‘Nother Newbie
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Introduce Yourself
Forum Discription: New Members - tell us about yourself and your r-pod
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12349
Printed Date: 08 Jun 2025 at 1:18am
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Topic: ‘Nother Newbie
Posted By: TrailerTrish
Subject: ‘Nother Newbie
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 1:24pm
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Hi there! I’ve already been posting since June, so I know some of you, but as someone who was considering buying an R-Pod and wondering if our 4-cyl Outback would be up to the task (barely -I’m looking for a dedicated tow vehicle). And now we are owners! Three weeks ago today we drove from the Bay Area to Phoenix to look at an RP 173 that I had had my eye on. It was pretty homely, they had taken the cute fiesta decals off (apparently they don’t do well in the Arizona sun). It sat on their website for four months. Their starting price was $10,000, which I thought was way too much for non-primo condition, but three months later it had gotten down to $8000. A month later I offered $5000, they countered at $6000. I’m still not convinced that my price wasn’t closer to value, but everything works and it’s solid, it’s just funky. And there don’t seem to be a ton of 173’s out there, which is what I wanted. I like the couch in the back. A place to sleep, a place to sit, and a place for A place to sleep, a place to sit, and a place for the dog’s bed and food. So I’m happy. Best thing is the toilet! We had a Forest River A-Frame which we enjoyed, but going outside in the middle of the night I did not enjoy. And it didn’t work out very well with the dog. No place for him to go, no place for his dishes without kicking his water over. Currently we’re stripping out unnecessarily heavy stuff – the monster table is gone and the gap in the dinette has been filled in with light weight IKEA bed slats to make a full-time bed. The 44 pound microwave is gone and will be replaced by something less than half its weight. The valances and mini blinds are gone, to be replaced by light weight café curtains. Lean, mean and green is the mantra...
------------- 2009 R-Pod 173 “OurPod” 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5L (for now) |
Replies:
Posted By: bigbearcraig
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 1:28pm
| How did the Outback do pulling the trailer? |
Posted By: TrailerTrish
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 2:08pm
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Marginal. We always slow up when we go over mountains – even without a trailer we don’t see the point of keeping our speed up and burning gas just to go uphill. But we certainly were able to pass slower trucks on a grade - and without slowing up the traffic behind us the way bigrigs do when they past another slower trailer. We never felt the need to downshift. There were some grades between PHX and SF, but this trip was certainly not a test of mountain towing. For the first outing with this trailer, we decided to avoid the Sierras, which would’ve been a test. But it was actually more for the route TO the Sierras that we were concerned. Going up from Las Vegas, east of Death Valley, through Tonopah and Carson City, you are wayyyy out there – often without cell reception. And this was a new trailer to us. We didn’t want something to happen to the trailer in the middle of nowhere and it would take hours to get to cell reception and get a tow truck to us. We opted for Kingman, AZ to the Tehachapis to Bakersfield and up flat old I-5. So our biggest climb was about 4000 feet. No problem. I mean, we could certainly feel that we were towing something heavy, but we never felt that we might not make it. Still, I am looking for a beefier tow vehicle. We love the Outback and we don’t want to overwork it. ------------- 2009 R-Pod 173 “OurPod” 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5L (for now) |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 2:46pm
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TrailerTrish, do you have a weight distribution hitch? Highly recommended if not essential towing an rPod with a lighter tow vehicle. I wouldn't leave home without mine towing with my Highlander. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 4:35pm
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The very first r-pod I ever saw was at Fort Wilkens State Park, Copper Harbor, Michigan. It was October 2010, the pod was a 173 and the vehicle was a Subaru Outback. Three months later we special ordered our 177, and have enjoyed it ever since.
------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: bigbearcraig
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 5:47pm
| Thanks for the reply. We have an Outback with the 3.6 engine and originally considered towing with it but never have. |
Posted By: DavMar
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 6:29pm
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One of my all time favorite cars was my Subaru Outback which carried me all up and down the Mid-Atlantic states and went through two kids before the youngest finally junked it with over 300K miles on its clock. Though for a tow vehicle for a Pod I would sadly say it would be marginal at best and I would be looking for something with much more towing capacity. But....to each their own...... good luck! ------------- Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 6:32pm
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When we bought our 171 back in 2009, someone from Connecticut had bought one a week or so before us and towed with their Subaru.
In the past we towed with our Grand Caravan with the 3.6 for years. ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: TrailerTrish
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 8:24pm
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After our trip home from Phoenix, I would agree that the Outback is only marginally up to the job. I’m ready to get a different vehicle for towing. But my husband isn’t quite on board yet. (Doesn’t help that our entire retirement is in mutual funds and the market just plunged this week.) But I think he’ll come around...
------------- 2009 R-Pod 173 “OurPod” 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5L (for now) |
Posted By: TrailerTrish
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 12:24am
We don’t and I’m not exactly sure what they are - or perhaps I should say how they work. I looked them up, so I know what they look like now. Is it something that stays attached? If so, can we attach it, or would we take it to an RV service place forninstallation? Or is it something you put on every time? I couldn’t quite tell from the pictures. ------------- 2009 R-Pod 173 “OurPod” 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5L (for now) |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 9:26am
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Trish, congratulations on your purchase of an "older" Pod. Ours is also a 2009, but a 172. We have the same idea of stripping out excess weight and stuff that we don't use. Ours didn't come with a microwave, so I didn't have to get rid of it. We eliminated the heavy table top with a child's folding table from Costco (Lifetime brand) and I mounted it on a pedestal so it's easy to remove if we want a couch like sitting area. We added a fold down cutting board on the sink side of the galley which would be even easier for you to do in the 173. It substantially increases the counter space area with less than 4 pounds of additional weight. The fold down hinges allow it to be stowed completely out of the way. It's a good thing you didn't try US 95 on your way home. We drove that distance from Dayton, NV (just east of Carson City) to Sedona, AZ in one day [ufff!, too far] and there are some climbs that would have been far more challenging than the little bump through Tehachapi. You made a very wise decision using highway 99; much flatter and much less costly gas. As for a weight distribution hitch, unless you plan on getting a pretty heavy duty pickup, it would be a very wise investment. There are several good ones on the market and they make driving with the trailer much less fatiguing, especially when it's blowing snot (a sailing term) and you're driving perpendicular to the wind direction. We use a Fastway E-2, but there are other good ones on the market too. Just get some help setting it up so it is properly positioned for your tow vehicle and the bolts are torqued to the correct force. As for a TV, you should, as was discussed in your earlier thread, probably get something a little sturdier than your Outback. Quite frankly, you'll cut the service life of the Outback considerably trying to tow the trailer and will struggle with the climbs in the Sierras. There are a lot of used pickups and SUV's on the market that you can get for a reasonable price. We did this with our Dakota and it has been ideal for towing our Pod. Best of luck to you. Maybe we'll run into one another in a Sierra campground. We're the all white Pod, with all the decals removed.
------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 10:44am
------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 11:12am
From my experience a WDH should be used on any smaller TV. GlueGuy is absolutely correct that a WDH must be properly set up. An improperly adjusted WDH can be more dangerous than no WDH but I would not trust a dealer to do the job. Again, my experience showed dealers either don't understand WDHs or won't take the time to do it correctly. My advice has always been: read the instructions, re-read the instructions, understand the instructions, take the time to get it right, recheck the setup. Large wrenches and/or torque wrenches can be rented or borrowed. That said, a properly installed WDH makes all the difference in safety, ride and reduced driver fatigue. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 12:12pm
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And regarding torque wrenches, it's worth investing in a good quality torque wrench and the sockets that fit both your lug nuts and the WDH. You should check the torque on your lug nuts frequently (along with the tire pressure) and periodically check the torque on the WDH. You can get decent wrenches and sockets at any auto parts store, big box building supply, or regular hardware stores, not to mention Amazon. Insofar as the hitch ball torque is concerned, get someone to torque it for you, like a place where they put on trailer hitches. ------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 2:21pm
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Even if you have a dealer install it take the time to set it up yourself. The instructions are not that difficult and there are times when you will need to readjust it. For example, today I readjusted my wd hitch because I put larger tires and wheels on my rpod. It took me an hour or so because there is a bit of trial and error involved. But now i have it exactly how I want it and understand what it’s doing. Running your rig over scales with and without it is helpful too to understand how it is redistributing load from the tow vehicle rear axle to the front axle and the trailer axle. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: DavMar
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 5:11pm
Just tell your guy a good TV (tow vehicle) is an investment for peace of mind and safety, well worth the investment.  ------------- Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC |