podmod: Front Stabilizing Jacks
Printed From: r-pod Nation
Category: Forest River r-pod
Forum Name: Maintenance Issues, Tips and Tricks
Forum Description: Have you ever wondered how something works? Found a good way to do something? Discovered the hard way what NOT to do? Share them here.
URL: http://www.rpodNation.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=809
Printed Date: 19 Apr 2024 at 1:10am
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Topic: podmod: Front Stabilizing Jacks
Posted By: Outbound
Subject: podmod: Front Stabilizing Jacks
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 3:50pm
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After lots of great input in the http://www.rpodnation.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=772&title=do-i-want-front-stabilizers - Do I want front stabilizers? thread, I decided to install them on my 171 this past weekend. My dealer was running a 15% off on all in-stock items sale, so that and an unexpectedly sunny and warm November day was all that was needed to push me to do the mod. Of course, I chose 17" Bal Light Trailer Stabilizing jacks - they're normally used on tent trailers and the like, but as r-pods weigh about the same as an average-sized tent trailer, I thought the Bal would be a good choice. http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2581222460105331225OdwyGe">  Inside the box I found the two stabilizing jacks, a removable crank handle and a bag of hardware (six self-tapping screws and lockwashers). http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2581157880105331225QCpiwH">  Figuring out where to mount the stabilizers was the most difficult part of the install. There are several wires running up the street side of the r-pod, and several (I counted three) ground points screwed into the underside of the frame. I was stymied for a while, as I thought that the stabilizer had to be against either the frame or a crossmember, but I re-read the instructions and saw that this wasn't a requirement. In the end, I decided to run them diagonally across the corners of the frame. Each stabilizer is held on with three screws (provided). It was a simple matter of measuring, drilling holes and screwing in the screws. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures. You all know how to measure, drill and screw anyway. In the end, I'm quite pleased with the install: http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2212740810105331225NpHDrP">  http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2147297350105331225vwydoA">  I did have one additional task, tho. Being "creative" (i.e. lazy), several months ago, I bought a drill/driver to raise and lower the rear stabilizers. Its just a small 7.2v lithium-ion drill/driver, but its powerful enough for the stabilizers and I can recharge it anywhere from the trailer's battery using a power adapter. Unfortunately, the stock rear stabillizers use a different socket than the fronts, so, using an angle grinder on an old spark plug socket I had laying around, I made a flanged a flanged socket (looks like the http://www.customcylindersintinc.com/socket_jenie.htm - socket jenie ) to raise/lower the front Bal stabilizers. http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2880376460105331225JiSaIy">  ------------- Craig :: 2008 Mazda Tribute :: 2009 r-pod 171, The Johnnie Ray |
Replies:
Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 4:47pm
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Great MOD Outbound actually they changed mid year, because i have a 2010 without front stabilizers. Do the stabilizers handle all the weight in the front or is the trailer tongue jack in place also. I worry about the weight in the front because that's were my bunks are, and because of the reports of "stabilizers bending when leveling". Right now I use 3 ton car jacks and feel pretty solid, but having something attached permanently would be better. Since it doesn't have to be welded then I could probably handle doing it myself. Lee  ------------- Still a work in progress, lots of pictures. http://podterfly.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 4:48pm
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I was thinking the same thing Craig. I was wondering how to get my portable drill to accept a socket that would raise and lower the stabilizers. Glad someone else was thinking the same !!
HAPPY PODing !!!
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Posted By: rpodmania
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 5:15pm
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Really? Our 2010 171 late model doesnt have front jacks only rear ones. Im I missing somthing here?
------------- 2010 171 Ford f-150 5.4L |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 5:15pm
I stand corrected on the model year the front stabilizer jacks were standard from the factory - 2010.5 it is. The tongue jack is still used and it still holds all of the trailer's weight at the front. The stabilizers just snug-up and cut down significantly on wiggling as you move around inside the 'pod. The Bal Light Trailer Stabilizing Jacks that I used are rated for 700 pounds lifting/1000 pounds stabilizing each ( http://www.norcoind.com/bal/products/consumer/stabilizing_products/lt-tr-stabjack.shtml - link ), which I thought was plenty for under my 171 (just the dinette is up front). But, there are other stabilizing jacks available with larger weight-carrying capacities that you might be more comfortable with. They'll likely be bulkier than the ones I chose, which is a negative considering how low the r-pod is to the ground. It might be best to talk it over with your dealer, or you could check out http://www.campingworld.com/ - Camping World (you lucky Americans and your better opportunities to shop). It really was an easy install: mark the position of the holes, drill, and screw in the self-tapping screws with a socket wrench. As I said, the most difficult part was figuring out where to put the stabilizing jacks without interfering with wiring. ------------- Craig :: 2008 Mazda Tribute :: 2009 r-pod 171, The Johnnie Ray |
Butterfly_Lee wrote:Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 5:21pm
I fixed my original post. As Lee pointed out, Forest River made front stabilizers standard in the middle of the 2010 run. ------------- Craig :: 2008 Mazda Tribute :: 2009 r-pod 171, The Johnnie Ray |
Posted By: pepperpod
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 5:33pm
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You know, I think Forrest River is monitoring this site. I think they are trying to fix the things that you guys are finding wrong with the Pod, because they think they have a "hot" little trailer that will be a big seller for them.
Just look at the love for the pod and excitement on here.
What do the rest of you all think???? ------------- Pepper,Coach,and Henry (a very brave little Maltese) R Pod 172 The rewards of the journey far outweigh the risk of leaving the harbor...unknown |
Posted By: Sandpiper
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 5:40pm
We made a visit to Harbor Freight Sat and bought several items that were on sale. One of them was a package of socket adapters for the unbelievable price of $1.89.  The 3/8" size and an old 3/4" socket fitted to a battery operated drill for $19,also from Harbor Freight , will do the cranking of stabilizers for me.  Or for Mrs. 'Piper as the case may be.  So for about $20 bucks we have an easier way of cranking the stabilizers up and down. Camping World had the socket alone for about $11. Using the drill certainly is not an original idea but the socket adapters sure solved a problem. ------------- Sandpiper Mrs.'Piper Ford 150-[Mini Lite 2104S] |
Posted By: Sandpiper
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 5:55pm
Pepperpod When you get your Pod you too will have to sign on to be among Forest River's Research and Development team.  And their R & D doesn't stand for Rest'in & Diddl'in  You will have to make so many submissions or they will pull you credentials. ------------- Sandpiper Mrs.'Piper Ford 150-[Mini Lite 2104S] |
Posted By: pepperpod
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 5:56pm
  ------------- Pepper,Coach,and Henry (a very brave little Maltese) R Pod 172 The rewards of the journey far outweigh the risk of leaving the harbor...unknown |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 08 Nov 2009 at 6:19pm
Actually pepper.. its a double bladed sword.
Think of it this way:
They could feel they have no need to improve the factory QC because we are out here fixing/changing all this stuff for them. (in a round-about way)
Believe me, all Manufacturers are looking to cut every corner they can. Thats how business works.
Ive seen alot of questionable issues come up as I comb through the 177.
Or this way:
They do monitor this forum, and they are addressing some issues. Which is way kewl, and I hope that is the case. Who knows, the perfect Pod may roll off the assembly line in 2011 ???
This is the main reason Ive tagged our Pod as Apollo13. Great Idea, lots of technology, all the perks, but problems with putting it all together.
Whats really great about the Pod is this forum !!! We have some very intelligent people here that will know more about the Pod than the assembly line workers would ever dream of.
We'll pull each other through the imperfections, and share ideas about how to make the Pod more comfortable and effective, even to the point of warning us about problems and possible issues to expect.
I really need to see a doctor about these long posts I continue to type....
 sorry ...HAPPY PODing !!!
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Posted By: clevispin
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 10:30am
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If Forest River is monitoring this site, let's all start posting about noisy AC units again!
Tom |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 11:27am
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I dont mean to diss FR for some of the issues with the Pods. As far as I can tell the Dealers are usually happy to attend the issues.
Concerning the AC, havent used it yet, but Ive heard they are loud.
Ive read a few articles about some Coleman units. They got some good reviews.
We'll see how that works out, because its not as easy as the furnace fix. Which was go out and buy a safe space hearter for under $50.
Considering the purpose of the installed furnace, it would have been better to just supply a real nice Space Heater w/the Pods. You see, some bigger RVs use the furnace for keeping holding tanks and other things (floor?) warm when the climate requires it.
The Pod furnace just keeps the Pod livable. (which is a good thing)
But they are loud, and complicated (to me anyway) and take up valuable space.(177)
A Space Heater, when not in use, could be put in the tow vehicle.
Im sure that there is a reason they put a furnace in, and Im assuming it has to do with being able to put it in the "Camper" genre. But for the sake of logic, it lacks!
Like I said before, we'll see how the AC does in our unit. If it cools real good but is loud, then we may just put up with it till we can replace it w/something quieter.
But AC is hard to do without even here in Central Illinois. I can't imagine TX or AZ ...
So this could become an issue next summer for us.
Sorry for straying off the thread subject line.
 HAPPY PODing !!!
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Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 11:40am
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Wow... I'm surprised at these negative comments. Personally, I don't find the Dometic air conditioner to be particularly loud. Certainly, its no louder than a window air conditioner. It cools the pod really well, and I *like* that the fan cycles on and off with the compressor. I also like the propane furnace in my 171. Sure, it takes up a bit of cupboard space, but it comes in really handy when its cold outside. I like that it can be used when I'm dry camping, it puts out alot of heat, its out of the way, and 'setting it up' consists solely of turning up a wall thermostat (I'm on vacation, I really don't like fiddling around with things). Heck, while traveling in September, I pulled into a little park to make lunch in the pod; it was a bit cool inside so I turned on the heater - its fantastic that I can do this in a parking lot during a 20 minute lunch break. Most importantly of all, I feel safe running the furnace at night. ------------- Craig :: 2008 Mazda Tribute :: 2009 r-pod 171, The Johnnie Ray |
Posted By: tabkld93
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 11:51am
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I personally feel the AC units are oversized (which provides sufficient cooling) and appear to be loud because the Pod's are so small.
I have no problems sleeping with the noise and the on and off cycling. ------------- Todd, Karen & Leah '13 Surveyor 240 '12 Ford F150 EcoBoost Former owner of 2010 R-Pod 172 |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 12:31pm
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CRAIG :
Its great that you enjoy the conviences of the r-Pod, such as the 'standard' equipment.
I guess I turned toward the 'Space Heater' because of the problems we had initially with the furnace in our unit. Why I brought a space heater with us, I have no idea, but its literally "Saved the Day" in our case.
As far as set-up, it was a plug-in, and set the thermostat. Cindy had to get up to turn it down abit, but thats a good thing cause that meant that the Pod was retaining heat !!
 Since there were only two of us, we had no problem negotiating the unit on the floor.
Others may have problems with that if there are more than 2 campers, or they just dont want to give up the floor space.
But in all honesty, the space heater was much quieter than the furnace. (even though ours never lighted, it sounds the same in operational conditions)
Cindy is a very very very light sleeper (when she does sleep) so she is totally sold on the Space Heater route. (in our unit the furnace is under the bed, where-as a space heater can be placed near the dining area).
The furnace uses LP & electric, but how much electric I dont know, and if you only have one LP tank, then LP becomes a valuable resource when electric sites arent available.
(number of campers should be equated into the formula)
But perhaps the Space Heater would use more electric ??? this I do not know either. But the Pod battery(s) can be charged by the tow vehicle.
In any case, when it gets down to what ever it gets down to, its a personal preference, and alot of variables are involved.
A (what appears to be) "endless" MOD thread doesnt mean the r-Pod is broken, or inadequate, it just means that we're just trying to make our r-Pod "ours".
One thing I believe is for sure, we all Love them !
HAPPY PODing !!!
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Posted By: David and Danette
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 3:29pm
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It is the marketing strategy of Forest River to give us things about our RPods they we will want to improve on. That is why they gave it the name RPod. The more modifications we make the more it becomes our personal Pod Making it R pod. Forest River may be smarter than we may think. David ------------- SWFL 171 2010 Jeep Liberty |
Posted By: Tusten Traveler
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 4:11pm
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Hmm- while this has nothing to do with stabilizing jacks, I just want to clarify that you cannot use an electric heater while on battery power. The electric outlets all work off of shore power hook up only.
Having said that, we love having the electric heater available especially if we are already paying for the use of the hook up. ------------- John and Linda One 14 lb Cockapoo 2010 RPod 174 |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 5:22pm
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Very good point John ... heating and AC shouldnt be in this thread.
I guess I got carried away. Sorry !
Im going to look into this delima and start a new thread about off-line heating.
Thanks for bringing this thread back on-line John !!
HAPPY PODing !!! (#14)
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Posted By: MacTx53
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2009 at 6:10pm
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Not sure if you would consider this maintenance or a mod, but... Just a heads up on the factory installed stabilizer jacks. Our new 2010 / 172 "Harry Podder" came with four which was good. We hadn't expect four. Both front jacks had twisted off sheet metal screw heads, which was bad. I discovered this while getting ready to make the sewer hose container modification. I noticed the front of the jack was not touching the frame. So I took a closer look. On the curb side, one bolt head was missing and on the street side two bolt heads were missing. Now when I say missing, I mean that the sheet metal head was twisted of during the installation at the factory. For me the fix was not that big a deal. I removed the remainder of the sheet metal screws and enlarged the holes to accept a 5/16" bolt. A lock washer, and some Lok-Tite for good measure and it was a done deal. We'd put about 250+ miles getting it home from Corpus Christi and been another 500 miles on our first outing. Could have turned into a safety issue while traveling. Ya'll might want to make a point to crawl under check those stabilizer jack bolts. |
Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Date Posted: 02 May 2010 at 10:33pm
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Outbound It's taken six months to find the right set of stabilizers and have the time to install. (www.domar.com) I had two friends to hold the stabilizer in place (JACK and Jack ) and six self tapping bolts later, the stabilizers were installed. Had to remove the foot and then screw back on to do the front bolts.BEFORE  During   AFTER  Of course I picked the Sunniest day and got a little sunburn (never fails). Anyway for those who didn't get front stabilizers, these were 19.99 a piece and I also got the foot pad and wheel for the front from the same company. Lee ------------- Still a work in progress, lots of pictures. http://podterfly.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 02 May 2010 at 10:35pm
Great Job !!! 
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Posted By: yizit
Date Posted: 02 May 2010 at 11:02pm
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You are my idol Lee....great job.
------------- Former owner of 2009 Rpod 172 Darlene & Jim, Ewok our Lhasa Roada our 2004 Roadtrek 190P Conversion Van |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 02 May 2010 at 11:17pm
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Great job, Lee! ------------- Craig :: 2008 Mazda Tribute :: 2009 r-pod 171, The Johnnie Ray |
Posted By: Daystarsc
Date Posted: 03 May 2010 at 9:32am
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There was never any doubt in my mind that you could do it!! Great job.
Becky
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Posted By: catken
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2010 at 5:45am
| It appears that the front stabilizers were put on at a angle unlike the rear. Is there anyway that they can be installed similar to the rear. KEN |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2010 at 9:07am
| Are they placed that way in front because of the tongue ??? |
Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2010 at 12:41pm
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Because of the electrical and lp line they can't go on the same way the back ones are installed. Lee  Sorry about the delay ...must have missed this post. ------------- Still a work in progress, lots of pictures. http://podterfly.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2010 at 1:19pm
As Lee said, no. There are electrical lines, propane lines and a few ground points in the way (see my first post in this thread). However, it is possible to mount the stabilizers lengthwise on the r-pod. This would leave the end of the jacks (where you place the crank) sticking out the front of the r-pod about 3". I chose not to do this and installed the jacks on an angle so that everything remained hidden. ------------- Craig :: 2008 Mazda Tribute :: 2009 r-pod 171, The Johnnie Ray |