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Whats pulling your RPod

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BigDog View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote BigDog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Whats pulling your RPod
    Posted: 26 Nov 2024 at 2:45am
Believe it or not we used to pull out our pod 178 with a 1999 FourRunner. We towed about 70 trips with it and the transmission held out fine. It was slow going over the mountains, but we made it. We now tow with a 2008 Toyota Tacoma truck and it tows like a charm. The trick is to not overload your trailer and to make sure you use a decent sway bar.
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Travel is Fatal View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Travel is Fatal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Aug 2024 at 4:12pm
GlueGuy, thx for your comments regarding a Tacoma. Maybe down the road, I'll be in a position to go back to a full size pickup.  Until then I'll tiptoe (on the slow lane) with what I got.
2017 RPOD 179
2016 Toyota Highlander w E Brake
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hogone View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote hogone Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Aug 2024 at 3:06pm
theres only one and only option...........F150.  jpp
Jon & Pam
2013 RP177
2010 F150
2017 HD Streetglide
2009 HD Lowrider
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Aug 2024 at 2:46pm
+1 WRT the Tacoma. We have a 2010 Tacoma long-bed with the 4L V6, and does just fine on the flats, and below ~~ 3,000 foot elevation. It will struggle in the mountains above 3,000 (or so) feet. That, plus the gas tank is only 20 gallons, so range is not super.

OTOH, our 2015 F150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost and the 36 gallon gas tank can go all day long (or 400+ miles anyway) without a refill, and the EcoBoost laughs at 8,000 foot elevation.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
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Post Options Post Options   Quote gpokluda Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Aug 2024 at 10:08am
Originally posted by Travel is Fatal

gpokluda,

Absolutely, i agree, I have no intention on pushing it, speed wise or otherwise.  No liquids in the RPOD (due to weight) and I'm more and more inclined to move over and let others race down the highway.  I'm looking to replace an old small ranger (in my small fleet of vehicles) with an 2010 Tacoma. The Tacoma has a larger 6 cylinder (than the Highlander).  I'm thinking i may put a hitch on it, e brakes & a trans cooler to see if it'll pull the 179 better than the Highlander.

Just to give you a data point, we pulled a 179 with a 2015 Nissan Frontier with a 4.0L engine for about 50K miles. While the Nissan was up to the task, it did struggle in hills and spent a lot of its time in 3rd gear. We were limited by overall payload capacity and worse, range due to a smallish gas tank. We got somewhere between 9 and 12mpg, it seemed we were always hunting for a gas station, sometime after only 150 miles! At the time we lived in Albuquerque, NM and if we wanted to go anywhere, we had to deal with hills and wind. Things were a little better on the flats, but no matter, we stayed between 60-65mph. We used a Fastway E2 weight distribution hitch with built in anti-sway. 

Your Tacoma has one big thing going for it, it is a body on frame vehicle. I know folks swear that unibody vehicles work just fine, but I'm old school that way. 

Good luck and safe travels.
Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023)
2022 Escape 5.0TA
2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB
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Travel is Fatal View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Travel is Fatal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Aug 2024 at 5:49pm
gpokluda,

Absolutely, i agree, I have no intention on pushing it, speed wise or otherwise.  No liquids in the RPOD (due to weight) and I'm more and more inclined to move over and let others race down the highway.  I'm looking to replace an old small ranger (in my small fleet of vehicles) with an 2010 Tacoma. The Tacoma has a larger 6 cylinder (than the Highlander).  I'm thinking i may put a hitch on it, e brakes & a trans cooler to see if it'll pull the 179 better than the Highlander.
2017 RPOD 179
2016 Toyota Highlander w E Brake
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Post Options Post Options   Quote gpokluda Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Aug 2024 at 4:57pm
Originally posted by Travel is Fatal

I just had a brake controller put on my 2016 Highlander V6.  I am using stabilizer bars and am curious how set up will handle once I get out of county and at more traditional highway speeds  RPOD 179.


When pulling an Rpod with something like a Highlander, understand that you are at the upper end of the vehicle’s capabilities. In addition to the cargo capacity of the Highlander, which needs to have tongue weight subtracted, you also have wind resistance and other environmental loads. Keep your speed under 65mph and don’t expect to fly up hills. Try to stay below 3k rpm. Travel light and you should be okay.
Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023)
2022 Escape 5.0TA
2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB
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BH Podder View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote BH Podder Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Aug 2024 at 4:32pm
We pull our rpod 177 with a Subaru Ascent which is essentially the same size as your highlander.  It has always pulled great even in high wind conditions and with plenty of power to get through the mountains without noticing any strain.  We don't use an anti-sway bar and have never had any issues with sway (it's mostly about ensuring proper weight distribution and reasonable speeds), but the manual brake controller lever is always available if you need to brake the trailer separately (at least on prodigy controller).  The Ascent also has a yaw sensor, but I never know if it's ever been active or not.  

Happy trails.
Jamie Harris & Mary Brehm of Wisconsin
2018.5 Rpod 177, 2019 Subaru Ascent
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James07 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote James07 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Aug 2024 at 3:06pm
Been pulling our 178 with 2019 Ford Ranger for about 5 years.  Including a 7,000 mile round trip California to Alaska.  Good power and good handling.  Only problem was with short driving range on an 18 gallon tank.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Travel is Fatal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Aug 2024 at 12:33pm
I just had a brake controller put on my 2016 Highlander V6.  I am using stabilizer bars and am curious how set up will handle once I get out of county and at more traditional highway speeds  RPOD 179.
2017 RPOD 179
2016 Toyota Highlander w E Brake
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