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Newbie here - Is R-Pod a good choice?

cwmoser
Explorer II
Explorer II
Never owned a Travel Trailer but wifey and I are looking to purchase
one. Just the two of us and our dog.
Don't know much but do like the R-Pod 180 - has a dry bathroom.
Pulling with a V8 SUV - max Tow capacity of 6,000 lbs.
Already installed the hitch and wired in a Prodigy Brake Controller.

What do you think about the R-Pod?
Can you recommend something similar?
56 REPLIES 56

braindead0
Explorer
Explorer
cwmoser wrote:
I had read somewhere to consider the max towing to be
1/2 the vehicles max tow rating plus 1,000 lbs.
That would put the limit for my vehicle at 4200 lbs.

I'm guessing I need to find a trailer less than 21 feet.
Just the wife and I. I'm 6'2" so if the queen bed is oriented
so I can hang my feet off the end or just deal with it.
Dry bathroom, and I don't have a place to store it under a
shelter - use a car-like cover or invest in a metal carport
cover?

I appreciate all the Camper suggestions. Been going over
to YouTube for a look see. Still can't pull the trigger.
It's a big decision, make sure to check interior heights as well.. you'd be surprised how many smaller TT's have 6' or less interior heights.

I'm 6'2" also, our Econ 16RB has plenty of room (headroom and bed), overhead cupboards have awning doors that stick out and make quite a hazard for even normal size people however I have an easy fix in mind for that. Construction quality is a bit lacking at least on ours (first year model I believe). That being said we purchased ours for 13,700 (on a MSRP of over 20K) so if you're looking for a cheaper 'starter' trailer you might want to consider Pacific Coach Works.

As far as covering, I think that's a whole nother subject. I think covers have their proponents. We park uncovered in the driveway.
2015 RAM 1500 4x4 5.7, 3.93
2013 Econ 16RB TT

B-n-B
Explorer III
Explorer III
We looked at R-Pods. They seemed like quality rigs, we just couldn't find a floor plan that suited us.
2019 Chevy 3500HD LTZ DRW
2025 Bigfoot 10.4

cwmoser
Explorer II
Explorer II
I had read somewhere to consider the max towing to be
1/2 the vehicles max tow rating plus 1,000 lbs.
That would put the limit for my vehicle at 4200 lbs.

I'm guessing I need to find a trailer less than 21 feet.
Just the wife and I. I'm 6'2" so if the queen bed is oriented
so I can hang my feet off the end or just deal with it.
Dry bathroom, and I don't have a place to store it under a
shelter - use a car-like cover or invest in a metal carport
cover?

I appreciate all the Camper suggestions. Been going over
to YouTube for a look see. Still can't pull the trigger.

Heiny57
Explorer
Explorer
Look at a Dutchman 200 GB or others like it, much better use of space.

braindead0
Explorer
Explorer
gmw photos wrote:
..
Ok, I'll bite 🙂 .... I tow my 4000 pound 19' funfinder with a '06 Frontier, with the V6 you mention, and a six speed manual. I've towed it close to 30,000 miles now over the last almost 5 years. ....
Mine was an automatic, the trans in '07 had no tow haul mode and if I recall 3.20 something rear end. I had to manually manage gearing for the most part as well. We drive a lot on secondary mountain roads that are very steep and very twisty, often running 5000rpm plus just so we can keep momentum through the turns... do that for 30 miles and it starts getting old.

I'm not 'dissin' the Fronty, ours gave us 90k miles of good service...We drove cross country towing a heavy u-haul AND 2 street bikes loaded in the bed.. it handled that pretty well but it was all interstate and not much mountain climbing. Point is that for OUR usage and our Fronty there's no way I'd feel comfortable towing the 6800# they claimed it would tow except for short distances and certainly not on a regular basis.

Back to OP's original question.. Usage, vehicle specific equipment, personal comfort level (driving at high rpms form long distances for example) play a factor in deciding what to tow and what vehicle to tow it with.
2015 RAM 1500 4x4 5.7, 3.93
2013 Econ 16RB TT

rln44
Explorer
Explorer
check out the RPOD forum. tons of useful information and videos by current owners.

gmw_photos
Explorer
Explorer
braindead0 wrote:
Acdii wrote:
There is much more to it than tow weight! The salesman was smoking some really good stuff that day! LOL I bet one trip down the road with a larger heavier trailer in the lexus and you will be wanting to run him over! 🙂

Honestly, I would not look at anything larger than what I posted for that type of tow vehicle. One, its an SUV, and not really designed to tow a large trailer, two, it has a short wheelbase, and trust me on this, you don't want to be towing a long box on the interstate with a short wheelbase SUV. I used to tow my 18' long horse trailer with a 97 Ford Explorer, which I believe has a pretty similar wheelbase to the Lexus. Every time a truck went by, it would push and pull the rig. It got old after a while. The one I listed is much lighter than my horse trailer, and I think is a perfect match for what you have.
Indeed, just because you can 'tow' it doesn't mean it'll be fun. Previous TV was an '07 Nissan Frontier, 265HP claimed towing capacity of 6800#, towing 3000# in the mountains around here was an exercise in flogging the heck out of the engine. That V8 probably isn't as high strung as the Nissan V6 however take those tow rating with a HUGE grain of salt.


Ok, I'll bite 🙂 .... I tow my 4000 pound 19' funfinder with a '06 Frontier, with the V6 you mention, and a six speed manual. I've towed it close to 30,000 miles now over the last almost 5 years. From sea level at the gulf coast to the highest passes of Colorado ( I go to Colorado every summer at least once, usually twice ). Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona twice, all around the midwest. All kinds of weather, all seasons. Not once, ever have I felt I was "flogging" this truck. In fact, I can, and usually do get the job done, even in the mountains, with no more than 3500 rpm. Redline is 6200 rpm....so 3500 or even 4000 is more like "loafing".

Honestly, this ( and the Toyota Tacoma ) is one of the most under-rated trucks out there. And yes, I do in fact do some towing. Four trailers ( two goosenecks on the F350 dually ) and two bumper pulls ( one camper and a horse trailer ).

People often think that 4000 or 4500 rpm is "flogging" a gas engine.

Hmmmmm........;)

EDIT: to the OP.....towing with your 4.7L V8....you are going to have to rev it more than you would in normal non-towing driving. You are not going to hurt it. "revving" engines while working them ( within limits of course ) does not hurt them. At all. Especially considering you will likely never have to rev it to redline at all, and most times you will only be at 50% to 60% of redline, even on steep climbs. If you find yourself "having" to run at redline, you may want to reconsider your driving habits. Most of these modern gas engines can do this kind of towing at rpm that is at or below where the engine makes it's torque peak, not it's HP peak.

braindead0
Explorer
Explorer
Acdii wrote:
There is much more to it than tow weight! The salesman was smoking some really good stuff that day! LOL I bet one trip down the road with a larger heavier trailer in the lexus and you will be wanting to run him over! 🙂

Honestly, I would not look at anything larger than what I posted for that type of tow vehicle. One, its an SUV, and not really designed to tow a large trailer, two, it has a short wheelbase, and trust me on this, you don't want to be towing a long box on the interstate with a short wheelbase SUV. I used to tow my 18' long horse trailer with a 97 Ford Explorer, which I believe has a pretty similar wheelbase to the Lexus. Every time a truck went by, it would push and pull the rig. It got old after a while. The one I listed is much lighter than my horse trailer, and I think is a perfect match for what you have.
Indeed, just because you can 'tow' it doesn't mean it'll be fun. Previous TV was an '07 Nissan Frontier, 265HP claimed towing capacity of 6800#, towing 3000# in the mountains around here was an exercise in flogging the heck out of the engine. That V8 probably isn't as high strung as the Nissan V6 however take those tow rating with a HUGE grain of salt.
2015 RAM 1500 4x4 5.7, 3.93
2013 Econ 16RB TT

gmw_photos
Explorer
Explorer
That looks to be a pretty stout SUV. In model years 2015 and earlier, the funfinder 189FDS is worth looking at. Mine is a 2012. I really like the layout of it. It's right at 4000 pounds ready to roll but with empty water tanks.

Acdii
Explorer
Explorer
There is much more to it than tow weight! The salesman was smoking some really good stuff that day! LOL I bet one trip down the road with a larger heavier trailer in the lexus and you will be wanting to run him over! 🙂

Honestly, I would not look at anything larger than what I posted for that type of tow vehicle. One, its an SUV, and not really designed to tow a large trailer, two, it has a short wheelbase, and trust me on this, you don't want to be towing a long box on the interstate with a short wheelbase SUV. I used to tow my 18' long horse trailer with a 97 Ford Explorer, which I believe has a pretty similar wheelbase to the Lexus. Every time a truck went by, it would push and pull the rig. It got old after a while. The one I listed is much lighter than my horse trailer, and I think is a perfect match for what you have.

cwmoser
Explorer II
Explorer II
#1nobby wrote:
Lexus LX470 SUV with 6,500 lbs towing.


Yes 2002 Lexus LX470 230hp V8 engine
The GVWR is 6,860 lbs.
Base Curb Weight is 5,401 lbs.


With Weight Distribution Hitch:
6500 lbs = Max Trailer
650 lbs = Max Tongue


Passengers most likely wify and myself = say 325 lbs

I did encounter a salesman suggesting that the 6500 max weight
was "conservative because of liability issues" and no worries 🙂

Acdii
Explorer
Explorer
That vehicle has a 1400# payload, so you have to make sure the tongue weight of whatever you look at is low. Before you look though, do yourself a favor. Load it up with whatever you think you might carry in it, along with whoever you will have as a passenger, and go weigh it. Weigh it empty with just you in it, but with a full tank of gas both time. Subtract the loaded from unloaded, and subtract again from the payload capacity. Verify that your loaded weight doesn't exceed the gross weight on the door sticker too. That balance you have between loaded and unloaded is what you can put on the hitch. Now that you have that number, go shopping based on tongue weight.

Rough guess is you need something under 500# TW. Check out a Coleman 17FQits specs fall right in where you need to be.

_1nobby
Explorer
Explorer
Lexus LX470 SUV with 6,500 lbs towing.

valhalla360
Nomad III
Nomad III
I would think any of the trailers in the 18-25' range but depends on your tow vehicle.

Your best bet is to get the ratings on your truck and then go to a few of the larger dealers and wander around. Make sure to check against the fully loaded rating not the empty rating. (don't listen to the salesman if he tells you, it's no big deal to tow much larger than your rating.)
Tammy & Mike
Ford F250 V10
2021 Gray Wolf
Gemini Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and RV

gmw_photos
Explorer
Explorer
If you state specifically what your tow vehicle is, it would be easier for others to make suggestions regarding an alternative to the R-pod.