Benefits of the 5.0 compared to the bumper pull?

[Fox hunt]

How long is it ? Compared to the other models? Is it really easier to tow? I have a goose neck horse trailer seems to tow nicely but I really never had issues with pulling a bumper pull either. Why did you get either the bumper pull or the 5.0?

 

[padlin]

Length of the new 5.0 is slated for 20'2", old is 19'6". The 21 is 21'4", the 19 is 19'6". You can get all the specs on the web site .
Trailers

Have yet to receive mine so can't comment on the towing, time will tell.

Bought it over the 21 for the size of the bed, layout, and the shorter total package when towing.

 

[escape artist]

Hi: Fox hunt... I have always said the benefits of the 5th. wheel concept is in the hitching/unhitching. Lining up the pin/hitch plate is easy... and I do easy really well!!! The hitch is more $$$$'s but not bad in comparing it to a WDH.
The prime tow point is the rear axle so the closer to it the better. All those 18 wheelers can't be wrong.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

 

[Donna D.]

I currently tow a 16' Scamp with an F-150 P/U. I'll be getting a 5er with four more feet of living space but a miniscule increased amount of towing foot print. Going from a double bed to a true queen, large dinette and tons of storage. Sweet!

 

[Chapitre]

We are looking at and trying to answer the same question- the 21 vs the 5.
Towing is a big factor hooking and unhooking, the space when trying to park- will they both fit in a double space with our vehicle? It appears to me that the biggest one overall is the 5 you are using all the space except for the rear bumper- the 17(which we have) the living space is 13'-4", the 21, the living space, including the bed is 17'-4". In the 5 the living space appears to be pretty much the length minus the back bumper and small protrusion of the hitch- so likely has the most living space.
There are also some cons I'm sure. We are going to look at look both.

 

[Chapitre]

Forgot something about the parking in a double spot- it appears for us with a chev 1/2 ton, the 5 would be close to fitting, but a 21 would likely not.

 

[cpaharley2008]

Alf brings up a good point in comparing the 5th to the semi's on the road. I wonder if the 5th's are more prone to wind shear as are the semi trailers? Does that height raise the center of gravity of the 5th vs a 21' bumper pull??

 

[Ray N]

I superimposed these for equal trailer width and length of the beds, before putting them side by side in the picture. The originals were probably not drawn exactly to scale to begin with, but gives an idea of the comparable lengths.

 

[daveandsandyclink]

Just speaking of the classic 5.0...I haven't experienced any wind shear or influence from an opposing semi trucks passing. If it had no ac or awning, it would be a "knife in the wind". I am under the opinion that the 5.0 allows you better fuel mileage than bumper pulls due to it's aerodynamic nose and the fact that the trailer is tucked in close to the tow vehicle.
However there are wild air currents tumbling in the bed under tow. I recently lost a lawn chair that I believe would have otherwise been OK. I would caution everyone to have your bed load well secure.

 

[rscovell]

Pulling a 5th wheel

Years ago we had a 19' Scamp 5th wheel and it pulled like a dream. Never experienced any sway or effects from crosswinds. It was much easier to back into a campsite and hitching to the the trailer was very easy. Can't wait for our Escape 5.0 to be built....

Bob

 

[Vicki A.]

The first trailer I ever towed was a 40' goose neck horse trailer. The size of that thing terrified me, but after 20 min of practice, it was a pleasure to tow.

Reasons I am going with the 5TA,
1. Ease of towing
2. As others said, a smaller footprint but larger trailer
3. I prefer a seperate sleeping area

Besides, that is one good looking rig!

 

[onetim]

As Alf said, hitching up the 5.0 is very easy because you can see the hitch pin out the back window of the truck and it slides in with a nice secure clunk. The shorter overall length is helpful and I have never had any sway at all. Towing with a Frontier, my gas mileage coming across the country was between 16 and 20 mpg (US).

The only downsides are the loss of bed space in the truck and having to check "5th wheel" when campgrounds want to know what kind of rig I have. You know they immediately envision a huge Montana battleship and want to stick me in the middle of a field.

 

[TAfraser]

I tow the 21 with a Honda Ridgline and find that the combination fits inside a double parking spot. I also find that hitching up is very easy without help, but then I do use a camera. I also back the 21 into camping spots without help, most of the time, and find that not to be a problem either. So far I love the 21, it tows easy and doesn't seem to be pushed around by large trucks or side winds.

I even like the bed size and placement. It actually feels larger then a double, and it feels like a separate bedroom the way it's tucked in next to the bathroom. Having 2.75 walls helps with that separate bedroom feeling I'm sure. We had a 17' Casita and the bed placement, across the rear of the trailer, made it part of the living space, all the time.

The heater is at the other end of the trailer so I barely hear it at night, (sleep right through it) whereas the one in the Casita, being so close to the bed, woke me up every time it came on. It irritated me to the point that I'd almost rather be cold.

We're still arranging out 21 to fit our needs, a few camping trips should take care of that, and then it will be perfect for us. Still, I can't wait to see the new 5.0TA.

 

[Brian B-P]

I wonder if the 5th's are more prone to wind shear as are the semi trailers?

I'm not sure what Jim means by "wind shear" here - probably not the correct meteorological meaning - but I'll guess the concern is being affected by crosswinds.

Does that height raise the center of gravity of the 5th vs a 21' bumper pull??

Not really - the massive objects are all the same height they would be a 21'. The "tongue" section of the frame is higher, and the body around the bed (which is basically just empty shell is higher, but those are not a big part of the trailer. The height of the centre of mass (gravity) is probably not a lot higher, although it would be interesting to see measurements of both.

I think the biggest effect of the hitching height is the raised roofline to accommodate a useful sleeping loft and join the part to the rest of the trailer - this does raise the height of the "barn door" facing a crosswind. Fortunately, the increased side area is forward of the trailer axles, so a crosswind will tend to push the rear of the truck out of the wind, steering the truck into the wind, which is the right direction for stability. Also, as with any hitch force, that sideways push is more easily handled by the truck when it is forward near the axle, instead of back at the bumper.

The downside is that hitch forces are up at hitch height, instead of less than half that height with a conventional "bumper pull". This doesn't matter in the big rigs, because their fifth-wheel hitches do not pivot side-to-side like modern RV hitches: the truck and trailer are rigidly linked in the roll axis, so the height of the coupling doesn't matter.

A big difference between typical commercial semi-trailers and an RV trailer such as the Escape 5.0 is that for practicality of loading common commercial trailers have a flat floor completely above the tires and hitch, so the whole load is quite high (with a huge unused space underneath). The RV layout has the main floor much lower, so it doesn't face nearly the stability challenge of the high semi-trailers.

 

[padlin]

Forgot something about the parking in a double spot- it appears for us with a chev 1/2 ton, the 5 would be close to fitting, but a 21 would likely not.

My stick trailer is the same size as the 21. No trouble fitting in a double length pull thru parking spot, as long as you can get in and out of the parking lot. I've tower it with both a GMC and now a Ford 1/2 ton. At 40' overall you do have to reserve the bigger camp sites at federal campgrounds.

 

[TAfraser]

Bob, interesting you should bring up the larger campsites at federal campgrounds. I am somewhat concerned about that coming from a 17' Casita that can fit in anywhere. Normally I check out the size and condition of the parking pad, length, width, and slope. Actual pictures are a great help. If the length is a little short but the width is good and level, can I park my truck beside the trailer? When the person making the reservation asks for my trailer length, I feel that I have the option to give either the total length, or the cabin length because the industry is all over the map on their sizing standards. So far it's worked out, but then we've only been to one campsite so far in our new 21. this summer will tell the story.
Tom

 

[daveandsandyclink]

Tom,
You touched on something I think about often. A lot of "unimproved" national forest campgrounds, national parks, and state parks have smaller campsites with short parking and tight turning to get parked. There always seems to be a big rock, a tree, tree limb, stump, or a ditch making backing and parking tuff. As folks trade up to bigger, longer, RV's this becomes an issue.
The committed 15' & 17' Escape folks must be setting back smiling.

 

[TAfraser]

You're right David, We stayed in some federal campground, one in particular, with our Casita that were tight and not very level. I wouldn't think of trying it in an Escape 19, much less our 21.

 

[dave macrae]

I have not had any problem with our 19 fitting into sites as of yet, although it sems around here most people seem to need 40 ft motorhomes or 30 plus feet trailers so there ushually are small sites left for us

 

[padlin]

Tom
Other then some popular federal CG's, I've always just put down the trailer length, which is what they ask for. Yellowstone requires the total rig length, hence my 20' trailer and the 20' truck take up a 40' site, the biggest many have.

FWIW, When I asked on the big forum about the issue it seems many just get the biggest they can, irregardless of being too small. I did not hear from anyone that was refused or kicked out.