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Towing an r-pod

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miksons View Drop Down
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    Posted: 10 Feb 2010 at 10:38am
My wife and I are not new to camping, but we are new to travel trailers. We sold our Motorhome because it had gotten to be too much trouble (and too expensive) to use and maintain and have been looking at some of the r-pods as a good replacement. We love camping, but since we have not had a camper trailer before there are some things we don't know and I am not sure the dealer will be completely open with me about. I am hoping that people out there can answer some questions.

1) If we buy an r-pod (we have been looking at the 176 and 177 floor plans) should we also plan to get sway control bars for the hitch? Are they helpful with the r-pod? Are they needed?

2) What highways speeds are safe for towing? The dealer says normal highway speeds, but we live in Arizona and highway speeds here are 75. Is it safe to pull an r-pod at those kinds of speeds?

3) What is the cost, in mpg, of towing an r-pod? We have a Jeep Liberty and typically get about 21-23 on the highway if we don't try to break the sound barrier on the highway. What kind of drop should we expect towing an r-pod?

4) How good are the air-conditioner and heater?

5) And anything else you can tell us. I would really appreciate any information you have.

Thanks so much...

MikeFromMesa
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PodPatrol View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PodPatrol Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2010 at 12:12pm
Welcome aboard miksons !!!

We are proud owners of the 177. We luv it !
There are Pod flrplans that seem to suit everyone.
My suggestion would be to compare your tow vehicles towing
ability to the specs of the Pod you choose.
Some use stability, some don't.
There are numerous posts concerning towing, perhaps to many
to read in a days time, and there are alot of opinions and alot of
facts.
Safety is #1 !!!! pulling a TT @ 75mph sounds scary to me !
In most cases when a 6cyl tow vehicle is involved, you may experience
a mpg drop as much as 50%. Yours may vary !
Other than the noise level, the AC has gotten good reviews.
The furnace has been known to work just fine.

I believe that most owners agree the "riser" option is recommended.
This lifts the body of the Pod appx 3" more than the delivery height.
Great way to avoid clearance issues.

Browse around the forum and don't hesitate using the search function here.

Enjoy !!!!

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miksons View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miksons Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2010 at 12:50pm
Thanks for the information.

Our Jeep has a tow capacity of 5600 pounds which is about twice what the r-pod weighs dry, so I am not so concerned about towing ability. But the r-pod is light enough that I would think passing trucks would tend to sway the trailer. I assumed sway bars would be useful, but I have not talked to anyone who has used them so I don't know.

I completely agree that safety is of the highest importance and I never assumed that it would be OK to tow at 75 or 80. I don't even drive that fast with my car under normal circumstances, but hoped that I could safely tow at 60 or 65. I just don't know.

A 50% drop in mpg is much more than I had assumed. Of course without having towed one on a trip it is impossible to know, but I had thought more in the range of 10-20%. Is 50% your experience?

And thanks again for the response.
MikeFromMesa
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PodPatrol Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2010 at 1:15pm
Glad to help !!!

Everyones mileage is totally dependant on several factors.
Tow vehicle specs ( I believe your good to go there)
weight of loaded tow vehicle (people, cargo)
weight of r-Pod (specs)
weight of loaded r-Pod (r u towing with water tank full?)
and what your putting inside the Pod.

These are just a few of the issues you may want to address
when your considering mpg.

We are getting around 10 to 12 mpg when towing.
We have a Honda Ridgeline that claims to get 20mpg
unloaded. It's a '06 6cyl w/250hp and is rated at 5000lbs towing
capacity. Alot of 6cyl TVs are experiencing a 50% drop in mpg
when towing an r-Pod. We use "Premium" gasoline when towing
as recommended by Honda.

Hope this helps, but this is "our" situation, and yours may vary!



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Blademaker View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Blademaker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2010 at 4:58pm
We have a Ford Sport trac with a V-6.
This model was rated at a pull capacity of only about 3800 lbs, and we could sure tell it when we pulled out R-pod. 11 miles to the gallon, tops.
It all worked out, though.
My wife liked driving the Sport trac a lot, so she asked me if I would mind her driving it to work, so I could trade in her Pontiac G-6 for something a little bigger to pull the R-pod with. 
That Pontiac was gone in less than a week for a 2006 Ford F-150, King Cab with a small (302) V-8 in it. Rated at pulling 6800 lbs. Not much better on gas mileage, but it pulls a helluva lot better than the Sport trac.
And, in the future, if I wanna bigger camper.......LOL
 
Wandering life's backroads with my wife, our 2 four legged children; Chloe the odd Pug, and Tia Maria, the smallest Chihuahua I'm aware of.
Life is good.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PodPatrol Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2010 at 10:03pm
LOL 
 
One thing leads to another !!! Cindy and I are also already thinking bigger in the near future !!
 
LOL
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Kenn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kenn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2010 at 10:54pm
Speaking of risers, any good place you guys recommend to have them installed after delivery? I have them in a box in the POD waiting to be installed.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PodPatrol Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2010 at 11:23pm
I would attempt a dealer first. If that doesnt go well there are some posts about installing them yourself (if your of a mechanical nature) or other possible alternatives. Wish I could be more help, but we had them installed at the factory.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote joe&carol Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2010 at 9:37am

The one thing that was asked here that no one has really addressed yet had to do with sway bars - - -  A year ago this month, we were coming across Kansas when a stong cross wind came up and it was 20 some miles before we could get off the highway. (By strong, I mean you could barely stand up in it when we finally got parked and tried to walk into a hotel.)  At the time, we had a sway bar on the unit, which we think saved the day in driving that last 20 miles and off the road.  In time, we abandonded the sway bar and went with a load leveler, something we've been thankful for a number of times in going through Wyoming with some of their winds.  At the end of the day, I'd be curious as to what others have experienced in winds, with or without sway bars or load levelers.  Thanks.  Joe  Smile

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PodPatrol Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2010 at 10:30am
In the one instance we towed from OH to IL we hit rain from East IN till we
got home. Got passed alot (interstate) by some big rigs and noticed the Pod
was abit bouncy but nothing extreme. We didn't have it loaded but we were
carrying nearly 3/4 of a tank of water, which may or may not have helped.
We'll need more towing time to make an educated guess as to the need for
additional towing assistance.
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