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Footslogger03 View Drop Down
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Joined: 21 Jul 2011
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Posts: 362 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Factory Visits/Tours
    Posted: 23 Jul 2011 at 12:25pm
Just finished scanning the forums and don't see any mention of owners having visited or toured the Forest River facility where the R-Pods are built. We will be driving through Indiana in the next week or so along I-80 and, since we're "in the market" AND in the neighborhood we were thinking about a side trip in Elkhart to get a first hand look at the assembly line and maybe see a few different models. That would help us greatly in deciding between the 171 and 177.

So    ...anybody been there/done that and if so, where exactly is the plant located. Also    ...does anyone here know of a contact and/or number we could call in advance to set up the visit ?

Thanks for any and all feedback   ...

Mark J
Livin' the Dream    ...'Slogger
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Joined: 03 Dec 2010
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Posts: 571 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2011 at 12:55pm
Check the nation forum, there is thread, with video, of a factory tour.
Chris and Walt
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Posts: 539 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2011 at 2:12pm
Hey Footslogger,
 
Good luck on finding the factory.  You are well on the road (excuse the pun!) to making a well-informed decision, and that's very wise.  You will be spending a lot of money and you should be happy with your purchase.
 
Maybe I'm being a little too simplistic but for me the decision came down to sitting down in the RPod for a few minutes and just picking the model that felt the MOST RIGHT for me.  I felt too claustrophobic in the 171, so the slideout  in the 177 made it feel so much roomier.  It's surprising what 12 extra inches (I think it is) can do.   
 
I also loved the roominess of the 181G (has wardrobe/pantry storage) but I didn't like that the only place to sit in it was on the bed or the barstool.  I think those that have that model love it though and they tend to spend most of their time outside.
 
What I'm trying to say is no matter how much I used the specs in the brochure to make a decision beforehand about the model I wanted, it really took going inside each of the models I was interested in to see what each felt like.  I didn't actually buy the one I thought I would.  I thought I would buy the 181G but I bought the 177 instead, the one that felt right for me.
 
Good luck - we are all interested in your final decision.  Please keep us posted!
 
Diane
2011 RP 177, the Hodge-PODge
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"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it."
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secretbard View Drop Down
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Posts: 195 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2011 at 7:21pm
I had the same experience with shopping for the Pod as Diane.  After a great deal of virtual shopping on-line and through the brochures, I picked one that I thought I would like from the brochures, but I didn't end up with the one I thought I liked.  Instead, I ended up with something different based on sitting in the Pod... although for me, I laid on all the beds and lounged out in the dinette watching Resident Evil - Afterlife while shopping at the dealer lot for the Pod of my liking.  The salesman opened the door and laughed... asked me if I was camping, then closed the door again.  There really is no substitution for trying out the Pod before you buy the Pod.  That is to say, you have to lay down in the beds, turn on the TV, sit and relax in the dinette and sit on the toilet taking a mock bathroom break or a mock shower.      
2010 Rpod 172   :)
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2011 at 11:43pm

Here is a quick video which shows the 'pods in various states of assembly in the factory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0W9PCL7TZM
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Jerry & Sandy View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 12:00pm
We too, went to Three Way Campers in Kennesaw GA, and looked at brochures, and then.......sat in several models.  We wanted a bed that could be made up and remained a bed.  Just as we wanted a dining area.  Having said that, we decided on the 177.
Happy Trails!
Jerry, Sandy, & Lizzy (8 lb Maltese)
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 4:31pm
Welcome!
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 8:20pm
Somebody on the other forum (OTOF).. said they build the Pods in batches, and may or may not be building them at any given time..

Depending on your route, if you want to see a neat facility, go to the Airstream factory. (Jackson Center, OH) They give tours everyday, at 2pm if I remember right. Friday is the worst day, they have all gone home by the time of the tour.. It is pretty cool, right down on the assembly floor, and we were actually inside a couple as they were being built. The machine that indexes and drills the holes for the skins is older than me..
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Jerry & Sandy View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 8:39pm
Hey Diane,
We hope to meet up with you one day.  What a hoot it would be for two Pods to be at a camp!  We are going to Red Top Mtn, McKinney Campground this weekend.
Happy Trails!
Jerry, Sandy, & Lizzy (8 lb Maltese)
2008 Tundra XSP 5.7L
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Posts: 539 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 8:47pm
Originally posted by Jerry & Sandy

Hey Diane,
We hope to meet up with you one day.  What a hoot it would be for two Pods to be at a camp!  We are going to Red Top Mtn, McKinney Campground this weekend.
 
Jerry and Sandy,
Yes, it would be a hoot to meet up some time.  There are so many nice camping areas within an hour's distance from where I live. Red Top Mtn. is about a 30-minute drive.  The folks at Three Way Campers are great.  They replaced my ripped R-Dome for me under the FR warranty, and they installed my axle risers, too.  I hope you like your 177 as much as I do mine.  I bought mine for the same reason you did - I wanted the permanent bed.  I love my Pod!  Hope to meet up with you sometime.  Happy Podding!  And welcome to the forum.
Diane
2011 RP 177, the Hodge-PODge
2011 Mercedes ML350
"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it."
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