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R-Pod construction

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tpierce220 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tpierce220 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2011 at 5:17pm
Czardastx, no offense taken.  Smile

It's not that I disliked the cot tent and would have kept it if it weren't for the cats.  Somehow having two people and two cats (never mind the litter box) inside it.  The smell alone from that litter box would kill us.  Clown

Tim
Adventures with ¡Podtástic!--Life in a Forest River RPod 182G with Tim and Louis and our two cats, Desi and Lucy. Check our website at http://podtastic.info for information on our journeys.
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this_is_nascar View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote this_is_nascar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2011 at 8:21pm
Originally posted by saxack saxack wrote:

I was seriously considering purchasing a r-pod, & almost ordered one, until I went to a RV show this last weekend, & looked at several models. I was very surprised at the lack of pride in craftsmanship! It was non-existent! The brochure states that the walls & floor are "welded aluminum". They are actually plywood covered with a thin layer of fiberglass. The brochure also states that the cabinets fronts are solid wood, & assembled with screws. I only saw particle board, & staples! The drawer fronts may have been solid, but not the cab front panels. The only screws I saw were a couple that held the cabs to the floor. Otherwise hundreds of staples.  The "queen bed" was a flimsy mattress laying on a 1/4" sheet of luan plywood, supported by a stapled together 1&1/2" frame. This was the most flimsy construction I have ever seen in a trailer! It was obviously meant for one trip only! I asked the salesman about it, & his reply was, "You get used to carrying tools & glue to make frequent repairs"! Just what I want to do after driving hundreds of miles or so, & have to put the interior back together before being able to use it!! I think duct tape would be needed also! NOT BUYING IT!!!
 
Sadly, you're not far off the truth from what I've seen with my R-Pod.  Terrible craftsman ship, actually the worse I've ever seen and I've owned several different TT's over the years.  Mine was so poorly assembled, I had to have all my windows replaced due to the installer over torqing each side of the windows.  They "sandwiched" together and crushed the tracks of all the windows.  The windows and screens could not be moved.  They were all replaced.  Shame on me for not discovering the issue prior to taking delivery.  Nonetheless, no excuse for the installation.  If you take a look under the one bench on my R-Pod (the side you're not supposed to use for storage), you see a mess of wires, twisted and tangled on each other, sawdust all over the place, pieces of wood drill/plug holes littered about.  Under the sink, it's similar.  There really no excuse for such a terrible installation of a trailer.
 
I'd never consider another R-Pod.
 
"Ray & Connie"

- 2017 R-Pod RP-180
- 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road

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this_is_nascar View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote this_is_nascar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2011 at 8:26pm
Originally posted by pepperpod pepperpod wrote:

@saxack
I am surprised that you are looking for such quality in the price range of the RPod.  We did not expect to see the quality you are describing.  After traveling almost 4000 miles in our 2010 last spring and summer, my biggest complaint was the mattresses in our bunk beds.  They were horrible and we replaced them with foam topped with memory foam.  I,also, found that I was constantly sweeping up sawdust.
We went to an RV show and found that the mattresses in a very expensive fifth wheel were no better than ours.  I could feel the springs in the mattress when I sat on it.
Knowing that my Pod is not made with the highest quality material, I take great care when opening drawers and doors. Wink
 
... and it's because of feelings, attitudes and acceptance like this that these companies get away with putting junk out on the street.  The last time I checked, $10k, $12k, $15k, etc is still some pretty high coin.  See my problems from my prior reply.  Should I have accepted or expected this because I only paid $XXX for the product?
 
 
 
"Ray & Connie"

- 2017 R-Pod RP-180
- 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road

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rabuol View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rabuol Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2011 at 10:23pm
Sorry to heat that Saxack
 
Never had a problem with my 171 rpod since I bought it in spring 2009.
 
In fact, I recently left northern Ontario in -37C weather....and in this cold I thought the rpod would be in bad shape after over 1 000 miles in sub 0 temp....not so....it's extremely well constructed and is performing without fault.
 
Lou
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Skooterpod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Mar 2011 at 8:24am
Our first exposure to RV's, our first chance to step inside and look firsthand was at an RV show last spring and it seemed to us the R-Pod was better built, felt more solid and substantial than anything else we looked at (we only looked at similar small RV's).  Now after 7 mos. ownership and approximately 21 nights camped, I haven't had to repair anything and nothing has come apart.  Have made some small convenience mods, but up to this point overall quality has lived up to/surpassed our expectations. Thumbs Up 
 
(yes the bed sucks but we knew that before buying, so no dissappointments there either)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ratdog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Mar 2011 at 8:35am
Originally posted by Skooterpod Skooterpod wrote:

Our first exposure to RV's, our first chance to step inside and look firsthand was at an RV show last spring and it seemed to us the R-Pod was better built, felt more solid and substantial than anything else we looked at (we only looked at similar small RV's).  Now after 7 mos. ownership and approximately 21 nights camped, I haven't had to repair anything and nothing has come apart.  Have made some small convenience mods, but up to this point overall quality has lived up to/surpassed our expectations. Thumbs Up 
 
(yes the bed sucks but we knew that before buying, so no dissappointments there either)
 
I don't believe the mattress that comes with the Rpod is intended for use. It's just there to show you where the real mattress goes once you buy one <LOL>.
 
-- Steve
 

Steve, Anne, and Paige the Rat Terrier
2013 Lexus RX 450h Hybrid AWD
2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pmjensen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Mar 2011 at 12:21pm
Sadly, you're not far off the truth from what I've seen with my R-Pod.  Terrible craftsman ship, actually the worse I've ever seen and I've owned several different TT's over the years.  Mine was so poorly assembled, I had to have all my windows replaced due to the installer over torqing each side of the windows.  They "sandwiched" together and crushed the tracks of all the windows.  The windows and screens could not be moved.  They were all replaced.  Shame on me for not discovering the issue prior to taking delivery.  Nonetheless, no excuse for the installation.  If you take a look under the one bench on my R-Pod (the side you're not supposed to use for storage), you see a mess of wires, twisted and tangled on each other, sawdust all over the place, pieces of wood drill/plug holes littered about.  Under the sink, it's similar.  There really no excuse for such a terrible installation of a trailer.
 
I'd never consider another R-Pod.
 I guess my question for this_is_nascar is, if you dislike the R-Pod so much why do you still bother with the forum?

Just curious

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Pawpod View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pawpod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Mar 2011 at 12:59pm
After spending over 30 years tenting mostly in nylon tents, a few in tent trailers, I am really looking forward to using R RPod. When we had our tent trainer last year the hinge on the sink/counter pulled loose on our first trip. Our dealer fixed it when we got back. On our second trip, which was only 45 min away, it started again to pull free. I ended up buying a plastic container to place under it when we were traveling to stop it bouncing inside. It wasn't a forest river trailer. I think unless your going to buy a RV built like a house that needs a semi to haul it, weight concerns determin construction with cost also a factor.

If you don't want to do repairs, buy a nylon tent, their roomy nowdays and you can get a new one every few years.

As to workmanship, I work in a factory, at work I've noticed 2/3 of our people have under 15 years experience. Of the 1/3 with 15 years + 1/2 has left for other jobs, some have taken management jobs, and some are on long time disability. So that leaves about 20 people out of 400 people with 15 years or more. The number with 5 years or less is about 300. Of that 300, well about 100 started in 2009/2011 Most of our staff is under 25. IMHO most of these "kids" would have been fired in their first week 25 years ago. I'm sure the RV industry has the same or similar problems.
Ready to pod around.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote headcold Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Mar 2011 at 8:36pm
Well, I've only put a 1000 miles on my 2011 r-pod 172.  Nothing has fallen apart yet ... well the facing of the refrigerator came unglued, but that's not made by Forest River - Dometic, I think is the manufacturer.  Compared to the Scamp, it's a good model.  I guess the person who posted this could buy an Airstream; but, they're going to pay a lot more, and I've heard complaints about those also.

The queen-size bed that is made up from the table is awful without a mattress over it, but I don't plan to use it.  I found the bunk bed mattresses to be adequate.

I believe someone posted pictures taken inside the factory, showing the R-Pod construction.  Yes, they are built from aluminum frame, foam, and plywood - this accounts for their relatively light weight and insulating qualities.  In a Scamp or Casita, you will get rat fur insulation inside a plastic molded body.  All three will shatter if hit by an errant pickup, but hopefully that's what insurance for.
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Pawpod View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pawpod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Mar 2011 at 9:10pm
Just to add to my other post..... Looking at the RV's at a RV show in town from 4 dealers nearby, I think the RPod meets up with larger and bigger priced units. Forest River did a good job IMO!
Ready to pod around.
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