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PilotPodder View Drop Down
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Joined: 04 May 2016
Location: Portage, MI
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Posts: 305 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: First Time Snowbirding
    Posted: 27 Nov 2017 at 6:25pm
Ok, I'm looking for advice. I'm planning to snowbird from Michigan to Florida in January, taking the 179 with me fully winterized. The initial plan is to drive the first day or two leaving the trailer winterized and likely spending a night or two in hotels along I-75. I'd be very interested in advice from any of my northern Podder friends on the forum who have done similar trips. 

Basics:
When do you de-winterize/re-winterize?
Do you lower tire pressure at the start to compensate for warmer temps as you move south?
Security concerns at hotels/rest stops? Where not to go/stay/
Tips for keeping mileage decent?
Other basic maintenance tips?

Feedback is greatly appreciated!

~PP

  
Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — My RPod YouTube Videos
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
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Posts: 6417 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2017 at 11:34pm
If you take water in a separate water carrier, you could stay in your 'Pod even though it is winterized. Use RV antifreeze to flush #2 (and paper if used with #1) for the toilet. Carry some large wipes for a quick clean-up that does not require water.

Now, in answer to your questions--
When? Winterize when you expect temperatures to stay below freezing for more than 24 hours. If you are staying in your R-Pod and running the heater, overnight freezes do not matter as long as temps get above freezing during the day, especially during the times you will be driving. Once temps will be above freezing, then you can add water to the tank and use it. If you want to wait until you are far enough south so that you won't have freezing temps at night also, then it is your choice.
Tire pressure? No! Start with the tire pressure you should have and check and adjust along the way if you are concerned. Underinflation can cause tire failure.
Security concerns? Depends on your route. I would prefer not to stop in a large city, but have done so. We have stayed at truck stops, Walmarts, and one gas station out in the country when we ran out of daylight with no other option with the permission of the station owner. The RV Parky app is good for finding places to stay overnight. If you do stop at a place, please check with the management first to see if it is permitted and if so, where they prefer you park.

Mileage? The best tip is to keep your speed to 60 mph or lower. Some states have a legal towing speed of 55 or 60 mph. In any case, going faster than 60 mph will seriously cut your fuel mileage. You may also wish to check out either the AeroPlus or AeroShield wind deflectors. They do help as the front of the R-Pod looks like it should be aerodynamic, but it isn't as much as one would hope. The wind deflectors help plus they keep the front of the R-Pod cleaner.

Get a torque wrench to use for checking the tightness of the lug nuts on the R-Pod. You can pick up an inexpensive one at Harbor Freight that will work just fine. Otherwise, keep an eye on your fluid levels (oil and transmission) and watch your operating temperatures. Consider getting an OBD II reader and use the Torque app to monitor engine parameters and performance. I use the BAFX OBD II reader which interfaces with my phone via bluetooth.

I'm not a northern Podder, but a mid-Atlantic podder. We have camped in temperatures in the low single digits so I know dry camping is feasible. The furnace does a good job. It does use quite a bit of propane, so turn it down when you go to bed and turn it up in the morning to cut the use of both battery power and propane. Warm bedding is helpful. Sleeping bags are great when the weather gets really cold.
StephenH
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Jasp View Drop Down
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Joined: 09 Oct 2016
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Posts: 32 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 6:40am
Last January I left upstate N.Y. (wayyy upstate), with our 180 in tow heading to Florida. I was already winterized when we left. Other than a final check of tire pressure, I did zero 'special' maintenance. I had the fridge on propane full of food. First night we stayed in a walmart parking lot with the heat on. The second night we hit warmer weather and spent the night in a campground in the Carolinas. We had full hook ups and I dewinterized there. Did the same thing in the way home 8 wks latter. Only before leaving Carolina I winterized the pod.
We camped in 4 different Florida state parks and it was one of the best times we ever had. Enjoy your trip and don't worry !!! We had a few small problems with the new pod, but I logged onto this place and the good folks here helped me take care of things. Have a great time !!
Paul
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Posts: 305 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 10:24am
Thanks for the input. Still planning this out and the counsel is appreciated.
Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — My RPod YouTube Videos
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2wolves View Drop Down
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Posts: 27 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2018 at 6:13pm
PP

Good evening. First let me say I'm a subscriber to your YouTube channel and I appreciate all the great work that you do. Headed to Okeechobee Florida on Thursday after I pick up my 189. I will be leaving from Kentucky and I was wondering do you think I would be okay to have my dealer to set up my r-pod for camping and not have it winterized?. I was planning on pulling over to catch a nap or sleeping a few hours and not getting a hotel room. Any thoughts? Any suggestions on what I should look for prior to heading to Florida? Again thank you in advance for your help!
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Posts: 305 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2018 at 9:00pm
2wolves,

I traveled down to Florida just under three weeks ago from Michigan and here's what I did. I left a couple of days early having seen that a bad winter storm was going to hit Kentucky and Tennessee while I would be there. So I pushed departure by two days. The weather was warm when I left Michigan, mid-50's, and I was able to keep ahead of the cold front by a day. The first night was in Berea, KY off I-75 and it dipped down to close to freezing, but actually stayed above that night (1/11). I decided hold off de-winterizing the first night. I did have some bottled water and RV antifreeze to flush the toilet. 

The next day, 1/12, we went from Berea to Forsyth GA, about another 420 miles. It stayed warm that day, but it did get below freezing that night in GA. Since we had full hookups, we did decide to de-winterize that night, even though it was around freezing. We did a few things to keep the trailer warm and protect the lines that night. First, I disconnected the outside water lines before going to bed. Second, I opened up the passage between the water pump area and heated part of the trailer. In the 179 there's a small wall plate with screws. Third, I made sure the trailer stayed warm all night. I also had an indoor/outdoor thermometer to keep an eye on the temps. We didn't have any issues having done this.

The next day we reached Florida and stayed a couple of nights at State Parks, before settling at Blue Springs State Park for a week. We actually had two nights that were much more dicey than what we had in Georgia as far as temps getting low. One night, I think it was at the first state park (O'Leno) that it got down to the high 20's for a few hours. We did the same things as above and had no issues. The coldest night was mid-week at Blue Springs, I think 1/17 or 1/18 when it got to the mid-20's for about six hours overnight. This was the scariest, but we took all the same precautions and suffered no ill effects for it. 

I think in your case, I have a couple of questions. Have you tracked the weather for Thursday where you plan to be going, and Friday too for that matter? I looked at Berea earlier and Thursday is okay, but it gets very cold Friday this week. An app like Weather Channel or Yahoo weather needs to be your best friend. Put the cities in you will be going through and especially where you plan to overnight. If you don't go below say 30 degrees or so for more than a few hours, you are probably okay to de-winterize. 

I'm actually a bit concerned about your comment of napping or just getting a few hours of sleep when driving. I purposefully drove less than I would in a car, and only did about 400 or so miles a day. Things take longer than you think in a trailer and I kept it at 58-60 mph driving to keep gas mileage good. It takes a while to get through Atlanta at almost any hour. Make sure you get good rest. If you need to hit a Walmart to sleep overnight, you might consider the AllStays app for you phone. It costs about $10, but tells you which Walmarts allow overnight RVs. It also has awesome information on campgrounds, where to fill up Lp, etc. It was well worth the cost in my opinion. By the way, most Walmarts have RV gear if you need to pick up hoses, etc. Also expect a lot of saw dust and debris on your first drive with the trailer. A small vac will really help. 

All this is really your call. I'd recommend not being in a rush, travel when it's the best weather, and get good rest so you are fully alert when driving. Florida is awesome just now, and I hope you have a great trip and enjoy your new R-Pod. Thanks for subscribing to my YouTube channel. 

~PP
Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — My RPod YouTube Videos
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2wolves View Drop Down
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Posts: 27 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2018 at 9:56pm
PP,
Good evening thank you so much for your response! I have the AccuWeather app and the All Stays app love both of them. Yes I have tracked the weather and my 1st night is a little dicey. I think I will just leave the pod weatherized and then I will not have to stress about freezing lines. I agree with your comment about proper rest, so I will just drive until I get tired and pull over and sleep for the evening. I have plenty a time, and safety is 1st always. This will be my 1st trip in the pod and my 1st travel trailer for that matter. Just retired from the army after 38 years of service. I cannot wait to hit the road! Again thank you for all you do it is greatly appreciated.
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Posts: 305 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2018 at 10:02pm
Congrats on the retirement and thank you for your many years of service to our country. Enjoy the trip. The R-Pod is great to travel in and you should have a great first trip. ~PP
Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — My RPod YouTube Videos
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Posts: 2702 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jan 2018 at 12:52am
Originally posted by PilotPodder

Have you tracked the weather for Thursday where you plan to be going, and Friday too for that matter? I looked at Berea earlier and Thursday is okay, but it gets very cold Friday this week. An app like Weather Channel or Yahoo weather needs to be your best friend. Put the cities in you will be going through and especially where you plan to overnight. If you don't go below say 30 degrees or so for more than a few hours, you are probably okay to de-winterize.
I have Wunderground loaded on my smartphone. The best thing about it is the thousands of Personal Weather Stations (AKA "PWS") that it gives you access to. Around here, micro-climates are the thing. We find that the temps and winds can vary widely over a relatively small area. With something like Weather channel, you will get "regional" weather, but be left in the dark WRT your local-local weather. With Wunderground, I find that I can usually get local weather within a couple of blocks of where I actually am.
bp
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Leo B View Drop Down
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Posts: 4518 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jan 2018 at 6:22am
+1 use wunderground and NOAA radar  
Leo & Melissa Bachand
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