Tongue weight on 2018, 178
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Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10578
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Topic: Tongue weight on 2018, 178
Posted By: NHpod
Subject: Tongue weight on 2018, 178
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2017 at 3:53pm
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I brought my 2018, 178 home from the dealer last Monday and had some sway issues, So, I checked the tongue weight today. The door sticker says the empty trailer weight is 2726# I assume the dealer added the battery and full LP tank, that would add another 90# and I put a 50# bag of grain on the dinette for a total of 2866#. (Water tanks are empty.) With that weight, the ideal tongue weight should be 287 - 430#. I weighed the tongue and got 214# which is 73# less than the 10% minimum; no wonder, I had a sway issue. I had my DW (160#) sit forward of the dinette, now I have 210# added ( grain + DW) for a total of 3026#. I weighed the tongue and got 300#, just shy the 10%. So how do you load a 178 to get it balanced correctly? You really couldn’t fill the fresh water tank because it is behind the axle. Am I missing something? Thanks. ------------- 2018 178 R-Pod 2017 F-150 2.7 ecoboost with tow package https://postimages.org/"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2017 at 4:10pm
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Well, a second battery (could be dead) and/or a second propane tank come to mind immediately. Maybe a tongue box to store weight (jack, tools, etc.) right on the tongue. I added a 100 pound bike bunk to my tongue, (stromberg/carlson), with bikes adds about 150 pounds. ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2017 at 4:19pm
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Are you using a sway bar? Are you loading heavy items into front storage? You're not missing anything, but more info would be needed to supply valuable info. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: NHpod
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2017 at 4:35pm
I haven't loaded anything I am just now setting the pod up. It is all new to me I wondered how others loaded theirs to make up for the light tongue. As far as I can tell right now, I'll need at least 210# in the front to get to minimum tongue weight. I have just installed a fastway e2 hitch but will need to adjust it when we are loaded and ready to go. ------------- 2018 178 R-Pod 2017 F-150 2.7 ecoboost with tow package https://postimages.org/">
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Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2017 at 5:41pm
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Personally I would have started with a sway bar. I understand the love for WDHs. As long as you are happy I'm happy, my tongue weight is around 370 with generator mounted. Single battery and propane tank. I never carry a full fresh water tank. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: spydie
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2017 at 11:40pm
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Even with a sway bar, my 176 swayed all the way home from AR to NM. I kept stopping and tightening the sway bar more and more. Didn't seem to help. It was a brand new empty trailer except for about 200 lbs of fresh water for camping (which is WAY behind the axel... last tank to the rear.) . I've added a second battery and am thinking about figuring out a mount for my 92 lb generator but that's going to require welding to the frame and trying to figure out how to brace it off the side of the tongue (there's no room on the tongue with two batteries and propane tank... that takes up the whole tongue... and I don't really want my new Gen outside in the rain... they aren't waterproof), but with the poor design of the Pod with the water tanks to the rear, it makes it really hard to get a proper balance. We don't actually carry anything heavy with us to put in the storage area under the front bunk. All we have is food and clothes. I'm not sure what kind of weight anyone would put under the bunk, but I'm thinking about a third (fully sealed AGM... no venting) battery. I'm also wondering if a weight-distributing hitch would help in any way? Does anyone know if a WD hitch helps with the "bucking"/bounce of a single-axel trailer? I don't need a WD on my full size truck, but maybe it has other properties that help tame the towing besides just distributing more weight on the front of the truck?
------------- 2018 R-pod 176 2017 RAM 1500 5.7L Hemi 
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Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 29 Aug 2017 at 1:08am
------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |