Should I buy? |
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mcarter
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Location: Greenbrier, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 3419 |
Topic: Should I buy? Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 11:32am |
A reputable rental company would not rent you a trailer not equipped to safely tow their rental trailer. They will advise what you need and may even assist with install for a price.
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Mike Carter
2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 11:28am |
If I'm not mistaken, the Dodge Ram 1500 with the towing package has a plug that accepts the common after market brake controllers (assuming it isn't already included as OEM). All you have to do is find the plug under the dash, and attach the controller where you want it. This is exactly what I did with the 2006 Ram I used to own. There are a number of controllers on the market and they are not expensive. I personally like proportional controllers because they give you a little better braking control.
As for the remainder of the towing equipment, the place where you rent the trailer will set you up. Your truck should be able to handle any trailer within it's towing capacity quite well. If you go to a destination not too far from home, you'll find out all you need to know about whether you really want a trailer.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 10:46am |
Is your tow vehicle already factory equipped with a 2" hitch receiver? Does it have a round electrical (Bargman) connector? It likely has both of those given the model truck you have, then you would need to get a trailer brake controller if it is not equipped with one from the factory. In my case, I chose the Hopkins InSIGHT Flex-Mount proportional controller. Others choose the Tekonsha Prodigy P3. One that does not require as much installation is the wireless Tekonsha Prodigy RF Wireless. You can see these and more at www.etrailer.com. As for a hitch, you could go with a simple ball hitch (cheap). However, it is good to have a hitch that will give you sway control, either a friction sway bar or something like the Progress Industries E2 which combines weight distribution and sway control and is relatively inexpensive. You could go all the way up to the Cadillac of hitches, the Hensley Cub, which is what I have (got it at a good discount) but it is way overkill for what you would need with that Dodge Ram. Weight distribution is not necessarily needed with an R-Pod, but it does help on those concrete roads where the seams get the truck and trailer porpoising (bouncing up and down). The sway control is not needed in most cases, but it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. If you rent a trailer, the company from which you rent it should be able to help with a hitch as well. It may be part of the rental package. You would have to check.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 10:35am |
furpod is correct, there is nothing at all wrong with the rpod roof a/c's ability to cool that small space. In fact, at 13,500 btu/hr it has too much capacity. And it sounds like a jet exhaust going off in your ears.....
You can for sure run the roof a/c from a small generator, I've done it many times. A 2Kw Honda or other inverter/generator will run it fine as long as no other ac loads are turned on at the same time. Run it yes, but it won't start it unless you add a soft start device to the a/c, which many people here have done. Not a big deal. The problem with running the a/c on a generator is that pretty much all campgrounds have quiet hours so you can't run the genny at night, when at least for me its most needed. So, when its hot and humid you either need to not mind sweating all night, have hookups, or be boondocking somewhere where your genny won't bother anyone. Definitely if you're not sure your wife will take to camping you should rent a trailer first and give it a try a couple of times. You probably don't even need to rent and tow the trailer, if you found a campground somewhere that has trailers already set up that you could rent, that would work too and probably be easier. Otherwise if you don't already have one you'll need to have a brake controller and 7 pin connector installed in your truck.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Royal1585
Newbie Joined: 24 Oct 2018 Location: TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 26 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 10:25am |
Here is as rookie a question if I've ever asked one....If I rent a travel trailer, where would I go/do to get the necessary towing equipment, i.e. hitch, etc.?
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Go Royals!
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 9:55am |
If your wife doesn't want to go camping, it's not likely that you'll do much camping. In that respect, I was very lucky. My wife had never been camping in her life. Where she comes from people just don't camp much and you'd never see a travel trailer. But she has taken to it very graciously. There are limits though. We tend to try to find camp grounds with a cell signal, which is no easy feat in remote areas. She's not a big hiker, but does it with good humor. As long as it's not too cold, and she has a cell signal good enough to make WhatsApp calls, she's content to sit in the trailer crocheting, while I'm off riding my bike.
I mentioned, as have others, renting a trailer. It's not expensive and will let you know in two or three trips whether it is something you'd like. The only draw back is backing up the trailer. It's a skill that comes with practice and it's a little frustrating the first few times. If you're only going to use the trailer 2 or 3 times a year, you'll save a boatload of money renting. Not only for the capital cost, but as trailers sit, similarly to boats, stuff deteriorates from lack of use and you'll spend way too much time fixing things.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 7:56am |
The Pod a/c cools just fine. I can make it 60F inside when it's 100F outside. Done it. BUT you have to have at least 20A of 120v available to run it. Just don't camp in CG's that don't have electric hookups.
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Royal1585
Newbie Joined: 24 Oct 2018 Location: TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 26 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 7:30am |
This is all good stuff and very much appreciated. I honestly already know I would be good with the camping life-style...I just don't know if my wife would be. Our son is a college football coach, so using the trailer to travel to games would be something I know she'd be all-in on, but going to parks and campgrounds I don't think is much to her liking, but who knows. We would only be late Spring to late Fall types. If the trailer A/C doesn't cool all that well, that could be an issue for me. That's one of the pros of hotels, at least many of them, that I can crank the air down and sleep cool. I am going to look into renting one at some point to see what we think...that's a good idea.
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Go Royals!
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 6:40am |
Furpod mentioned the Oliver which raises a good point. If you do decide to get a travel trailer, consider where and when you want to use it. Are you going to want to use it in cold weather? Hot weather? These are things you need to think about with a travel trailer but don't worry about staying in motels.
The Oliver and Bigfoot and maybe a very few others are actually insulated to prevent winter freezing, so you can use them all year. Casitas and rPods are not, they are really 2.5-3 season campers. You have to winterize them, which is very easy. You can still use them in cold (but not really cold) weather but you can't really use their water systems. So I see you want to spend time in the VA/MD/PA area near the civil war battlefields, that would limit you to say April through October/November.
In hot weather the problem is a different one. Except for the Appalachians, TX/VA/MD/PA and everything in between can all be pretty dang hot in summer. You can't run the a/c without either a generator or hookups. Too much power demand for batteries and solar. Most public campgrounds don't allow nighttime generator use and the access to hookups in public campgrounds can be pretty limited, at least it is around here. So you'll either sweat at night, travel to somewhere cooler in hot weather, or stay in private campgrounds where hookups are the norm. Might not be a problem for you, for me it is because I don't like the tight spacing in most private campgrounds. Just doesn't feel like camping to me. So in summer I usually head straight to the mountains from home here in coastal NC and camp in the national forests (often for free), makes for a long day driving. I spring and fall I usually camp locally in the national seashore or state parks. In winter like most people I don't camp. None of these are show stoppers, its just helpful to try to picture what kind of camping you'll be doing, where and when. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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David and Danette
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 24 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1218 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 6:24am |
Camping trailers are a luxury item that is the way I understand them. I agree it would be better to rent a camper a few times before you buy that could save you thousands of dollars should you decide camping trailers are not something you like. Camping trailers and boats depreciate very quickly and require a lot of maintenance. There are the advantages that have been mentioned but owning a tent or a row boat is far less expensive and less maintenance than owning a camping trailer or a power boat.
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2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018-
2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019) 2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014) Middle Tn 2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab |
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