With the 171/2, the unloaded wt (2342#) + cargo capacity (900#) leaves a 'cushion' of ruffly 250#, but with the other models, as has been pointed out by others, the unloaded weight plus cargo capacity exceeds 3500 pounds on all of them -  http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=173&Image=5054&ShowParent=1.

This doesn't seem to be a good situation. Someone, please explain to me what I'm missing.

And, although I have never had a serious sway or control problem, I definitely have noticed a difference when carefully loading trailer and moving heavier cargo forward of the axle.

fred

 For example my trailer is rated at 7700 pounds gross capacity at 100% everything. But it has two 3500 pound torsion axles. That's 7000 pounds of rating. It's expected the tongue weight would be at least 10% (770 pounds) making it just within the axle ratings.

I do wish they installed slightly higher rated axles, for a little overhead.

I dislike 'rants', so I have waited a while to see if there are other responses to this topic.

first, I think the 172/172 is the ideal travel trailer for someone who wants a minimalist, go anywhere, 'home on wheels' complete with a/c and a minimal but adequate bathroom and really good tank capacity for its size. The components, a/c, refer, oven, etc are by manufacturers with good reputations and it's design is very sturdy, at least based on pics of one upside down after an accident and still intact. 

That said, I do have a constructive criticism. R-Pods generally appear to have axles that are too small for their weight - http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=5018&PN=1&title=179-axle-issues . Now, I checked, R-Pod competitors also use similar size axles, so this is not unique to FR, they'll have problems, too.

 After driving with our R-Pod a lot, including cross-country, but without unusual contact with bumps, curbs, etc, my axle is undeniably bent. I acknowledge that I may have hit something, altho I am not aware of it, however the basic question is - Is a 3000 pound capacity axle sufficient for an R-Pod 171?

 I did the math on my first post of this thread, the expected weight on the axle is right at the 3000# limit. If I were a bridge builder would I want my bridge to be right at the limit or would I want a little 'cushion'?

 Ok, maybe FR feels the cushion built into the Dexter or Lippert axle, generally acknowledged to be of good quality, is enuf. As seen above, past posts on this forum suggest otherwise. Again, why doesn't either FR or the axle manufacturer tell us exactly where to put a jack when changing a tire, to avoid damaging the axle? Changing a tire is not an unusual event, indeed it's to be expected, but the last time I checked, they were mum on this subject, I conclude because damage to the axle while changing a tire can be expected, sometimes, and they don't want to be blamed!

 Replacing my bent axle will cost somewhere around $600-$900, I'm just gonna replace the tires more frequently because over the life of the R-Pod it'll be cheaper to do that, but it is really unfortunate that the axle isn't a little heavier design to avoid the whole problem.

 I emphasize, I love our R-Pod.

Actually, tongue weight is the tongue weight. 100% of the time.  If the trailer tongue is 350 pounds, that's what it always is, regardless of the hitch type. If your hitch rating is 500 pounds, with no other WD rating, it can only carry 500 pounds. Using a trailer with a 700 pound tongue weight and using a WD hitch to get that number closer to 500 does NOT make it safe. The hitch is now burdened by 700 pounds, PLUS the additional stresses of spring bars trying to torque the tow vehicle front end down. Big time failure. Many people ignore this and tow too heavy anyway. Always inspect the tow hitch regularly look for stress cracks, especially at welds and near bolted attachment points.

You're right that the WD hitch does distribute weight.

The weight distributing hitch removes weight from the tow vehicle REAR AXLE, and distributes it BETWEEN the front axle of the tow vehicle AND ALSO the towed trailer axle. The distributed weight does not ALL go the the tow vehicle front axle, a common misconception. You could theoretically completely un-weight the entire rear axle by using spring bars that are extremely stiff. The rear axle could be entirely lifted from the ground.Only the front axle of the tow vehicle and trailer axle(s) would touch the ground.

Uhh... I don't know how to say this, but ..... Your contribution, faskinating (sic) as it is,  has no relevance to the topic of this thread.