Finally got our R-pod 196
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Topic: Finally got our R-pod 196
Posted By: Ricktoon
Subject: Finally got our R-pod 196
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2020 at 5:13pm
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Greetings, My wife and I picked up "her" R-pod 196 last Friday in Salt Lake City. We had reserved one on order back in September and it took a little longer than expected to arrive. My wife decided we should drive from Montana to SLC on Wednesday even though the R-pod had not yet arrived at the dealer. We visited the dealer on Thursday morning and were told it could arrive anytime, but they didn't know for sure. Well it arrived that afternoon and we hooked up my Chevy Colorado on Friday afternoon. We headed for Mesquite, Nevada for a shakedown trip and spent three days in the unit before putting it into storage until January. We left it in Mesquite so it would need minimal winterizing for its two month recovery. Everything on board worked which were grateful for. We will see how things look when we return to Nevada and Arizona in January.  |
Replies:
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2020 at 7:51pm
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Welcome and congratulations! I hope you have many fun adventures and make many great memories with your new RPod. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2020 at 9:35pm
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Nice looking setup. Now you have a few months ahead to plan your pod campouts for the 2021 season. Have fun. ------------- 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: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2020 at 12:40pm
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Congrats on the 196. You are gonna love it, I think it's a great couples camper for sure. You can do a third person, but it's really great for 2. I can suggest a few good mods to get ready for next season if you'd like. ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: Ricktoon
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2020 at 3:16pm
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Thanks for the update. Would love to hear what you recommend for mods. BTW, have you replaced the mattress with a full queen. If so, how does it fit. |
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2020 at 9:57am
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I just added a 5 inch mattress topper, and it's tolerable. I think replacing it might be the better way to go if you aren't happy with it. A big mod I always suggest, is to get an EMS before all others. It will protect all of your electronics from high/low volts, and a bunch of other possible issues that could harm your camper. I suggest a hard wired unit, do it once and forget about it, but any type is better than none. The pantry shelf holders are not very strong. If you intend on putting much on them, I'd replace the plastic rails with steel rails. Mine caved in after a few months. I put lift arms under the bed, it makes it so much easier to use the storage. There's plenty of other things you can do, but that's a good start. Enjoy the pod, no matter where you camp, it's a million star resort ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: Ricktoon
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2020 at 10:55am
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I bought a Progressive Industries surge protector already and it works fine. Used it on the first trip. Will buy a short length of chain so I can lock it to the power box if needed. Just ordered a Serta hyrbrid queen mattress from Lowes for a great price of $329 that we will use to replace the short queen. Not sure of the quality, but hard to beat the price. I plan to put lift arms under the bed and maybe extend the base just a bit for the longer mattress. Want to make sure I don't make it too cramped to get around the side. One of the main reasons for buying the 196 was the North-South bed where my wife and I can get in and out on the sides and not have to climb over each other to get out. Will look at the rail replacement. Glad to see Forest River has beefed up the black and grey water discharge pipes with additional support to the frame. All in all, a great travel trailer so far. |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2020 at 12:34pm
May we have a picture of what they've done to make it beefier? ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: Ricktoon
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2020 at 10:19pm
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Trailer in storage right now. Will take some pics when I get a chance |
Posted By: Ricktoon
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2021 at 6:29pm
Here are some image of the black water outlet and gray water outlets on the 2021 R-pod 196  ------------- Rick and Ellen B 2019 Chevy Colorado 2021 Rpod 196 |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2021 at 10:16pm
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So they added a belt to go with the suspenders. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2021 at 7:35am
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Looks that way and also it looks like they are still assembling the suspenders incorrectly, which is why they fail and need a belt. What I mean by being assembled incorrectly is that there are 2 parts to the bracket 1) an L bracket mounted to the frame and 2) a round bracket that goes around the black pipe. The round bracket should be installed on top of the L bracket and then the bolt installed to keep the 2 brackets together. The round bracket should not be supported by a bolt to the L bracket in my opinion. With this change the L bracket is supporting the round bracket if it is mounted on top of the L bracket. I have made that change with mine and have not experienced any more problems. Hope this helps. ------------- Jay 179/2019 |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2021 at 7:42am
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Maybe they should go into the history books and use the 'belt' once used on the older models. The belts on my 2011 look similar but obviously used a beefier material in its construction as they have held up well over the past 10 years and 36,000 + miles. ------------- 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: JR
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2021 at 7:55am
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I think that the suspenders are beefy enough they just have to be put together the correct way. Then you don't need a belt but it is always good to have a backup when dealing with black water. ------------- Jay 179/2019 |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2021 at 9:27am
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I was thinking. What if they just had inverted the round bracket going around the pipe, turned the end of the "L" bracket 90 degrees, eliminated the foot of the "L" and just bolted the clamping part of the round bracket through the strap? Then the pressure would not have been on the nut, loosening it over time, but it would likely have been just hanging on the bolt. Here is a sketch of what I am trying to describe:  ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2021 at 10:06am
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I think that would work also but the suspenders as they now are assembled don't work and need a belt. The suspenders are not the problem it's the assemble. I have called customer service at Forest River and mentioned my concerns about this matter about 18 months ago but I guess it has fallen on deaf ears. ------------- Jay 179/2019 |
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2021 at 11:39am
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I find the biggest problem is the strap material is to thin. The second problem is the strap is bent at 90 degrees at the point where the most force will be put on it. Metal fatigues and fractures at 90 degree bend, some worse than others. The black tank hanger they use is a timebomb at best. If they made it double thick, and made a corner radius instead of a sharp 90 degree bend, it would last the lifetime of the camper. ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2021 at 9:54pm
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Some bean counter said it was good enough. I brought this to the FR staff that was at the KY Mini-Mini. I'm tired of hearing something is "industry standard" when the thing is obviously a product of either poor design or poor execution or a combination of the two. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2021 at 7:17am
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+1 SH ------------- Jay 179/2019 |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2021 at 9:12am
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+2 ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2021 at 2:06pm
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+3 You nailed it StephenH. Definitely a combination of the two! ------------- 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: Lookout1950
Date Posted: 21 Feb 2021 at 9:35pm
| Hey, I just bought a 196 and would appreciate any advice and pictures of the lift you put under the foot of your bed. Are the lifts available on Amazon ? Thanks! |
Posted By: Colonel Podder
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 12:45pm
Here are the ones I put on our 196. Works great, but there was some trial and error involved in order to get the install with the correct amount of tension. Instructions will walk you through this. https://www.amazon.com/Hatchlift-BLK-SM-Bedlift-Kit-Small/dp/B00KPR2DBC?ref_=ast_sto_dp ------------- 2021 R-pod 196 |
Posted By: Lookout1950
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 9:08pm
| Thanks, I will check this out. |