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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290
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Topic: Thule Box Awning Retrofit Posted: 21 Mar 2019 at 5:19am |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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JimBinOC
Newbie
Joined: 26 Jul 2016
Location: Crazyfornia
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Posts: 18
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 8:27pm |
No problem offgrid. I'm man enough to admit when I'm right Happy trailering (on or off road).
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 5:44pm |
No disagreement at all as far as I'm concerned. I don't think anyone disagrees that more ground clearance is a good thing if you're off paved roads. Or for that matter even on them in many cases, there are some mighty big potholes out there...
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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JimBinOC
Newbie
Joined: 26 Jul 2016
Location: Crazyfornia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 18
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 5:23pm |
I just received an email response from Robert Drake in R-Pod customer service about the off road use issue and he said-
"The Hood River Edition is just that. More ground clearance and slightly different decal package."
I wrote- Thanks for your prompt reply. I guess my follow up question is – What is the purpose of the extra ground clearance?
He responded- "For the off road areas (emphasis added) that people on the West Coast like to go. The units made standard (from Indiana) are built more for the highways and paved roads."
Hope that settles the question about their off road suitability. And please don't jump down my throat over what is a fairly petty disagreement.
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 4:29pm |
What we're saying is that if you add an axle riser kit to an Indiana rPod and put 15 inch tires and wheels on it like many of us have in the east you have exactly the same trailer as an HRE Oregon rpod. Now apparently they all come with the lift btw. We have unpaved forest service roads in the east too, lots of them.
I have personally done one better by going to LRD tires and equivalent 2500 lb rated 15 inch wheels, and have also reinforced my axle tube. I take my rpod on dirt and gravel roads all the time, but I drive verrry slooowly on the back roads to avoid shaking the trailer to pieces or bending an axle. So yes for sure you can (carefully) take your rpod off of paved roads.
If your sales guy and the marketing vids are implying to you that you can bang along on rough dirt roads with impunity, then either you are misinterpreting what they're saying or they are exaggerating the pod's practical capabilities. Just remember: Is he in sales? is his mouth moving? If yes to both then just assume he is lying .
None of that has anything to do with the side wall structural integrity, which is fine and is what it needs to be for normal trailer use, no more no less.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp
Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Location: Central KY
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 4:26pm |
Let's do this.. I will agree that a dirt road, entrance areas to some off road areas, etc, it will probably be fine.. and lets say, my upbringing in the high Sierra causes me to have a different idea of "off road"... I promise you, besides the risers, and the larger tires, there is NO difference between a east and west Pod other then marketing and decals.. East Pods had the risers as an option, now they all use the same clocked axle, and a lift kit / risers isn't / aren't needed.
While increasing ground clearance is a functional upgrade for ground clearance.. it does nothing to make the structure of the camper itself any better for rough use.
Remember... no one on this board but you has a dog in the fight.. and your dealer does.. In the long run, we want podders to be happy in their ownership experience.
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JimBinOC
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Joined: 26 Jul 2016
Location: Crazyfornia
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 3:56pm |
"Actually, no.. The HRE package is just an appearance deal. At no place in it's brochure, on it's web page, or advertising, does FR say it's any kind of off road capable".
Once again, by off road I meant off paved road. Just checked the R-Pod factory website and the factory video shows an R-Pod being towed at fairly high speed ON A DIRT ROAD. Also, our authorized dealer extolled the virtues of the Hood River Edition for that kind of use and we have seen many fellow podders in places only reachable by dirt roads. Many state and federal RV campgrounds in the western part of the country can only be reached via dirt roads. When I first researched R-Pod trailers in 2016 the Forest River website stated that the HRE edition was specifically developed for the western region to accommodate the facts just described.
Don't understand the comment about HRE being an appearance package only since increasing the ground clearance is clearly a functional upgrade and using taller wheels and tires and axle risers doesn't do anything for appearance but does increase ground clearance, which is of no value for paved road use.
Also, just talked to our factory authorized dealer who said HRE edition can be used on dirt roads and they get pictures and comments from R-Pod owners who use them that way regularly. I left a voice message with R-Pod customer service about this but it will take some time to get an answer from them.
If what you are saying is true then the marketing of the HRE edition is inherently deceptive and misleading and there is no justification for it at all. That doesn't make sense.
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offgrid
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Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 3:32pm |
+1 to furpod.
The last thing I'd worry about is the walls of the rpods failing structurally. There's almost no load on them and the load that's there is a vertical column load, the easiest kind to handle. Even banging around on dirt roads and potholes you're going to bend the axle or the frame first.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp
Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Location: Central KY
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6128
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 2:50pm |
Originally posted by JimBinOC
By off road I meant off paved roads. The Hood River Edition is intended for that, hence the larger wheels and tires and extra ground clearance. We mostly dry camp and have driven many miles on dirt tracks with our Pod. That does involve more stress and strain on the trailer than full hook-ups and smoothly paved roads. Heck, the California deserts are full of paved roads that are worse than graded dirt. Just sayin. |
Actually, no.. The HRE package is just an appearance deal. At no place in it's brochure, on it's web page, or advertising, does FR say it's any kind of off road capable. There is nothing "beefier" or "off road capable" difference between a east coast or west coast Pod, other then the tires.
Have owners done some of it? undoubtedly. And none of them have lost a sidewall. At least not in the manner you are worried about. I have seen a couple literally shaken apart, or beat to death.
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JimBinOC
Newbie
Joined: 26 Jul 2016
Location: Crazyfornia
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 2:40pm |
By off road I meant off paved roads. The Hood River Edition is intended for that, hence the larger wheels and tires and extra ground clearance. We mostly dry camp and have driven many miles on dirt tracks with our Pod. That does involve more stress and strain on the trailer than full hook-ups and smoothly paved roads. Heck, the California deserts are full of paved roads that are worse than graded dirt. Just sayin.
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