Give advice to a new 2019 Rpod 180 Owner

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   Congrats on your new 180! We have a 2018 180 and absolutely love it.
We have a 2011 Tacoma PreRunner V6 and it tows the pod very well. I added an Equalizer 600/6000 WDH that also has excellent sway control. It was a night and day difference from the standard ball hitch. (With the standard hitch I could feel the trailer 'sashaying' from side to side on the highway, and the tongue bounced quite a bit when going over bridges on the interstate. All that was cured with the Equalizer.)

There is a thread here somewhere that lists rPod essentials that is good to read.

I agree with previous posters; Amazon / Camping World / Etrailer can get you far better deals than the RV dealer. If you are planning on doing a lot of dry camping (without 110 volt hookups) the dual 6 volt battery system is a good idea. It gives you a lot of additional capacity, but adds weight to the tongue. I upgraded to a group 27 marine battery instead of the group 24 that the Pod came with from the dealer. I had to only pay the difference in price.

You need a good trailer brake controller that will plug into the wiring of your Tacoma. They are about $100 or so. I had the dealer install it for me and set it up. I have a 'Draw Tite' with a digital display. Everyone has their favorite brands but they all seem to work the same. The harder you apply the brake the more signal it sends to the electric trailer brakes. The numbers on the display show how much pressure you are applying. The controller has two settings; one that determines how hard the brakes will grab, and the other setting is for how the brakes release.

You will need a good water hose with a pressure regulator, and a good sewer hose with a support. You will also need chemical for the toilet. (Put one packet of chemical into the toilet with a little bit of water to start. If you have sewer hookups the gray tank [sink, shower] can be left open to drain but the black tank should only be opened when you are ready to dump it and flush it out.)

Good luck. There are a lot of knowledgable people here that can answer just about any question.  

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OldNeumanntapr Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 May 2018 Location: CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 204	Topic: Give advice to a new 2019 Rpod 180 Owner Posted: 13 Nov 2018 at 9:11pm
	Congrats on your new 180! We have a 2018 180 and absolutely love it. We have a 2011 Tacoma PreRunner V6 and it tows the pod very well. I added an Equalizer 600/6000 WDH that also has excellent sway control. It was a night and day difference from the standard ball hitch. (With the standard hitch I could feel the trailer 'sashaying' from side to side on the highway, and the tongue bounced quite a bit when going over bridges on the interstate. All that was cured with the Equalizer.) There is a thread here somewhere that lists rPod essentials that is good to read. I agree with previous posters; Amazon / Camping World / Etrailer can get you far better deals than the RV dealer. If you are planning on doing a lot of dry camping (without 110 volt hookups) the dual 6 volt battery system is a good idea. It gives you a lot of additional capacity, but adds weight to the tongue. I upgraded to a group 27 marine battery instead of the group 24 that the Pod came with from the dealer. I had to only pay the difference in price. You need a good trailer brake controller that will plug into the wiring of your Tacoma. They are about $100 or so. I had the dealer install it for me and set it up. I have a 'Draw Tite' with a digital display. Everyone has their favorite brands but they all seem to work the same. The harder you apply the brake the more signal it sends to the electric trailer brakes. The numbers on the display show how much pressure you are applying. The controller has two settings; one that determines how hard the brakes will grab, and the other setting is for how the brakes release. You will need a good water hose with a pressure regulator, and a good sewer hose with a support. You will also need chemical for the toilet. (Put one packet of chemical into the toilet with a little bit of water to start. If you have sewer hookups the gray tank [sink, shower] can be left open to drain but the black tank should only be opened when you are ready to dump it and flush it out.) Good luck. There are a lot of knowledgable people here that can answer just about any question.

DavMar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Aug 2017 Location: Lexington, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 592	Posted: 13 Nov 2018 at 1:20pm
	+1 lostagain I have the same set up and am very satisfied with the E2 WDH from Fastway, Pinecone. Also make a list of what your dealer is not going to supply with the camper such as maybe no water hoses, water pressure regulator, sewer house and connection fittings and such. Do some shopping around on line for the best you can afford and compare the online price to any dealer "discounted" item and you might find you can save yourself some $$$ by buying online or even at your local Wally-World (aka WalMart)
	Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 10:37pm
	Pinecone, we tow with a truck that has a similar capacity to the Tacoma. We use a Fastway E2 WDH and have been very satisfied with how well it balances the load. Driving in all conditions, except snow but including strong side winds, we've found the ride to be exceptionally stable and comfortable.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 9:14pm
	Pinecone, That tow vehicle should work fine but it is relatively light so I would recommend a weight distribution hitch and anti sway system for that rig. Especially if you plan to boondock and want to carry water, dual batteries, and/or dual propane cylinders your tongue weight is likely to be near or over 600 lbs. The wdh is designed to redistribute part of both the tongue weight and the load behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle so I'd suggest one rated for about 1000-1200 lbs. If your not going to be carrying water, dual batteries etc then an 800 lb wdh would work. I'd also recommend that you weigh your rig fully loaded so you know what you actually have and how much headroom you have against your Taco's max tongue weight, axle max load ratings, and gross combined vehicle weight ratings. The easiest way I've found to get the tongue weight is to load and fuel up the tow vehicle ready for travel and weigh it at a public scale, then hitch up the fully loaded trailer with the wdh attached but without tensioning the wdh bars, and then weigh the tow vehicle again with the trailer off the scale. The difference between the two will be your tongue weight. While you're there you can also get the weight adding one axle at a time to the scale, including the trailer axle. so you can get the total rig weight and the weight of each axle either directly or by subtraction. Here's a nice calculator where you can input all your weights, dimensions and ratings as well as try different wdh settings. There are little dials the the bottom which will tell you how much safety factor you have on each rating. https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.php
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Pinecone Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: WA Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 8:27pm
	Hi I'm towing with a 2017 Toyota Tacoma.
	G. Pang Vancouver, WA

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 8:23pm
	The type of tow vehicle you have is important to know before making a decision about weight distribution setup, anti sway setup, and also things like dual batteries and dual propane tanks. Those latter add ons add a significant amount of tongue weight which can put you over the max on some of the mid sized suv's and pickups towing the bigger ropds.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Richand Cindy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 16 Apr 2016 Location: New Jersey Online Status: Offline Posts: 328	Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 7:03pm
	I would not be too concerned about the dealer discount. I found that Amazon was still much cheaper than purchasing items from the dealer. even with their discount (our was 10%). And I had a better selection buying online than the few brands that the dealer carried. The only exception is if you are not handy and need to have dealer install the items for you. E.g. WDH with anti-sway, brake controller in tow vehicle, towing harness, electrical and surge protection, etc. Take your time and research these boards as there are many lists of must have and nice to have items. Have fun, you will love 180 model
	OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6422	Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 6:44pm
	Addition to information on search. Choose the Advanced Search function. Then you will see an option for how far back to search. The default is six months. For better results, increase the range to Any Date. Otherwise, you will only see what has been posted in the last six months.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

crw8sr Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 12 Oct 2017 Location: Omaha Nebraska Online Status: Offline Posts: 328	Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 5:47pm
	Use the search function on the forum and you will find a lot has been written about sway control and weight distribution set ups.
	Chuck & Lyn Izzy, Morkie. RIP Zoe Joy & Gracie, Yorkie 2018 R Pod 190 2019 Traverse In moments of adversity;when life's a total wreck, I think of those worse off than me and really feel like heck.

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 2:32pm
	Consider getting a weight distribution hitch (WDH). Do a search and you'll see a lot of discussion that will help you make a decision. I agree with CharlieM, try to get a couple of 6v golf cart batteries. Welcome to the group.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost