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xyzhollyxyz View Drop Down
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Joined: 15 May 2016
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Posts: 21 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: R-Pod Owner Wannabe
    Posted: 15 May 2016 at 10:28am
Hi, R-Pod Owners!

I currently have the set-up in my signature. For my preferred style of camping (boondocking), I overbought trailer for truck...the big fridge is a huge power sucker (not to mention the electric awning and jack, and the slide!) and I don't have available tongue weight for a second battery. Just a big OOPS all around. Ouch

I just want to be more comfortable with my set-up and it looks like an R-Pod is the way to go. 

My original thought was the 172, but I can't find one to look at anywhere near me. So I may drive to Memphis tomorrow and look at a 171 and see if I like the "look" of the quality, etc. I could then perhaps order a 172. 

Went out a few minutes ago and measured the garage I had built for my Fun Finder (limited in size by the existing concrete slab, so it's 22'W x 26'L) and the available inside dimension is just around 24'. 

I guess one of the bigger trailers could suit my needs, eh? 

Well, anyway - I look forward to reading all I can in this Forum. 
2015 Fun Finder 189fds
2013 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 11:47am

Welcome to the group!

Good luck in searching for a Pod. There is a floor plan to make almost anyone happy. I would think most any would fit in your available space.

I would not think of trying to talk you out of a Pod but...
Your tongue weight issue could be overcome with a weight distributing hitch, with your present set up - assuming you are not now using one. It sounds like maybe you would benefit from a couple of 6 volt golf cart batteries - wired in series to yield 12 volts.

Regardless of what you do, feel free to hang around with us. If you should stay with what you have, there is a section for "non-Pod" folks (former owners, wanna-bes, ect.)
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Leo B View Drop Down
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Joined: 13 Jan 2012
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Posts: 4508 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 11:50am
Welcome to the group!
Leo & Melissa Bachand
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xyzhollyxyz View Drop Down
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Posts: 21 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 12:19pm
Originally posted by David


I would not think of trying to talk you out of a Pod but...
Your tongue weight issue could be overcome with a weight distributing hitch, with your present set up - assuming you are not now using one. It sounds like maybe you would benefit from a couple of 6 volt golf cart batteries - wired in series to yield 12 volts.

I do have an Equalizer hitch. Hitch head is like 55 lbs, and each bar is 17 lbs! UGH. I do not have the tongue weight capacity for 2 golf cart batteries. Already looked into that, too. Also looked into a Lithium battery, but $$$$ and WAY beyond my noggin' knowledge (with the battery management system and all!)

I bought a Shurline tongue weight scale and I was over the stated truck max tongue weight of 620#. I moved lots of stuff around and got it "acceptable". (my front pass-through storage is ALMOST empty!)

I also bought myself a Yeti cooler for Christmas in order to be able to unplug the power-sucking fridge while dry camping to save the battery. I do great on power consumption, but that fridge is my great bane, along with the slide...

Sigh. All-in-all, just not comfortable with the set up. 

And thanks for the welcome! Smile
2015 Fun Finder 189fds
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Posts: 3224 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 4:32pm
We are going camping with a couple later this week for a couple days and they own a Fun Finder (2010)  pretty nice unit, lots of room around the bed, I like that, but don't care for the wheel hump I have to straddle when sitting at the table.  They don't like our 177 because it is much smaller than what they are used to, difficult to make the bed, and less room for storage, because they like to bring a lot of "stuff" with them when they camp.  So, we all have our likes/dislikes and camp in what we are comfortable in.  Thanks for hooking up with this forum, welcome.
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 4:35pm
Is the refrigerator in your Fun Finder not able to run on propane? I know that the 3-way (AC, Battery, Propane) refrigerator in the R-Pod will also drain the battery quickly I did that before realizing that if I am dry camping, I need to just run it on propane. 
StephenH
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xyzhollyxyz View Drop Down
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Posts: 21 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 8:03pm
Yes, it runs on propane, but it has a feature - defrosts or dehumidifies the seals - that cannot be turned off! I saw somewhere that my model fridge draws 3.3A when running on propane. Whoa!  

I'd try and top off my battery with solar and my Honda eu1000i, but it just couldn't keep up with more than a day or so of dry camping. :(
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Posts: 1797 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 8:26pm
Can you post the make and model of the fridge? Most RVs use either Dometic or Norcold. 3.3 amps seems very high.  I have a 7cu ft Dometic that draws ~0.6A on 12V when on propane, but 0.5 of that is a frame heater. The frame heater is supposed to help with condensation and freezing around the freezer door, BUT it is not necessary and can be disabled. Earlier models of this fridge had a switch to disable the heater, but Dometic deleted it because it was too confusing (read: they saved 50 cents). Adding a switch or totally disconnecting the heater is easy for a handy or knowledgeable person. Many of us on the Camplite forum have done it. This won't solve your weight problem, but it might help the ice chest situation.
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OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD
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xyzhollyxyz View Drop Down
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Posts: 21 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 8:47pm
Originally posted by CharlieM

Can you post the make and model of the fridge? Most RVs use either Dometic or Norcold. 3.3 amps seems very high.  

I thought 3.3 seemed exceptionally high, too! 

The trailer came with an Atwood helium fridge. OMGosh - that thing failed failed failed. Replaced by Atwood with another just like original. Failed Failed Failed. 

FINALLY, Atwood agreed to replace, at their cost, their Atwood Fridge with a Dometic. Let me see if I can find the papers...


.....................................time passes..........................................

It's a Dometic DM2662 RBX, made in 2015. 
2015 Fun Finder 189fds
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Joined: 29 Jul 2009
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 9:31pm
Welcome.  I had the same problem with the fridge on my 2008 Salem, luckily I discovered mine has the switch (after our first weekend of camping, that completely drained my new group 29 battery that should have lasted much longer).  Newer models can be modified by disconnecting a wire behind the light assembly.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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