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jasonraiderfan 
Newbie 
Joined: 16 Mar 2019 Location: Virginia Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
 Calendar Event: Towing with an EscapePosted: 16 Mar 2019 at 3:09pm |
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Hi I'm Jason from Virginia. I'm new here. I don't own anything yet but here's what I'm thinking. I've looked at and researched quite a bit now and I'm leaning towards an R-Pod for several reasons. If I get one it'll be a 171 or 172, not sure which yet. I plan to tow with a Ford Escape. I like the Escape because of the decent gas mileage and they're fairly inexpensive. I've read the topic of towing with an Escape on here and read mixed results. Some said it should be fine while others basically said to trash it and get a dually diesel truck that'll pull a freight train!! The Escape I'm looking at will be a Titanium 2.0L Eco Boost 4WD with 240 HP and 270lb of torque. With a 3500lb towing capacity, and 350lb bumper capacity. Dry weight on the 171 is 2342lbs dry and gross is 3242lbs. To me these numbers sound like they'll work. I like to hike and backpack. The camper will mostly be used by me on solo trips and basically as a base camp. I know I will never carry the full gross weight! I simply know that. I am an ultralight backpacker and the same principals will apply to this camper! I plan to boondock the majority of my trips and don't intend to carry much water until i'm within 20-30 miles of my destination. But I do plan to tow long distances and I will be crossing mountains! I am looking at other trailers (Geo Pro 14FK) that are lighter. But I'm diggin' the Pods! Honestly the 171(2) is more than what I'd need, but the Pods look super nice, comfy and seem pretty tough!! Is there anybody who has done something similar? Or has experience with Escapes? Thank you in advance!!
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Even when it's not ok, it's still gonna be ok.
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Happy Tripping
Senior Member 
Joined: 27 May 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 473 |
Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 3:27pm |
Uh..., no it's not. My tv has 4500 pound capacity pulling a 171 and does fine. In my opinion, 3500# is ok if you drive along the flatlands along the east coast from Maine to Florida and on to Texas, but if you want to cross the Appalachians, you will find it to be not at all 'ok', and forget attempting any trips to the mountains out west. I think you'll be happier with a smaller trailer - https://littleguytrailers.com/lgtrailer/tb/ , or tent camping.
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"There comes a time in the affairs of a man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation" - W.C. Fields
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jasonraiderfan
Newbie
Joined: 16 Mar 2019 Location: Virginia Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 3:41pm |
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What are you towing with?
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Even when it's not ok, it's still gonna be ok.
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mjlrpod
Senior Member
Joined: 27 Sep 2016 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 1221 |
Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 4:37pm |
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The only vehicle I know of that is tow rated at 4500 pounds is a honda pilot. That would be my guess. Many people tow pods with 3500 pound tow cap vehicles. I personally think it's a little close for comfort, but just take it slow and easy. If you truly don't pack much gear, and keep with 2800 pounds, you will probably never really have an issue. Make sure you have a tranny cooler and install an electronic brake control
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2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp 
Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 4:38pm |
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We have had many people towing with a 3500lb rating. Many of them have upgraded to a larger vehicle and remarked how much better the tow after. None that I recall died from using a 3500 rated vehicle. But many were in fact unhappy, and a couple damaged their vehicles. I would suggest a new tow vehicle with a 5000lb rating or better, or going with a camper that has a lower profile and less weight. BTW.. if you read your owners manual.. in the towing and cargo carrying capacities, you will find a "frontal area" chart.. Ford is one of a few companies that provide that bit of info. If I remember correctly, a Escape is limited to 22sqft of frontal area.. An R-Pod is more than double that..
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 5:27pm |
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+1 to Furpod.
I tow in the Appalachians with my 5000 lb rated AWD Highlander all the time, I wouldn't consider anything lighter. If you boondock you will inevitably want more tongue and overall weight capacity than if you're staying in campsites with facilities. The trailer listed empty weight doesn't include any liquids (including the 50 lbs sitting in the water heater you can't get rid of, or batteries. And the 3500 lb tow rating is going to be assuming there is only a skinny driver in the tow vehicle, nothing else. Check your gross combined vehicle weight rating. And remember that that last 20 miles when you'll have water in the fresh tank is the toughest 20 miles of the whole trip. If you're overloaded going up and down steep windy mountain roads for 20 miles it is going to feel like 1000. The frontal area issue is another important point. Besided the ratings, the trailer wind drag determines your fuel economy. You will be getting around about 14 mpg on flat ground at 60 mph, less in the mountains. The escape only has a 15.7 gal gas tank. You'll want to keep at least 5 gallons in the tank in reserve, so your useful fuel load will only be about 10-11 gallons. You'll be stopping for fuel so often it will get frustrating, and stressful in the mountains. You will be much happier with a 5000 lb tow vehicle with a 20 plus gallon fuel tank, or a lighter lower profile trailer.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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podwerkz
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2019 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 966 |
Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 5:59pm |
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Tail wagging the dog. Not fun.
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r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!
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jasonraiderfan
Newbie
Joined: 16 Mar 2019 Location: Virginia Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 6:30pm |
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I think I'm getting a picture here! I appreciate the input and definitely glad I haven't bought anything yet. I was just checking out the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. It's at 6200lb towing capacity and 17/24 mpg. Another question: What percentage gas mileage drop should I expect pulling a Pod??
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Even when it's not ok, it's still gonna be ok.
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417 |
Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 6:39pm |
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Having towed with an Escape, I think I have the background to comment on this. First off, you have something right with the 4WD. I had a 2WD Escape (2016 with tow package). There were times when the weight distribution (WD) of the Equal-i-zer 4-point stabilization hitch was absolutely needed for me to be able to have any traction on the front tires. Without WD, it would have been impossible. Even with WD, it was very easy to spin the front tires when starting out. Loose sand or gravel? Forget it! Second, the Escape, even with the tow package (which I hope yours has) will need you do do some crawling under the vehicle in order to connect a brake controller. The Escape is not pre-wired for the 7-pin connector. It only has the 4 pin which can't control the brakes. There is now one that does not require this effort as it is wireless. That is the Prodigy RF Wireless Brake Controller by Tekonsha. It wasn't available when I got our brake controller, a Hopkins InSIGHT FlexMount Brake Controller. The InSIGHT has the advantage of flexible mounting of separate components so you can place the display in your field of vision and have the hand controller placed where it makes sense for you. The controller itself hides under the dash. The wireless one has the big advantage that it can be moved easily to another vehicle since it is not mounted and not additional wires to run. However, I would think you would still need to run wires and make a connection if you want your R-Pod's battery to charge while you are driving. The four pin connector can't do that. Agreed that frontal area is an issue. I had gotten a PurpleLine AeroPlus wind deflector. Between that and keeping my top speed to 60 mph or less, my mileage was acceptable. Before I got the deflector and was trying to make time to get to our daughter's house in Nevada, the mileage was 8-10. After getting the deflector and realizing that we did not need to be in such a hurry, mileage ran 13-16 mpg. The Escape will need to be fed premium fuel. We were stopping every 100 miles to fill up before I slowed down. With the higher price for premium, it was getting expensive! The Escape did have plenty of power unless one hit a 25+ mph headwind. Even going up mountain roads was not too bad. The one time it was difficult was the climb in Virginia up a steep, winding road with many hairpin turns where we could not build up any speed, but were going 20 mph or less, often 10 or 15 mph. Then it was not that the Escape lacked power. It lacked cooling. We could not go fast enough for sufficient airflow over the transmission cooler and radiator. The car's computer first cut power, then signaled to stop and let it cool off as we were in danger of damaging the engine. Once we cooled off for a few minutes and got going again, we got out of the hairpin turns and were able to build up some speed. That with the cooler temperatures we were getting into at the BRP elevation, we had no further problems. We probably would have continued to tow with the Escape had we not encountered ice with a strong cross-wind and had an accident. The Escape needed repair and we needed to continue our trip so we bought the Frontier we use now. After the Escape was repaired, we sold it, taking a big loss on it since it was not that old. You can tow with your Escape, but eventually, you would probably want something with more capacity and a larger fuel tank. If a new tow vehicle isn't a possibility, the Escape will work as long as you respect it and don't overestimate its capabilities.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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jasonraiderfan
Newbie
Joined: 16 Mar 2019 Location: Virginia Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 6:48pm |
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Wow!! Thanks!
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Even when it's not ok, it's still gonna be ok.
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Towing with an Escape - Event Date: 16 Mar 2019 - 16 Mar 2020