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Topic ClosedR-Pod 195 Other Options Video

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Richand Cindy View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: R-Pod 195 Other Options Video
    Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 11:25am
If you can move up to the 195 without needing a new tow vehicle it is a great choice.  However since we only had a 4500 lb capacity we needed to buy another vehicle.  With that done there was no reason to make a small jump to a 22-24 fopt trailer so we opted for a 26 foot.  We are very happy with our choice and there is plenty of space.  Although the 195 was not available when we had to move up we would not have bought it had it been available since we still would have needed a new vehicle so might as well go a little bigger.  We like the dual axles and the ability to drive at the speed limit without all the shaking.
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 11:44am
Originally posted by dherman201

Hi all
So we recently checked out the 195 at a dealer and wow it is a whole different pod.  So here are some of my questions and concerns.   I would love to hear other thoughts on this.
Lots of questions! Anyway, I'll give you my opinions.
1.  The bed.  -  Well of course this is the big seller.  I'm the one on the inside so this is really appealing to me.  But at what cost.
That bed is very appealing to me. I am also the one on the inside and have to do the crawl-over. As I age, that gets less and less easy so the bed is very attractive to me.
2. The storage.  Wow this is a big seller too. That pantry is really nice.  I'm pretty tired of trying to stuff dishes and food into the overhead cabinet in the 178 we currently own.  Plenty of room for dishes above the sink and stove and plenty of room from clothes.  Not sure why they didn't make the underbid storage more assessable but hey, got to have something to mod.  And the underneath passthrough storage is still sizable and clean (open all the way with little obstructions.
The 179 has a lot of storage space, but I do like the cabinets over the sink. The down side is the loss of counter space but the refrigerator would more than compensate. I had to do some modifying to get my 179 to have underneath storage all the way across to store my Gardenline pop-up gazebo (like a Clam).
3.  The roof.  Noticed the roof is no longer a one-sheet of fiberglass but has gone to a typical rubber roof.  I'm excited about being able to climb up on the roof and having an attached ladder, but what are the downside of this type of roof.
The roof is not a typical rubber roof. It is a PVC roof which does not require treatments like a rubber or TPM roof would and the material comes with a 15 year warranty according to the video I saw on the Couch's RV YouTube walk-through (around minute 14:35). It looks like the PVC roof will end up being better than a one-piece fiberglass roof would have been for this model.
4.  Awning.  This is a big seller for me.  With the 2016 178 model there just isn't a real good option for an awning.  This would be really nice.
My 2016 RP179 came with the track for an R-Dome. When it went to the factory for repair following an accident, I was able to get a Thule awning installed since the side needed to be replaced. I wouldn't recommend that method to get an awning. However, for us, the awning suits our style of travel much better than an R-Dome would have. If I need the additional space, I have the pop-up gazebo.
5.  The dinette.  Don't like it.  It's why we opted for the 178 instead of the 179.  We must have walked from the 178- 179 50 times trying to decide.  Finally it was this darn dinette that did it.  It's not comfortable, it ugly etc.  I noticed some dealer showed a 196 which just had the ottomans removed.  I might be able to live with that.
I modified our 179's cushions and made a platform for the conversion to a 3/4 width bed and ditched the mechanism for the table. I put pedestal mounts in for the table and it stows flat with the ottomans. It suits us much better. My wife likes the ottomans both for storage and for lounging while she is reading. It is a matter of personal preference though.  
6.  2600 empty weight to 3300 empty weight.  Hum. We can tow 5,500 lbs with our truck but I hate to be close to the limit.  Even full I still have 1000lb cushion but it's something to think about.  Am I really going to notice a big difference in hauling this trailer.  Zipping around in the 178 is pretty easy.
We tow with a 2010 Nissan Frontier with a 6100 lb rating, but that would be a concern for me also. The increased width means more frontal area which means more wind resistance. It likely isn't quite as bad though. The wind resistance impacts much more than just the weight.
7.  Width   So the overall width is the same but the side now are about even with the tires. So visibility is going to be different. Will I need to extend my mirrors?
Overall width is to the outside of the wheels, so the overall width remains the same but the body of the trailer is wider. Yes, you would likely need to extend your mirrors. I purchased towing mirrors from 1A Auto that replaced the stock mirrors on our Frontier. They are fully heated and powered like the original, but they manually extend for towing and retract for when I am not towing. They make our little Frontier look like a grown-up truck. They are expensive, but they beat any clamp/strap on mirror by far. For me, they are worth the price.
8.  Cost   Well of course. It's still not a bad price but our 2016 is paid off.  Do I like it well enough to trade in or sell outright.
That is our consideration as well.
9. AC The AC in the model I saw was a smaller footprint (or ceilingprint) that in our 178.  I'm not sure about the actually AC capacity but I liked the smaller unit.
I would like to see and hear it. I don't know if it is any taller than the one on our 179. I also don't know about power needs (can it run on a 2,000 Watt generator?).
10.Stove and Sink  I like the new stove with the glass top and the sink is a good size too.
The glass top can be retrofit to the stove in our 179, but I made a cutting board cover that is more useful and is not as likely to break. I'm not sure about the round sink. I would have preferred a larger rectangular sink like I put in our 179.
So far we have resisted the pull to "go bigger"   But I'm getting tempted with this one.  Someone want to talk me out of it?
I'm very tempted also but my wife is so far successfully keeping me from "going bigger."   She is wondering if we will get the use out of it before our health makes it less likely that we will be able to do so.
Thanks!!
You're welcome! Smile

StephenH
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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 12:22pm
Originally posted by StephenH

I'm very tempted also but my wife is so far successfully keeping me from "going bigger."   Whe is wondering if we will get the use out of it before our health makes it less likely that we will be able to do so

[/QUOTE]
THAT is the biggest reason I can think of TO make a move immediately. Time waits for no one. I wasn't going to get one till next year originally, but then I realized, NEXT YEAR isn't guaranteed for anyone. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 1:04pm
Originally posted by mjlrpod

Originally posted by StephenH

I'm very tempted also but my wife is so far successfully keeping me from "going bigger."   She is wondering if we will get the use out of it before our health makes it less likely that we will be able to do so
THAT is the biggest reason I can think of TO make a move immediately. Time waits for no one. I wasn't going to get one till next year originally, but then I realized, NEXT YEAR isn't guaranteed for anyone. 
[/QUOTE]Agreed, but I have just finished paying off a large credit card balance and would prefer to wait and accumulate some savings before tackling an upgraded RPod. I really would need to figure out how much we would be able to sell our 179 for. If we could get a good amount from it that could be applied to a 195/196, that would help.

The other thing is that there is not a dealer near me. Both are over 2 hours away, farther than the dealer from which we bought our 179. However, that dealer has stopped carrying RPods.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 2:54pm
Originally posted by mjlrpod



I would completely disagree with this. Since most of the front is tucked behind the truck the same as the 172 was, the only change is in the upper exposed portion. Basically the front changed by 2 strips, maybe 2 1/2 feet long x 6 inches wide, one on each side. Hardly a 12 - 15 % change in frontal area. Even if you were right though, 1 mpg is not a deal breaker. I really wanted to put to bed the idea that a midsize truck, in my case the frontier, cannot pull it. 
 


The trailer isn't tucked behind the tow vehicle unless it has a smaller cross section.  Unless the body of your truck is 88 inches wide (its not) a 195 is wider as well as taller and will define the frontal area. IOW, A in the drag equation needs to be taken as the frontal area of the rig, which is essentially A of the trailer. If that wasn't the case we would all be getting fuel economy in the 20+ mpg range towing like our vehicles do when not towing, but we don't.

If 1 to 1.5 mpg isn't an issue for you then that's fine. IIt would concern me. And certainly I agree that a tow vehicle with a 6000 lb tow rating is capable of towing a 195. My tow vehicle has a 5000 lb rating which is inadequate. Again, its a personal choice. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 3:39pm
Great input. Thanks so much.  Yeah forgot about the refrigerator.  Big, big difference. We are considering quite longer stays in the trailer as we retire soon.  Right now we do long weekends but going forward we're talking about traveling for a couple of months. 

I'm curious about the pro's and con's of the rubber roof vs. the one piece fiberglass roof.  
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 3:45pm
Oh thanks on the roof.  That reply was posted as I wrote mine!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 4:34pm
The drag coefficient is not "just" the frontal area, but the overall aerodynamics of the vehicle (or object). You can increase the frontal area, but if you make other changes, you can reduce the drag coefficient.

For example, the rounded high butt on a 179 might very well contribute to a higher drag coefficient. Also, the wheels and fenders poking out from the sides of a 179 most probably contribute to a higher drag coefficient compared to the tucked-in wheels/fenderlettes on the 195.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 6:30pm
   The r-pod 18' and 20' models have been very successful so much that other manufacturers have copied them. So my thoughts is as the saying goes if it's not broke why fix it, why the need for a larger r-pod.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2019 at 6:54pm
Interesting topic. For me I spent a considerable amount of time and energy preparing my 2015 178 to be compatible with my needs. Many times I have looked at bigger and newer. My spouse still works and lately it has just been me hitting the camps close by to fish and relax. I applaud the folks that want a change and if I required more I'd be the first to join. For me, last camper I will own, never had a big failure, and it goes where I want to go, plus I own it:) Every year there will be a tempting change. Guess I'm just not tempted anymore.
Mike Carter
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