R Pod

[givemethewillys]

Right!

I was amazed yesterday when I got under our Pod to check what axle it actually has for my posts here. I guess I was naive and thought it would be on a 3500# axle and instead it was built with a Lippert 3000# axle to support it. That’s just outrageous they would sell a trailer with a GVWR close to 3500# and then willfully under design it. The passenger side wheel has the most excessive uneven wear and it’s visibly got negative camber. With the feathering most dramatic on the inside of the same tire I’d bet it has some toe out as well.

I may report this to the NHSTA. I had threatened to do the same for the wall separation issue especially after learning how they use tiny screws to hold them to floor. That it’s so prevalent an issue across the industry was really surprising they get away with it from a safety perspective alone. It ultimately got me some good will from Forest River - although laughable given how lame their solution was. They didn’t pay attention until I went on their FB page and started making comments about the “flaw”. I was surprised I got anything given I was the second owner and it was a few years out of their warranty. I hear even in warranty they avoid responsibility for most things. Researching the axle issue the last few days I learned that others that experience a bad or failed axle within their 1yr warranty are also left in the cold!

I wonder if the ultimate solution since you actually like your trailer is to swap in a 4500lb or 5000lb axle and call it a day. It won't change the ccc, but it would at least provide a margin of safety. I ordered a custom 3500lb axle for my Spen(similar to an m416) for only a few hundred dollars.

I'm really disappointed in your report of the wall situation. I have enough woodworking experience to rebuild anything inside with nicer/lighter components, but I would expect that the walls would be sturdy in the first place. Its disappointing that the industry is so prevalent to have such subpar build quality. I wouldn't think it would cost much more to build something that would last.

 

[XCvagn]

I'd accept the quality of an R-Pod if it's actual sale price was about 12K
Not the 25k my dealer was asking and that's two years ago now.
They wouldn't budge on price even on a 100% cash sale, because they know somebody will come in and buy the heap on payments over 10+ years and they will make a fortune.
Used ones hold value around here as they can be towed with mid size vehicles or the mini van driver who doesn't know what they are doing and get away with it because we don't have any hills.

The R-Pod and the Winnebago clone had a layout or two we were big fans of and Winnie dropped the one we liked the most.

We're settled on either an Escape 17A or Escape 19 fiberglass trailer now.

For us the Pod 172 is a good layout while being relatively simple (no pullouts, AC and TV/DVD combo along with the big wing antenna had been removed by prior owner to turn it more into an off grid camper). Those simplifications along with nice touch of added solar onto roof where AC unit used hog space and bike points front and rear were the big draws. It was key coming from an original T@B (the ones Dutchmen assembled with European components on license from T@bbert Germany). That was our first taste of trailer life which we’d gotten for a YK, AK, NT summer-long overland adventure. We wanted something inexpensive that would hold its value to flip after the trip. Since we were traveling with 3 kids (10, 6, 11mo old) a RTT was quickly ruled out and given how much distance we would be traveling, tent camping was not going to be viable for us. We got lucky finding the T@B - ticked all the boxes plus cool factor.

In hindsight the T@B's design was surprisingly solid and well executed (especially since it used the European ALKO frame and axle which uses automotive axles - zero maintenance) and considering what it went through on that trip. It did take a beating and lived to tell about it with a beat up front from heavy gravel and mud that covered it. We reinforced it with diamond plating after that trip! We ended up deciding to keep it another year to see if and how else we’d use it. We had it for 18 months when I realized it was starting to be too small for us (it was the king size bed/dinette layout with indoor galley (we’d been sleeping 4 on the bed and our oldest on the floor).

We liked the teardrop style for cool factor and I still felt resale value was important which landed us as primed for an RPod Plus the “rugged look” not realizing it was mostly show although evident given it's poor ground clearance with so much hanging out from it's underbelly. Plus the first time we got to see an R-Pod up close was near our campground Savage River campground in Denali NP.

Partly why we've been happy with our R-Pod in spite of it's issues are 1, we've been able to get them fixed/hardened and 2, most importantly to Grassland's point, out of pocket to get into the R-Pod was about $8500 - we really did get lucky with our T@B which not only had amazing resale, we were able to actually come out ahead which subsidized the R-Pod. Anything more than $10k is outrageous unless quality design, engineering, and manufacturing go into it.

We do like our R-Pod and as we replace its weaknesses it only gets better and I expect will get us further off the beaten path than it already has!

 

[XCvagn]

I wonder if the ultimate solution since you actually like your trailer is to swap in a 4500lb or 5000lb axle and call it a day. It won't change the ccc, but it would at least provide a margin of safety. I ordered a custom 3500lb axle for my Spen(similar to an m416) for only a few hundred dollars.

Yes, that's what I'm thinking is replacing the axle with something hardier. I'm intrigued by Timbren axle-less suspension which would improve the clearance underneath by taking out that goofy cross beam part of the standard NA trailer axle setup. The downside is it seems like I would have to fabricate some mounts outboard of the existing frame since the frame is so far in under the box of the trailer. You're right, going with a standard axle would only be a few hundred dollars but for the same reason I'd have to have the mount points for one moved in some to go on an R-Pod. I'll have to check out the difference given something would have to be custom done, either to the frame or to the replacement axle assembly. I've only just started exploring the options after looking at the existing setup more closely. I'd like to do it before the tires are worn. It would suck to put new tires on only to have them eaten by the bad axle.

I'm really disappointed in your report of the wall situation. I have enough woodworking experience to rebuild anything inside with nicer/lighter components, but I would expect that the walls would be sturdy in the first place. Its disappointing that the industry is so prevalent to have such subpar build quality. I wouldn't think it would cost much more to build something that would last.

The upside of an R-Pod wall is that it is an aluminum frame. I expect it's one of the more reliable parts of the trailer. The roof is wooden beams across between the walls and laminated. Another MTB family that we know with an R-Pod had the misfortune of the roof spoiler allowing water to leak into the roof into the back above the rear window and mold set in. They were able to peel the ceiling back to replace the wooden beams and insulation and re-enclose themselves. To some extent it's good to know it's not complicated to get into to fix.