! For you who have moved up to the dual axle 19, is that your experience too?
__________________
"In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice. In the morning, I will offer my prayer to you, and wait in expectation" Ps 5:3
'11 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab (5' bed) 09 Escape 5.0
Blacksburg, Virginia (Home of the Virginia Tech Hokies)
Hokie Escape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2009, 07:18 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
Re: Towing difference 17 vs 19

I Hi Tao, and welcome.

I would think the main difference would be in the weight like Doug said, and might affect what tow vehicle to use due to the weight difference of the two trailers.

I pull with an 09 Honda Pilot and there is no issue at all. I have NEVER had a combination that was easier to reverse with. Granted, I have backed up everything from a tent trailer to a big tractor/trailer rig. The Pilot has a very tight turning radius though, which adds nicely to the ease of reversing.

And, like Dan said, there is always less of a bouncing effect when pulling a tandem axle. Not that it is better or safer, it is just that you do notice the effect of a trailer less. Though, if this is an issue a WD hitch would help lots too.

Basically, I believe it is the tow vehicle you use that would make all the difference in towing characteristics.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2009, 05:16 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Eddys's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Longmont, Colorado
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 'Houdini 2'
Posts: 153
Re: Towing difference 17 vs 19

Hi Tao-
I agree pretty much with Jim and Doug. We recently completed a 9700 mile trip, with about 6600 miles of it over five weeks towing the 19. We tow with a 2000 Toyota 4 Runner and use a WDH. This trip had pretty much all you would encounter in roadway variety except for off road/back country towing. The 19 was superb following along, with nary a twitch as the big rigs went by and even in quite windy conditions it followed with out a tremor. We tried to tow at about 60-65 mph for economic/mechanical reasons so as not to stress tow or driver and it worked seamlessly. Once or twice I did find us in excess of 75 mph and Houdini was just following meekly along. The 19 appears to me to tow more calmly/ smoothly with less bounce. ( We used a WDH with the Casitas too, so a sort of apples to apples in that aspect...)
Long hills and mountain passes slowed us down considerably and in some cases on the really steep passes we were down to about 40 - 45 mph. (Hey, we owned a VW camper van at one time - )you just stay to the right and let the rest go by. I did not really notice much of a difference between our 19 and our previous 17' Casitas in climbing hills. As for maneuvering, I found the tandem axle easier (or so it seemed to me) - a much more forgiving trailer to back and turn. We were able to get into some pretty interesting places without a problem.
To sum up, I don't think there is a dramatic difference but I feel that the 19 is calmer in towing and more forgiving in maneuvering. The biggest difference is the larger interior space and bed, and to us it is most emphatically worth every penny! Hope this helps in your decision. Ian
__________________
Jenny and Ian
Eddys is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2009, 07:40 PM   #6
tao
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 19
Re: Towing difference 17 vs 19

Thank you very much for all of the responses. It is these these types of perceptions that are helping me to make a decision. I can stare at factual numbers all day (and I have), but it is opinions that help give a feel to the decision making process.
__________________
17B
Jeep Liberty CRD
tao is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2009, 11:29 PM   #7
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 49
Send a message via Yahoo to Edgar
Re: Towing difference 17 vs 19

Tao

Just got back home with a new 19'. Easy to pull with the Tacoma. But we did go over a few mountain passes and had to go to 4th gear to get up. The most difficult was Teton Pass (a scenic route suggested by the GPS) It had a 10% grade. Holy crap! The truck pulled it up in 2nd gear. Going down the other side I kept the truck in second gear, had to ride the truck brakes because the engine was winding up to 5K RPMs. I had to use that fancy manual lever in the prodigy electric brake controller to help slow both vehicles. Quite the adventure. But the truck trailer combo worked great with the 19'.

Your Liberty has a diesel engine that should give you plenty of torque to pull either trailer. Isn't the towing rated at 5-6K pounds? We're really happy with the 19'.

Edgar

Edgar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2009, 01:22 AM   #8
tao
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 19
Re: Towing difference 17 vs 19

The tow rating of my Liberty CRD is 5000 lbs. 10% down hill! I bet you had some hot brakes.
__________________
17B
Jeep Liberty CRD
tao is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2009, 07:33 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
escape artist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: St. Thomas not BVI., Ontario
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0TA / 2016 Ram Eco Diesel 4X4
Posts: 8,035
Re: Towing difference 17 vs 19

Hi: Tao et all... I realize that a 5.0 5th. wh. isn't part of the original equation but one thing I discovered on our 6000km. slosh thru the Maritimes was the toll roads and bridges and Nat.Pk. fees etc. all charge for the tug + each additional axle!!! ie: Confederation Bridge from P.E.I. $42.50 + $7. A minor annoyance but it will add up over time.
Our overall mpg's in good olde imperial gals.(4.54 ltrs.)= 18.5 Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie p.s. As for towing attitude...I didn't notice any!!!
Attached Thumbnails
welcome to P.E.I..jpg  
__________________
Quote Bugs Bunny..."Don't take life too seriously, none of us get out of it ALIVE"!!!
'16 Ram Eco D. 4X4 Laramie Longhorn CC & '14 Escape 5.0TA
St.Thomas (Not the Virgin Islands) Ontario
escape artist is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:56 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.