What did you do for your Escape today.....

[Escapeesinmo]

I’ve put screens on previous RV’s, but have never gotten around to installing them on the Escape. I’ve not yet had problems.

I’ve also thought about flipping doors just because they can drop down as opposed to needing a catch to hold them. I preferred the ones that open down on previous RV’s, but once again it’s never been a high enough priority to make the time to do.

Absolutely better to have them drop down. Not sure why so many manufacturers install them upside down and then have to add another hole in the fiberglass for the little clip that holds the door open.

 

[occer]

I had a cargo door that opened down ......which it did going 60mph.

operator error but still

 

[Escapeesinmo]

I had a cargo door that opened down ......which it did going 60mph.

I guess you forgot to lock it?

 

[brroberts]

I had a cargo door that opened down ......which it did going 60mph.

operator error but still

Those campground squirrels are annoying aren’t they?!

 

[tractors1]

Finally got the valve plumbing changed out on my 2013 21 and eliminated the goofy gray tank sideways valve. Inspired by a broken gray valve handle. Had to modify the Valterra gray piping but definitely nicer not to crawl underneath to open the gray anymore. Only took me two years to install!

 

[land’SCAPE]

Cut the smaller flange off of the bottom my spare tire HSS support & added a wider flange with an additional two bolts. A little extra side-to-side stiffening for the extra bumps I’m expecting up north this summer.

 

[rbryan4]

We got tired of the factory formica tabletop we've always used with the Lagun mount. Replacing it with a custom walnut top, made out of walnut plywood (to save some weight) with a walnut edge band to make it appear a bit thicker. Will post pictures once I've installed it.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

Those campground squirrels are annoying aren’t they?!

We ran into this guy near LaPine, OR.

 

[dstreight]

Since one of the four Rich Solar panels was defective (and Rich Solar wouldn't honor their warranty...) I decided to do a complete change by removing the stacked 200w panels on drawer slides and installed 2-REC 460 panels instead.

A few weeks ago while camped, my Victron controllers (one for each panel) showed 450w being generated from each panel. And, even though the REC panels take up more horizontal space on the roof of my 15A, they take up significantly less vertical space/wind resistance and have resulted in noticeably better fuel MPG. Although they might appear massive in the attached photo, from the ground the panels are much more svelte than the stacked Rich Solar panels...

And, the commercial/residential REC panels are about 1/2 the price of the Rich Solar panels. Goodbye Rich Solar!

 

[RambleOn]

Goodbye Rich Solar!

We’ve given up on Rich Solar too - their flex panels went bad on us twice, each within a year, and service was stubborn, begrudging and not satisfying in the end

 

[EZAdventures]

In the last couple weeks since taking possession my unbelievably talented wife made us new pillows, a triangular shaped basket to fit the triangle space under the sink (can hold a small trash bag), and liners for the cubbies next to the door for our new escape!

 

[Ron in BC]

I didn't do anything to my Escape today, it's not exactly handy right now. But I did look at a couple of details on European caravans.

Acrylic windows. I've seen many over the years, some old ones on old caravans. I've never seen any that were duct taped or had condensation etc. issues or were bowed. Maybe EU standards are different and they have fewer problems.

Parking brake. Every time that I see one of these I wish that there was an easy way to retro-fit one. No need for chocks and it'd be pretty easy to install a hidden lock for extra security.

Ron

 

[jjdeluca]

Acrylic windows. I've seen many over the years, some old ones on old caravans. I've never seen any that were duct taped or had condensation etc. issues or were bowed. Maybe EU standards are different and they have fewer problems

We were on the autobahn last weekend travelling from Germany to Amsterdam and I was surprised to see how many travel trailers were on the road. Nearly every one appeared to have acrylic windows.
I was also surprised to see such small vehicles pulling good-sized trailers (one was a Kia Soul, towing what appeared to be aprox 20' long travel trailer). Also, very few pick-up trucks in Europe; I guess that's more of a US/Canada thing?

 

[Escapeesinmo]

Bought her a dual-fuel generator, some all-purpose cleaner, and a gallon of Ceramic Gloss sealant. Broke in the generator and then hooked it up to the trailer and exercised the Houghton AC. Next week before my inaugural trip, I'll give her a bath, polish, and seal with the ceramic gloss.

 

[Escapeesinmo]

Gave her a much-needed bath. Later this week hope to try out some polishing.

 

[Shadious]

Gave her a much-needed bath. Later this week hope to try out some polishing.View attachment 1115147

I polished our badly oxidized 2014 21C and it was quite the task. I only used my large 8” buffer from Harbor Freight, but looking back, I should have purchased a 4” buffer as well to get in the smaller spots. I tackled one section at a time (curbside, street side,top and finally front/back) and it took about a week. We used ceramic coating to finished it off and it was much easier than waxing.

 

[Viajante]

Today I worked on restoring the propane side of the water heater. The control board had a fault and the solenoids on the gas valve tested bad. Since it was easiest to remove the gas valve to replace the solenoids I went ahead and replaced the gas valve assembly. And I added a new igniter. In the past I did a thermostat, electric element, and the on/off switch. So that’s about it except for the tank. About US$150 in all for parts.

My trailer is 15 years old. I have had to replace the main board on the refrigerator, along with the eyebrow board as part of a kit. $180.

Plumbing has just been the water inlet check valve replacement, but the pump has been fine. $25.

The furnace has been a champ, as has the max fan, the stovetop, and the awning.

So, the cost of repairs to appliances and equipment has been much less than routine costs of tires and batteries.

To date.

 

[mlowther]

Today we finished up our renovations to the bathroom and kitchen. We didn't like the standard toilet that came with our 21C, so we replaced it with a Dometic 321 low toilet - it is more like a residential toilet, and allowed us to add a bidet!!

For our kitchen, we wanted to replace the above counter stove with the Dickinson Drop-In Cook-top. Since we were doing that, we took the opportunity to replace our countertop with an Acacia countertop and replace the tiny sink with a deeper sink. My husband then made a cutting board for the cook-top to match the rest of the counter.

We also used peel and stick tiles to finish off the new backsplash. Very happy with our results!!!

 

[Viajante]

Shadious, what polishing compound did you use to remove oxidation?

 

[Escapeesinmo]

I polished our badly oxidized 2014 21C and it was quite the task. I only used my large 8” buffer from Harbor Freight, but looking back, I should have purchased a 4” buffer as well to get in the smaller spots. I tackled one section at a time (curbside, street side,top and finally front/back) and it took about a week. We used ceramic coating to finished it off and it was much easier than waxing.

What did you use for polish and what kind of pad for the buffer? I played around with the back end today. I first sprayed an all-purpose cleaner and scrubbed with a blue non scratch scrubby sponge. I then broke out the 20-year-old Porter Cable random orbital polisher with 6" foam pad and polished. I'm not entirely happy with the results. Some spots are rough to the touch. I think I need to get a more abrasive compound and maybe a wool pad. I'll first try the compound before buying a wool pad. I hope it works out as I don't want to coat it until I'm happy with it.