tow vehicle question

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   Great feedback and way more insightful than I could ever know about these matters.I appreciate the time each of you took to research and answer. Thabk you all. I am in a dilema since this casts some doubt on what I thougt was not an issue. Looks like I might have to consider another tow vehicle which wasn't in the cards. Big enough decision without another tow vehicle. 🙄

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Marty P Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 25 May 2019 Location: Ohio Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Topic: tow vehicle question Posted: 16 Jun 2019 at 7:19pm
	Great feedback and way more insightful than I could ever know about these matters.I appreciate the time each of you took to research and answer. Thabk you all. I am in a dilema since this casts some doubt on what I thougt was not an issue. Looks like I might have to consider another tow vehicle which wasn't in the cards. Big enough decision without another tow vehicle. 🙄
	marty

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 16 Jun 2019 at 7:35pm
	Can you rent an rpod from your dealer for a few days and try it with your van before you buy?
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

podwerkz Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 11 Mar 2019 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 966	Posted: 16 Jun 2019 at 8:14pm
	Marty, you might call or email Mercedes-Benz and ask if the towing ratings are compatible with, or equal to, SAE J2807 standards. If not, I know it might be a bit of a buzz-kill, but that is better than some other outcomes I can think of. There are lots of camp trailers that weigh less than the r-pod, although they will certainly be smaller. What you should strive for is 'towing authority'...where the tow vehicle is always in control of the trailer, not the other way around. All one has to do is watch the video linked in this thread: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12932&title=some-sobering-video-of-what-not-to-do-towing Sometimes this means buying a smaller, lighter trailer than the one that caught your eye.
	r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 16 Jun 2019 at 9:00pm
	C'mon now, I object, All those crazy videos create fear unnecessarily. No one is suggesting towing a huge trailer behind a tiny tow vehicle. The Metris is a big, heavy vehicle with an impressive payload capacity and a decent wheelbase. It's not going to lack "authority" to control an rPod. And plenty of folks tow rPods just fine with 5000 lb tow rated vehicles, myself included. There is over 1000 lbs of headroom there. Where the Metris is lacking is in power, its got a small engine, so it will work hard. Perhaps harder than the owner would want. That's normal in Europe where fuel is about $6 a gallon. It won't rocket up mountains, but that's got nothing to do with what's going on in those video clips. Those are people with way to big trailers behind small tow vehicles, or people driving stupidly, or both.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

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: 6285	Posted: 16 Jun 2019 at 9:10pm
	I was just looking up the specifications for the Metris on Car and Driver. The Metris is classed as a mid-sized, rear wheel drive van. The rating was 5,000 lbs towing with a 500 lb WD hitch or dead weight hitch rating. I think this van would have no real issues towing any of the RPod models. GVWR is 6,614 lbs and GCWR is 11,724 lbs. These figures are direct from the Mercedes web site. I don't think Mercedes would advertise these for sale with these specifications without meeting appropriate standards. Mercedes has a reputation to maintain. As for the 4 cylinder engine, it is a turbocharged engine with a 7-speed transmission. I was towing with a Ford Escape with the 2L Ecoboost engine. That engine was amazing, especially when we were at increased (5,000 ft and up) elevations. It has more power than my naturally aspirated 4L V6 in the Frontier we use now for towing. See also the brochure for the Metris. Since you have the Metris, go ahead and use it with confidence. You'll be just fine.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

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: 2627	Posted: 16 Jun 2019 at 10:05pm
	As I've said; I think this vehicle is up to the task of pulling most R-pods with the possible exception of the 195. The fact that the engine is turbo'd makes a huge difference. Frequently, you can double the effective displacement.
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Marty P Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 25 May 2019 Location: Ohio Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Posted: 17 Jun 2019 at 6:54am
	Again I thank everyone for the details, but the bottom line is I wish there was a way to find out definitively if the van is up to the task. No dealer will ever let you attach a trailer and see for yourself. Renting one is nearly impossible around me as I looked at that option. Having to get another tow vehicle puts the adventure on hold. I like my van and it cost plenty and I don't want to trade it for a pickup. When I bought it i thought the 5000 pound towing capacity might be handy when I was done working out of the van. Now it seems I might wreck it if I out it to the test.
	marty

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 17 Jun 2019 at 8:05am
	Marty, your selection of a 5000 lb towing capacity vehicle was fine. Thats what you need for a bigger rpod. Your potential issue (and it’s only a potential issue) is that you may not find yourself comfortable with the power output of the Metris while towing. But OTOH it could be just fine for you. It depends on where you’re going with it. You live in OH, are you planning lots of mountain driving in the Appalachians with it? Or more local trips? As a comparison point, I live in NC and tow in the Appalachians a lot, with no issues. My Highlander is 270 hp vs. the Metris at 208. But the Metris has a more sophisticated transmission. In the end it’s a personal choice. You’re not going to “wreck” your vehicle. You just need to get some firsthand experience I think. If you can’t rent an rpod how about renting a uhaul trailer for a day or two and loading it to about 4000 lb? Then take it on a drive through the kind of terrain you plan to travel in. Also, I suggest checking on the Metris forum, look for and ask for comments on towing experience there with trailers in the 4000 lb weight range. There seemed to be some folks who were towing trailers regularly in that range.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

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: 6285	Posted: 17 Jun 2019 at 8:54am
	Marty, You will be just fine. Mercedes would not rate it for 5,000 lbs if it were not up to the task. If it were only rated for 2,000 or 3,500 lbs, I would be concerned but since it has a 5,000 lb rating, then go ahead and don't worry about it. You have the torque (more important for towing) that is more than adequate. Horsepower is for speed, torque is for traction (vital for towing). There are others who tow with vans with no problems. As I said above, a turbocharged 4 cylinder beats a naturally aspirated V6. The one caveat is pay attention to the manual's recommendation for fuel. I suspect that when towing, you will need to run premium gasoline. That is what Ford recommended for the Ecoboost Escape.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

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: 2627	Posted: 17 Jun 2019 at 9:44am
	I'm agreeing with StephenH and offgrid on this. That turbo-4 on the Metris is no slouch. It puts out 258 ft-lbs of torque at 1250 RPM. That is astounding for a 4-banger, and probably means it has a very wide, very flat torque curve. I'm betting that it would not need to rev much to pull an R-pod, and it also means there will be very little power drop-off at high altitude.
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost