towing an RPod177

[canoeman]

Good day to you all!.......I pull my RPod 177 with a F-250.......Funny to say!!!.....I feel the RPod in the back...........hard to pull for the size of it. Am I wrong!!.........it was my first trip with it!!!.............Thanks for your comments.........................Canoeman.

[trudinator]

Maybe you have your hitch set up wrong? We pull our 32ft TT with a Dodge 2500 and most of the time we hardly know its back there.

[canoeman]

Thanks for your comment. I'll check with the RPod dealer concerning my setup!!..........................Canoeman

[Rsgtivr6]

I know it is a small TT, but I suggest first to take it out of the bed of the truck (should only take 2-3 burly men) and connect it to the hitch receiver on the back of the truck. Will pull a bit better that way...

I could jump on my urge to poke fun at a blue oval, but I will hold back.

What do you feel? Is it bouncy? Does it sway a lot? Some more insight on what you are experiencing might help diagnose it.

It could just be too light on the tongue. Maybe a lower drop on the hitch or a little more weight to the front could help, but yes, get it looked at to ensure the whole thing rides as designed.

Good luck!

[bakken]

Unless you have a hitch with a big drop, the camper would likely be running very high in the front. I don't imagine they were designed to be pulled with such a high vehicle. The camper should be as level as possible.

[rce]

Originally Posted by canoeman

Good day to you all!.......I pull my RPod 177 with a F-250.......Funny to say!!!.....I feel the RPod in the back...........hard to pull for the size of it. Am I wrong!!.........it was my first trip with it!!!.............Thanks for your comments.........................Canoeman.

I seem to recall when we were considering the RPod 177 that the tongue weight was quite substantial for the size of the trailer. Could be the hitch setup needs some tweaking. Do you have a weight distributing hitch?

[MtnGuy]

Canoeman,

I know many members have posted that they "don't know the camper is back there" statement, I have never found that to be true.

I have towed a small Coleman pop-up that weighed about 1000 lbs. behind my S10 Blazer. The mileage dropped to the upper teens, and I had to unlock OD in mountain areas. I was pulling only about 10% of the Blazer's listed towing weight.

I have towed a Trailmanor 2720 behind my current truck. That was about 30% of my listed towing rate of 9300 lbs. The Trailmanor dropped my mileage down to the mid teens, and I still had to run OD off in somewhat steeper hills.

I knew both of the campers were following me down the road, even though both were well below my tow ratings, and both were fold down campers out of the wind. In the case of the pop-up, I was not using a WDH, but probably should have been.

The rear axle and the hitch of the F250 should be able to handle the weight of the tongue just fine, if you are not using a WDH, adding 1 should help your truck handling by getting weight back onto the front axle.

What is the engine and final drive ration of your F250 ??

[crasher]

You should not need any kind of WDH for an RPOD! Especially towing it with an F250. Check that the hitch is at the correct height and that the trailer is level. Other than that, check that the axles and springs in the trailer are in good order.

About 30 secs of research will show you that the tongue weight is 245lbs, and the total dry weight is 2418. Loaded up weights should be a bit more, but probably not more than 350/3000. Total length 18'8". All that should be needed is a simple ball hitch - you should be able to tow this with a minivan or any size truck without anything more.