Give advice to a new 2019 Rpod 180 Owner

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   Pinecone, 
That tow vehicle should work fine but it is relatively light so I would recommend a weight distribution hitch and anti sway system for that rig.  Especially if you plan to boondock and want to carry water, dual batteries, and/or dual propane cylinders your tongue weight is likely to be near or over 600 lbs. The wdh is designed to redistribute part of both the tongue weight and the load behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle so I'd suggest one rated for about 1000-1200 lbs. If your not going to be carrying water, dual batteries etc then an 800 lb wdh would work. 

I'd also recommend that you weigh your rig fully loaded so you know what you actually have and how much headroom you have against your Taco's max tongue weight, axle max load ratings, and gross combined vehicle weight ratings. 

The easiest way I've found to  get the tongue weight is to load and fuel up the tow vehicle ready for travel and weigh it at a public scale, then hitch up the fully loaded trailer with the wdh attached but without tensioning the wdh bars, and then weigh the tow vehicle again with the trailer off the scale. The difference between the two will be your tongue weight. While you're there you can also get the weight adding one axle at a time to the scale, including the trailer axle. so you can get the total rig weight and the weight of each axle either directly or by subtraction. 

Here's a nice calculator where you can input all your weights, dimensions and ratings as well as try different wdh settings. There are little dials the the bottom which will tell you how much safety factor you have on each rating. 

https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.php

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offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Topic: Give advice to a new 2019 Rpod 180 Owner Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 9:14pm
	Pinecone, That tow vehicle should work fine but it is relatively light so I would recommend a weight distribution hitch and anti sway system for that rig. Especially if you plan to boondock and want to carry water, dual batteries, and/or dual propane cylinders your tongue weight is likely to be near or over 600 lbs. The wdh is designed to redistribute part of both the tongue weight and the load behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle so I'd suggest one rated for about 1000-1200 lbs. If your not going to be carrying water, dual batteries etc then an 800 lb wdh would work. I'd also recommend that you weigh your rig fully loaded so you know what you actually have and how much headroom you have against your Taco's max tongue weight, axle max load ratings, and gross combined vehicle weight ratings. The easiest way I've found to get the tongue weight is to load and fuel up the tow vehicle ready for travel and weigh it at a public scale, then hitch up the fully loaded trailer with the wdh attached but without tensioning the wdh bars, and then weigh the tow vehicle again with the trailer off the scale. The difference between the two will be your tongue weight. While you're there you can also get the weight adding one axle at a time to the scale, including the trailer axle. so you can get the total rig weight and the weight of each axle either directly or by subtraction. Here's a nice calculator where you can input all your weights, dimensions and ratings as well as try different wdh settings. There are little dials the the bottom which will tell you how much safety factor you have on each rating. https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.php
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 10:37pm
	Pinecone, we tow with a truck that has a similar capacity to the Tacoma. We use a Fastway E2 WDH and have been very satisfied with how well it balances the load. Driving in all conditions, except snow but including strong side winds, we've found the ride to be exceptionally stable and comfortable.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

DavMar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Aug 2017 Location: Lexington, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 592	Posted: 13 Nov 2018 at 1:20pm
	+1 lostagain I have the same set up and am very satisfied with the E2 WDH from Fastway, Pinecone. Also make a list of what your dealer is not going to supply with the camper such as maybe no water hoses, water pressure regulator, sewer house and connection fittings and such. Do some shopping around on line for the best you can afford and compare the online price to any dealer "discounted" item and you might find you can save yourself some $$$ by buying online or even at your local Wally-World (aka WalMart)
	Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC

OldNeumanntapr Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 May 2018 Location: CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 204	Posted: 13 Nov 2018 at 9:11pm
	Congrats on your new 180! We have a 2018 180 and absolutely love it. We have a 2011 Tacoma PreRunner V6 and it tows the pod very well. I added an Equalizer 600/6000 WDH that also has excellent sway control. It was a night and day difference from the standard ball hitch. (With the standard hitch I could feel the trailer 'sashaying' from side to side on the highway, and the tongue bounced quite a bit when going over bridges on the interstate. All that was cured with the Equalizer.) There is a thread here somewhere that lists rPod essentials that is good to read. I agree with previous posters; Amazon / Camping World / Etrailer can get you far better deals than the RV dealer. If you are planning on doing a lot of dry camping (without 110 volt hookups) the dual 6 volt battery system is a good idea. It gives you a lot of additional capacity, but adds weight to the tongue. I upgraded to a group 27 marine battery instead of the group 24 that the Pod came with from the dealer. I had to only pay the difference in price. You need a good trailer brake controller that will plug into the wiring of your Tacoma. They are about $100 or so. I had the dealer install it for me and set it up. I have a 'Draw Tite' with a digital display. Everyone has their favorite brands but they all seem to work the same. The harder you apply the brake the more signal it sends to the electric trailer brakes. The numbers on the display show how much pressure you are applying. The controller has two settings; one that determines how hard the brakes will grab, and the other setting is for how the brakes release. You will need a good water hose with a pressure regulator, and a good sewer hose with a support. You will also need chemical for the toilet. (Put one packet of chemical into the toilet with a little bit of water to start. If you have sewer hookups the gray tank [sink, shower] can be left open to drain but the black tank should only be opened when you are ready to dump it and flush it out.) Good luck. There are a lot of knowledgable people here that can answer just about any question.