Newbie items needed before pod pickup
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Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9923
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Topic: Newbie items needed before pod pickup
Posted By: Watts
Subject: Newbie items needed before pod pickup
Date Posted: 09 May 2017 at 11:22pm
Hi all, I'm planning to pick up my 178 in a couple days. I want to make sure I have everything I need, installed and ready. I wasn't able to find a list, so I'm hoping my experienced podders can help me out. I've purchased a Tekonsha Primus 90160 IQ brake controller, a 7 point wiring harness ( I currently have a 4 point), and I got my insurance estimate. The dealer suggested I get the Fastway E2 Sway Controller. Does anyone have opinions on that? Of course you do.  Is there another brand that works as well. The dealership wants $500 (installed). I've seen it on Amazon for $273. It looks like the install is tightening bolts, but I may be oversimplifying it. Am I missing anything? I need to be able to drive in, connect and go. Is there anything else I need to make that happen? I do plan to video the walk thru.
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Replies:
Posted By: Danielw1
Date Posted: 09 May 2017 at 11:56pm
| If you need to just drive in and go, a ball and light connector will get you there. Not sure how far your going but that trailer should move easy without a bunch of fancy whatnot! |
Posted By: computerfixitguy
Date Posted: 10 May 2017 at 12:21am
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Congrats.. you will love it. We love ours. My list for pickup was: Dealer to provide: WDH hitch , bug shields, electric hitch jack, and make sure there are NO leaks.. double check this. Once you leave, its all yours I brought with me: 6v batteries with enclosures and wires, fresh water hose and 90 degree fitting, black tank hose, leveling blocks, Cordless DRILL with lug wrench for scissor jacks, 35amp shore power cable, brake controller, Costco propane tank with empty gauge. 35 amp to 20 amp adapter. What went wrong: heater wasn't secured, trim was falling off, screws were missing on our door , KEYS WERE WRONG, VIN was actually different from trailer to chassis, lost black tank hardware heading home and bent heck out of scissor jacks. Have the dealer make sure everything is attached and there are no water leaks both from the roof and from the guts. Its important because now that peak season is upon us, you will not be able to get it in to be fixed because everyone is busy. I discovered little things, like the framing under the seats / storage area was not completely framed. You will discover them too. Seal around door wouldn't seal. All 3 keys were completely wrong. I thought about recording the walk through, but it wasn't that bad. The part I have to remember is how to turn on the water heater. If you want the list of what I have done since we brought ours home, I can do that too. Derek
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Posted By: Richand Cindy
Date Posted: 10 May 2017 at 7:55am
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The Fastway is the cheapest (our dealer charged $450 installed) of the best. It is simple to install just bolting it to the frame. Watched as the dealer did it in 30 minutes. BUT installing it properly to the correct specs will be tough to do on your own. Would recommend just paying the dealer. After reading many posts and conferring with experts I came to the following conclusions. With the small lightweight RPOD weight distribution is not an issue especially if you will tow with a truck and not an small SUV. Therefore it is not mandatory. However sway control is important. People say they towed without it cannot believe how much better they tow once they added sway control. Since Fastway and others are both sway control and weight distrbution why no just get both. The Fastway, Equalizer, Blue Ox and all top of the line can back up without having to unhook the bars. The Fastway is cheaper than the others since it only has 2 point instead of 4 point anti sway. But my dealer who sells all three said for a small light TT anything more than the Fastway is overkill. I asked for the Equalizer but he said he could not sell it to me in good conscience. They guy who installed it agreed, he only puts Fastways on the RPODS. I like the fact that if you lift the RV up you can attach the Fastway bars without using any tools it just slides on. When you lower it back friction takes over and the bars are tight. You can search on my posts and there is a list of must haves and nice to haves. You already covered the big items. Enjoy ------------- OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 10 May 2017 at 9:23am
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We got our Fastway E2 from the dealer for about $450, installed, but if I had it to do over again, I'd have purchased one on the Internet and installed it myself. If you follow the instructions, the installation is very simple. As a matter of fact, I had to practically re-install/assemble the hitch myself because it had to be adjusted for the height of my truck's receiver and they didn't put the round bar brackets at the same height on the tongue. I agree with Richard's comments about the Fastway. It's easy to use and really stabilizes your ride, both on curvy mountain roads and on freeway straight aways. ------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 10 May 2017 at 3:52pm
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Am curious as to how long you go with your 2 6v golf cart batteries w/o having solar or vehicle to recharge them. We have 2 12v deep cycle batteries that last 3 - 3.5 days each (take it down to 1/3 SOC) and that is during the off season when the furnace gets used a fair amount (spring/fall, lows in the upper 30's to upper 40's). They are now beginning year 7 so I have been quite pleased with the 12v batteries and with how long they have lasted so far.
------------- 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: 10 May 2017 at 5:17pm
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I know that two 6V batteries will be taken down overnight if the refrigerator is set to use 12V. The first night of our first big trip, we towed with the refrigerator on battery and then did not switch it. We got an early wake-up when the refrigerator started beeping. That is also when we found out that the propane wasn't working properly because of a mud-dauber nest which caused the flames to shoot out backward and burn some wires. We had only had the R-Pod for one week, and it was December. No way wasps were active then. We were at the start of a big trip, and had to use the refrigerator on propane, even with the burned wires after the dealer cleared out the nest. Later, after we got back, it went back and the burned wires were replaced. Since then, I installed the bug screens to keep the wasps out. I also do not use the 12V option. It is either propane or shore power.
------------- 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: Subzilla
Date Posted: 11 May 2017 at 7:50am
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That was one of the more useful tips the dealer tech told us to do....put bug screens on all of the openings. Bought them from Amazon to cover the 2 openings for the furnace, the 2 for the water heater and all of the openings for the fridge (and there are alot of them). Lots Dirt Daubers and wasps in the Carolinas. ------------- Mark Concord, NC 2017 RP 179 "Podzilla" 2011 Silverado 1500 4X4 |
Posted By: Watts
Date Posted: 11 May 2017 at 11:24am
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Thank you, thank you to everyone. I have 2 dealers working the numbers and they know about each other. They offer the same perks: battery, full propane tank, so I told each, the final number is the only factor. I'm driving 12.5 hours or 14 hrs for the pick up. Fingers crossed.
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Posted By: Watts
Date Posted: 15 May 2017 at 3:19pm
| Thank you all for your help. I'm pulling out Friday afternoon and heading out to get my trailer. I've heard good and bad about RV-Nation, so I'm praying for good. They absolutely beat out everything close to home. The difference was close to 3k and I'd still have to purchase the R-Dome, electric jack, battery or tank cover. They're included in my purchase. I'm coming under 15K and I think that was pretty cool. I'm so excited..... and I just can't hide it .......... I'm about to get my Pod, and I think I like it! |
Posted By: SqueakyToy17
Date Posted: 15 May 2017 at 4:32pm
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Hello,
I have the e2 anti-sway/weight distribution - easy to use and easy to set up. Maybe a bit over the top for what I truly need (6K/6K) but I am a better safe than sorry person...also, if I ever upgrade to a larger trailer I'll be ready! :) It was also a good price for what I was looking for (etrailer.com) Good luck! |
Posted By: Q7-retired
Date Posted: 15 May 2017 at 9:33pm
Love this post, study it well! We use the Equalizer (can't remember where the dashes go) and it is great! ------------- Best regards, Jim 2015-RP178 TV 2015 Audi Q7 TDI and 2017 Ford F150 At home in "Our Pod" |
Posted By: Subzilla
Date Posted: 16 May 2017 at 6:51am
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We had a good experience with Jeff Couch RV Nation, although the finance guy was a bit talky. We drove 500 miles from NC to get our 179 from this place because of the huge money savings. Be aware, the finance guy will try hard to sell you all the extended warranty packages...guess they all do this. As soon as we got there, the technician did the walk-thru of the camper. We had Bob Evans as our tech....no, not the famous one. He was an older guy who knew his stuff. We hooked it up, then did the paperwork. Jeff Couch himself actually put the temp tag on the trailer and saw us off. Haven't had to call them back for anything yet. Had no other hiccups with the dealer. Looks like you're driving further. The hardest part for us was driving back through Cincinnati back home...lots of traffic and narrow lanes on the interstate. I understand your excitement...just got ours 3 months ago and I still giggle every time I walk by it in the driveway and get a whiff of the fresh, new decal smell! Have spent a few weekends in it and just can't wait for future trips! Be safe in your travels! ------------- Mark Concord, NC 2017 RP 179 "Podzilla" 2011 Silverado 1500 4X4 |
Posted By: Watts
Date Posted: 22 May 2017 at 1:12pm
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It's in the driveway now. We drove just over 900 miles to pick it up. We were true Road Warriors this past weekend. It was a bit scary returning home. Lanes appear to be wider when I'm not towing, and there was quite a bit of construction on the highway, so the lanes seemed even tighter. I followed the suggestions of you experienced Podders. I checked for leaks, gaps in the slide, I turned everything on, and verified the VIN. I purchased my E2 hitch online and paid the dealer to install it. That worked pretty well for me. I had to sit thru the push to buy the ext. warranty also. I need that saved money for Amazon. Do I need a cover for the pod and tires? Is that something used when putting it up for an extended time? We're going to take it out this weekend (Memorial Day), but not too far from home. This is sooooo cooool.
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Posted By: Q7-retired
Date Posted: 22 May 2017 at 2:02pm
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Watts, you probably don't need a cover until/ unless you store the Pod, although dirty birds and pine tree sap could change your mind. IMO, you need tire covers now to prevent eventual tire damage from the sun. My tire covers are on anytime the Pod is not moving. ------------- Best regards, Jim 2015-RP178 TV 2015 Audi Q7 TDI and 2017 Ford F150 At home in "Our Pod" |
Posted By: davidi
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2017 at 5:20am
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Did you install the 7 pin harness yourself? How did it go? I am thinking about doing it myself but I have no clue... yet. Thanks David
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Posted By: davidi
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2017 at 5:22am
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Hi, did you install the 7 pin harness yourself? How did it go? I am thinking about install it myself but I have not clue on how... yet. Thanks David
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Posted By: ricon
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2017 at 7:24am
| You will be happy with RV Nation. I drove 20h to pick it up last October |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2017 at 7:33am
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They have plenty ofg videos on youtube on how to install/ wire the 7 pin plugs. I watched one and was able to do it pretty easy!
------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |