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flryder View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: R Pod 192
    Posted: 10 Jun 2020 at 8:41pm
I am about to purchase a 192 from Couches RV Nation.  I have read the reviews on RV Insider and they are over the place from bad to great.  For those of you who have the 192 what are your thoughts?

And,

I am planing to tow it with my '13 Wrangler with the 3.73 axle ratios.  The Jeep is rated at 3,500 lbs with this axle ratio and the 192 is 3,449 lbs dry so I should be fine.  I have towed much heavier double axle trailers all over the state in previous vehicles so I do have lots of towing experience.  Have any of you used a Wrangler for this kind of towing, and what are your experiences?  Did you need a weight distributing system?  
Thanks,

Dan
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jun 2020 at 8:56pm
No, you will not be fine. The 192 is 3,449 dry, but that does not take into account what you will be adding in the way of water, propane, clothing, food, etc. The loaded weight will be much higher. You will be well in excess of the 3,500 lb rating by the time you are done. I could tow it with the our Frontier Crew Cab 4x4 which is rated at 6,100 lbs, but the Wrangler just is not up to the task. Either consider upgrading your tow vehicle to one with a minimum of 5,000 lbs tow rating or choosing one of the smaller models that weight significantly less than 3,000 lbs dry (which rules out the 178 and higher model numbers). Please be safe, not sorry.

Edit: Actually, you could probably tow a 179, but it does not leave much room for  capacity. I originally towed our 179 with a 2016 Ford Escape SE with tow package and 2L Ecoboost engine. It also had a 3500 lb tow rating. We traveled a lot with it until we hit ice with a crosswind. That is why we now have the Frontier. There is a big difference between could and should.
StephenH
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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2020 at 9:16am
The last thing you need to be concerned with is the review of the 192. Your tow vehicle is a wayyyyy bigger problem. They have jeepers pulling pods facebook pages, and you might want to go talk to them. 
2017.5 Rp-172
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podwerkz View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2020 at 9:46am
lol...tail wagging the dog.

If the dealership allows this, knowingly hooking up this trailer to your jeep, please tell us the name of the dealership and the salesman.

We want to give good dealerships positive exposure, and bad dealerships, well, they need to be publicly flogged.

My advice: have a will drawn up and a lawyer on speed dial. 
r・pod 171 gone but not forgotten!
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2020 at 10:03am
flryder, with a 3,500 towing max for the Wrangler, you'll be overweight in a heartbeat.  Look at the GVW of the trailer.  I think it's about 4,800 lbs.  Also look at the combined gross vehicle weight for the Wrangler.  To that add the short wheelbase of the Wrangler.  It's simply not safe for you or others with whom you will share the highway.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2020 at 2:19pm
+5. 5 no votes on the Wrangler. If you've towed a lot then you know that vehicle tow ratings are given with nothing in the tow vehicle except a skinny driver. No one goes camping like that. The empty weight of a travel trailer doesn't include the battery or the water in the water heater, and of course no gear or supplies, or options. No one camps like that either. You won't be a couple hundred pounds over, you'll be 1000. The final drive ratio means nothing if you can't stop the combined rig or steer because your front axle load is too light. Get a lighter trailer or a heavier tow vehicle, both for your own sake and for everyone else's on the road with you. Please. 
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Colt View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jun 2020 at 11:41am
The sticker on my 180 says 2749 dry weight.  After adding sheets and towels, cleaning supplies, dishes and pots for 2, a tiny bit of food, water, sewer and electric hook-ups, a bottle jack and lug wrench and battery and propane (all with a keen eye for minimizing weight), my 180 weighs 3122 pounds. Its options and I added 350 pounds with the minimum stuff, except for the bottle of wine and bourbon, to be ready to hit the road.  I will argue with you about the beverages.  ;-)   

Towing experience notwithstanding, I'd be most concerned about a Wrangler's short wheelbase and the small distance between the hitch and its center of gravity.  You could have a "wag the dog" scene easily. 
John
'16 R-Pod 180
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flryder View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2020 at 12:59pm
The Wrangler I have is a 4 door, many of you may have assumed it is a shorter wheelbase 2 door.  When I compare it to the same year Grand Cherokee which is rated to tow 5000 lbs with the same engine and transmission I find some interesting information:

                        JKU            GC
wheelbase         116            114.8
track                61.9           64.1
rear axle           Dana 44     Mercedes 195mm IRS
towing capacity  3500         5000
payload             880             1840
weight              4397           4632
design          body on frame    unibody with sub frame         

I wonder why the Grand Cherokee has a higher tow rating  and payload rating?

Dan
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jalong View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jun 2020 at 6:02pm
Grand Cherokee tow rating with the towing package is 6,200 lbs with the base 3.6L engine.
 
The three optional engines have a 7,200 lb tow rating.
John & Sue
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Jun 2020 at 4:59am
Originally posted by flryder

The Wrangler I have is a 4 door, many of you may have assumed it is a shorter wheelbase 2 door.  When I compare it to the same year Grand Cherokee which is rated to tow 5000 lbs with the same engine and transmission I find some interesting information:

                        JKU            GC
wheelbase         116            114.8
track                61.9           64.1
rear axle           Dana 44     Mercedes 195mm IRS
towing capacity  3500         5000
payload             880             1840
weight              4397           4632
design          body on frame    unibody with sub frame         

I wonder why the Grand Cherokee has a higher tow rating  and payload rating?


Seems like its gotta be the rear axle capacity. Check the rear axle max load numbers, not usually published but they should be on the door stickers. Note that you do not get both the payload and the towing capacity at the same time. Best to weigh the axles loaded for travel (without the wdh tensioned) and be sure that those weights are all in spec along with the trailer weight, tongue weight and the MCGVW. 

You can't count on the wdh because its effectiveness changes with uneven road surfaces (higher when you go through a swale, lower when you go over a berm), so the stress from the tongue on your TV is still there. It certainly helps with ride quality and steering effectiveness though. I notice it also helps with front/rear brake proportioning. Modern vehicles have load sensors at each wheel and send more hydraulic pressure to the wheels with higher loads, so when towing you end up with too much braking action at the TV rear. The wdh helps that but you'll still go through rear brake pads faster towing that not, at least I do. 
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1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
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