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How to place an rpod cover

Printed From: r-pod Nation
Category: Forest River r-pod
Forum Name: R-Pod Videos
Forum Description: Videos of the interior of R-Pods
URL: http://www.rpodNation.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2552
Printed Date: 19 Mar 2024 at 2:42am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.0 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: How to place an rpod cover
Posted By: dr*****k
Subject: How to place an rpod cover
Date Posted: 17 May 2011 at 9:30pm
I just posted a video on an easy technique for putting your cover on the rpod.  I posted this tip with stick drawing animation last year.  The video shows the technique.

check 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5a4Y3f5YKU&feature=email - How to cover RPod - easy cover technique



Replies:
Posted By: Mary & Don
Date Posted: 17 May 2011 at 10:30pm
Thanks for posting the video.  A picture is worth a thousand words!

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Mary & Don
R-Pod 175
Columbus, Ohio

Life is good in R-Pod!


Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 2:55pm

What do you attach the poles to the cover with.  Also how tall are you and how long are your poles.

 
Great Video.. Thanks for Posting
 
LeeClap
 


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Still a work in progress, lots of pictures.
http://podterfly.blogspot.com/


Posted By: dr*****k
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 4:14pm
I'm 6 foot even and my wife is 5, 7. The poles are 6 foot fiberglass paint extension poles from Home Depot. The pole handle ends have eyelets. I use disposable nylon cable ties to attach the pole to the cover eyelets. The cover happens to have brass eyelets at the four corners. It's easy to connect the cover and poles that way. After I'm done I just snip the cable ties off.
I use small bungee cords to attach the eyelets at the rPod end to the stabilizer jacks.
I tried using the metal poles that came with our rDome, but they are too weak and I ended up bending one of them.
The hardest part is getting the cover to "jump" the roof hardware. You just have to jiggle it and make sure that the cover is not caught on the propane tank in front. A third person to make sure the front end flows easily would be a help, but not neccessary.
Hope this helps.


Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 4:26pm
Ok that helps, and why it hasn't worked for me.  You have at least 10" on me and your wife has 14" on Myra.   I have two bamboo walking sticks that are very strong, we just don't have the height.   I have a plan or a mini innvention for the vertically challeged, if it works I post it after memorial day roundup.
Maybe I can get someone to video it for us.
 
LeeClap


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Still a work in progress, lots of pictures.
http://podterfly.blogspot.com/


Posted By: HuronSailor
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 4:29pm
Originally posted by Butterfly_Lee Butterfly_Lee wrote:

we just don't have the height.

Me either. Drywalling stilts?


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.: Mark & Beth :: Silverado 5.3L :: "arrrr"Pod 172 :: http://picasaweb.google.com/mark.a.mowery - My Albums :: http://ourrpod.blogspot.com/ - OurPod Blog ::


Posted By: dr*****k
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 6:54pm
My hot tub cover has an "upside down U" shaped pipe device that lets me open and close the hot tub cover with ease. Perhaps a PVC device similar but larger in scale would work for a cover. You would need to anchor it midway on the pod with a hinge that allows 180 degree swing.


Posted By: Mountaineer
Date Posted: 20 May 2011 at 10:03am
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!  I used your drawing instruction last year and my friend and I had to use ladders on each side of the camper to get the job done.  My error was probably using flimsy poles that kept bending. I'm off to Home Depot to get a couple paint extension poles.  Jerry

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Jerry


Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Date Posted: 13 Jul 2011 at 9:42pm
Unfortunately, I'm short (5'2") and Myra is Shorter (4'10") and we both don't have the upper body strength for longer pole.   

Here is a short person(s) How to Place a rpod Cover.

First of all I've put 4 grommet holes along the back, one about an inch from the corner seem and one on either side of the center back seem.  I used a piece of 3/4 PVC (76" long) and drill small holes corresponding to those in the cover. With pieces of cord I attach the pipe to the cover.  Than I use a long piece of nylon rope tied at both ends and in the middle to create a triangle.

To the end of the nylon rope I have a large dog toy ball attached.  I throw ball over Podterfly.

Myra pulls the rope down and the cover lifts.  Sometimes we get a little help from the wind and the cover because a kite, another wise I use a walking stick to get over the snags.   



Total unhitch and cover for storage last trip.  45Minutes.  

When is storage the Pole stays attached to the cover, when traveling the pole fits with my rdome poles.  

Works for Us.
LeeClap




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Still a work in progress, lots of pictures.
http://podterfly.blogspot.com/


Posted By: Ratdog
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2011 at 9:44am
Lee - We also use those same dog toys (looks like a tennis ball) on our pod cover. But we use 5 of them without the PVC pipe.
 
We have 1 ball and rope attached to the middle point of the cover in the rear. The other 4 balls are attched with ropes to the side grommets of the cover (2 on each side).
 
We did all of this before we removed the cover this spring and haven't tried putting the cover on with this setup yet so I can't say that it works but here's the plan (pretty similar to what you do):
 
1. One of us stands at the front of the pod with the cover and throws the ball/rope that's attached to the rear of the cover over the top of the pod to the person who's standing at the rear of the pod.
 
2. Person at the rear pulls the rope to get the cover up on the roof while the person at the front makes sure the side balls/ropes are free to dangle over the sides of the pod as the cover goes up.
 
3. Once the cover is up and on the pod, we go to opposite sides of the pod and pull the side ropes to bring the sides of the cover down.
 
Like I said, this is completely untested but I'll report back what happens when we give it a try.
 
-- Steve


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Steve, Anne, and Paige the Rat Terrier
2013 Lexus RX 450h Hybrid AWD
2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)


Posted By: drjenk
Date Posted: 11 Oct 2011 at 2:48am
Hi,
We just bought our rp177, and the dealer financial guy commented during the proceedings that we should definitely not buy the cover.  He said they had them for sale, but don't put them on, because they get dirt underneath them and cause abrasion on the fiberglass shell.  He said they get damp and seep water through, and make a mess.  But on the other hand, they do provide UV protection over the winter.  On our last tent trailer, I had a cover, and I must admit, when taking it off in the spring I was mystified as to where the dirt came from sitting on the roof.  Maybe it was a cheap cover.  But can anyone comment who has used one of these rpod covers, was there dirt underneath on the roof when you took it off in the spring?  How is your experience generally with it, was it worth using?  I'm tending to think I'd like the protection if there are no harmful side effects.  Thanks
David J.


Posted By: pmjensen
Date Posted: 11 Oct 2011 at 10:04am
I have found when putting the cover on Nuestro Pod, by myself, that using a 10' piece of 1/2" aluminum electrical conduit with a tennis ball stuck on top.  I do thing I may try a little larger conduit as the 1/2" tend to bend a fair amount.  I have only put in on a couple of times so as I do it more hopefully it will take less time. Now it takes about 15 minutes. 

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2011 R-176 Nuestro Pod
2011 Frontier SV


Posted By: GaRedneck81
Date Posted: 11 Oct 2011 at 11:21am
I bought a cover strickly for the UV protection it affords the R-POD. It would be asking alot from a cover to put it on and then 4 months later take it off and expect your Pod to be pristeen and not need a bath.  My cover has small holes(hard to see with these eyes) to let the cover "breath" and dry after a rain. They have never claimed these to be "waterproof", no cover makes that claim. To the opinion of your dealer stating that the dirt scratched the fiberglass; I would have to throw out the bull*hit flag on that one.

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GaRedneck81
U.S.Navy-Retired
Heavy Chevy 5.7 liter
RP-172
Kennesaw, Ga.


Posted By: this_is_nascar
Date Posted: 12 Oct 2011 at 3:23pm
The "cover scratching the camper" debate is a long one, not just with the R-Pods.  Bottom line, if you cover and that cover rubs against a corner, side or portion of the camper consistently, it's going to do damage by leaving scuffs, scratches, etc.  It physics and is guaranteed to occur.  That's why I don't cover any of my campers.  I'll let the UV rays do what they want, but I'm not about to turn my campers into big wind-catchers, so they can get scuffed, scratch and marred by the friction of the cover rubbing the surfaces.


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"Ray & Connie"

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



Posted By: patmin
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2013 at 2:25pm
"Necessity is the mother of invention".....aren't people surprisingly inventive?!? Great and helpful ideas. Thanks guys & gals.


Posted By: dondee
Date Posted: 05 Aug 2013 at 2:28pm
Thanks for that. We spent over an hour in the boiling sun trying to put the cover on the first and only time we tried. lol


Posted By: LadyCamper
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2014 at 1:40pm
Wonderful way to put on cover. Any hints for one person? Think this would work with longer pole in middle of cover? http://www.rpodnation.com/smileys/smiley32.gif

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Happy Camper


Posted By: Lark
Date Posted: 05 Nov 2015 at 7:56am
Some great help on getting to cover on.  I did it by myself using a fiberglass pole.  Once I got it over the AC and antenna, it was fairly easy to get it the rest of the way.  Laying it out on the ground upside down was very helpful.  The cover is a very worth well investment for storing outside in MN.   I used one for my 171 before trading it, and it helped keeping it looking good.
Lark 2015 R-179  F -150 

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Lark



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