New R-Pod 192 owner

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   We plan to have delivery of our first travel trailer, the R-Pod 192, sometime in April (fingers crossed).  We were able to view one in person and have done some research on possible issues but we still have a few questions.
Our plan is to have a few "shakedown" trips locally and then travel from Oregon to Florida starting in the fall of this year. We are planning to have 2 6v batteries with 2 solar panels for extra power added upon delivery as we might be doing some boondocking but will mostly be staying in state/federal parks with hook-ups.

It looks like the plastic faucets should be upgraded, including the shower head. The pocket door looks like it also needs to be reinforced.  Along with tightening anything loose do you have any recommendations on things that should be replaced and/or modification for a long cross county travel?

Also anything that we should know pros/cons for long term use of this trailer.

We appreciate any guidance or advise you might have. 

Derek & Angela

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happurpal Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Location: Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Topic: New R-Pod 192 owner Posted: 19 Feb 2021 at 5:34pm
	We plan to have delivery of our first travel trailer, the R-Pod 192, sometime in April (fingers crossed). We were able to view one in person and have done some research on possible issues but we still have a few questions. Our plan is to have a few "shakedown" trips locally and then travel from Oregon to Florida starting in the fall of this year. We are planning to have 2 6v batteries with 2 solar panels for extra power added upon delivery as we might be doing some boondocking but will mostly be staying in state/federal parks with hook-ups. It looks like the plastic faucets should be upgraded, including the shower head. The pocket door looks like it also needs to be reinforced. Along with tightening anything loose do you have any recommendations on things that should be replaced and/or modification for a long cross county travel? Also anything that we should know pros/cons for long term use of this trailer. We appreciate any guidance or advise you might have. Derek & Angela

Cjommh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 07 Aug 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 7	Posted: 19 Feb 2021 at 6:06pm
	Congratulations! We've had a 192 since late October of last year, did 5 trips so far, the longest 10 nights, a total of over 5k miles driven. Love the RV! Same setup, 2 6v batteries, one 100w panel. Of the 25 nights we only connected to shore power for 5 days, the rest was boon docking, no power issues at all, the sun topped of the batteries (west coast like you) and the truck charged it when driving. I upgraded the plastick shower head, faucet in the bathroom (low and unusable). Did a lot of cosmetic stuff but happy with it as is. Jonathan

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3340	Posted: 19 Feb 2021 at 6:34pm
	Nice choice with the 192. Good memories await and fun times as well. The battery set up you have will be more than sufficient. For 10 years we have had 2 12v group size 24 batteries that have served us well - we usually boondock so they get used a lot and we don't have solar or generator either. Regardless we easily get 3 days out of each battery when night temps are in the 40's or upper 30's. Important not to let batteries drain below 60% S.O.C or 12.2 volts before swapping out to the other battery. I would imagine in your case it would be the same 12.2 volts but you would be reading the cumulative for both batteries. One thing FR has not changed since we purchased our 177 10 years ago is the mattress. Just replace it and save yourself a lot of grief. After 3 sleeps (more comfortable sleeping on the ground than the mattress!) it was replaced with an 8" Eurotop mattress. Ten years later and still just as firm and comfortable as the day it was placed in the 177. Not knowing what your TV is you will want to invest in either a friction / anti-sway bar or wdh for better handling. Our 177 fully loaded with a full FW tank (located behind axle) comes in at just under 2900 lbs and for 8 years was towed by either an '08 or '13 Explorer using a simple $ 50 Curt anti-sway bar. For the past 2 years we have utilized a newer F-150 and still use that same 10 year old anti-sway bar. With over 36,000 miles logged in, many of them in the Rockies - no issues or problems. Enjoy your 192 as you travel this great blessed land of ours.
	God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

happurpal Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Location: Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Posted: 19 Feb 2021 at 6:57pm
	Thanks for the recommendations and I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying the 192 with little issue.

happurpal Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Location: Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Posted: 19 Feb 2021 at 6:59pm
	Jato I forgot to mention that we will be using a WDH with sway control. Our TV is a Hyundai Sante Fe with 5000lb capacity. We will definitely take the mattress suggestion into consideration. Do you have to buy a special RV mattress or will any queen size mattress work?

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3340	Posted: 19 Feb 2021 at 7:49pm
	We purchased a short queen. Others have purchased a full queen and then 'cut it to fit' (as with the zinus) or have turned the mattress 90 degrees and then built an extension so that the full queen will fit.
	God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

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: 19 Feb 2021 at 8:59pm
	Happurpal, you are going to be pretty heavy for your TV. By the time you add passengers and other stuff to your TV and the roughly 4900 lbs. of trailer you are going to be substantially overweight. You should have a minimum of 6000 lbs. of towing capacity for this size tailer. In fact, you'd be more comfortable with closer to 7000 lbs. The WDH won't increase your vehicle's towing capacity. Check out the archives and you'll see many discussions about the advisability of towing more than your TV can handle. Offgrid has a link to a calculator to check out your weight compatibility. It's in a number of his posts and maybe he can put it in this thread. Our Sonoma, another FR product, is substantially similar in layout and weight to your 192. Our TV has a 7800 lbs. capacity and I wouldn't feel safe with anything less. In fact, we killed our Dakota towing the new trailer. The Dakota had, like your Santa Fe, had a 5000 lbs. towing capacity. It was not exactly a great experience having to buy a new truck 500 miles from home just to be able to return.
	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: 20 Feb 2021 at 6:50am
	Welcome. lostagain is correct. Your Santa Fe won’t be up to the task of towing a 192. It’s sad that we do often see this on the forum, IMHO the RV sales folks don’t do their job in making sure their customers have the proper two vehicle when they sell a trailer to them. The 5000 lb rating on your Santa Fe assumes it is empty except for the driver. If course, that is not the real world, you will want to have gear and passengers in it. It also will most likely have a hitch rating of 500lbs. The tongue weight of your trailer will be more than that, the 440 lbs listed by FR is optimistic to say the least. If you want to boon dock and carry water, dual batteries, and propane it will be north of 600 lbs. Ditto for the listed empty trailer weight, you will wind up closer to the max gross trailer weight in practice. I tow a 179 with my Highlander, also 5000 lbs rated, and that’s the most trailer I’d consider hauling with it, and we pack very carefully. Bottom line is you will need a bigger tow vehicle or a lighter trailer. A good rule of thumb is to get something with a tow rating at least 1000 lbs over the trailer max gross weight. That will give you some ability to load gear in the tow vehicle as well as the trailer. Also, check to be sure your TV manufacturer allows you to use a weight distribution hitch. Here is the calculator la was referencing. You should fully load up the trailer and tow vehicle and you can weigh at a public scale. Weigh adding one axle at a time with and without the trailer. Trailer weight is total rig weight minus weight of tow vehicle without the trailer. Tongue weight is combined weight of tow vehicle axles with the trailer connected minus the weight of the tow vehicle by itself. All the other weight specs for the calculator will either be on the tow vehicle drivers door sticker, the trailer sticker, or in your TV owners manual. https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.php
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3340	Posted: 20 Feb 2021 at 9:21am
	+1 Excellent point! Safety first.
	God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

happurpal Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Location: Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Posted: 20 Feb 2021 at 12:37pm
	Good points all regarding tow capacity with our TV. We have done quite a bit of research on the towing capacity of the Santa Fe, most people seem to have little difficulty with appropriate suspension support and WDH. The tongue weight is an issue I think we can mitigate with careful storage. It might be a lesson to learn but our TV is paid off so we are going to try it and see what happens.