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

[Thrak]

I believe there are OEM pads you can purchase for your stabilizers....metal ones, that bolt to the bottom of the stabilizer, pivot and are optional/accessory.
Check it out.

I've seen a lot for scissor style stabilizers but not much for the weird single piece ones on my 19. If I had "normal" scissor style stabilizers I'd be temped to spring for Snap Pads (although they seem expensive for what they are).

 

[Iowa Dave]

Most folks have the pads that Habberdabber describes. I believe that they are called sand pads. Ours are tightened down with a bolt so that the tension keeps the pad tipped back. When I crank them down I flip them flat so they don’t dig into the surface.
Then when retracted I flip them the short way as they are somewhat offset.
Sand pads are good. I’ve never used the Legos but have used a treated 2x6 now and again.
Iowa Dave

 

[Thrak]

Hooked up to the hose through a pressure regulator - set it at 40lbs - and ran the taps again. Got a lot more air. Also checked at the water heater pressure release to be sure I was getting water there. Turned on the gas and bled the burners at the stove until all 3 lit up. Killed those and hit the switch for the water heater. Went outside to check but it fired right up. I'll give it a few minutes and then go check again and kill the heater and kill the gas again. No need to have it turned on while the trailer is just sitting in the driveway. Making progress. Success! I have hot water.

I'll pull the covers and check the vents for the heater and the refrigerator but that "might" wait for tomorrow. Just realized it's after 4:00 PM and I neglected to eat anything today. Had two cups of coffee this morning but apparently that wasn't enough to last me all day.

 

[rcsb]

Most folks have the pads that Habberdabber describes. I believe that they are called sand pads. Ours are tightened down with a bolt so that the tension keeps the pad tipped back. When I crank them down I flip them flat so they don’t dig into the surface.
Then when retracted I flip them the short way as they are somewhat offset.
Sand pads are good. I’ve never used the Legos but have used a treated 2x6 now and again.
Iowa Dave

Here are the sand pads I have from Amazon... Sand Pads

 

[Ron in BC]

I also (finally!) put down the stabilizers. I put them down on Legos but am amazed there are no actual "feet" on the things. What kind of a lame design is that?

Amazed wasn't the word that I used. Good DIY project though, I made my sand pads out of aluminum, 5"x5".

Ron

 

[caheaton]

When we bought our 21C last year, the sand pads were an option. I see on the current builds they're now standard. (I went ahead and purchased the sand pads through Escape, as it was only around $20-$30 more or so than buying from Amazon and installing myself.)

Glad to see they're now standard, as I thought at the time it was a bit cheap to not include them.

 

[Carmel Clown]

I added friction hinges to the entry door to allow 180° opening. I miss the auto-opening feature but not the door always being in the way. It opens easily enough and stays wherever you leave it.

Do you think there are enough hinges on the door?!!
View attachment 1116306

Hi. Just curious about the white bars on the side of the trailer, clothes rack?

 

[Thrak]

I added friction hinges to the entry door to allow 180° opening. I miss the auto-opening feature but not the door always being in the way. It opens easily enough and stays wherever you leave it.

Do you think there are enough hinges on the door?!!

Our 19 came with a compression rod attached to the bottom of the door that doesn't allow it to open all the way. Is this something that was added by the previous owner. (It pretty much annoys my wife.) Am I correct that this is an owner installed item? If so, how does the door "normally" operate and is there supposed to be a mechanism to keep it open all the way?

 

[RambleOn]

Hi. Just curious about the white bars on the side of the trailer, clothes rack?

That’s the bottom of the fold-back hand/entry rail. It came standard on our 2024 21NE

 

[Ron in BC]

No. The original Gen 1s didn't have anything. The door opened almost 180*. It had to be manually latched against the trailer side when left open. It could also be ripped out of your grip when opening in high winds.

Gen 2s came with the compression rod. Many folks hated that it left the door sticking out at 90*. A sometimes nuisance in a campsite.

Many of us have removed them and installed friction hinges allowing us to "park" the door in any convenient position. I wouldn't have any other type but there are those with negative opinions about them

So, basically, in a campground, you'll likely see 3 different versions.

Ron

 

[RambleOn]

Our 19 came with a compression rod attached to the bottom of the door that doesn't allow it to open all the way. Is this something that was added by the previous owner. (It pretty much annoys my wife.) Am I correct that this is an owner installed item? If so, how does the door "normally" operate and is there supposed to be a mechanism to keep it open all the way?

Ours came with the compression rod, which is “normal” - in the pic you can see the 3 screws in the threshold where one end was anchored. We added the friction hinges so we could open the door the whole way. It’s a great inexpensive and easy to do mod

 

[Thrak]

Hmmm... Now I need to investigate the friction hinges. They would probably make my wife happier.

Today I plan to check for anything inside the vents for the fridge and heater. I had to go to Costco this morning so I stopped and talked with their tire guy. My truck needs new tires. I've been running Cooper Adventure AT tires and have been really happy with the ride, handling, and life of the tires but, of course, Costco doesn't carry Cooper tires.

I actually ordered a set of tires from Pep Boys online. I ordered on May 6th and the return mail said they should be in the local store for install the very next day - May 7th - and they would send a follow up email when the tires shipped. Yesterday was May 20th. No email. No tires. The local store knew nothing about it and couldn't find the order in their system. I sent a snotty-gram to the web site cancelling the order. If I go with Costco it will either be Bridgestone or Michelin. I hate shopping for tires. I did IT - computers, printers, switches, routers, etc. I built all of my own computers except for the very first one (and I don't build laptops) but I know zip about tires. Of course I'm not "locked into" Costco. I just wish the tire fairy would come and I'd wake up with new tires in the morning.

 

[Thrak]

Ours came with the compression rod, which is “normal” - in the pic you can see the 3 screws in the threshold where one end was anchored. We added the friction hinges so we could open the door the whole way. It’s a great inexpensive and easy to do mod

Yes, this is the rod in question.

 

[Thrak]

Here are the sand pads I have from Amazon... Sand Pads

Looks like I'll need to get out the drill. I have no pre-existing holes for the mounting bolt. Not a real big project but, these days, anything that requires getting up and down on the ground is a bigger deal than it used to be. Having a foot would be worth the effort as I just really don't like the "footless" setup.

 

[HABBERDABBER]

Having fun, and modding a rig, is a lot of work.
I guess I lucked out.....my "used" rig came with the sand pads.
I feel your pain.....this getting old is tiresome.
And so it goes.

 

[Mike G]

Hmmm... Now I need to investigate the friction hinges. They would probably make my wife happier.

Today I plan to check for anything inside the vents for the fridge and heater. I had to go to Costco this morning so I stopped and talked with their tire guy. My truck needs new tires. I've been running Cooper Adventure AT tires and have been really happy with the ride, handling, and life of the tires but, of course, Costco doesn't carry Cooper tires.

I actually ordered a set of tires from Pep Boys online. I ordered on May 6th and the return mail said they should be in the local store for install the very next day - May 7th - and they would send a follow up email when the tires shipped. Yesterday was May 20th. No email. No tires. The local store knew nothing about it and couldn't find the order in their system. I sent a snotty-gram to the web site cancelling the order. If I go with Costco it will either be Bridgestone or Michelin. I hate shopping for tires. I did IT - computers, printers, switches, routers, etc. I built all of my own computers except for the very first one (and I don't build laptops) but I know zip about tires. Of course I'm not "locked into" Costco. I just wish the tire fairy would come and I'd wake up with new tires in the morning.

Gotta say, my new Cooper Road+Trail AT tires ride much smoother and with far less noise than the previous Cooper AT3(?) set. I really like them so far (almost 7k miles).

 

[Thrak]

Gotta say, my new Cooper Road+Trail AT tires ride much smoother and with far less noise than the previous Cooper AT3(?) set. I really like them so far (almost 7k miles).

Getting a set installed on Tuesday. Hopefully I'll like them as much as you do.

 

[Thrak]

Regarding the sand pads... I just now got down and looked (at 72 with a bad back a project in itself) to see where I could drill a hole for the bolt. It looks like there is already a bit of a "channel" through the back of the leg. Have people just been expanding that existing hole or drilling an entirely new hole?

 

[Thrak]

Opened the cover on the front window for the first time. It kind of "stuck" when opening and the left bottom corner of the window gasket is no longer seated. I tried stuffing it back in with my fingers but no luck. I'm leaving the cover open and hoping the warm weather will soften the gasket enough to be able to push it back into place without damaging the thing. It doesn't seem to want to fit as it's pulled tight. The joy of purchasing a used trailer. At least I found it now rather than on the road somewhere.

Still haven't gotten on top to figure out my AC fan issue. I did find a length of plywood though (I was sure I had one!) and can cut it into 4 smaller pieces to spread my weight out. I wish I had an 8' step ladder though. Getting up high on the 6' is uncomfortable for me. I seem to have gotten old and lost my balance. (I never really expected to be old. It's weird.)

 

[Centex]

I wish I had an 8' step ladder though.

Please, go buy a ladder suitable for gaining sure-footed access to your trailer's roof (IMO that's more than an 8' step ladder). Falls from that height are no good at any age and over time you'll likely need to do various maintenance chores up there.

Just urging your careful consideration of cost vs benefit. Be safe, Have Fun!