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Pictures of tow vehicles and trailers

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rawest50 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote rawest50 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Pictures of tow vehicles and trailers
    Posted: 13 Jul 2017 at 12:24pm
Not hooked up but that is the way it pulls with my Jeep. Like it is not connected. Mine is the gray Jeep.

2017.5 RPod 179
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Post Options Post Options   Quote backin15 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jul 2017 at 9:36am
I just hitched up, without the pod my front wheel well was 34 1/8" to the ground and hitched it is 34 1/2. This is fully loaded, we are on our way to meet our kids at a campground, and DW thinks if we don't bring enough fluids for them they will die. Therefore I have 3 cases of pop and 2 cases of water in the front.
This is why my dealer recommended against the weight distribution hitch, he didn't think there would be enough weight on it to give me proper sway control.
This will be our first real trip with the friction sway control, I am anxious to see how well it works. On my brief trip when I installed it, it seemed to work well.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jul 2017 at 8:11am
Originally posted by pjmarko

I am looking at purchasing a R-Pod 179 and doing some traveling., due to retire shortly.  I have a 2016 F150 4X4 SCAB with 2.7 EB.  Should I look at getting a w/d hitch and do I need towing mirrors?  I have the tow package (not the max tow package) with brake controller. I will be traveling alone so not much will be in the truck.
\
Towing mirrors? That depends on the state in which you are towing. Vermont, for example, requires them. Other states just specify that you must have visibility parallel with the vehicle, so if the TV is wider than the trailer, you would be okay. If the trailer is wider than the TV, you would need them.
Check out AAA's list of state requirements at http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/trailer-mirrors/

If you want to make it more convenient, go to 1A Auto and get a set of mirrors that you can extend or retract as needed. That is what I did for my Frontier.
https://www.1aauto.com/content/articles/towing-mirrors
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Wood River Pod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2017 at 11:45pm
I have a 2017 early (green) 179 HRE and 2010 Toyota Highlander with tow package.  Since getting our pod we've headed out on several long trips.  The longest was from south central Idaho down to Zion for 10 days over spring break.  Highlander has 5,000 rating with 500 max tongue.  When we pull the drift boat, we don't even know it's back there.  We purchases a friction sway bar with the pod and decided the rig could handled the weight.  It does...fairly well.  We like the sway bar peace of mind. 

While per the measurement, the front frame raises only an inch, it feels differently behind the wheel.  The back end drops almost 2 inches.  In maneuvering into spots on dirt or gravel, the front tires slip where they normally don't.  Also, a week ago we were coming home from camping up near Salmon, ID.  I followed the fam as I came late from work at the start of the trip.  I watched the pod bounce all the way home on the well traveled two lane road that follows the Salmon River through Stanley and up and over Galena Summit and then into our valley.  It was unsettling thinking of the wife/son getting into a situation with little room to maneuver and not be in control of the TT.  It was after that experience that I ordered the E2 WDH.  I have a rough fitting and will finish up this weekend.  I gain back all of the front rise and some of the back with sway protection to boot.  Also, I hope to take most of the bounce out of the ride.

Different rigs have different suspensions.  Our next might be bigger and beefier and the WDH won't be needed.  I'll post how the ride is after we are installed and towing with the E2.  That's my story.
Thanks

        
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Post Options Post Options   Quote backin15 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jul 2017 at 10:34pm
I actually was going to go with the E2, but my dealer is the one who recommended the friction sway control, he did not see a need for the weight distribution hitch. I understand the concept of a weight distribution hitch, and used one for the past 14 years on my previous campers. The tongue weight is so low on the pod I don't think enough weight is taken off the front tires to worry about, and I don't miss the up down up down of connecting the bars. I will be hitching up tomorrow, I will take a before and after measurement of the front wheel well and see what the difference actually is.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2017 at 7:54am
Originally posted by pjmarko

I am looking at purchasing a R-Pod 179 and doing some traveling., due to retire shortly.  I have a 2016 F150 4X4 SCAB with 2.7 EB.  Should I look at getting a w/d hitch and do I need towing mirrors?  I have the tow package (not the max tow package) with brake controller. I will be traveling alone so not much will be in the truck.
According to the manual, that vehicle should handle a trailer up to 5,000 lbs and 500 lb tongue weight without a WDH. Same (similar) with ours. That said, you will find that using a WDH will make the whole package more stable, even if you technically don't "need" it.

We use a WDH, and find it makes the whole assembly (TV + TT) more manageable.
bp
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Post Options Post Options   Quote pjmarko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jul 2017 at 2:53pm
I am looking at purchasing a R-Pod 179 and doing some traveling., due to retire shortly.  I have a 2016 F150 4X4 SCAB with 2.7 EB.  Should I look at getting a w/d hitch and do I need towing mirrors?  I have the tow package (not the max tow package) with brake controller. I will be traveling alone so not much will be in the truck.
Pete
2016 Ford F150 4X4 SCAB 2.7 EB
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Post Options Post Options   Quote ToolmanJohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jul 2017 at 2:29pm
Originally posted by backin15

We are towing with a 2013 Xterra Pro 4X.  Since the Xterra has soft suspension and will bottom out over a bump with two people in the back seat, I had installed Firestone air bags which made a weight distribution hitch unnecessary. I did encounter some sway while towing in a crosswind, so I added a friction sway bar which seems to have resolved the sway issue. Overall, I am very happy with how well the Xterra pulls the pod.

I have a friend who also tows with an Xterra, a 3000 pound Pop-Up. YES the Xterra has significant sag. He has not measured the tongue weight and I recommended he do so, offered my Sherline 1000 pound tongue scale to him but he hasn't been able to get to me since mid June.

 I think the softer Xterra suspension (designed as a compromise for good off-roading ability) contributes to handling when towing. Just leveling with air bags most definitely does NOT distribute the weight back to the front axle of the tow vehicle, it just reduces rear sag. You should get a weight distribution with sway control hitch and it may solve all handling/safety issues.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jul 2017 at 1:09pm
Originally posted by backin15

We are towing with a 2013 Xterra Pro 4X. Previously, I was towing a 6,000# camper with a 3/4 ton Dodge, and have found the Xterra/Rpod combination a much more pleasant towing experience. Between the truck and the camper, I am about 10 feet shorter which is nice in a tight campground. Since the Xterra has soft suspension and will bottom out over a bump with two people in the back seat, I had installed Firestone air bags which made a weight distribution hitch unnecessary. I did encounter some sway while towing in a crosswind, so I added a friction sway bar which seems to have resolved the sway issue. Overall, I am very happy with how well the Xterra pulls the pod.
Considering the much lighter weight of the Xterra, you might want to at least weigh the axles of the Xterra and Rpod to see how the weight is distributed. I know that the airbags have resolved the extra weight on the rear axle issue for you, but you may still be a little light on the front wheels, which can make a huge difference when on winding roads and/or steeper terrain. I think you might be better off with a WDH instead of, or in addition to the airbags; if only for safety sake.
bp
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Post Options Post Options   Quote backin15 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jul 2017 at 12:27pm
We are towing with a 2013 Xterra Pro 4X. Previously, I was towing a 6,000# camper with a 3/4 ton Dodge, and have found the Xterra/Rpod combination a much more pleasant towing experience. Between the truck and the camper, I am about 10 feet shorter which is nice in a tight campground.
Since the Xterra has soft suspension and will bottom out over a bump with two people in the back seat, I had installed Firestone air bags which made a weight distribution hitch unnecessary. I did encounter some sway while towing in a crosswind, so I added a friction sway bar which seems to have resolved the sway issue. Overall, I am very happy with how well the Xterra pulls the pod.
2015 179
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