R-pod Owners Forum : What's going on with 3500 lb axles? https://www.rpod-owners.com/ This is an XML content feed of; R-pod Owners Forum : Reviews and General Information : What's going on with 3500 lb axles? Copyright (c) 2006-2009 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Thu, 27 Aug 2026 23:59:09 +0000 Fri, 28 Jul 2017 19:16:23 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 9.64 360 https://www.rpod-owners.com/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=10369 R-pod Owners Forum https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_images/web_wiz_forums.png https://www.rpod-owners.com/ What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : Originally posted by ToolmanJohnI'll... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=97109#97109 Author: Happy Tripping
Subject: 10369
Posted: 28 Jul 2017 at 7:16pm

Originally posted by ToolmanJohn

I'll add that WD hitches can be complicated too.

Uhh... I don't know how to say this, but ..... Your contribution, faskinating (sic) as it is,  has no relevance to the topic of this thread.
]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2017 19:16:23 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=97109#97109 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : I'll add that WD hitches... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=97095#97095 Author: ToolmanJohn
Subject: 10369
Posted: 28 Jul 2017 at 4:52pm

I'll add that WD hitches can be complicated too. They can make towing UNSAFE if improperly setup. You could set the tension too high and seriously impair rear axle control. Hard braking in a turn and it would be easy to get jack-knifed if the rear axle is unweighted too much. Always shoot for at least SOME sag of the tow vehicle rear end. Don't go for a perfectly level tow vehcle, it's not safe.]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2017 16:52:13 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=97095#97095 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : Originally posted by TheBum Originally... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=97092#97092 Author: ToolmanJohn
Subject: 10369
Posted: 28 Jul 2017 at 4:25pm

Originally posted by TheBum

Originally posted by ToolmanJohn


 Tongue weight of the trailer is carried by the tow vehicle rear axle. So the tongue weight is subtracted from the R-Pod loaded weight. That would make the (trailer gross weight minus the actual tongue weight=actual trailer axle weight) trailer see "less" on the trailer axle.
 For example my trailer is rated at 7700 pounds gross capacity at 100% everything. But it has two 3500 pound torsion axles. That's 7000 pounds of rating. It's expected the tongue weight would be at least 10% (770 pounds) making it just within the axle ratings.
I do wish they installed slightly higher rated axles, for a little overhead.



That's only for a simple hitch. A WDH will redistribute some of the tongue weight back onto the axle (as well as to the front axle of the TV).

Actually, tongue weight is the tongue weight. 100% of the time.  If the trailer tongue is 350 pounds, that's what it always is, regardless of the hitch type. If your hitch rating is 500 pounds, with no other WD rating, it can only carry 500 pounds. Using a trailer with a 700 pound tongue weight and using a WD hitch to get that number closer to 500 does NOT make it safe. The hitch is now burdened by 700 pounds, PLUS the additional stresses of spring bars trying to torque the tow vehicle front end down. Big time failure. Many people ignore this and tow too heavy anyway. Always inspect the tow hitch regularly look for stress cracks, especially at welds and near bolted attachment points.

You're right that the WD hitch does distribute weight.

The weight distributing hitch removes weight from the tow vehicle REAR AXLE, and distributes it BETWEEN the front axle of the tow vehicle AND ALSO the towed trailer axle. The distributed weight does not ALL go the the tow vehicle front axle, a common misconception. You could theoretically completely un-weight the entire rear axle by using spring bars that are extremely stiff. The rear axle could be entirely lifted from the ground.Only the front axle of the tow vehicle and trailer axle(s) would touch the ground.
]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2017 16:25:13 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=97092#97092 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : Originally posted by JpntimeI... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=97091#97091 Author: Happy Tripping
Subject: 10369
Posted: 28 Jul 2017 at 3:48pm

Originally posted by Jpntime

 I look at my axle on my 2014 171 and it has a sticker on it that says it's a 3100 pound axle 

I dislike 'rants', so I have waited a while to see if thereare other responses to this topic.

first, I think the 172/172 is the ideal travel trailer forsomeone who wants a minimalist, go anywhere, 'home on wheels' complete with a/cand a minimal but adequate bathroom and really good tank capacity for its size.The components, a/c, refer, oven, etc are by manufacturers with goodreputations and it's design is very sturdy, at least based on pics of oneupside down after an accident and still intact. 

That said, I do have a constructive criticism. R-Podsgenerally appear to have axles that are too small for their weight - http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=5018&PN=1&title=179-axle-issues . Now, I checked, R-Pod competitors alsouse similar size axles, so this is not unique to FR, they'll have problems, too.

 After driving with our R-Pod a lot, including cross-country,but without unusual contact with bumps, curbs, etc, my axle is undeniably bent.I acknowledge that I may have hit something, altho I am not aware of it,however the basic question is - Is a 3000 pound capacity axle sufficient for anR-Pod 171?

 I did the math on my first post of this thread, the expectedweight on the axle is right at the 3000# limit. If I were a bridge builderwould I want my bridge to be right at the limit or would I want a little'cushion'?

 Ok, maybe FR feels the cushion built into the Dexter orLippert axle, generally acknowledged to be of good quality, is enuf. As seenabove, past posts on this forum suggest otherwise. Again, why doesn't either FR or theaxle manufacturer tell us exactly where to put a jack when changing a tire, toavoid damaging the axle? Changing a tire is not an unusual event, indeed it'sto be expected, but the last time I checked, they were mum on this subject, Iconclude because damage to the axle while changing a tire can be expected, sometimes,and they don't want to be blamed!

 Replacing my bent axle will cost somewhere around $600-$900,I'm just gonna replace the tires more frequently because over the life of theR-Pod it'll be cheaper to do that, but it is really unfortunate that the axleisn't a little heavier design to avoid the whole problem.

 I emphasize, I love our R-Pod.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2017 15:48:58 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=97091#97091 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : JPNtime, Think you are correct... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96766#96766 Author: mcarter
Subject: 10369
Posted: 21 Jul 2017 at 5:24pm

JPNtime, Think you are correct 171s ad 172s do not have 3500 axle, the 3500 axles are used on the larger TTS.]]> Fri, 21 Jul 2017 17:24:09 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96766#96766 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : Originally posted by ToolmanJohn  Tongue... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96753#96753 Author: TheBum
Subject: 10369
Posted: 21 Jul 2017 at 10:08am

Originally posted by ToolmanJohn


 Tongue weight of the trailer is carried by the tow vehicle rear axle. So the tongue weight is subtracted from the R-Pod loaded weight. That would make the (trailer gross weight minus the actual tongue weight=actual trailer axle weight) trailer see "less" on the trailer axle.
 For example my trailer is rated at 7700 pounds gross capacity at 100% everything. But it has two 3500 pound torsion axles. That's 7000 pounds of rating. It's expected the tongue weight would be at least 10% (770 pounds) making it just within the axle ratings.
I do wish they installed slightly higher rated axles, for a little overhead.



That's only for a simple hitch. A WDH will redistribute some of the tongue weight back onto the axle (as well as to the front axle of the TV).]]> Fri, 21 Jul 2017 10:08:50 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96753#96753 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : I look at my axle on my 2014 171... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96738#96738 Author: Jpntime
Subject: 10369
Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 9:21pm

 I look at my axle on my 2014 171 and it has a sticker on it that says it's a 3100 pound axle ]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2017 21:21:21 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96738#96738 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : Tongue weight of the trailer... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96733#96733 Author: ToolmanJohn
Subject: 10369
Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 7:52pm

 Tongue weight of the trailer is carried by the tow vehicle rear axle. So the tongue weight is subtracted from the R-Pod loaded weight. That would make the (trailer gross weight minus the actual tongue weight=actual trailer axle weight) trailer see "less" on the trailer axle.

 For example my trailer is rated at 7700 pounds gross capacity at 100% everything. But it has two 3500 pound torsion axles. That's 7000 pounds of rating. It's expected the tongue weight would be at least 10% (770 pounds) making it just within the axle ratings.

I do wish they installed slightly higher rated axles, for a little overhead.
]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2017 19:52:32 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96733#96733 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : Feel like I just took a math class!... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96730#96730 Author: birderdiane526
Subject: 10369
Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 7:28pm

Feel like I just took a math class! Wow, Charlie!!]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2017 19:28:43 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96730#96730 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : Originally posted by fwunderCharlie!... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96723#96723 Author: CharlieM
Subject: 10369
Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 6:19pm

Originally posted by fwunder

Charlie! I bet you are great with a slide rule! Just kidding. Fortran? Key punch? Thermo? Actually, I really like your approach to these problems. Math rules!
And, although I have never had a serious sway or control problem, I definitely have noticed a difference when carefully loading trailer and moving heavier cargo forward of the axle.
fred

Naw. I retired my slipstick and I'm now learning a four function calculator. 👍👍 ]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2017 18:19:54 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96723#96723 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : +1 to Charlie - Spot On. https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96719#96719 Author: mcarter
Subject: 10369
Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 5:01pm

+1 to Charlie - Spot On.]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2017 17:01:35 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96719#96719 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : just taking it all in!! https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96712#96712 Author: Leo B
Subject: 10369
Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 3:50pm

Ying Yangjust taking it all in!!]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2017 15:50:42 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96712#96712 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : Charlie! I bet you are great with... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96709#96709 Author: fwunder
Subject: 10369
Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 3:15pm

Charlie! I bet you are great with a slide rule! Just kidding. Fortran? Key punch? Thermo? Actually, I really like your approach to these problems. Math rules!

And, although I have never had a serious sway or control problem, I definitely have noticed a difference when carefully loading trailer and moving heavier cargo forward of the axle.

fred
]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2017 15:15:56 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96709#96709 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : You have to have... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96707#96707 Author: CharlieM
Subject: 10369
Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 2:40pm

You have to have the secret decoder ring to understandmanufacturers’ spec sheets. For the Pod FR lists the unloaded total weight(UVW), the unloaded hitch weight (HW)  and the cargo carrying capacity (CCC). The sumof UVW and CCC equals axle capacity plus HW. IOW, the total fully loaded weightincludes a fully loaded axel (3500#) and the unloaded hitch weight. Using theRPOD 179 as an example: HW=292, UVW=2756, CCC=1036. UVW+CCC=3792 which isexactly 292# more than the axel rating of 3500#. This is a bit fictional since itis unlikely that any weight added to the unloaded trailer will have no effecton hitch weight. Looking at the unloaded numbers: 292/2756=10.6% which ismarginal but OK. If any additional weight is added exactly over the axle thetongue weight ratio would be 292/(2756+1036)=7.7% which is dangerously low. Atrailer load this way will be very prone to swaying. The bottom line is addedweight should and will be shared between the axle and the tongue and will resultin a hitch weight significantly higher than the advertised HW number.  Many new owners do not discover this untilthey weight the tongue and find it much higher than expected. Loading cargobehind the axle in an attempt to minimize tongue weight is a recipe fordisaster.

]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2017 14:40:02 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96707#96707 What's going on with 3500 lb axles? : From what I can see, R-Pods and... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96699#96699 Author: Happy Tripping
Subject: 10369
Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 10:15am

From what I can see, R-Pods and their clones/competitors all use 3500 lb axles. My 171 has a bent axle, I don't know when this happened, but it seems to be a fairly common occurrence.

With the 171/2, the unloaded wt (2342#) + cargo capacity (900#) leaves a 'cushion' of ruffly 250#, but with the other models, as has been pointed out by others, the unloaded weight plus cargo capacity exceeds 3500 pounds on all of them -  http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=173&Image=5054&ShowParent=1.

This doesn't seem to be a good situation. Someone, please explain to me what I'm missing.
]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2017 10:15:11 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10369&PID=96699#96699