Soon-to-be new owner

Vann,

Thanks. We go to Chapel Hill when my wife has appointments at the UNC Medical Center. It will be good to compare notes.

Edit:  I just looked at some of your mods. I have some ideas, but will need to get the R-Pod first and see what ideas I can use. I already know I need to add a 12 volt outlet. I also would like a shelf above the bed to hold things like my CPAP machine, our cell phones, etc. I need to find out how to mount a shelf.

With the factory towing package, the frontal area consideration is 30 sq. ft. The base vehicle area is 20 sq. ft. Ford's towing guide says that exceeding the frontal area specs may decrease performance of the tow vehicle.  While the R-Pod specifications indicate that the frontal area is > 30 sq. ft, the shape should help. It isn't a vertical slab like some of the other options we looked at such as the Starcraft AR-One or the KZ Spree Escape, which while not vertical were much more so than the rounded shape of the R-Pod. This seems to be the best option for now, especially since we just upgraded the Escape and are in no position to trade vehicles.

I will certainly keep an eye on things and report how it works once we pick it up and get some real-world experience. Ford does recommend using premium gasoline when towing. I have been filling with premium in preparation for picking it up so the engine can develop the maximum power instead of being down tuned for regular gas.

I think if I can watch the weight, that will also help. The RP-179 has a dry weight of 2,630 lbs. If I can keep the loaded weight under the 3,500 lbs (well under, I hope), that should also help.

Unfortunately, I did lose money.  I should have seen the red flags, but I didn't.

I contacted the dealer (Country Roads RV Center in Lexington, NC). It is not too late to get the battery upgrade, and the preliminary quote I got sounds reasonable. This way too, I should get the proper size cases for the six-volt batteries. I'm glad I didn't wait until we got there to pick it up to ask.

Thanks. I would not have thought about that. I'll contact them soon as I finish this message. 

Thanks for the advice. I would like to go the 6 volt route, but will initially need to go with a second battery like the first. If batteries hold overnight, that will be adequate for the first trips. While we are at our daughters'  houses, we should be able to hook up to AC and while we are on the road, they will get a T.V. charge during the day.

My CPAP does use 12V. The power brick supplies that 12V but battery supply should be fine as long as I don't try to power the humidifier also. The concern, of course, is the furnace. If we keep the temperature setting low, it should reduce the power needed We will just have extra blankets. Other than that, we will need to charge cell phones, but again, that can be done during the day while we are travelling.

If I were to get two 6V batteries, what could be done with the 12V battery that will come with the R-Pod? I don't have a boat with which to use it. It would be too good to recycle.