My wife and I just bought our first Rpod and we are very excited to begin this new adventure.   We bought a used 2019 190 from a RV dealer in Rockford Illinois.  We are both avid cyclists and amateur kayakers and look forward to years of outdoor activities and camping. My first project will be outfitting our our pod with a bike rack and figuring out what to do with the kayaks?  all suggestions are appreciated. thanks for the help. 

Thanks for the heads up. I was thinking the same thing!  The rear hitch doesn’t look like it’s any use for anything but the spare. And the back of any trailer gets tons of dirt and rain in inclement weather. A tongue mounted rack looks like the best solution. Kayaks may be going on the top of the Highlander. We are retiring this spring, so we hope to do a lot of traveling as soon as we can get done sheltering in place. 

Our kids are in Oregon and Washington so we are headed to the great Northwest!

Cheers,  Chuck 

I tow my 179 with a Highander. It works but I keep things light as possible (except for water, I boondock so I travel with a full fresh water tank). Looking at what you are planning I think you will be pushing it with that tow vehicle. You'll be surprised how fast the weight adds up in both the TV and trailer. Your Highlander is AWD I hope, FWD does not work well for towing. 

I suggest that you weigh your rig as you want to travel and see where you are before adding the bikes and kayaks. Load up as you want to travel and go to a public scale. You can use the search feature of this forum to get a weighing procedure I wrote up in a couple of posts that will give you the weight on each axle, the total weight, and the tongue weight. There is also a link there for a towing calculator that you can load your specs into and will tell you how far you are over or under on each.

Also, I suggest that you get a weight distribution hitch (after you do the weighing, don't have the wdh tensioned up when you go through the scales). 

Happy and safe travels!

Andy here and my wife and I are in the process of purchasing a 2021 R-Pod 190. Getting it in a couple weeks and glad I joined the forum. Will try to follow advise and add a more secure tie to the black water tank drain or empty spot as many seem to suggest.

Will also be looking to add a bike rack and interested to understand what is needed for 2 mtn bike. I assume the best way is to get a hitch attachment between camper and car?

We will be using a 2012 Honda Pilot Touring to pull this camper. I have been advised to get a "Blue Ox Sway Pro" for leveling and equalizing weight distribution. Will also be installing brake controller and wiring for the power(to charge the battery and brake wires with a 7 way round charge line.

Looks like I should research better tires for the camper and bring along a few wrenches and zip ties as needed for any sudden repairs...

Anything else come to mind?

The 2021 comes with a central vac so that should be handy.

Thank you and happy camping!

Take a look at my post just above, I think the same weight issues will apply to your Pilot as to the Highlander. You will want a weight distribution/sway control hitch but it doesn't have to be a Blue Ox. There are several manufacturers and if you check the discussions on this and other forums there are plenty of folks who favor one over another for various reasons. IMHO the Blue Ox stuff is overpriced. 

We will be traveling pretty light. We have ultralight bikes and kayaks will go on top of the 2016 Highlander. I have plenty of experience weighing trailer axels from pulling a construction trailer. But thanks for the warning,we appreciate your help. 

Chuck 

I see that you have stated you have towing experience, so I don't mean to be condescending. Many people think that putting cargo in the tow vehicle doesn't count as "towing weight". Cargo Weight is weight, no matter where it's located as far as total towing weight. Many people also forget that payload capacity is effected by the camper as well. placing 450 pounds of tongue weight on the T.V. has to be considered on lower payload rated vehicles. One must consider weight on both sides of the hitch. I'm sure someone will disagree with this, but I think it's true. All that said, I see many people using vehicles similar to yours pulling r-pods, so you're probably ok. I just wanted to offer this incase you didn't know it already. I find that the supposed experts in this business, dealers, hitch installers etc. aren't very helpful at explaining this. Again, good luck, and enjoy the pod. 

BTW, IMO tires, and reinforcing black tube are a great start. That's a good start for any camper, not just pods. 

The hitch weight on my 179 comes in around 500 lbs just for comparison, pretty much maxing out the hitch capacity of the Highlander. That's with a full fresh water tank, dual golf cart batteries, and one full propane tank.  Otherwise a light load. I keep any load the TV load light too, with any significant weight in the TV up against the front seat backs to keep the rear axle within specs. As I'm sure you know a weight distribution hitch doesn't actually increase the hitch weight capacity of a TV. 

Dry wt is 2750 or so in the R-pod and with filling the fresh water another 300 pounds so thats 3000.

We will keep pretty lean in the camper with maybe another 37 pounds for the 20 pound propane tank and 150 pounds of dishes / personal stiff in the camper we will be up to 3170. Add 6 gallons for the hot water heater so another 40 pounds so 3210 total.

That still gives us 1300 pounds for my wife and myself(our weight) and all other gear.

So I think we should be good. Do you agree?

Thank you for your comments... Still learning...

Andy

You need to add the battery weight, around 60 lbs for one, double for two, which you might want if you ever camp with no hookups. Water is 8.3 lbs per gallon so the water heater holds 50 lbs water. Are you always planning to camp where you have water and a dump station immediately available? If not each of the tanks holds 30 gals = 250 lbs of water. I just assume 250 lbs total and never refill the fresh tank unless I dump the other two.  

I'd be surprised if you can keep the weight down to 150 lbs personal stuff/food/supplies/tools. I can't. My 179 was listed at 2630 empty but comes in at 3750. Back then the TV, micro, and a/c were options so its not going to be that much of a difference for you. Still, I could never account for about 250 lbs so I suspect that FR is a bit optimistic in their specs. Also, any other options (like an awning) and any mods (like a better mattress) are not included. BTW, the FR website has the emplty weight of the 190 at 2979. 

With a 190 and a 4500 lb rated vehicle you are pushing it.  That's not to say its not possible, but I don't think it will be very comfortable. Get a good wdh/sway system.  Keep things as light as possible and try to be very conservative especially in the mountains and windy conditions, including the wind from truck traffic passing you on the highway. And do go through the process of weighing and checking that you're within all your specs. 

Good luck!

I think I remember from earlier threads the Forest River dry weight doesn't even include some things that come with the rpod (tv, microwave, fridge, electric tongue jack)? Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.  :)  My BMW x3 is rated for 5000 lb and my tow hitch is 3500. I stayed with the smallest rpod for because of weight.

On another part of your post, I spent a year (and too much money) sorting out the best way to carry my kayaks. I now have  a rach I think is terrific.  It is the Malone seawing with the stinger option.  this lets me load two kayaks side by side on top of my SUV...from the back.  I can do it myself. The stinger helps them slide into postilion without any risk of the sliding off the side and down the side of my vehicle.

Looks like all that stuff is standard now as is the a/c, and the weight of one full propane tank is included.  rdome, awning, solar, and outdoor kitchen are options and not included. The battery(ies) are still not included, or any other dealer installed stuiff, or any water including the 50 lbs in the water heater. 

Second, you should not exceed the MCGVWR (max combined gross vehicle weight rating of your Pilot. So, go weigh the Pilot as you want to load it, and add that to the total trailer weight to find the combined weight.

Third, I think you will find that travelling in a rig that is very close to maxed out is not a fun experience. I keep about 800 lbs below the MCGVWR with my rig. This is supposed to be fun, not a constant white knuckle adventure, right? Up to you of course but I'd either get a smaller trailer or a bigger TV.

for what it is worth, I will give you my personal experience.

We have traveling partner friends who tow a 179 with a Honda Pilot touring model. I don't know the actual weight of their Honda, their 179 or their capacities.

We were traveling together and he got sick.  I ended up driving their rig from New York to Atlanta. It was not a pleasant experience. the Honda has a very small gas tank-stopped for gas very frequently. the Honda engine was overmatched as was the the brakes. The transmission had an accessory cooler, but still ran at  higher than optimum temps. at times I felt like the trailer was pushing the Honda around.

Overall, I would NOT recommend towing with a Honda Pilot.  As a side note, I own a 2015 Honda Pilot as my daily driver-I love it, but will not tow with it.

Vann

Best to you all and happy safe rpoding!

Chuck & Diana      

The Max allowable weight (GVWR) of the vehicle, all occupants, cargo, and gear is 6,096

GAWR = 2,921 front axle   -   3,362 rear axle

Max Tongue Load = 450 lbs (recommended tongue load should be 8 - 15% total trailer weight for trailers) so for a 3700 pound trailer using 12% that = 444 lbs.

Max Total Trailer weight = 4,500 lbs including 2 passengers

Do yourself a favor.  If you can't comfortably drop down to one of the 170 series of rPods, then get the trailer you are most comfortable with (in my view a better long term choice) and plan on getting a TV that can handle the weight of the trailer you like.  I realize that it means more cost.  I truly appreciate that, since both our Pod and our Dakota were payed for and now we are stuck with an unplanned truck payment, which I detest.  But I can't take the money out of the retirement account to pay for it, especially now.  You won't be happy with the results of a TV that can't manage the trailer you want.  

+1 to what OG has said about the weight sneaking up on you.

When we got our RPod 179, we were towing it with a 2016 Ford Escape with the towing package. It had a 3,500 lb tow rating. With the Equal-i-zer hitch, it towed pretty well as long as we kept the speed at 60 mph or below. Above that, it started to get uncomfortable, especially if there were a cross-wind. It was front wheel drive, and that was a problem as even with the WDH, it was easy to spin the front tires on takeoff. I made it a point to avoid dirt roads as I knew it would be a problem getting started if we had to stop on an uphill slope. The best thing about it was the 2L Ecoboost engine. It had quite a bit of torque and sufficient horsepower to move our 179 comfortably. The small gas tank though meant that we were stopping every 100 to 150 miles for premium (expensive) gas. The short wheelbase was not an issue as the distance between the center of the rear axle and the hitch ball was only three feet.

We had an accident where we hit ice with a crosswind I wrote up the experience, but I need to locate the topic. Then I will edit this to post the link. The link is:  http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9133&KW=wrecked&PID=86002&title=i-wrecked-our-escapod#86002 - http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9133&KW=wrecked&PID=86002&title=i-wrecked-our-escapod#86002 . We needed a "new" vehicle to get home, so we purchased a 2010 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab with 4WD and the towing package. It has a 4L V6 engine. I noticed right away that I felt the trailer more with the Frontier as the distance between the center of the rear axle and the hitch ball is now about 5' instead if the 3' with the Escape. That means that the trailer can exert more leverage. Also, while the specs for the V6 on horsepower and torque are similar to the Escape's Ecoboost, in reality, that is only at sea level. At any significant altitude, the naturally aspirated V6 is weaker. The additional gears of the Escape's transmission also helped.

Fuel economy is also worse with the Frontier. Once I figured out that I needed to limit my speed, I was getting acceptable (12-14 mpg depending on wind and terrain). With the Frontier, it is more like 11-12 mpg. I also got a wind deflector (Purpleline AeroPlus) which really helped with the Escape. However, it does not help with the Frontier because it is too far forward. If we had a cap on the Frontier instead of the tonneau cover, I could place it farther back and it would likely help. However, I don't so I end up not using it. I don't know if it would work if I could figure out a way to mount it on the tonneau cover toward the back end of the truck. That is a project I need to tackle as I don't want to drill holes in the tonneau cover. One would help with the Pilot if you have a roof rack to which it can be attached. If not, then the Icon AeroShield would be a better choice.

All of this is to say that you can tow with the Pilot if you understand the limitations. Whether you should is for you to decide.

Look up the max combined gross vehicle weight rating for the Pilot. That is the total allowable weight of tow vehicle and trailer, not the max gross vehicle weight rating of 6096 which is the Pilot alone. The MCGVWR number should be in your manual somewhere. Load up the Pilot, including people and a full gas tank, and any stuff you want to take. Go to a public scale and weigh it, getting first one then both axles. Take the total that your dealer (make sure he actually weighs it) gives you for the trailer, add the water and supplies you plan to take.  And a reasonable safety factor, maybe another couple of hundred pounds, to that in case you end up underestimating your gear. Add that all together and be sure you aren't over the MCGVWR. I personally like to stay well under, like 800 lbs under. 

As for tongue weight, I'm about 500 on my 179 which is somewhat lighter than a 190. That's with a full fresh water tank, 2 batteries, and one propane cylinder. I doubt a 190 with the same water, batteries, and propane will end up less that that so I think you'll be over 450. is that messed up? Not really. The total trailer weight is about 3800 lbs so that's 13.1% which is a good place for the trailer. But 500 plus pounds on a tow vehicle rated for 450 is not a good place for the TV. 

Where did you get that an 8% tongue weight is OK? Generally accepted minimum is 10%. I wouldn't tow an rpod below 10%, there are known cases of sway that have occurred below that. I doubt that too low tongue weight will be your problem though.

How do you find out what the tongue weight is on your 190? You load it and weigh it, not another good way to do it. I thought you were having the dealer do that? If not, you can get the number by going through the public scale with the trailer and getting the weight of each axle one at a time. The tongue weight is the difference between the total weight of the Pilot you already have determined above and the combined weight of the two Pilot axles with the trailer attached, but not including the trailer axle. If you measure this then do it without the weight distribution hitch tensioned up or it will mess up the numbers.

As to those who say you can do this, my question is, how would you know without measuring the weights and checking them against the specs? Nothing like actually knowing the facts so you can make an informed decision.

I didn't realize you had a hybrid. You've obviously made a decision to do this so to be clear I'm not arguing with you about that decision, you can do whatever you want of course. But I do disagree that the Toyota manual says it will work. I was originally going to buy a Highlander Hybrid and decided not to because of its limited towing capacity. The 3.5 V6 Highlander has a towing capactity of 5000 lbs and a hitch capacity of 500. The Hybrid had 3500 and 350. How do you keep those two numbers within those limits with a 190?  Even FRs highly optimistic tongue weight for a dry, empty trailer with no batteries is higher than that.  Also what about the MCGVWR? 

If Honda doesn't recommend using a wdh there is probably a good reason. I'd want to research others' experience carefully before using one. A wdh puts a very different load on the receiver and vehicle frame than does the straight vertical gravity load from the trailer tongue. It puts a significant torque (what mechanical and structural engineers call a moment) on the receiver. 

It is applying a moment that is trying to rotate the front axle of the tow vehicle down into the pavement. If the TV receiver and frame aren't designed for that you could bend the receiver and frame attachment upwards. And, the Pilot, like my Highlander are unibody construction, so a frame failure like that might be pretty pricey to fix. 

Old school pickup drivers tend to believe that only body on frame construction is acceptable for towing. Not true. Its just that unibody doesn't provide much if any advantage in a pickup because there are no C and D pillars and roof to help carry the structural loads like there are in unibody SUV's, so pickups might as well be body on frame. 

Regardless of what type of frame you have you need to stay within its design specifications. All modern vehicles are designed using finite element modelling, its not guesswork on the part of the engineers. They know what their frames can and can't do. OTOH, unibody or body on frame,  if you exceed the limitations you are effectively a test pilot. Doesn't mean you can't do it, just that you are entering unknown territory. 

One misunderstand that seems common with wdh's is that they will place the same load on both the TV's front and rear axles. If they are set up like that they are highly over tensioned.  The front axle load on the TV goes down when the trailer is attached, and this effect is greater on shorter wheelbase vehicles. The proper wdh setup returns the TV front axle load to about what it was before the trailer was attached. You will still have more load on the rear axle of the TV with the trailer than without. For that reason its important with a lighter TV to keep the load in the cargo area as light and far forward as possible. 

This towing and wdh calculator might help you get things set up and let you know where you are near or over your vehicle limits. When you change the tension in the wdh in the calculator you can see the load on the front axle and trailer axle go up as the TV rear axle load decreases. 

https://youtu.be/WAIMgWv7Zjo - https://youtu.be/WAIMgWv7Zjo

~PP

One sliding lever, one rotary gain control, and one LED light. Works great.

While I fully agree with this observation, I would add that the same is true for a body on frame vehicle. No one ought to be attaching stuff randomly to any type of TV without verifying the manufacturer's requirements are met, or at least being aware of the risks if they do so. 

We selected a 2021 R Pod 190

The 190 is becoming quite a popular model.  Looking at it closer, it's a pretty tough decision between that and my beloved 178 layout.

Enjoy!!

You might do better with one sitting on a lot, but even if you end up buying from your "local" dealer its worth calling around a bit to see what's out there. In the east most RVs are made in Indiana so prices in the upper midwest generally are the lowest and can provide a baseline best case scenario. 

Unlike motor vehicles where you can go to any dealer for warranty work, RV dealers are infamous for being disinclined to do warranty work on a trailer they didn't sell.  Some outright refuse while others will tell you that their schedule is heavily booked and they might be able to get to you in 2022.  Some dealer networks offer reciprocal warranty work, but it's worth checking that reciprocity out before relying on it.  

If you buy from a distant dealer, it might be best to go there and do a very thorough pre-purchase inspection of everything, then when you're ready to take delivery, inspect it again to make sure they addressed every issue and fixed right the first time.  You can be absolutely certain there will be "issues."  If you want the trailer delivered, do it after the second inspection.  Though this approach is far from foolproof, it will improve your odds that you will not have warranty issues with no one to fix them.

Are you having it delivered?

Just purchased a brand new 2019 189 Hood River Edition. I am pulling it with an F-150 with an EcoBoast 2.7 litre engine

heh.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5CDxmwIa_M - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5CDxmwIa_M

Admittedly, this video is 5 years old. The newer trucks have been improved even more such as 10 speeds instead of 6.

Our little 2.7 was pulling a 4400 llb. trailer just fine on the way home from Las Vegas, getting 16 mpg until the headwinds started a little before Tonapah.  Climed all the mountains, even with head winds, as fast as I wanted to go.  Gets 24 mpg. around Dayton and CC.  The turboboost makes the mountains in high altitudes seem flat.  And, it's union made.  

Oh, I see what it was. A typo: EcoBOAST instead of EcoBoost.

I guess if it performs that well, the owner can boast a bit.

Exactly!  If I had one, I'd boast about it too!

I made the wrong decision but fixed it!  After towing my 190 with the Highlander Hybrid a week ago. We decided to change our tow vehicle. We traded our 2016 Highlander foR a 2016 4Runner!  A few more payments but actually less per month. Up’d our towing capacity to 5,000lbs. Hopefully this will be a good combination of TV and Trailer.  

Good choice!  The HiHi is a great vehicle for daily use but the hybrid's efficiency wouldn't show up cruising with a trailer anyway. I'd be kinda surprised if it was noticeably better than either the 4runner or a standard drivetrain Highlander like mine. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my Prius and plan to keep it forever. I think the Toyota hybrid drivetrain is the best (short of pure electric) drivetrain on the planet for a passenger car. Its amazing once you understand how it does what it does. But its not at its best towing. 

I'd still recommend you keep things as light as possible with your new combo, in particular watch how much load you end up with in the back of the 4Runner. The 190 is heavier than my 179 and I'm pretty close to the max combined weight I'd want to tow with my rig. If you haven't got one yet I'd also suggest a weight distribution hitch. 

Have fun!

Re Mazda, the only non Toyota I've owned in the past 40 years was a Miata. Toyota doesn't really do sports cars. Great car but it killed my back, I'm done with sports cars now. Mazda is a good brand, not quite at the same level as Toyota in terms of long term reliability but closing in. As for purchase price, you have to look at total cost of ownership. Sure Toyotas cost a little more than most other makes but their resale values are higher too. I buy mostly gently used cars with 60-80K miles on them and keep them to around 190K. That misses most of the depreciation while keeping most of the useful life. With about a million miles and 7 (I think) Toyotas over 40 years I've never had a serious problem with any of them. The worst was my 95 Land Cruiser which lost a fuel injector to corrosion on the Outer Banks. That is a specialized vehicle and is built like a tank (part of my house literally fell on it, left a small dent) but it was a PITA to work on. People with small hands only need apply for maintenance work on those. Other than that, the worst problem I've had was a stuck thermostat in my old 83 mini class C. Can't complain.

Ford's backing system works really well.  I was able to put the trailer's left wheel up on some blocks simply by watching in the mirror and aiming the backup dial.  Put it onto the 2x6's on the first try.  My prior practice was to back a little further than I wanted and pull forward up onto the boards.  It's going to take a bit of a learning curve, but that's not the system, but the user. 

Here's a video demo of the system.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tby3A29osDg - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tby3A29osDg

We've also had several Toyotas. We've never had an issue of any great importance with any of them. We've also had a couple of Fords. We might have gotten a Tundra instead of the F-150, but the F-150 had way more room, and close to 20% better fuel economy. We had owned a Tundra back in 2005, and it was very reliable; it just didn't get very respectable fuel economy.

But that's not my worst by a long shot.

84 Jeep Cherokee, purchased new (yep, very dumb of me). While AMC owned Jeep they engaged in the very worst parts bin engineering. GM 2.8L V6 engine BAD. Had to grind a groove in the heads to get the head gaskets to seal. That was the official Jeep fix believe it or not. Clutch slave cylinder WORSE. It was made by Lucas of all possible bad choices. Natural rubber seals, requires special brake fluid. And Jeep filled it with regular DOT3 fluid  Cylinder failed and leaked brake fluid all over my new dress shoes, with only about 5K on the ODO. Going on 40 years later and Jeep still has a poor reliability record. That was and will remain the last Jeep product I'll ever own. You just don't ever forget stuff like that. 

Glad to hear the backup thingy is more than a gimmick. 

We are from the Puget Sound area and just purchased a slightly used 2019 rpod 190.  We are looking forward to great adventures this year.  In the past, we've owned two Class C's and a travel trailer, but haven't been RVing for awhile.  

With no warranty or dealer walk through (the original owners just wanted to have it sold so they weren't much help), we have found your forum full of great tips and ideas.  Really has helped to get us oriented!

First challenge:  Just went to Camping World today to buy a BBQ--got it home it was too tall to fit in the storage compartments.  Any recommendations on BBQs that fit?

Thanks for all the advice and stories.

TugPod

2019 Rpod 190

TV Ford F-150

Welcome and congratulations on your "new to you" RPod. When we were new, this forum was very helpful also. I hope you have many fun adventures and make many great memories with your RPod.

We got a Coleman Grill-Stove. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Camp-Propane-Grill-Stove/44503985 - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Camp-Propane-Grill-Stove/44503985

Overall, I have been happy with it. It is a little hard to keep clean, but it is great for fitting in the tight storage and does a credible job of grilling. The burner is handy also. I recently got a Coleman camp oven that fits over the burner and so beside the convection-microwave, I can bake outside the RPod also. I also bought the griddle that goes with this stove and it is very handy for bacon and eggs, pancakes, etc.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Camp-Oven/895626?athcpid=895626&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVAV&athieid=v0&athstid=CS004&athguid=a8455bca-7db-172b0640176862&athancid=null&athena=true - https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000016462-Camp-Oven/dp/B0009PURJA/ - https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000016462-Camp-Oven/dp/B0009PURJA/

I can find the griddle that fits this stove on the Coleman site, but can't find for sale anywhere. It has apparently been discontinued.

I had purchased a CharBroil  Grill2Go X200 Infrared grill thinking I would take that instead of the Coleman Grill-Stove. However it is a lot bigger and would not fit the storage area, so it stays home.

New to the forum. My wife Pam and I take possession of a 2021 193 this coming Thursday from Bankston Motor Homes in Huntsville, AL. First timers all the way. We've done a ton of research and had a lot of boxes to check and this one seems to check them all. We like the murphy bed, bunk beds and the couches. Construction seems solid enough, although I read too much about construction issues on other Forest River products. We have our pre-acceptance checklist in hand and plan a thorough walk around to test everything out. Any suggestions/recommendations on specifically what to look out for would be appreciated.   

We are towing with a Nissan Frontier 4WD short bed. With 6,100 lbs of towing capacity, we should be comfortably below any weight limits even if we load it up. We are buying the weight distribution/sway bar hitch and are having the dealer install the brake box when we pick her up. First trip out is to a local campsite later this month. 

I'm still learning my way around this forum eager to absorb its content and owner's stories. Hopefully, we'll be regaling you with our own wonderful memories soon enough. 

Best regards, 

Bob

Hello and welcome! I know you are excited to pick up your RPod. I hope you have many fun adventures and make many great memories with your RPod.

Originally posted by Bobbo Hi there,  New to the forum. My wife Pam and I take possession of a 2021 193 this coming Thursday from Bankston Motor Homes in Huntsville, AL. First timers all the way. We've done a ton of research and had a lot of boxes to check and this one seems to check them all. We like the murphy bed, bunk beds and the couches. Construction seems solid enough, although I read too much about construction issues on other Forest River products. We have our pre-acceptance checklist in hand and plan a thorough walk around to test everything out. Any suggestions/recommendations on specifically what to look out for would be appreciated.    We are towing with a Nissan Frontier 4WD short bed. With 6,100 lbs of towing capacity, we should be comfortably below any weight limits even if we load it up. We are buying the weight distribution/sway bar hitch and are having the dealer install the brake box when we pick her up. First trip out is to a local campsite later this month.  I'm still learning my way around this forum eager to absorb its content and owner's stories. Hopefully, we'll be regaling you with our own wonderful memories soon enough.  Best regards,  Bob

On your walk-through, use either a video camera or your phone to shoot video of the walk-through. There is a lot of information covered in a very short period.

Things to make sure they explain to you:

1. If there is a battery cut-off switch, its location and operation. If not, how to properly disconnect and reconnect the battery.

2. Make sure all plumbing fittings have been checked and tightened. On our first trip, we found that the kitchen sink drain had not been tightened and it leaked into the drawers beneath, damaging a couple of cookbooks we had put there.

3. Operation of the water pump, to include winterizing/dewinterizing valves for the water heater and proper positioning of them.

4. Operation of all appliances. Make sure all of them are tested to include AC, furnace, fan, and especially refrigerator on AC, DC, and LP. If it has set at the dealer for any time, have them pull the panel off and check for wasp nests or spider webs.

5. If you are having them install a WD hitch, make sure they show you how to adjust it. The initial setting there will not be correct for the weight after it is loaded.

6. Verify operation of all lights and switches.

7. Look over all the cabinets and construction to see if there are any loose trim pieces. Make sure all doors and drawers operate properly without binding.

8. Check the finish outside to make sure there are no scrapes/scratches/dents, etc.

9. Check how the black and gray water drains are attached. There is a problem with the weak attachment of the black water drain pipe. I've had it fail twice. After the first time, the factory added a second support of the same type. Both of them failed. I made my own support so there won't be a third time.

10. If you feel comfortable about crawling underneath, make sure the support members for the fresh water, gray water, and black water tanks are pulled up tight against the frame rails. If the bottom is covered in these newer models, skip this as they would not be visible.

We also tow our 2016 RP179 with a Frontier. Ours is the 2010 LE Crew Cab 4x4 model with the same tow rating. Depending on what the dealer is charging, you could save money by installing the brake controller yourself. The Frontier is pre-wired (if it has the tow package and the round bargman connector already) for a brake controller and it is simply plugging in a wiring harness and attaching the control box. I got the Hopkins InSIGHT Flex-mount controller and have been happy with it as I put the display where I can see it without looking down and the manual control where I can easily reach it. The control box mounts on the side of the foot well. I had a much harder time mounting it in our previous vehicle which was not pre-wired for  a brake controller (Ford Escape).

There are other things to check, but these are the ones that come to mind. I'm sure others will add to the list things I have forgotten.

My husband and I just purchased a new to us, 2017 180. This is our first experience with an “RV”. We’ve done a good bit of off-road camper with a tent trailer he built. We have loved traveling to more isolated places and rougher terrain and plan to still take trips with it. 

There are many reasons I wanted the rpod. First, since my husband travels a lot for work, it’s just my teenage daughter, myself and our large dog. I needed something that was fairly easy for a beginner and lighter due to my towing vehicle Toyota 4-Runner TRD Off-road’s towing capacity of 5000. 

Secondly, we wanted to bring the pup (and possibly our cat at some point, though I’m the only one who thinks it’s a good idea ) and be able to leave him/them in the camper if needed for a short time. We are used to traveling light and without many amenities with the tent trailer so we don’t need too much but the air condition and heat are important if we plan on leaving the animals for any amount of time. Plus the teenage is really happy about a “real” bathroom. 

Thirdly, I want to see America, visit small towns, see landmarks, national parks, and meet up with the husband wherever he is working. I especially wanted to before my daughter goes to college or starts getting busy with her own life. (Though I still plan on traveling by myself if my hubby is out of town.)

Currently my in-laws (avid RV travelers in a much larger 5th wheel) and I are camping in a lake campground close to where we live in north Georgia for a few days so I can get first hand experience from them. Hubby is out of town so it’s just us girls and the dog and so far so good. Tomorrow we leave and I will get to experience dumping the tanks. 

We are still making the camper our own and have much to do and buy but overall after one night I’m feeling pretty good about our ability to do this on our own. 

P.S. I’m currently researching WDH if anyone has any suggestions or things to avoid. 

Thanks if you made it to end of my ridiculously long intro and I hope to see y’all out on our adventures. 

Welcome and Congratulations! I hope you have many fun adventures and make many great memories with your RP180. We have a 2016 RP179 and are currently towing with a 2010 Nissan Frontier. Since you say your 4-Runner has a 5,000 lb capacity, I am guessing it comes with a factory tow package. You will need a brake controller as well. We have the http://www.hopkinstowingsolutions.com/products/braking/brake-controllers/47297.html - Hopkins In-SIGHT Flex-Mount controller and have been very happy with it.

WDH/sway control:

If you are getting WDH, make sure it has sway control built in. That way, you don't need to mess with a separate sway bar and its complications.

A good one would be an Andersen No-Sway hitch. It is probably the lightest of the WDH hitches with sway control. All the others use a heavy hitch head and bars. If weight is important to you, check out the Andersen hitch.

We currently use a Hensley Cub hitch. It and the ProPride hitch which is similar are the Cadillac of hitches--quite expensive unless you can find a used one.. It is easier in that the main part of the hitch stays attached to the trailer and the part that attaches to the vehicle is very much lighter although hitching up can be challenging, more so than the demo on the web site where things are perfectly lined up.

We used to use an Equal-i-zer 4-point sway control hitch. The head is heavy, but it was pretty effective. Similar to it is the E2 hitch which is a 2 point sway control hitch. The E2 is less expensive, but many have used it and found it to be adequate. There are other brands also. Just make sure that you buy one that is suited to the weight (overall and tongue) weight of the RPod. For example, the Equal-i-zer 6000/600 (6000 lb capacity, 600 lb tongue weight capacity) which is the one the dealer installed when we bought our RPod.

That is my $.02 worth. I'm sure others will also give their input. I wish you well.

Unlike StephenH, I prefer separate sway control from the wdh. That allows me to adjust the level of sway resistance independently from the amount of weight distribution. There is a school of thought that a lot of sway resistance is undesirable on wet or loose road surfaces because it could cause the tow vehicle rear tires to break loose, so in those conditions and on very winding roads I lower the friction in the sway control arms. The all in one systems don't allow for that. Just my preference. 

Welcome! Now that you have it fixed, I hope you have many fun adventures and make many great memories doing so with your RPod.

Was it the AC that fell or only the inside shroud for the AC? If the whole unit came through the roof, that would really be bad.