New 192 with RV Newbies
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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=14197
Printed Date: 19 May 2024 at 9:47am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: New 192 with RV Newbies
Posted By: Pcbeck12
Subject: New 192 with RV Newbies
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 11:40am
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My wife and I recently semi-retired and decided to add an RV to the retirement transition plan having never owned an RV in our 43 years of marriage. After spending the summer looking at a lot of different models and brands we decided the 192 was the right fit for us. We have a 2020 GMC Canyon with the tow package capable of hauling 7000 pounds with a 700 pound tongue weight. We ordered the Rpod back in July and took possession of it the last week of October and finally got to take it out a quick two day trip last weekend. The dry weight from the factory was 3550 pounds with the solar package installed and the factory outdoor grill set-up. The tires were Castle Rocks with a production date of 2220 so not too old. Our plan is to replace them with Goodyear Endurance next Spring. Attached are some pictures along with some of the mods performed prior to our trip along with accessories we installed. Since we had plenty of time between the order placement and delivery we read everything we could and watched a ton of videos about products on the market and filled the garage with items pending the arrival of the 192. Attached are some pictures and descriptions.
OUr rig (being long time Sooner season ticket holders and living in Norman, OK it only seemed apropos to name it OUr r-pod:   Level Mate Pro is mounted on the inside cabinet and worked perfectly:  Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch took about 1 1/2 hours to install and works great. I had to adjust it on the way out of town as I felt a little sway. Further study revealed the GM has Stabilitrak/Traction Control that can work against a WDH so on the way home we turned off Stabilitrak and that seemed to fix the problem. I also ensured I put the ice chest in front of the rear axle vice next to the tailgate. People say they sometimes don't feel anything when they are towing but I definitely did. The bumps seemed to transfer to the tow vehicle and when trucks passed us on the interstate we could feel movement, not in an unsafe way, but certainly noticeable.  Tyremate TPMS- nice to be able to monitor tire pressure. The monitor sits on the dash and provides instance feedback and since it is solar you don't need to plug it in to anything for power.  Lippert shade- took five minutes to install.  Lippert Defender Screen Protector so Ruby, the golden doodle, won't damage the screen.  MaxxAir Fanmate Cover- took five minutes to clip into place.  Bug screens all around.   4 inch muffler clamp for security on the black/gray water outlet. Our r-pod came with a second strap that was plastic but I still installed the clamp and it took 15 minutes to set it up.  Two wood braces under the sink.  Progressive HW30C Surge and Electrical Protector that was hard wired in at the RV place. The screen is located right next to the converter/circuit breaker/fuse box.  Solar Readout.  Furrion Backup camera- took 15 minutes to install and set-up and the best piece of gear out there. Worked perfectly and it was awesome being able to see what was behind me at all times. Has a microphone so you can hear, the distance from where the camera is installed to the front of the tow vehicle was not an issue, and it works great at night. Your nighttime running lights must be on since the power source comes from the running light.  We ended traveling a total distance of 218 miles roundtrip and got 13.8 mpg. We tested everything in the trailer to include the outside grill, heater, AC, convection oven, water heater (gas/electric), exhaust fans, power sources, city water, toilet, shower, sinks, and didn't have a single issue. I did go through the rpod and tighten everything up before we left and some connections were loose. We were able to work cable and over the air TV switching back and forth, hook up a Fire Stick, and use the Bluetooth on the iRV radio system. The one thing I need to see about conquering is how to use the speakers inside the RV and not the TV speakers. Impressed with everything about the rpod having read all the negatives that pop up on this site. If we had kids, this rpod wouldn't work for us as we felt like we had to crawl over each other but for us it works just fine! The Murphy bed with a 3 inch Serta Memory foam and mattress pad placed over the existing mattress worked out perfectly and gave us good comfort. Looking forward to better weather and to be able to hit the road for extended periods of time. |
Replies:
Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 12:18pm
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WOW did you do a lot of mods...now all that is left is just enjoy your 192. We enjoyed Great Plains SP this passed April because Oklahoma did not shut down their parks. So enjoy your camping and we're planning on returning to your state this coming spring. We really enjoyed the area. ------------- Jay 179/2019 |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 12:52pm
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Nice set of mods. On the sway issue, get your actual tongue and trailer weights. Be sure the tongue weight is at least 10%, preferably 11-12% of trailer weight. If not move some weight forward in the trailer or better yet remove weight from the rear of the trailer and put it in the tow vehicle. Putting extra weight in the back of the tow vehicle won't help keep the trailer from swaying if its too light on the tongue. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Pcbeck12
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 12:56pm
| The 192 tongue weight is 470 with approx. 125 pounds in the front storage and not much inside the trailer. I think the WDH issue was just getting the right number of turns on the bolt (4 threads to start) and turning off the Stabilitrak so the system and the WDH don’t fight each other. |
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 1:32pm
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Welcome, nice job so far. I don't know if you have the same pantry the 195 has, but if you do, you might want to replace the cheap plastic shelf adjustors before your shelves collapse. I got steel rails on amazon....... after my shelves collapsed. ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: Pcbeck12
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 1:37pm
| No adjustable shelves but a great tip. |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 1:47pm
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You don't want to have a trailer that's prone to sway and depend on the hitch system to control it. You want the trailer to be in good balance to keep it from swaying to begin with and then use the hitch system as backup. Think of it as belt and suspenders. Get the weight on the tow vehicle axles and then on all three axles. Disconnect the trailer and get the weight of the tow vehicle by itself. Hitch weight = weight of the two tow vehicle axles from 1st weighing - tow vehicle by itself Trailer weight = total rig weight from first weighing - tow vehicle by itself. Hitch weight divided by trailer weight should be at least 10%, preferably 11-12%
------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Pcbeck12
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 2:37pm
| I’ll do just as you described. Thanks |
Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 3:59pm
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you will be surprised what the REAL weights are!! We went to our local public landfill -no charge and happy to see something besides a trash truck! We try to weigh every other trip. Our weights vary by less than 100pounds in the pod and tow vehicle combined. We pretty much have our packing down and take generally the same things every trip. the variables are the toys-bikes vs canoe or both. there is a lot of small gear associated with both. Vann ------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9"> 
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Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2020 at 3:14pm
Good looking rig...nice to see some r-pods out here in the 'flats'...although, being from Texas I'm trying hard to ignore the 'OU' stickers!  Lots of good advice above, but I'm always pleased to see a new person come online with a tow vehicle that will easily do the job requested of it, as opposed to those who come onboard here with the largest r-pod they can buy and the smallest little mini-SUV sold in the USA and then ask all of us to approve because the r-pod salesman said 'it's fine'. Anyway, have fun and if you head out west, and want a free overnight hookup, I'm 50 miles south of Amarillo. ------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: Colonel Podder
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2020 at 3:54pm
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Congratulations on the new r-pod! Very clever on the name as well. I really like a lot of the mods you have done, and will copy some of them when our pod finally arrives. Never heard of a level mate pro, didn't even know this was available. Looks like it would save a lot of time. Thanks for sharing!
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Posted By: Hardwear Hank
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2021 at 4:34pm
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Wow, great mods. I'm waiting for my 192 to come in, like you been scouring the internet and stocking up on mods/accessories for when it arrives. I'm curious about your sink support. Why and how did you do that? The rest seem like great mods, but you must of had a reason on the sink. |
Posted By: Hardwear Hank
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2021 at 4:35pm
| Wow, great mods. I'm waiting for my 192 to come in, like you been scouring the internet and stocking up on mods/accessories for when it arrives. I'm curious about your sink support. Why and how did you do that? The rest seem like great mods, but you must of had a reason on the sink. |
Posted By: Pcbeck12
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2021 at 5:19pm
| There have been reports of the sink dropping during travel due to inadequate support so I did a little beefing up the support structure in order to preclude this from happening. |
Posted By: AnnetteGary
Date Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 8:55pm
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Wow! Sounds like you've already done a lot and are ready to roll . We are still waiting for our new R-pod to arrive. I have a question (might be a dumb one) about the screens on all the vents? Are mosquitoes able to enter through those vents? Thanks! Annette and Gary (still waiting for our new r-Pod owners) ------------- Annettegary |
Posted By: Pcbeck12
Date Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 9:07pm
| I don’t think so but we didn’t get out until mid-October. We’ll know better after this summer. |
Posted By: AnnetteGary
Date Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 9:11pm
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haha! Yes of course. What would be the purpose of the screens then? Thanks, Annette and Gary ------------- Annettegary |
Posted By: Pcbeck12
Date Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 9:27pm
| To keep out nest building critters like mud daubers. There are many reports of clogged gas lines, vents, etc. due to these things building nests. |
Posted By: AnnetteGary
Date Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 9:36pm
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Ah! Makes sense. Thanks. ------------- Annettegary |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2021 at 6:06am
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Make sure to install screens on the 2 fridge vents also. You can either purchase them online or if you are a cheapie like me just go to the hardware store and purchase some screen, cut to size, and hot glue them on the inside of the vent. Cost was $4 and about 30 minutes of my time to do both vents. ------------- 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." |