New RP 180!!! |
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OldNeumanntapr
Senior Member Joined: 23 May 2018 Location: CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 204 |
Topic: New RP 180!!! Posted: 28 May 2018 at 12:38am |
After much debate as to whether or not to try to repair the extensive roof dry rot in my '89 Coleman Sequoia tent trailer I have decided to buy a new rPod 180.
I've seen them on the road for a long time and always thought they were cool and unique. Just last weekend while visiting the antique travel trailer show at the Pismo Beach campground I noticed that there was an rPod dealer among the RV dealers across the street. I briefly looked at the RP 180 and took some photos with my phone. Later I showed them to my wife and she agreed to go see the trailer the following day. We ended up buying it last Sunday, and we settled on $750 for the trade for the '89 Coleman Sequoia. We pick up the new trailer this coming Saturday. They also agreed to throw in a set of towing mirrors and a new drop hitch and ball. My wife Genéte liked the large dry bath on the 180. I liked the 179's big kitchen and dinette but neither of us liked the wet bath. Since it's just the two of us, and our four Dachshunds, I'm hoping the 180 will work well. I liked the openness of that floor plan with the windows on each side. Today I cleaned out the old trailer and removed all of our gear. In 2003 we towed that trailer from CA to NC and did 13 states in six weeks. Genéte and I got married a month later because we figured that if we could live together in tight quarters for six weeks then anything was possible! I towed the Coleman tent trailer with a 2002 4 cyl Tacoma extra cab (5-lug), and got 17-18 mpg on flat ground. The hills were difficult, sometimes had to drop to second gear. This time I will be towing the new rPod with a 2011 Tacoma V6 PreRunner Access Cab with the factory tow package. I will probably add a set of Hellwig overload springs to the back of the Tacoma if the tongue weight pulls the truck down. My last Tacoma could have used overloads because the relatively light tent trailer (1,500 lbs) sank the rear. I just this week found this forums website and it looks like there is wealth of information here! Planning on some short weekend trips to try out the new trailer and later this year travel up the Oregon coast. |
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Leo B
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 13 Jan 2012 Location: Lyndonville, VT Online Status: Offline Posts: 4517 |
Posted: 28 May 2018 at 5:57am |
Welcome to the group! Congrats on your 180!!!
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Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
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Pod People
Senior Member Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Location: Chapel Hill,NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 1078 |
Posted: 28 May 2018 at 8:17am |
Welcome to the forum. I am sure you will love your Rpod. Last year we spent 2 months traveling the Washington and Oregon coasts. There are lots of great camping parks and and areas to explore. travel safe Vann
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 28 May 2018 at 11:17am |
Congratulations and welcome! We are in the midst of our third trip with our RP179 out west to see our daughters and grandchildren. We've had other extended trips. I've lost track of how many miles we have put on our R-Pod but it is probably in excess of 15,000 since we purchased it. I hope you have many adventures and make many great memories with your R-Pod. Don't expect anywhere near the mileage you were getting when towing the Coleman. The frontal area of the R-Pod means that there is much more wind resistance to overcome. We tow with a 2010 Nissan Frontier 4L V6 4WD Crew Cab. The truck gets 19 or 20 mpg without the trailer. When towing we get between 10 and 14 with our 179. I installed an AeroPlus to help with wind resistance and limit my towing speed to 60 mph, even on the Interstate Highways. If I were to try towing faster, I would be getting more like 8 mpg. Mountains and strong headwinds cut the mileage. A good tailwind helps. Towing at no more than 60 mph is more relaxing also. You mention adding overload springs. Consider instead a weight distribution hitch such as the Equal-i-zer 4-point sway control hitch, the Progress Industries E2 hitch (2-point sway control), the Andersen No-Sway hitch, or something equivalent. These will provide sway control as well as keeping the back of the truck from sagging too much. Sway control is something you don't need until you do. It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Crosswinds and passing trucks can exert much more force on the 180 than they could on the Coleman.
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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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OldNeumanntapr
Senior Member Joined: 23 May 2018 Location: CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 204 |
Posted: 28 May 2018 at 12:02pm |
The gas mileage on the Tacoma is not the best unloaded. When I bought tis one I researched both engines; the V6 and the 2.7 4 cyl. The I4 only got three miles per gallon better than the V6 but had no power at all and couldn't even get out of its own way. (I asked the salesman on a test drive, 'This is so gutless. Is the parking brake on?' He said no, they're all like this.) If I get 12 mpg pulling the pod I'll be happy. From what I've heard the 4.0 V6 pulls much better than the new smaller Toyota Tacoma V6 introduced in 2016. I had a set of Hellwig progressive overload springs on my '91 F-150 and it made a world of difference carrying a '67 Alaskan camper. I'll probably add a set to the Tacoma.
I'm a slow driver so I'm not planing on going faster than 60 mph either. (Had a '67 VW camper bus for a long time and got used to life in the slow lane.) Some people are too impatient. It's the journey and not always the destination that is important. |
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GlueGuy
Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2653 |
Posted: 28 May 2018 at 12:54pm |
I think you would be better off with a WDH or at least anti-sway. The amount of weight transferred onto the trailer axle is miniscule. Less than 60 lbs based on the calculations I ran. The long moment arm between the hitch and the trailer axle is the key here. Most of the weight gets shifted to the front wheels of the tow vehicle (because the short moment arm is between the hitch and the rear axle of the tow vehicle. We have a 2010 Tacoma, and it does well most of the time. It does get a bit low on go when we are at 10,000 feet in the higher Sierra, and this is without towing a trailer. I would be concerned if we planned on towing the R-pod in a place like that. We used to have a 2008 Tacoma with the 2.7L 4-banger. At 10,000 feet, it could barely get out of its own way. The 4L V6 is way better. No question. OTOH, our Ecoboost barely breaks a sweat at 10,000 feet. We have not (yet) pulled the R-pod over one of those high Sierra passes, but I have no doubt that it can do it without drama.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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OldNeumanntapr
Senior Member Joined: 23 May 2018 Location: CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 204 |
Posted: 28 May 2018 at 5:29pm |
How do you back up with a WDH? Would helper springs and a sway bar be better?
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 28 May 2018 at 6:41pm |
A WD hitch does not affect backing up. The issue comes with the separate say control has that operate on friction. They must be loosened before backing out the will be the mount. WD hitches such as the Equal-i-zer, the E2, or the NoSway can be backed with no adjustment and no problems.
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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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DavMar
Senior Member Joined: 04 Aug 2017 Location: Lexington, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 592 |
Posted: 28 May 2018 at 7:59pm |
Congrats on your new 180 and for some the same reasons you like yours we love ours. I don't see you have any problems towing your Pod with your Tacoma PreRunner V-6. I added SumoSprings to my 2016 Tacoma which helped out along with using a WDH. I have no problem pulling our 180 with this new generation of Tacoma with it's new Atkinson cycle engine. I think most people freak out because this engine was designed to run at higher rpm's and they equate it doing so as to not having the power to pull at highway speeds which it in fact does.
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Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595 |
Posted: 29 May 2018 at 9:11am |
Congratulations on your new Pod and welcome to the forum. Several have suggested a WDH. It's a good idea, especially with a lighter truck like a Tacoma. You will find the driving much more comfortable and less tiring.
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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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