Hello from Maine

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   Hi all!We are soon to be the proud owners of a 2009 R-Pod 172. My wife and I are in the process of buying a used 2021 Sienna Hybrid minivan and I was looking for a travel trailer lighter than the vans 3500 lb towing capacity. I found the 172 for $8499 at a RV dealer about an hour away. It appears to be in great shape. The had removed all of the graphics and were going to apply new ones. We saved $500 by having the not replace them. We live a quarter mile from a shop that does vehicle graphics including all of the area fire and emergency vehicles, so we may opt for some custom graphics to match the van. As soon as I get both vehicles, I'll post a picture. 

The hybrid Sienna is rated at 36 mpg for both city and highway, but I'm sure that will drop significantly while towing. If it stays in the mid 20s I'll be happy. We have had 5 different RV (all motorhomes) since about 1999 and gas mileage in all was under 10 mpg. If there are any forum members out there with a Sienna hybrid tow vehicle, I'd be very interested in hearing your experience with it.

We both retired 7 years ago and we do a lot of camping around New England with one or two multi-week cross country trips a year. I've already discovered that this forum will be a great resource of information.

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OldMainer Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 24 Mar 2022 Location: Maine Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote OldMainer Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Hello from Maine Posted: 25 Mar 2022 at 11:26am
	Hi all! We are soon to be the proud owners of a 2009 R-Pod 172. My wife and I are in the process of buying a used 2021 Sienna Hybrid minivan and I was looking for a travel trailer lighter than the vans 3500 lb towing capacity. I found the 172 for $8499 at a RV dealer about an hour away. It appears to be in great shape. The had removed all of the graphics and were going to apply new ones. We saved $500 by having the not replace them. We live a quarter mile from a shop that does vehicle graphics including all of the area fire and emergency vehicles, so we may opt for some custom graphics to match the van. As soon as I get both vehicles, I'll post a picture. The hybrid Sienna is rated at 36 mpg for both city and highway, but I'm sure that will drop significantly while towing. If it stays in the mid 20s I'll be happy. We have had 5 different RV (all motorhomes) since about 1999 and gas mileage in all was under 10 mpg. If there are any forum members out there with a Sienna hybrid tow vehicle, I'd be very interested in hearing your experience with it. We both retired 7 years ago and we do a lot of camping around New England with one or two multi-week cross country trips a year. I've already discovered that this forum will be a great resource of information.
	OldMainer 2009 R-Pod 172

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Post Options Post Reply Quote lostagain Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Mar 2022 at 12:30pm
	Welcome Old. You will find your 172 has much less resistance with the graphics removed. We peeled off the worn out graphics on our 172, put a coat of Meguiars and noticed an immediate improvement on our mileage. We thought about naming the 172 White Cloud, but decided adding more graphics might increase the wind resistance.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6293	Post Options Post Reply Quote StephenH Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Mar 2022 at 12:55pm
	I think the graphics on the front might be the most critical ones. I'm not so sure about the ones on the sides.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3227	Post Options Post Reply Quote jato Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Mar 2022 at 1:33pm
	Welcome to the forum Old Mainer. A thought: get your 172 weighed before you go on a trip (go to your local county road commission weigh scale - they do it for free) to see how much weight you have. They can weigh the 172 by itself as well your Sienna minivan together. It may be a real eye opener. Our 177 dry weighs in at 2415 but fully loaded for a 3 week trip, including 36 gallons of water we weighed in at 2940 lbs. I don't believe the 172 is a whole lot lighter than the 177 plus our 177 does not have A/C, microwave/convection oven or entertainment system, saving us 150 + pounds.
	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."

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Post Options Post Reply Quote lostagain Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Mar 2022 at 2:04pm
	Jato has a good point. The max weight of the 172 ["dry weight" + cargo] is 3179 pounds. If you add the tongue weight it is another 179 pounds. You're going to be pushing the maximum capacity of your Sienna and may find that it's uncomfortably heavy. You may want to check with your Toyota dealer to see what the maximum combined vehicle weight capacity is. By the time you add in your passengers, gear, water, LP, batteries, and trailer, you may find you're overweight. You may do adequately in New England, but once you go west and hit the high mountains, you may find that your engine and transmission are just not up to the task, not to mention your brakes. We towed our 172 with a Dodge Dakota with 4.7 V8 and a 5000 lb towing capacity. I it struggled up high mountain passes such as Carson Pass and the tranny got pretty warm until I put a cooler on it.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

OldMainer Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 24 Mar 2022 Location: Maine Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote OldMainer Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Mar 2022 at 2:15pm
	Thank-you all! Just the kind of feedback I needed. I will definitely check into the weight issue.
	OldMainer 2009 R-Pod 172

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Post Options Post Reply Quote offgrid Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 26 Mar 2022 at 4:07am
	Definitely weigh as other folks have suggested. You have several weights you need to stay within besides trailer weight. If you use the advanced search I have posts on how to weigh accurately at a public scale and links to a calculator that will tell you if you're within all your limits. That is the min requirement to be legal in the highway. Dont tow if any of the limits are over, either redistribute or remove weight or get a heavier TV. Most people like to keep their weights 10-20 percent below all the max loads as safety factors. Also check that your tongue weight is at least 10-11 percent of total trailer weight or you can get trailer sway, which can be deadly. While it won't increase your limits at all, adding a weight distribution hitch will definitely improve rig handling in a situation like yours where you'll be near your limits. First check your manual to see if your tow vehicle manufacturer allows wdh use. If it does then get one and tension it per instructions, which will move weight from your TV rear axle to the front and trailer axles. The objective is to get the front axle back to what it was before adding the trailer, NOT to "level" the TV. If you overtension the wdh you can move too much weight to the trailer axle and overload it. Most wdhs also include sway control or it can be added separately, so get that too.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

gpokluda Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 280	Post Options Post Reply Quote gpokluda Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 26 Mar 2022 at 3:53pm
	Welcome OldMainer. There are lots of knowledgable folks here on the forum with great advice. As a matter of fact, the forum saved me about $150 just this weekend. I was going to replace my two, 5 year old batteries but decided to run them through some testing described here on the forum and wouldn't you know it, my batteries are fine! No need to replace them yet. I second the need WDH. Make sure you load your tow vehicle and rpod as it would be for a typical trip so that you can dial in the adjustments. We use a FastLane 6000# hitch that has worked flawlessly for 5 years and many thousands of miles. Be safe and enjoy! gpokluda 2017 Rpod 179 2016 Nissan Frontier SV

Colonel Podder Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 25 Sep 2020 Location: Lexington, SC Online Status: Offline Posts: 68	Post Options Post Reply Quote Colonel Podder Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 26 Mar 2022 at 4:56pm
	Welcome OldMainer! Congrats on your purchase. My feelings on the graphics are that they are a part of what makes the trailer an R-Pod, and therefore an important part. I would spend the $500 on new graphics. Plus the factory graphics would go back in the same place and look the best without any possible fading showing. Just a thought.
	2021 R-pod 196

EchoGale Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 10 Mar 2019 Location: FL Online Status: Offline Posts: 463	Post Options Post Reply Quote EchoGale Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 29 Mar 2022 at 2:02pm
	Nice to meet you OldMainer. I'm a Mainer myself with a 2016 172. I've had it for 3 years and really enjoy it. This forum has been a lifesaver. I'm in California now but will be back in Maine by the beginning of June. Would love to meet up and compare notes.
	Julie