Warranty, Service and Recall Bulletins: Lack of out rigger body supports

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Lack of out rigger body supports

Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Warranty, Service and Recall Bulletins
Forum Discription: Have a warranty or service experience to share?
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15859
Printed Date: 02 May 2025 at 12:45pm
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Topic: Lack of out rigger body supports

Posted By: wvanauken
Subject: Lack of out rigger body supports
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2023 at 9:17am

I have a problem too with floor sag directly underneath the slide out on my 2019 R-pod 180. I contacted Forest River about obtaining the supports, but instead got a lot push back. They feel that the supports just fixes a symptom and not the problem. They wanted me to take pictures showing the over hang sag with a combination square which I felt was reasonable. They sent me a questionnaire titled "Over Torsion Axle" where they also wanted a pictures of the axle tag on the Lippert axle, pictures of my towing set up, hitch set up, hitch, weight distribution hitch with the brand, tongue and weight capacities and tow vehicle type. They also wanted pictures of the unit showing the clearance between the fender and tires. Apparently they feel that this body sag is related to the axle and weight distribution hitch. I told her specifically that the floor sag was only evident directly under the slide out. That there is no sag in any other location. I told her that I felt sure that the issue was because of the lack of out rigger body supports at the frame. I measured the distance from each side of the frame at the axle to the ground which was exactly the same. I used a string to check for any bend in the axle housing - none. I checked the distance between the fenders and the tires which was almost the same. There was some difference in the clearance measurement only because I discovered that one fender was mounted higher on the body than the other one! I asked if I could just purchase the outrigger supports from her direct and she refused. She also wanted pictures of the inside floor sag with a level. I told her that there was no evidence of interior sag or separation between the floor and wall and hopefully will avoid any future separation if I can get these outrigger supports now so that I can install them immediately. She actually said no that I still needed to get pictures interior floor with a level. I'm at wits end with Forest River. I had many issues with this unit when I first got the unit new (that's a whole different story). I told her that if I can't get the outrigger supports from her, that I would go to a local fabricator and have them made.

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2019 R-pod 180
2008 Toyota Tundra

Replies:

Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2023 at 10:37am

Get them on the after market. There are now at least a few places to get them. We got ours from Innovative machine in Missouri.

INNOVATIVE Machine & Supply

345 Sun Valley Circle

Fenton MO 63026

636 600-1171

http://www.innomach.com/?fbclid=IwAR3mC74Pgwg6jqiUbO6rnFbijjCuqD8V9OPaFiZBqHy3Ly8RlD-6x9XAUzE - www.innomach.com

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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Posted By: wvanauken
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2023 at 10:42am

Thank you GlueGuy!!!

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2019 R-pod 180
2008 Toyota Tundra

Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2023 at 5:14pm

If you are good with a welder, make your own. They will end up being more sturdy than the factory ones. It sounds like Forest River is trying to find anything to blame other than the poor design decision that allows for too much cantilevered floor to adequately support the wall when the slide out weight is added.

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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: wvanauken
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2023 at 6:27pm

Exactly! I'm not a bad welder, but no welder or other equipment needed to cut bend the pieces. I would love to do it if not for that.

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2019 R-pod 180
2008 Toyota Tundra

Posted By: ScottShackleton
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2023 at 10:22am

Newbie here. We just bought (haven't picked up) a 2022 189 HRE. Does anyone know if the outrigger issue was fixed by the time these were made or is this an issue I should check out.

Posted By: wvanauken
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2023 at 10:47am

Thank you GlueGuy for the info about where to get the outrigger body supports. They are well made and came with good pertinent info with regards to mounting, fastener info, spacers, etc. They were good to deal with and got my order to me quickly. I've installed them and I'm very happy.

Bill

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2019 R-pod 180
2008 Toyota Tundra

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 18 Nov 2023 at 7:32am

Has this 'sag' issue only been a problem with the larger pods and slides, like the 179's and up? Am curious if this is something I should install on my 177 that I have owned for 12+ years. It shows no sign of sagging nor have I ever heard of this being an issue on the smaller R-Pods. Advice? Thanks

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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: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 18 Nov 2023 at 11:03am

You may be right about that. The RP179 has a pretty substantial slide-out. I have no idea how big the one on the RP177 is. I did not go out to measure ours, but I think it's around 9' long.

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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Posted By: wvanauken
Date Posted: 18 Nov 2023 at 12:49pm

So from what I could ascertain is your 177 is not that much smaller than my 180. Your dry weight is about 400 lbs. less than mine and about 1-1/2 feet shorter. Our GVWR is about the same. You said it shows no sign of sagging. Did you use a a framer's square and put it against the outside of the frame up against the bottom of the floor to see if there is any sag? Mine was sagging underneath the slide-out. At the very least, you can check under the slide out and/or see if there are any outrigger supports there.

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2019 R-pod 180
2008 Toyota Tundra

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 18 Nov 2023 at 3:03pm

Originally posted by wvanauken

So from what I could ascertain is your 177 is not that much smaller than my 180. Your dry weight is about 400 lbs. less than mine and about 1-1/2 feet shorter. Our GVWR is about the same. You said it shows no sign of sagging. Did you use a a framer's square and put it against the outside of the frame up against the bottom of the floor to see if there is any sag? Mine was sagging underneath the slide-out. At the very least, you can check under the slide out and/or see if there are any outrigger supports there.

I believe the 180 is 20 foot long, which is 2 feet longer than a 177. Dry weight is listed on my 177 at 2415 lbs. Fully loaded with 36 gallons of water and food and stuff for a 1 month trip it weighs in at 2940 lbs. with a tongue weight of 340.

Yes, a framer's square was utilized and no sag was observed. The 177 slide is a fair amount shorter than what is on a 179. No outrigger supports as we purchased this in January 2011 and are the original owners.

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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: wvanauken
Date Posted: 18 Nov 2023 at 6:08pm

If you are not showing any sag, I wouldn't worry about it. Are there any supports there that it came with?

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2019 R-pod 180
2008 Toyota Tundra

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 20 Nov 2023 at 8:35pm

Originally posted by wvanauken

If you are not showing any sag, I wouldn't worry about it. Are there any supports there that it came with?

There are none that came with it. This was purchased January 2011, long before this ever became an issue, and as of now i have not heard of this ever being an issue on the 177, regardless of the year of manufacture.

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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: StephenH
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 9:09am

I think it became an issue with the 179 due to the sheer size of the slide-out and the fact that it contains the refrigerator and convection-microwave as well as the storage above the table. It just means that there is a lot more weight and stress for that side of the trailer. I'm just as happy now to not have a slide-out to worry about.

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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