Towinng with a full tank?

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   Spydie, we had forward bunks in our 172 with no windows.  We bought the trailer used and didn't really want or need the upper bunk so we took it out, leaving the part by the head as a shelf.  Now we have room for a window on one side, but I'm still thinking of using marine portholes like the one I put in my door.  If you want opening windows in the bunk area, these might be a solution.  They don't come with screens, but you can buy porthole screens at a marine supply or on Amazon.  
You could put in portholes on each side though 2 vertically mounted portholes (one for each bunk) may look a little strange.  But when it comes to comfort, aesthetics are overruled by function.  The porthole we put in the door lets in a surprising amount of air and the screen door keeps the bugs out when both are closed.  

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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	Topic: Towinng with a full tank? Posted: 26 Jul 2017 at 12:27pm
	Spydie, we had forward bunks in our 172 with no windows. We bought the trailer used and didn't really want or need the upper bunk so we took it out, leaving the part by the head as a shelf. Now we have room for a window on one side, but I'm still thinking of using marine portholes like the one I put in my door. If you want opening windows in the bunk area, these might be a solution. They don't come with screens, but you can buy porthole screens at a marine supply or on Amazon. You could put in portholes on each side though 2 vertically mounted portholes (one for each bunk) may look a little strange. But when it comes to comfort, aesthetics are overruled by function. The porthole we put in the door lets in a surprising amount of air and the screen door keeps the bugs out when both are closed.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

spydie Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 25 Jul 2017 Location: New Mexico Online Status: Offline Posts: 159	Posted: 26 Jul 2017 at 11:24am
	I just brought my new 176 home to NM from AR where I bought it and I had them almost fill the fresh tank before I left, not knowing where I would be each night. I have a RAM 1500 Quad cab 4X2 with 5.7 hemi and I did not lack for power, but I did notice a little tail wag at times, so I kept tightening the sway bar to help it. I do not have a WD hitch and don't need one with this truck as it doesn't even notice the tongue weight, but I didn't realize until I got home that the FW tank was behind the axel. Such a bad design. They should never have done that on any of their Pods, and why they did it on some and not on others is beyond me. They use three 30 gallon tanks, all the same physical size between the frame rails and could have arranged them any way they wanted to, so why choose to put the 300 lbs behind the axel? I was thinking about taking off the spare tire and mounting a small generator to the trailer hitch, but now I'm rethinking that and thinking about getting rid of the spare tire too. Besides, all your outside storage is also behind the axel so they are really building problem on top of problem with this setup. I've had 4 Casitas and really loved them, but the R-pod has a lot more standard features for less money, but I'm starting to see some really bad designing in these. For instance, I have the forward bunk beds. There's no windows in the bed area at all (so you can crack a window and turn on the ceiling fan and bring in some cooler air to help you sleep). No ventilation in the sleeping area at all unless you install a fan yourself or are hooked up to electricity so you can run the A/C all night. And the three windows my 176 does have are all sliding windows, instead of crank-out windows, so you can't leave them open when it's raining! REALLY? Who doesn't want some ventilation when it's hot and rainy? Bad Bad design.
	2018 R-pod 176 2017 RAM 1500 5.7L Hemi

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	Posted: 26 Jul 2017 at 10:06am
	We tow using a Fastway EZ-2 WDH and don't notice one way or the other any difference between the water tank being full or empty on our 172. The tank is right behind the axle. What we do notice is if the tank is full, or the other tanks for that matter, it slows us down a bit on the steep Sierra Nevada grades.e Then, again, I set the cruise control for 55 most of the time when we're not climbing, and let every else pass me. Why hurry? We're out there to be relaxed.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

K&Jbrown Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Jul 2017 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Posted: 26 Jul 2017 at 8:44am
	I did go and tow with a 3/4 tank of water and it was not too much of an issue. the trailer did push me a round a tiny bit but overall it wasn't bad at all. Thanks for everyone's input.
	K&Jbrown 2015 Ford F-150 5.0L

Kos Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 08 Apr 2017 Location: Edmonton AB Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Posted: 25 Jul 2017 at 8:31pm
	I have a 178 and towing it with a Nissan X-terra. The FW placement in the back is very bad for towing. It makes a significant difference towing it with a full or empty FW tank. It tents much more to swaying at higher speed and needs a balanced load on the hitch. I mostly camp of grit and I have to tow often with full tank. I bought this unit this year and the placement of the tank and the fact it does have two pipes for emptying the black and gray tank made me almost regret my decision.

GlueGuy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2630	Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 8:07pm
	Your Dacota is big enough that it probably doesn't notice the difference. One of the advantages of having a TV that is spec'ed well above what you actually need.
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

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	Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 1:22pm
	We have a 172 with the FW tank just behind the axle. Our water at home is very hard and leaves crud in faucets and tanks so I prefer to fill the water tank when I get to a Sierra camp ground with fresh snow runoff water. I towed the trailer home last weekend with the tank nearly full on roads ranging from curvy steep mountain roads to freeways and it didn't feel any different from when we were outbound with an empty tank. We use a E2 WDH and I have to say it really makes the ride more comfortable. Next trip out, on this coming Saturday, we're leaving with the tank nearly full because the camp ground where we're going has a problem with contamination in the water system that they're trying to fix. We'll just pay attention to keeping the load balanced. But then, we tend to travel very light overall.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

TheBum Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 1407	Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 12:19pm
	On our 179, the freshwater tank is also far forward of the axle. We've towed with a full tank and had no issues either. Our tow vehicle is a 2012 Toyota Highlander with E2 hitch.

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	Posted: 14 Jul 2017 at 9:26pm
	[QUOTE=voisj]I've got a 180 and the fresh water tank is way forward (4') of the pods axle. I also tow with an F150 and tow with a full tank to drycamp, and have noticed no difference full or empty. Im sure there is more weight on the hitch but the truck feels the same. On our 177 the tank is behind the axle and since we normally dry camp we leave home with a tank full of our delicious well water, if only going for a 2 day weekend trip we only bring 10 gallons with us. Either way, like vois, we notice no difference towing whether the tank is full or nearly empty with our Explorer.
	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."

K&Jbrown Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Jul 2017 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Posted: 14 Jul 2017 at 7:08pm
	thank you!!! Cant wait to get rolling.
	K&Jbrown 2015 Ford F-150 5.0L