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Topic ClosedSizing Santa Fe and R-Pod 178

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jbar View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Sizing Santa Fe and R-Pod 178
    Posted: 22 Sep 2020 at 4:24pm
Hi All.  I joined on the chance my girlfriend and I are purchasing a 2016 R-Pod 178 this weekend.  I have a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe (3.3l AWD v6 motor) with a 3500 towing capacity.  The R-Pod (with fluids) GVWR comes out around 3750 pounds.  While I doubt we'll leave home with a full water tank, is it risky even if I drive slow?  I got two conflicting pieces of advice:
1) Get an RV trailer no more than 60% of your capacity (so for me that's only 2,100 pounds)
2) The US ratings are much too conservative and a 3500 capacity is likely closer to 5000 (based on Europe numbers - which I never saw.
I lean towards the safe side.  Any experience with this?

My second question is easier I hope.  The Santa Fe already has the wiring harness for a trailer.  From what I'm reading, that will need to converter to 7 wire.  Etrailer seems to have some converters https://www.etrailer.com/bc-2009_Hyundai_Santa+Fe.htm  Can anyone please clue me in on what to look for?  It would be nice to be able to switch from trailer to RV by simply plugging/unplugging.  We're excited on the possibility of taking this journey but want to cover our basesSmile

Thank you

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mcarter View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Sep 2020 at 5:12pm
I had a 2010 Sante Fe with same motor. You need a 7 pin and a brake controller. I would never tow my 2015 178 with it. It does not have what I would consider adequate capacity at 3500 lbs. In my opinion you need 5000 lbs of towing capacity. I don't overload my 178 and right now my tongue weight is 372 lbs. I would not consider a 2009 and a 178 a good match. My 2 cents.
Mike Carter
2015 178
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Sep 2020 at 6:24pm
+1 to mcarter. The Santa Fe is not enough to tow that trailer safely. Tow ratings assume there is nothing in the tow vehicle, which is of course not realistic. So, you would be towing a trailer that is already too heavy even before you put any gear or passengers in the Santa Fe.

I don't know what the Santa Fe might be rated for for Europe, but it doesn't matter. The US is not Europe. We have busy freeways with big trucks going 75 mph, high mountains, rough roads, and long distances. Also, if you overload your trailer and have a wreck, you would be considered to be negligent and liable for any damage or injury you caused. Imagine standing up in court and saying "well, what I did would have been OK in Europe". See what I mean? 

Get a lighter trailer or a heavier tow vehicle, be safe and make your towing experience safe and pleasant. 

As for tow vehicle electrical connections, you will need a brake controller which needs a wire to send power to the trailer brakes. You will also need a 12V supply to the trailer from the TV so you can charge the trailer battery while driving, and run the fridge on 12V as well if you want to be able to do that rather than use propane. That requires a 7 way connector and some new wire runs as well as a brake controller install. You can get an etrailer kit and do that yourself, its not hard, but please do yourself a favor and don't do that in the Santa Fe. 


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Sep 2020 at 7:02pm
Thank you both.  The dry weight is supposed to be 2600/hitch weight 257.  I'm assuming much of the GVWR comes from the 36 gallon water tank/30 gallon grey tank = 650 pounds.  Not sure where the extra 500 pounds comes from (probably upgrades and camping supplies).  Even assuming that, dry should be 3103.  The Santa Fe will have my girlfriend and her dog (plus any cargo not placed in the R-Pod.  I don't know how the geometry works with these things.  Just guessing but it feels like weight in the back of the trailer would help with hitch weight if it got too high.  I saw someone with a RAV4 on your boards but guessing they were towing the smaller R-Pod.  I don't know of any of this helps.  We are not under pressure to buy and the Santa Fe could eventually be upsized to accommodate.  Thanks again
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2020 at 7:23am
My 179 is listed with an empty weight of 2630, hitch weight 285. The actual weights (measured at a public scale) when loaded for boondocking (dual batteries, full fresh water tank, other tanks empty, a week's supplies, a few tools, not much else) is 3700 lbs and 500 on the tongue. The max gross weight of the trailer is 3785 so I am within 85 lbs of that. 

So, my recommendation when looking at trailers and tow vehicles is to use the gross trailer weight (GTW), and forget the empty weight, particularly if you will be boondocking. The 178 has a gross trailer weight of 3795, essentially the same as mine and most of the mid sized rPods. 

In addition to staying within tow weight and tongue weight ratings, take a look at the max combined gross vehicle weight rating of the tow vehicle, should be on your driver door sticker. Then, take the GTW, add the curb weight of the TV, add 80 lbs for a weight distribution hitch (which you will want), add the weight of driver, passengers, and gear in the TV. Don't underestimate the gear, you will for sure want to bring some stuff you probably haven't thought of yet, tools, grill, pop up rain and bug shelter, a generator or solar module, etc etc.  It adds up quick. 

Compare those two numbers, consider where you will be travelling, and how close you really want to be the limits of the vehicle. I stay about 1000 lbs under my MCGVWR, more than that just starts to feel like a white knuckle experience, especially in the mountains, rainy weather, or on a busy freeway. 

BTW, you should never have both a full fresh and gray tank at the same time. If you're boondocking, empty the gray and black tanks before refilling the fwt. If you have hookups, then you don't need any water in your fwt anyway.

Re shifting weight aft to reduce tongue weight, that is generally not a good idea. You need the tongue weight to always be at least 10% of total trailer weight, more is better. The lower the tongue weight the more a trailer is prone to sway, and rPods do exhibit sway at about 10% tongue weight. I like my tongue weight at 12% or more. Check out this video:


Yes, there are folks towing the mid sized rPods with RAV 4's. There are folks that do or talk themselves into doing all kinds of things that you can read about on the internet. But I think that you will find the consensus opinion on this site is that that is not the way to go. If you do want to tow with the Santa Fe why not get a smaller trailer, like a TAB? 
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jbar View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2020 at 8:40am
Very helpful Offgrid!  Thank you
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2020 at 9:47am
I will add to the chorus. The water tank(s) can add to the gross weight if you're boondocking, but there are other things like batteries, propane, and just "gear" that will also add to the gross weight, and perhaps more importantly, the tongue weight. I have yet to see any trailer, Rpod or not, come in with anything close to the dry weight. The dry weight is an advertising number, and not a lot more. I would be happy if makers were required to list dry, "typical", and gross weights.

So I think that vehicle is not quite up to the task.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2020 at 12:16pm
If I recall the hitch on my 2010 Sante Fe was an add on, Class II I think. It was not sufficient to tow a Pod.
Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2020 at 12:52pm
Thanks again all.  We are now discussing a beefier vehicle.  Sounds like a 2010 (or newer) 3.5L Toyota Highlander would be the minimum to safely tow but I've got to research more.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2020 at 2:01pm
jbar, some very knowledgable folks have offered some very wise advice.  I can say +3 to mcarter, OG, and GlueGuy.  
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