Pictures of tow vehicles and trailers |
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Twdamisch
Newbie Joined: 26 Aug 2017 Location: Victor, Iowa Online Status: Offline Posts: 1 |
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Topic: Pictures of tow vehicles and trailers Posted: 27 Aug 2017 at 7:07am |
This is Blu, our 2018 R-Pod 180.
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TWD
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Blue Highways
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 20 Sep 2016 Location: NC mountains Online Status: Offline Posts: 84 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 2017 at 10:08pm |
Thanks for the link, Stephen. The Good Sam linked discussion was interesting, as that one applies to camping, not industry effluent and the EPA. It seems the Good Sam discussion brought different opinions to light in a cooperative way.
I trust that caring people generally want to do the right (best) thing for all, as long as it does not heavily favor one user's output vs. another type of user's. It's sounding like it is dealt with differently in various campgrounds; not so much a locked in state-wide mandate. The point made about shower water from an RV exterior shower being absorbed vs. water from that same length shower taken "inside" the RV enclosure does create a quandry, but Stephen clarifies it well by saying the outside shower could be looked upon a "rinse off" as you might find on a beach, and would probably not involve soap and shampoo. Inside the RV, a rinse off or shower water output would join with other water that rinsed dishes, changing it's overall nature. Here's a little excerpt from that link that was interesting: It probably has something to do with the old adage, "Give them an inch, and they'll take a mile". If dumping grey water on the ground was endorsed, then many campsites would become mud holes. Having to dump grey water at a dump station provides an incentive for people to use the campground's shower facilities. As far as tent campers go, we do not have showers so there is no shower water to dump. My dishwater goes in the fire pit. If I had to transport every pail of water to a dump station, I would quit tent camping. Plus, rustic campgrounds often favored by tent campers have no dump station to begin with. So now that I have pumped a pail of water to wash my dishes, what in the heck am I supposed to do with it when I am done? Surely cannot dump it in the outhouse. ---------------------------- So it looks like it's slightly tricky concerning the tent camper (or pop-up tent trailer without collection tank) vs. any RV that collects non-toilet water from camping activities into a tank for disposal at will. My conclusion now is that it's probably best to decide to only release gray at a dump station, and resist that brief temptation some of us have had over our camping years to let it run off into some non-descript area. But I will not pass any judgement on tents and tent trailers that don't have receiving tanks. Appreciate the link and having some of us talk it out a bit, Stephen. Brad
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ToolmanJohn
Senior Member Joined: 23 Apr 2014 Location: Connecticut Online Status: Offline Posts: 451 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 2017 at 9:15pm |
If rinsing off outside, no soap. Water only. Nothing wrong with that as long as the water can drain properly.
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2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler
2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD) 2013 VW Touareg TDI |
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Leo B
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 13 Jan 2012 Location: Lyndonville, VT Online Status: Offline Posts: 4508 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 2017 at 8:26pm |
Ditto!!
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Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 2017 at 8:19pm |
I can understand an occasional dishpan of water for someone backpack hiking, but any time there is a holding tank, it is a place for bacteria to breeed. Dish water is (surprisingly) classified as black water, even if it is going into a "gray" water tank. I used to think that black water was just what went down the toilet. However, it makes sense that food and grease particles can also breed bacteria, so dumping a gray water holding tank is not as innocuous as a dishpan of water. Army Field Sanitation training also taught me that it is not proper to just dump water on the ground. The proper way is to dig a soakage pit or trench away from water streams/supplies and then to cover it over when done. I doubt the Forest Service or any campground would look kindly upon RV owners digging soakage pits or trenches for disposal of gray water.
For me, I see the outside shower as a way to rinse sand off from the beach or to rinse muddy feet before going inside for a proper shower. I don't see it as a substitute for the inside shower. |
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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fwunder
Senior Member Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Location: New Jersey Online Status: Offline Posts: 1676 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 2017 at 3:04pm |
ToolmanJohn, I have found my 2007 4Runner Limited to be a very capable TV. Been towing my 178 a few miles from NJ to CA, Pacific Northwest, Canada, entire east coast a few times from Maine to Florida, etc. The only time I ever felt under powered was 55+ mph headwinds crossing the Rockies in Wyoming. Perhaps difference is later model.
Stephen, interesting reading on NC gray water. Should probably be printed and placed inside all RV's w/outdoor shower. I am sure most new purchasers assume the outdoor shower on their Pod means washing the dog, the kids, the dishes and the whole family outside. Wonder what the park ranger thinks (and does) when he/she sees the shower enclosure strung up on the side of the pod. fred
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2014 RPod 178 => MyMods and Buying Habits
2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 2017 at 11:16am |
Please see this link for NC law on gray water. This link from the Good Sam's Open Roads Forum is also appropriate to the topic of dumping gray water.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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Blue Highways
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 20 Sep 2016 Location: NC mountains Online Status: Offline Posts: 84 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Aug 2017 at 10:54pm |
Have some observations about tanks, the official R-Pod weight limit, powering the fridge, but first, 2 sentences about our latest R-Pod run: Over a few years, I tend to feel comfortable carrying about 50% fresh water along, because the water we get at home is so pure. Even though we had H20 hookups per usual at KOAs, depending on locale, sometimes the water in some locations is a little heavy on sanitizers, or just doesn't taste as well. In those cases, I'll still hook up to camp water, using it for optional in-house showers, dishes, etc. but when that's done, if the shore water isn't so clean tasting, I'll close the camp H2O valve and pump some of our own on-board water for coffee, tea, or water for the next round of cooking. That's the scenario only if the water tastes a bit nasty from the spigot of the day. A second reason I have for not running up the road with a nearly empty fresh water supply, is that if we end up for some reason dry camping due to an unexpected change or interruption in our road progress, for whatever reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.... it's nice to feel self sufficient with good tasting water available on board. Also nice in case a driving break pullout view warrants pushing out the slider, (which on the 179 contains the dinette/fridge/micro) and having your good H20 onboard for lunch, to mix up tea or lemonade, etc. Still, I try to always have our black water emptied or very low when starting out, and be diligent keeping the gray water level low so as not to add extra cargo weight (beyond carrying the 50% fresh levels). Stephen pointed out that in NC the laws are harsh for letting a sink full of gray water out to absorb into a gravel or grassy camping zone while boon docking, so I will check into that. I'm currently somewhere in the middle on gray water, in line with Jcatt. The real concern is someone letting gray water puddle up in an area that interferes with a next camper's family area. And obviously, one should never let any quantity of gray water trickle down by gravity in the direction of any creek. But I also cringe at the scenario that you will be followed, accosted & zip tied for letting 2.25 gallons of shower water trickle into some grass edged with a shamble of scruffy bushes somewhere. However, if NC takes an extraordinary view of gray water control from the camping public, I will check into this, as I live in this state, and would not be the type to flaunt its laws. With thoughts of cargo weight and our roughly 1100 limit, I have a confession to make to the forum: We once used the R-Pod for a dual cargo carrying + camping run, where we were definitely overloaded. We would remove about 6 heavy plastic bins riding on the hitch-side master bed and stack them nightly behind the trailer in 2 neat rows at each campsite. I'm quite sure that we could have been up in the 1600 # zone; perhaps greater. There was no lingering issues that ever came of that, (and we would never be in a position to carry so much cargo again... it was a pain!), but it did alter my set point from "worried & crossing fingers about the 1100" to "being a little more relaxed" about stressing about the stated limit. My conclusion? The R-Pod, if towed judiciously, and not subjected to extremely rough roads at speed or coming into corners too hot, will exhibit a good measure more composure and body integrity than the official limits that Forest River Lawyers would have you believe. Still, lighter = a better, safer experience all around and slows brake and transmission wear. What's another weight contributor? Propane. We kept to one standard propane tank, because (despite my early drive to get a double tank hook-up), we found that without being the slightest way conservative, we just don't use very much propane. This is true despite extensively stove cooking in the camper, and on chilly nights, letting the heater run comfortably warm for as long as wife wants on 36° summer nights in the Yukon Territories (She is the fine cook of the rolling house.) We've done multiple strings of boon docking with chilly nights. For us, the single propane bottle sitting on the tongue does us just fine. Also, I am a firm believer in NOT subjecting the fridge energy draw to my tow vehicle's charging system every time I tow the vehicle a set distance, and now with some research, have completely relaxed about any nervousness of running the fridge on the road primarily using propane to do the cooling. I've noticed just how much less responsive the fridge is to 12V DC (outside of AC shore power). IMHO, leaving the cooling to an alternator charged 12V system churned out by the tow vehicle seems the least efficient way to cool your fridge, (with potentially more expensive wear and tear components in your tow vehicle engine bay). Should your bargman connector get pulled (or slightly dislodged) by road debris, (and this can happen), looking into your fridge after 3.5 hours travelling the hot asphalt with a loss of DC to the back may lead to a sad state of affairs for your food goodies. Again, just my humble opinion that propane powered fridges on the road are not unsafe, the data just doesn't support the fears. I'm OK with shutting off the propane before re fueling the vehicle, or respecting any posted rules for entering certain tunnels, but largely, I feel propane makes the most sense, and I know a great % of experienced campers have no qualms with propane supplying refrigeration while traveling. So for us, with all this stated propane use, we're doing fine with the single factory R-Pod tank set up. Last cylinder exchange? $14.99 at Bi-Lo. That's not much $ for a long lasting fuel supply that takes care of the camp fridge while leaving the alternator to carry its normal duty load. Final ramble: Roadrunner.... way to go on removing and replacing your own converter! That's something I feel would have not been in my comfort zone, so I was impressed. LOL on the lack of China bombs going off. In agreement with you, we received really good factory original tires that have worn well. And, in real life traffic, sometimes you have to go a few ticks over 70 to get you and your R-Pod into a safer highway position. It's nice to know our tires have that D rating. Happy also with the R-Pod as well. Don't recommend using it as a "Cargo-Pod", but it got us through a "Haul & Camp" despite the 1100 cargo limit. Tough, well-built little camper; maybe we got lucky, but totally happy with the WanderPod. B&L Nottingham Western NC Towed by "BG" '10 Tundra CM
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ToolmanJohn
Senior Member Joined: 23 Apr 2014 Location: Connecticut Online Status: Offline Posts: 451 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Aug 2017 at 9:21pm |
A 4Runner doesn't have loads of torque, and hills and 55+ mph are the enemy. Drop the transmission a gear manually (4 speed put it into 3rd, 5 speed put it into 4th), and don't try to win any land speed records when towing. In fact, with a 2002, I think you have a 3.0 liter (aka the 3 point slow liter) engine. Bulletproof, but 4Runners are designed to be good off-road, low gear and slow. They are not good tow vehicles unless you are well below their towing capacity. I know first hand.I had a 2003 4Runner, 4.0 liter V6, for 10 years. But after I towed with it for almost a year, I knew I wanted to make a change, main reason was fuel economy and towing ability. You will never have more than 30 gallons of water aboard. You start a trip with 30 gallons fresh, and between showers, sink, and toilet, the fresh water ends up int he gray or black tanks. So unless you are not dumping the gray and black, but refilling the fresh, you won't ever have more than 250 pounds of water (30gal X 8.34lbs/gal). |
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2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler
2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD) 2013 VW Touareg TDI |
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Roadrunner
Newbie Joined: 17 Jun 2017 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Aug 2017 at 7:55pm |
Just did our shakedown outing with our new 180. 2225 miles. Tow was our 2015 Expedition with 3.5 ecoboost 6 cyl. I didn't know it was back there. Set the cruise at 65 mph and averaged 14 mpg. The converter quit in South Dakota. Called the dealer in Round Rock Tx we bought the Pod from and tech troubleshot it with me, found a dealer close that had one but couldn't install for a week. My dealer agreed that if I would buy and install myself they would reimburse me when home. I did and all went well. I also did not have any China bombs go off. I had checked the tires and are D rated with 75 mph max speed. We are really happy with the R Pod.
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Roger
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