NEW 192 pod tomorrow...
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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=15174
Printed Date: 17 May 2024 at 11:59am
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Topic: NEW 192 pod tomorrow...
Posted By: Markuendo
Subject: NEW 192 pod tomorrow...
Date Posted: 09 Mar 2022 at 4:16pm
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Picking up our new 192 tomorrow at the dealer. First hard sided camper since we last camped in a pop up for the last four years. Really looking forward to not cleaning canvas! Fingers crossed they "fixed" things we found sitting on the lot. Some rust areas mostly in the wheel well and scratches in the window.
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Replies:
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 09 Mar 2022 at 5:40pm
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We picked up our 177 when it was early March in Escanaba (U.P. Michigan). They had it indoors and warm, then spent over 3 hours with us going through all the plumbing, furnace, hot water tank and how all the controls worked as well as how to winterize, finding the valves and so on. It was a wonderful experience, they even went over a couple things twice to make sure we understood how everything worked. Hopefully your dealer will do the same before you hook it up and take it home. Make sure you record the walk-thru on your phone, have a list of questions to ask and make sure they answer them to your satisfaction. ------------- 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: Kup-Pod
Date Posted: 09 Mar 2022 at 7:01pm
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Congrats! I offer the same advice as jato... I remember picking up our 178, which was our first travel trailer as well. The walk thru tour felt a little overwhelming but I tried my best to pay attention and my wife made notes. It was very helpful to be instructed in all the little things you didn't even know were things! But honestly, this forum has answered more questions for me than I would have ever imagined. My adult children make fun of me when I talk about the Rpod Forum, but they are also impressed when I know the answer to their questions too!:-) Enjoy your Rpod!! ------------- 2017 RP-178 2021 F150 5.0l "Lead me on a level path" |
Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2022 at 2:38pm
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Thanks all, appreciate it. Home with it all shiny looking. I know that's not going to last long. Walk through wasn't to bad, saw some things I wasn't aware of and learned a few things. Most of the basics I was aware of and there are so many technical walk throughs on the 192's from dealers. Those help. Used a WDH for the first time on our Traverse, that's probably the biggest thing I'm getting comfortable with.
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2022 at 3:47am
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The Traverse is going to be pretty close to it's max towing limits hauling a 192, or over if you carry lots if gear.
You need to look at the GCWR (gross combined weight rating) and the tongue weight as well as the trailer weight. The WDH does not actually increase any of these, it only improves handling by placing more weight back on the front axle. So please do the following. Load the entire rig as you plan to actually travel. People, pets, supplies, fuel, gear, toolkit, water in the fresh water tank if youre carrying it, water in the water heater, batteries, etc. It adds up fast, youll be surprised. Install the wdh but do NOT tension the bars, it will throw off the weights. Go to a public scale and weigh the rig, rolling on one axle at a time so you get the weight on each of the 3. Then disconnect the trailer, leave the wdh in the receiver, and go through the scales again one axle at a time with just the Traverse and everything in it. If you subtract the Traverse weight in the second weighing from the total combined rig weight from the first weighing you get the trailer weight. Similarly, if you subtract the weight of the Traverse in the second weighing from the combined weight of the two Traverse axles from the first weighing you get the tongue weight. Then put all your weights and specs in this calculator to see if you're within limits. Most of the load specs are on your driver's side door sticker or in the trailer sticker, some might be in your vehicle owners manual, and a couple will be length measurements you take. At the bottom of the calculator you will see dual gauges for each load spec. If you're out of spec, you'll have to remove some stuff or shift it around, or use a heavier tow vehicle. Up to you how close you want to get to each max limit, most of us want a decent safety factor (10-20 % or so) so we're not right at the hairy edge. Have fun and be safe. https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.php - towing calculator ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2022 at 7:49am
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+1 to OG advice. Will be surprised if the Traverse will be able to safely haul a 192 around unless you travel empty or nearly so. I have seen a lot of small vehicles tow large TT's around and wonder how they can stop in an emergency situation or similar, not a good thought. Hopefully you will be able to make it work safely with your Traverse. ------------- 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: lostagain
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2022 at 8:02am
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+2 to OG. ------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2022 at 8:52am
The RPod's brakes make a huge difference in stopping. I have had to slow down very quickly more than once. If I did not have the RPod's brakes contributing to the stopping power, it would not have gone well. I really would like to have the electric over hydraulic disc brakes. The cost though is why we have the electric drum brakes. ------------- 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: Markuendo
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2022 at 9:26am
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I appreciate everyone's Sound Advice here. Obviously your experience is my gain.
We do plan to travel relatively empty. Told the wife that decorations are going to be kept to a minimum as well as no Towing with tanks full. Since we are coming from a pop up world, we're pretty used to buying items once we arrived at our destination, IE water Gatorade Etc. So not too much of a change for us that way either. First trips are going to be somewhat local so that we can kind of gauge how everything pulls and how it feels. ------------- '22 First RP 192 '19 RAM 1500 to pull it with |
Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2022 at 12:16pm
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Started to fill out what I knew online in the calculator. Not 100% sure I have all the numbers correct. Anyone see anything I missed?
  ------------- '22 First RP 192 '19 RAM 1500 to pull it with |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2022 at 6:25am
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The trailer GVWR should be 4840 according to your sticker. Since the You need to get a tape measure and measure the distance from the trailer axle to the ball and also from the Traverse rear axle to the ball. Also measure the length of your wdh bars, I'm sure they're not 30 inches, typically they're 18. And the wdh rating should be what's published for your hitch, in the range of 600-1000 lbs for your rig.
The trailer GVWR and tongue weight should be your actual fully loaded weights as measured on the public scale. if you choose to never fill your water tanks be sure to drain and dump at the campground every time before you hit the road. Consider if that's really practical for the kind of camping you do. If it's not practical then fill your fresh water tank before you go to the scales. As a minimum, you need to have the water heater tank full when you weigh. That's about 50 lbs right there. Fill your fuel tank too and take your wife and pets (if any) and all the tools, folding chairs, bbq grills, propane tanks, ground cloths, etc etc. You will be surprised how quickly it all adds up. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2022 at 12:38pm
  Think I've made a few more adjustments. Grabbed a pic of the hitch itself and measured the Bars, 35 inches long. You're saying that's not to common, most the time much shorter? Plan is to always dump before leaving a campground. Most the time not planning to fill and travel with water. Never have before. Only time is when we select a site with no water hookup, filling at the campground before we set up. Also planning to drain the HW tank as part of the tear down before travel. Little things but that will help I'm sure. I do need to get to the scales and weigh things as described earlier. That will solidify what I'm thinking.
------------- '22 First RP 192 '19 RAM 1500 to pull it with |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2022 at 6:54pm
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The wdhs I've seen have around 18 inch bars, but if yours are 35 inches then they are. To be clear, I'm talking about the spring bars which you put under tension to lift the hitch.
The place in the calculator that's used is to calculate the moment (torque) the wdh is applying at the ball to rotate the tow vehicle down in the front and up at the hitch. Once you have the calculator set up for your rig you can adjust the tension on the bars to get the weight on the front axle back to where it was without the trailer, which is the proper way to set up a wdh. Start with no tension on the bars and don't have the bars tensioned when you go through the scales. Have the wdh installed though. You can put the wdh bars in the back of the tow vehicle for weighing if that's more convenient. The WDH is considered to be part of the tow vehicle not the trainer. To get the water heater tank empty you have to pull the anode rod. You might be able to get most of the water out by pulling the heater tank pressure relief valve and opening a winterizing drain, not sure. Either way it's a bit of a PITA so hopefully you can stay within your weights without having to drain the water heater every time. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2022 at 9:34pm
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Well, I got 5 measurements with weight. First - Front axle with WDH - 2880 Second - Front/Rear Axle with WDH - 6200 Third - Front Rear Axe No WDH - 6300 Fourth - Fill Weight with WDH - 9820 Fifth Trailer axle only - 3580 Not sure what fields this will help fill in. Will say we had 30 gal of fresh water within the trailer. Pretty sure that's towards the front. The traverse and WDH groaned a lot more in turns etc. Felt heavy. As i understand it, generically, the website states that the hitch weight is 440 lbs. Using the worst-case dry weight (3,538 lbs), the hitch weight is (440/3,538) x 100 = 12.4% of the dry weight. Should I use that to help figure the total weight of the trailer? Or does that matter seeing that my axel weight of the trailer was 3580... Also loaded as much cargo into the Traverse as I could. A couple of cases of water, 40 lb dog food etc.
------------- '22 First RP 192 '19 RAM 1500 to pull it with |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 6:38am
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When you say you measured with the wdh you didn't have it tensioned did you? If you did that throws of everything so weigh again with the wdh in the reciever and the trailer connected, but the bars not tensioned or just toss the bars in the back of the Traverse. You do not need to get any weights with the wdh tensioned, the calculator takes care of that for you.
Add one axle to the scale at a time and record all 3 measurements. The front axle weight you get directly. The rear tow vehicle axle weight is the second measurement minus the front axle. The trailer axle weight is the 3rd measurement minus the second. Now disconnect the trailer but leave the wdh in the reciever. Don't take anything out of the Traverse. Weigh again, first just the front axle then both. As before the rear axle is the second weight minus the first. Tongue weight is the second measurement from the first weighing (both Traverse axles with the trailer) minus the second measurement from the second weighing (the Traverse without the trailer). The total trailer weight is the 3rd measurement from the first weighing (total rig weight) minus the second measurement from the second weighing (total traverse weight without the trailer). Fill the water heater before you weigh again if you haven't already. Hope that helps. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 6:45am
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I see what you're saying. When i went through it was with everything connected except the Third weight. Left the bars in but no tension. Obviously I need more measurements, didn't do this quite right. What I don't think I like is the First and Second weights. The sticker shows heavier, unless that's max weight... Makes me a little suspicious of the scale.  ------------- '22 First RP 192 '19 RAM 1500 to pull it with |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 7:02am
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The sticker does show the max rated weights. The R stands for rating. Put those sticker numbers in the calculator as the max rated numbers.
The weighings are to get actuals for comparison so put those numbers in the calculator in that area. Once you have everthing in the calculator you can look at the dual gauges at the bottom and see how close you are to your ratings. Note that the wdh does not increase any ratings, your tow vehicle and trailer have to be within spec without it. Then you can input a bar tension in that input. Adjust that number so the front axle weight with the wdh equals the actual measured front axle weight without the trailer. That is the target when you set up your wdh. You get there by measuring front axle squat during wdh setup but it works the same as if you weighed again. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 21 Mar 2022 at 12:11pm
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Loved all the feedback on this, appreciate everyone's help. End of the day, think i was putting my traverse at the edge of what we felt we could tow. I don't want to white knuckle every trip. Just makes more sense to pull the trigger and get into a 1/2 ton truck. Can't wait to get the e-brake install in it and head out. Thanks again for the help. ------------- '22 First RP 192 '19 RAM 1500 to pull it with |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 21 Mar 2022 at 2:16pm
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Enjoy, make long lasting great memories, 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: offgrid
Date Posted: 21 Mar 2022 at 6:40pm
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Good call I think. No point in being stressed out on the road getting to where you are supposed to be going to relax. Have fun with your new rig. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 23 Mar 2022 at 8:47am
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I think you have gone through the process and are making a good choice as well.
I hope you enjoy many miles of safe and enjoyable rving miles whatever your decision is. I would like to add one note from when we picked up our 192, I checked our bearings on the trailer as soon as I got it home and they were almost dry...I had to grease them right away with a quality grease. I also found the silver coloured bearing cover missing on the right side wheel. I picked one up and a rubber plug that goes in it for only a couple bucks...good money spent, to keep the bearing clean and dry! Happy camping! Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 4:51pm
Glad you mentioned. We opened up the brakes the other evening to find that the adjuster assembly at the bottom was not even connected on the side that didn't seem to be engaging. The other side was definitely misadjusted, way to tight, brake dust everywhere.  While we were inside, pulled the bearings etc, felt like minimal red grease so we put everything back together and gave it a good dose on each side to make sure we were good. Brand new. Blah, but glad we checked.  ------------- '22 First RP 192 '19 RAM 1500 to pull it with |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 5:53pm
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I bought a replacement set of Lippert brake assemblies for my trailer. They came in broken down packaging labelled made in China. The bearings were banging around loose in the broken box, were dirty and had very little grease in them. A couple of the springs were hanging loose. I expect the ones Lippert uses to make rpod chassis are identical and it would be up to the trailer assembly team to inspect them, assuming they were given enough time to even do that. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2022 at 10:11am
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Wow, hard to believe good parts being shipped like that.
I see a lot of the red, runny grease being used on trailer bearings. I used to use it as well but years ago switched to using a good grade grease designed for boat trailers. I like the grease better and it isn't messy in hot weather. I had a boat trailer so I only needed to stock 1 type of grease for all our trailers. If changing grease types, you need to make sure all the old grease is purged so you don't leave a mix of the old dirty grease and the new grease...and it will make sure it is cleaned of any other contaminants that may be present in the bearings. Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2022 at 10:41am
Didn't seem like there was to much on these. Not sure how much should be but felt like we needed to add more. ------------- '22 First RP 192 '19 RAM 1500 to pull it with |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2022 at 4:03am
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That's the spindle but it's the bearings you need to repack. The outer one should be loose now that you've pulled the drums off. Try to grab it so it doesn't fall down and get dirty. The inner bearing is behind the grease seal. Get a seal puller (around $20) to pry out the old seal. Be careful not to gouge the steel surface when you pry it out.
Here's a good video on how to pack bearings by hand if you haven't done it. You can just press new grease through which will replace the old grease unless the bearing fell and got dirty in which case you should clean it completely out with gas or some other solvent and let dry before repacking. Also you can also lightly coat the spindle and races (the rings in the drum the bearings run on) but don't pack the whole hub or the grease can force it's way out the seal and get on the brakes. Put the repacked inner bearing in the drum and then press in the seal. Do replace the seals every time you repack. You can use a wood block and tap with a hammer to get the seal in flush. Wipe off any grease that's exposed outside the seal and clean the inner surface of the drum where the brake shoes press. Use brake cleaner or gas to be sure no grease remains on that surface. Slide the drum with the inner bearing and seal onto the spindle, carefully to avoid damaging the seal. have the outer bearing ready to go and slide it on along with the castle nut and washer so the drum doesn't slip back off. Set the play per the Lippert manual, I forget what it says. There is a torque setting to seat the bearing then you back off the nut. Use a new cotter pin every time. https://youtu.be/mubgjGXyntg - Packing bearings by hand ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2022 at 1:21pm
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Interesting. Thanks for sharing, I guess I wasn't aware. reading up on this a bit. When you push new grease in, you have no way of telling where all the old grease is going. It is supposed to come out the front where the packing nut is, but the old grease that’s already there is usually hardened. <-- New trailer here so prob not a issue for me.  I didn't pull the rest to look at the other bearing. See it now in the diagrams, good info for next maintenance.  ------------- '22 First RP 192 '19 RAM 1500 to pull it with |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2022 at 1:36pm
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When you use the Zerk fitting to grease, you are supposed to rotate the wheel while pumping grease in. That helps make sure the old grease is being pushed toward the front instead of out the back seal. also, I guess one should not use a really high pressure pneumatic grease gun to force grease in. By using a hand grease gun, one can only pump it in so fast. ------------- 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: offgrid
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2022 at 7:31pm
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I wouldnt personally use the zerks. It's not a substitute for packing the bearings. Lippert still wants you to do that annually.
You can't force the new grease into the bearings that way because there's no place for the old grease to go. You cant inspect the bearings, races, and brakes to see what you have. And you can blow the seals out if you get too agressive. Others have run into this problem with the Lippert super lube system and had to replace their whole brake assembly.j ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2022 at 9:18am
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I disagree. I have greased the bearings that way and I do see the old grease coming out the front just like it should. If it did not work, neither Lippert nor Dexter would make them that way. The "Grease Buddy" type caps that one could pump grease and it went in the front side is a different matter. Those, I would agree, are trouble waiting to happen since they use a spring to keep pressure on the grease, supposedly to keep water out. However, that pressure can also force grease past the rear seal. Since the EZ-Lube type hubs do not have a spring to force pressure and since the grease can come out the front side of the bearings, it doesn't have the same level of risk to the rear seal. ------------- 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: 08 Apr 2022 at 12:42pm
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+1 While I do hand grease the bearings and hubs every other year on the opposite years I simple jack the wheel up, and grease the zerk while rotating the wheel. No issues after 11 years and 37,000 + miles. I did replace the bearings and cups back in 2018, the originals were pretty good but since the new ones were already purchased, along with the seals and I had the time, they got replaced. ------------- 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: offgrid
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2022 at 3:36am
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Well here's one guys Lippert Super Lube horror story
https://www.rvtravel.com/our-super-lube-axle-disaster-is-there-one-waiting-for-you/ - Super Lube Disaster I've not had that happen myself but back when I was young and foolish I did get over exuberant about packing some bearings and decided it was a good idea to pack the hubs too. Dumb idea. The seals blew out, ruined my brakes, and that was without any forced pressure on them from a grease gun. The other fishy thing to me is why Lippert would offer the Super Lube system but not extend the maintenance interval for pulling the drums, which remains at once per year. So if you need to do that anyway why bother with the zerks? Anyhow, everyone has their own way of doing things, which is fine. In my case I really want to take a close look at those brakes and lubricate them frequently, which are safety critical and have been problematic for me so I just don't trust them to go a couple of years without attention. So I'm pulling the drums off anyway. Once I do that it only adds a few minutes to pop off the seals, press some new grease in the bearings, and reinstall. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2022 at 8:13pm
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I don't think that is a good example. First off, it was a used trailer and it appears that the author did not follow the proper procedure. Several of the comments addressed this. One helpful comments was to make sure the grease tube is warm so that the grease will flow easily. As for your early incident, was that on a standard axle or a super-lube axle? It seems like the Super Lube axle is not the issue. This from the article: "So why did it happen? It’s obvious that the grease seals gave way and allowed this mess to happen. Was it because of the “Super Lube” system? In recent years, some RVers who have purchased a rig built on a Lippert chassis have reported serious grease-in-hub problems, and many of them had those problems adjusted through the warranty process. Some were, indeed, users of the Super Lube system. Others had Lippert axles but had the standard 'take ’em apart and hand-pack' system. Both suffered grease damage issues." ------------- 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: offgrid
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2022 at 7:56am
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My problem was with a standard car axle long ago, and there was no zerk, I just put too much grease in when I packed it. So you can blow seals with too much grease even without a zerk to apply pressure. Since then I pack the bearings only, with only a little grease smeared on the spindles to prevent corrosion. That works fine and I never had a dry bearing so the point is that more isnt always better.
Coincidentally I was doing the annual on my airplane a couple weeks ago and my A&P mechanic who is overseeing my work came over while I was repacking my landing gear bearings and told me to be sure not to pack too much grease in there or I'd get grease on my brake discs. Whether that article is a good example/statement or not is a glass half full/half empty kind of debate. The bottom line is the guy who wrote it will never use the super lube system again, so he certainly thinks it's relevant. As do I. We all make decisions based on our experiences. So if you have had good luck with the zerks and feel comfortable enough with your brakes to skip the annual brake inspection and that's fine with me. I've had bad experiences with both grease seals and trailer brakes and choose to do what I do. It only takes me maybe an hour to do both wheels so it's really not a big deal. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |