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snorris
Newbie
Joined: 05 Dec 2015
Location: Carmel, CA
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Posts: 19
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Topic: RPOD Offroad Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 6:44pm |
Looking at rpods and wondering how they do off road. No boulder hopping, just forest roads, BLM land, desert, washboard roads etc. Looks like the high rise axel would be a asset.
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kylekai
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Joined: 06 Aug 2014
Location: San Diego
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Posts: 139
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Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 7:21pm |
I've pulled my 179 over fire roads in the forest and semi-sandy roads in the desert and had no problems. I think the key is to go slow.
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snorris
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Location: Carmel, CA
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Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 7:38pm |
Thanks for the info. Helps with my research.
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Pod People
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Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
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Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 10:22pm |
we towed our R Pod 173 on the dirt road to Chaco Canyon. It was the most incredible 14 miles of washboard road ever!! There are cautions about the road is when you talk to the rangers or read the literature. After we got there we knew we still had to go back the same way!
we drove really slow-no real damage, but everything was certainly well shaken. cabinet doors and drawers stayed closed, stove burner rings popped off, blinds dropped down, hangers popped off of wall hooks-all little stuff but still a pain.
I think the biggest problem may be dragging the stabilizers on uneven ground. I have to be careful on some concrete entrances into fuel stops or grocery store lots. we have the 3" axle risers. you need to go in at an angle and not straight up the ramp.
think about unhooking any anti-sway bars before too much angle between the tow vehicle and trailer going up or down steep areas.
I think dirt roads are ok-not 4 wheel or jeep type roads for very long.
I wouldn't want to do the Chaco road again-been there, done that! Vann
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Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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Tars Tarkas
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Joined: 14 Jan 2013
Location: Near Nashville
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Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 10:53pm |
"Off-road" can mean a lot of things. In my opinion, R-Pod's are really not intended for much sustained bouncing and vibration (washboarding), and certainly not any serious mudding, deep ruts, or rock crawling. Short stints to get to a relatively secluded campsite might be okay if you don't mind going slow, but pods are too long, too low, too high, too wide, too heavy, and too lightly constructed for just about any serious off-roading.
Off-roading, to me, implies 4WD, mud, rocks, ruts, climbing over logs and/or driving under limbs. There are a lot of Forest Service roads that don't involve all of that, but even if they aren't paved, I call them roads, so they don't qualify as off-roading. There are certainly some "roads" where I think you'd be nuts to take a Pod; most any of the unpaved roads in Big Bend, certainly.
TT
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser
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snorris
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Joined: 05 Dec 2015
Location: Carmel, CA
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Posted: 07 Dec 2015 at 7:35pm |
Thanks to all for the info. Now to decide.
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