Are you doing your maintenance?

[richardr]

Thanks for the corrections to my service list. I actually don't do everything on the list, but I do consider each item. The Annual maintenance normally takes me 2 to 3 days to complete.

 

[Ron in BC]

When do you find time to camp?

;D Yup, reading that list made my head hurt.

Ron

 

[Nindy]

Speaking of tires, I cannot find anything on my Carlisle tires that would indicate their age. No DOT number.

I'm assuming they're not much older than the trailer (2015) but it would be nice to know. Any hints??

 

[escape artist]

Speaking of tires, I cannot find anything on my Carlisle tires that would indicate their age. No DOT number.

I'm assuming they're not much older than the trailer (2015) but it would be nice to know. Any hints??

Hi: Nindy... The date code is usually on the inner side wall. Take a flashlight under there with you!!! Every tire has one will be the week/year (5214) or similar... usually all by itself too. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

 

[Patandlinda]

Speaking of tires, I cannot find anything on my Carlisle tires that would indicate their age. No DOT number.

I'm assuming they're not much older than the trailer (2015) but it would be nice to know. Any hints??

I think probably under trailer , inside . All tires have to be dated . They will read in year and weeks . Like 20 , would be May . Pat

 

[Patandlinda]

Hi: Nindy... The date code is usually on the inner side wall. Take a flashlight under there with you!!! Every tire has one will be the week/year (5214) or similar... usually all by itself too. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

That 's it week 54 Year 2014 . Pat

 

[PGDriver]

This tire was manufactured on the third week of 2004.

Cheers
Doug

 

[Jim Bennett]

This tire was manufactured on the third week of 2004.

Cheers
Doug

5057

Good things manufactured then, eh?

I just such in the last spot in week 50.

 

[Nindy]

Hi: Nindy... The date code is usually on the inner side wall. Take a flashlight under there with you!!! Every tire has one will be the week/year (5214) or similar... usually all by itself too. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

I was afraid this might involve shimmying underneath the trailer! I guess it would be a good time to check out how things look under there. Thanks!

 

[PGDriver]

5057

Good things manufactured then, eh?

I just such in the last spot in week 50.

Only the best Jim [emoji41]


Cheers
Doug

 

[Jimrules]

I don't know for sure if it really made a difference, but I'm glad I took the time to adjust my trailer brakes before we took our trip last week.

I did the breaks Thursday night and gave them their first ever full panic stop test on Saturday.

We were traveling about 55mph coming out of a slight curve on a State highway when I caught a glimpse of brown fur going into a patch of trees right next to the road. We stopped short of the deer by a solid ten feet (he of course, stopped in the dead center of the road).

The camper stopped straight as an arrow behind me, with just the slightest tire squeal right at the very end. Ended up with a couple of pans on the floor but nothing serious.

 

[gbaglo]

Excellent. Jim does rule.

 

[Marry-ESC]

The camper stopped straight as an arrow behind me, with just the slightest tire squeal right at the very end. Ended up with a couple of pans on the floor but nothing serious.

Nothing in your pants?

 

[yardsale]

Nothing in your pants?

Is that a list item??

 

[Jim Bennett]

I don't know for sure if it really made a difference, but I'm glad I took the time to adjust my trailer brakes before we took our trip last week.

I did the breaks Thursday night and gave them their first ever full panic stop test on Saturday.

We were traveling about 55mph coming out of a slight curve on a State highway when I caught a glimpse of brown fur going into a patch of trees right next to the road. We stopped short of the deer by a solid ten feet (he of course, stopped in the dead center of the road).

The camper stopped straight as an arrow behind me, with just the slightest tire squeal right at the very end. Ended up with a couple of pans on the floor but nothing serious.

I would bet this is one of the most neglected maintenance items, yet one with the largest safety impact. Four brakes will take less than an hour to adjust, and even less if doing it at the same time as bearings get repacked.

Along with this, is the fact that many folks dial their brake controller in with too little power to the brakes. I have seen this quite a bit. Folks tend to not like the feeling of the trailer pulling back in some situations, so dial down, when in fact this is what you want. The trailer braking power should be set so that the trailer brakes effectively provide all the stopping power to the trailer itself, or at least the bigger part of it.

In an emergency stop like Jim described here, you want the trailer to pull back a bit, kinda like a parachute, keeping the two vehicles nicely aligned. Too weak of a brake setting and on a wet or slippery surface you could see the trailer try to pass you.

 

[Jimrules]

Nothing in your pants?

Ha ha, nope. It was all over before I had time to get scared.

 

[Chapitre]

Are the 2017 5.0TAs axles mounted on springs? I don't know. But on MY trailer there's a zerk, right in the middle on the bottom.

Is everyone with this type of setup greasing the springs? Until now, I didn't know this was there and necessary- what if you haven't been doing it? What type of "grease" do you use.
We were #13 of the the 5TA's so Without looking I'm sure I have the same setup. Is there anywhere else that requires "greasing"?

 

[Brian B-P]

We were #13 of the the 5TA's so Without looking I'm sure I have the same setup. Is there anywhere else that requires "greasing"?

Bob (padlin) posted a helpful photo of the bottom of his 5.0 TA a couple of years ago, and we have used it to illustrate discussions of plumbing and suspension. Attached is a copy with the E-Z Flex annotated; in this case, there should be two grease fittings on each E-Z Flex (not visible but perhaps obscured by the hanger), and there do not appear to be any other greased suspension joints.

 

[padlin]

My trailer does have the Zerk fittings. The pictures, and more so my drawing on them, didn't come out to hot but this is where they are. I suspect removing the wheels would help with access.

 

[Brian B-P]

...The E-Z Flex also apparently comes with wet bolts for the shackles, so there are lots of grease points.

Although the E-Z Flex is available in a kit with wet bolts, that's apparently not how Escape got them, as Bob's trailer appears to have standard bolts through the shackles. That means only two grease points per side of the trailer, all on the E-Z Flex hardware.

The pictures, and more so my drawing on them, didn't come out to hot but this is where they are. I suspect removing the wheels would help with access.

Looks great to me - clear and helpful. Thanks Bob.