Newbies looking

[Jim Bennett]

........ those harmonic distortion roads I call them...

Maybe if you sang, harmonizing along with them, all would be good.

 

[Brian B-P]

I appreciate your replies and I sincerely hope I did not offend anyone.

I don't know why anyone would be offended. The Scamp 19' / Escape 5.0TA comparison is relevant and I think it's interesting.

I mentioned the double axles which makes me feel much more comfortable in the even of a blowout but other than that I really had no clear reasons to give him.

There's nothing wrong with tandem ("double") axles, but I don't think tire blowouts are a reason to want them. I've read several reports of tire blowouts on single-axle trailers in this and related forums, and no one has had any problem controlling the trailer. Tire blowouts are disturbingly common on RV trailers (probably due to inadequate tires - which is not a problem with an Escape - and overloading/underinflation), and tandem axles just make that worse: twice as many tires means twice as many blowouts, and when one blows on a tandem the other tire on the same side of the trailer is immediately overloaded.

 

[AKCamper]

If you want to read more about the Escape 5.0 this month's issue of Trailer Life magazine has an article about the Escape 5.0. You can read it online.
Cody

 

[Brian B-P]

If you want to read more about the Escape 5.0 this month's issue of Trailer Life magazine has an article about the Escape 5.0. You can read it online.
Cody

A couple discussions of the article:
Trailer Life
Congrats on Trailer Life Spread

 

[TaraTimNelson]

Thanks! I really appreciate the info on the tire blow out issue. That has been my greatest fear. What is the purpose of tandem tires since the trailers are so light?

 

[TaraTimNelson]

The article is great!

 

[Brian B-P]

What is the purpose of tandem tires since the trailers are so light?

The only clear functional advantage of tandem axles is stability - to turn the tires must scrub sideways, so the trailer tends to stay in a straight line (a bit like a car with the steering locked straight ahead) and thus sways less.

Tandem axles also make one big bump in the road into two "smaller" bumps, so the ride can be less jarring.

I believe that the real reason for small trailers to have tandem axles is simply to match buyers' expectations, for better sales.

 

[tractors1]

Distributing the trailer load over 4 tires means each tire carries 1/4 of the load instead of 2 tires each carrying 1/2 the load, so for a given weight the tire pressures need not be as high - which results in a smoother ride for the trailer. I know some 17LD casita folks who run 65 psi in their Load Range D and E tires that complain about drawers coming out and doors falling off hinges. In our E21 we run 50 psi and have no bouncing rebound going over railroad tracks.

 

[Brian B-P]

Distributing the trailer load over 4 tires means each tire carries 1/4 of the load instead of 2 tires each carrying 1/2 the load, so for a given weight the tire pressures need not be as high - which results in a smoother ride for the trailer.

Yes, but tires come in a wide range of sizes, so for this purpose one could just use two larger tires... and most people (including everyone following Escape's recommendation) inflate the tires to 50 psi anyway, so they don't get this benefit.

On the other hand, trailer manufacturers like to use ST tires (again, what the buyers expect), which greatly restricts the choice of sizes. In common ST tires, the lowest pressure to have sufficient capacity for 4000 pounds of axle capacity (what an Escape 21 would need with only a single axle) without resorting the excessively tall ST235/80R16 would be 45 psi in an ST225/75R15... still 10 psi more than needed in the stock setup of four ST205/75R15.

I know some 17LD casita folks who run 65 psi in their Load Range D and E tires that complain about drawers coming out and doors falling off hinges.

The Casita 17 is a classic case of the trailer manufacturer running the smallest possible tires, thus putting them at their limits, so owners often run them with insufficient inflation and many have had failures. Many owners have responded by choosing tires which have higher capacity by allowing higher inflation pressures - thus the harsh ride. Small tire diameter with high pressure is a jarring combination. Casita used 14" wheels on even their heaviest trailers for a long time, although they have since moved up to 15"

Escape follows the opposite approach, using larger tires which then don't need to run close to their rated load capacity, avoiding these problems. The Escape 17' (which is lighter than a Casita 17') moved up from 14" wheels to 15" years ago.

 

[TaraTimNelson]

Now that makes complete sense to me. Thanks so much for the explanations.
Can the rough ride have any effect on the fiberglass shell?

 

[cpaharley2008]

no....but the contents yes, if not packed correctly,